What would bring little more life into long trading runs would be bots spawning sometimes even in wormhole or station sectors - not many, just one or two, so the player would have to be on constant lookout when entering sectors.

I don't know if the AI supports this, but I'm thinking of entering a station sector and seeing some bots attacking station (or station defense bots, since it's impossible to damage a station as of now). Player could either join, or completely ignore this fight.

This would add a little more life to the universe, even with no, or few players around (think unpopulated gray sectors).

Life is exciting enough. Let's not ASK for trouble.

this is what the storms are for.

Paedric: "Life is exciting enough. Let's not ask for trouble."
True, life is exciting. At the moment the game is rather tedious. Perhaps Ticho's
suggestion is worthy of consideration.
Spellcast: "This is what storms are for."
Maybe. I'm not giving up on the storm idea, but at the moment, storms just add
MORE tedium to the already boring task of getting from point "A" to point "B."
I have yet to be challenged by ANYTHING in a storm sector.

My suggestion isn't entirely about you meeting bots which attack _you_. Read again the part about you entering sector with an attack on station, or just a simple dogfight between two (or more) bots.

What I mostly aimed at was diversity and liveliness (w00t what a word) of the universe you are in. Maybe this will become pointless in future, when there will be 1000+ players online at any time, thus there will always be something going on, but it would not be bad in lonely sectors/systems.

It's something like those NPC traders incarnate mentioned in interviews - they just make the universe feel less empty. (Has anyone seen a NPC trader, anyway? Or is it something that is still yet to come?)

Ticho - I DID read your post. I AGREED with you. Perhaps you should re-read
MY post.

Sorry, that wasn't meant for you specifically, but a rather general "you" (y'all)