Edit: This is high level theory on server design. It’s not meant to be negative in any ways, I can’t really comment on the current state of things. It’s not based on my experience with the server (I have none, something that i hope to soon rectify), but on what I hope to get out of an online Empyrion community and on my time reading the forums here.
So, I made an account for this. I’ll preface by mentioning that I’m not an active member on the HWS servers (see below for why) and I’m relatively newish at EGS with ~50 hours and a few ships under my belt. From everything I’ve read here, it also seems that those running the server put in a tremendous amount of effort to keep things running as smoothly as possible. Props for that.
I also want to mention that I probably won’t join the servers… yet. I want to see a mix of PVP and PVE, and all I see from my reading is a giant PVP sandbox. It’s great to have to defend a your stuff and work together. However, I think this community has the potential to create a whole galaxy. My vision of how the PVP and PVE fits together is something like this: I’ve picked a trader start, spent my initial credits to buy a small freighter and I’m able to fly between several player-created bases/systems bartering and selling goods for a profit. Once I’ve gained enough, I park my freighter in a shipyard (a sort of offline protection) and hop in my brand spanking new SV (which I bought from another player) to head into more dangerous space. Or perhaps I’m a pirate or a hunter. The idea is the same: I’m interacting with a player-created universe to survive (even if I’m still mining or foraging).
Notice I’m not really advocating exclusive PVE, but a mix of PVP and PVE. I’m suggesting, however, that players have the capacity to build up a universe without someone coming in and blowing it to smithereens while everyone else is asleep. As it stands, it seems to me that it’s like building a sandcastle for a toddler: it doesn’t matter how pretty it is, the toddler is going to find someway to step all over it.
Here’s the point: what if what players built mattered? From everything I’ve read here, it also seems that there is some sort of dissonance between PVE and PVP. I believe that PVE can actually aid a PVP community (without going all “care-bear” or whatever), so I wanted to make the following suggestion: look towards implementing system ownership (I’m thinking something akin to Microsoft’s Freelancer). Basically, have a series of systems that are lawless where things continue as is, but create a handful of core systems that can be bartered, captured, and laid waste.
The key to this is setting up rules of engagement. While most PVP could continue in these systems (pirates jump in to raid a storage depot, for instance), certain protection would be in place to give players the chance to build bases/stations in a system. These bases would be safe from raid, especially offline, for maybe 3-5 days (to give a faction a chance to fortify a system). Then, on rotation (after the 3-5 days), the system becomes “open” for new factions. During that time, other factions have a chance to destroy or capture x% of the system to cause ownership to flip to their own faction. IF successful, they would then have 3-5 days to build up and prepare for a subsequent attack.
The rewards would be great. Open systems rotate on a daily basis, so there are always contended PVP playfields
(so you always have a chance to fight for a planet). A faction would gain access to a wiped planet for 3-5 days, allowing them to build up and gaining access to that planet’s resource (which, by the way, could then drive the marketplace). IT would let factions add their own “flair” to the universe, and could help to create different safe systems in trader space, pirate space, etc.
It seems to me that this idea would accomplish a few things: it would add faction cohesion - you need to work together to defend and attack. IT would give a substantial reason for PVP. It would encourage people to focus in a few key systems each day, increasing relative player density and contributing to larger engagements.
Most importantly, it would give some sort of structure to the HWS universe. Instead of being a PVP wasteland, people might actually be able to build to the stars and have a reason to stay here instead of rebuilding and rebuilding and rebuilding until tired.
Also, I like building spaceships 
Do you think blueprints would see any use in HWS to give faction more theme (E.g. see a small freighter CV below)?
