One idea I propose for discussion is the creation of 'battleground' sectors. These sectors will have multiple entrances and exits. Some of the wormholes will be controlled by one side or the other, so that only a particular faction can use them (unless a strong enough enemy force was somehow able to punch through the defenses), but the rest of the wormholes will be neutral--or contested--and open to all. Players from different factions will wormhole into their respective safe zones and then 'meet in the middle' to battle it out. Trade ships can attempt to run the gauntlet to get to the contested wormholes.

An interesting idea, and very much vendetta 3.x style gameplay. I dont know that it has any place in the new universe from a game environment / background point of view however. The wormholes arent so neumerous that there are likely to be several in a single sector.

Battle training simulators using this idea have been discussed, but usually are set aside as a bad idea because they remove the risk of entering the "real" game.

Possibly a corporation could set up a sector somewhere for "combat games", maybe tow several small stations into a sector and allow players to fight a CTF style game around them.

I think he might have been suggesting this as a way to add story/immersion to the game. Like the battleground sectors would allow us PvPers to blast each other and have it mean something. I think this could be achieved by making one of the Itani/Serco systems gray and having lots of "battle stations" in it from either side - still the same heavily guarded wormholes, but a lot of less well defended stations actually in the sector for players to home in and attack.

Either way it would be interesting. I think a lot of PvP is going to be focused on the transports going back and forth in the gray sectors - especially with the allure of that "special weapon".

Yes, Starfisher, this is basically what I have in mind. The sector would have to be fairly large to allow multiple wormholes in it. I don't know if the current game architecture could support this. That is something that only the developers can answer.

Maybe an arena/gladitorial system. You jump into a system, and a bunch of the sectors contain an arena of some sort, and then a central station through in which challenges can be posted, bets placed, etc. And then a special channel set aside for betting to be placed outside of the system. Inside the station, players can select which arena they want to see, and they basically get a free-floating camera inside the system, so they can follow their favorite players, etc. The players inside the arena could have their comms cut off from the outside world to try to prevent cheating. The arena basically is a globe of bouys, and if any player crosses the boundry, they're zapped (like the old lightning mines) and immediately lose the duel. Something like that, maybe.

Could tie it in with the storyline a bit, "A new system was discovered today, with one connection to Odia, large ammounts of Xrithite ore have been found in the sector and the three major powers (Itani, Serco, TPG) are at war to claim this sector and its resources. As of yet there are no stations in this system, but there are reports of several Ceres class mining bases being constructed."