Impose Austerity On Station To Improve The Game

[Nnystyxx]

I think exposing the benefits and means of cooperation, and creating more, would be better than cutting resources and making the game more punishing. I like the story of the 'survivor'. Positive reinforcement, you dig?

EDIT:

The majority of what one does (or everything, if you're a proponent of psychological egoism) is done to benefit oneself. If someone doesn't gain something from their job (fun, loot, respect, etc.) or if they find something more rewarding than their job then they'll fuck off. Dependencies just create poorstation. Instead, you should look toward creating for synergies.

This might just be my bias, since I play on times where entire departments go unstaffed. The station is quite a bit different at unprimetime.
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Yes, I agree entirely with the 'synergies' bit. I like the crew having more reasons to communicate, coordinate and build rapport. Cross-interactions, reasons to talk, work together, ways to improve each other's lives (stuff like upgrading the chef's oven), gifts to give each other that aren't 100% necessary but are nice and cool to have.