Although star-lane traffic would not change gameplay that much, it would instead make star systems look 'lively'.

More populous star systems could have more traffic going in and out of said system. In a war scenario, more ships would be going out of the star system than into the star system.


As for how they would look, starship traffic could be visualised as multiple small dots scurrying through the star-lanes. The look would be more akin to moving particles.

This would subtly accentuate the more populous (and therefore more influential) star systems and make the galaxy feel more lively.


And as this addition is more of a graphical effect than a game mechanic, it should have the option to be turned off.


So that's about it, really. Hopefully, this is a sound idea.