not to rain on the idea, because I think in general something needs to change, but...

PVP just for fun is already being done by those that want to do it just for fun
PVP based objectives are something people want more of, not less
Alpha corps aren't going to go into Free for all war zones to ninja mine, that's like strapping raw meat on and jumping into the shark tank at sea world, you don't go mining where you know there's roams, you want to mine where you think they won't be.

Something does need to change, but putting more pvp objectives in as incentive is the right direction, not just more uncontensted space.

You've got to have NPC pvp space if you want players to move into conquerable space. Players need to get an idea of the logistical commitment they're making, and they need someplace where they can prove that they're able to handle pvp coming to them at any time.

It's something this game is definitely lacking, while it also has a ton of capturable outposts that are all owned by a small group of corps (many of whom have multiple).

Not really an improvement. 15 outposts is too many. Six, on the other hand, would provide a seriously concentrated conquerable beta environment. The NPC beta would provide a home for those that don't want to, or can't afford to, compete.

I'd be honestly surprised if more than a couple outposts on Hokk were contested, and those by M2S/62nd and co. There just aren't that many corps interested in taking one on Dom or Norhoop or Kent. We might go after one in one of those locations, but we're only one corp and there aren't exactly a ton of others raring to take an outpost for themselves.

I mean, who besides NEX would you point to as a likely inhabitant of one of those three islands that doesn't already have an outpost?

Flipping three of the islands to NPC control but keeping them pvp flagged would give people a non-alpha home that they couldn't be locked out of. It'd also greatly increase the tension between beta corps in a manner consistent with Boyle's Law (as volume decreases, pressure increases!).

A bunch of waste space is silly. Convert it into NPC space so that it provides a greater sense of security for the inhabitants.

In a situation where there's a lot of land available to be claimed there's a strong incumbency benefit -- if you already hold terf and there is empty land of similar quality available, players will prefer to capture that land rather than yours -- path of least resistance. Meaning no pvp.

So you'd end up with a system where there are a bunch of people who hold outposts and nobody trying to take those outposts from them because, uh, why bother? Meaning a dead boring beta environment without any real war, just a bunch of roaming. Roaming is fun, but the political shenanigans of a battle for control are what sells copy.

There's a huge divide between the corps that can and can't hold an outpost.

What I mean is there's no trailing corps almost big enough. 4 or 5 corps will take outposts, the remainder of the corps would just be going for 'fun' to attack SAP's without much chance of actually taking those posts.

With the current pop, you'd have to lower the outpost count to 3 in order to create competition. Even the stronger corps now are based on alliances and not the shear numbers to keep an outpost. The PVP action will center around the outposts with the lowest %'s and anyone at 100%, something in the middle 80's won't generate a lot of defensive actions.

one thing about EVE in your analogy does not compute.

NPC 0.0 worked for 2 things:

1. It was not claimable, so there was little incentive go after anything other than valuable moons for the large power blocks/alliances.
2. You can build your own home in EVE (a POS) as a corporation and escaping is easy (warp from pos shield to a celestial and log off) in case it turned sour for you.

Especialy part 2 is NOT true in PO. You cannot build your own defensible structure and reaching it/escaping is way more dangerous since you can only run on land and easily interceptible everywhere.

There's way much more danger when moving around a PvP zone in PO than there is in EVE.

Also one BIG difference, places to live are known by everyone (static structures on the map) vs POSes you had to scout for (still in fixed locations but you had to look for them).

I am all for your idea once we are able to set up temporary and defended camps (like POSes in EVE).

didnt read everything, but this sounds like "owning an outpost" means "owning the territory around it, which is not true.

that's correct. only the NPC stations with good exit points (i.e. non amarr) saw ANY population. however NPC 0.0 station worked mostly for mercenary/PvP corporations. any industrial corporation prefered POSes.

it is much MUCH easier to maintain a POS in NPC 0.0 (or was until capitals were introduced).

I've seen som pretty nice spots on the islands with a narrow and long route to them that could be perfectly defended by a few people (i.e. 20 head corp) with some aid from automated defences. however we cannot build any structures.

Can't believe you've played EVE and didn't learned anything of it.
The incentive of camping in 99% of all cases is: getting easy kills without risk - not defending something. You should remember low-sec and 0.0. Vastly dead and empty although you had much much better possibilities to escape or survive an aggression in EVE than in Perp.

"Been there, done that, got the T-Shirt" this attitude doens't make you look leet either. In fact: don't behave like a ***. NEX is part of the blob and even encourages it. Being the biggest corp ingame, only 2 months old and already blueballing other entities. You dare to talk about young and small corps going to beta? Ridiculous.
And yes i do care about "the blob". Of course i'm nobody and somehow you're right. The problem is that a lot of "nobodies" play this game ... that's why user peak is where it is.