A thought came to me today. I was looking at Tech haven for something and i saw the server tracker window. Always thought that was a brilliant move but then it occurred to me that it shows both the % of players and the real number of clients logged in. I wont call them all players because of dual logging but the point remains.
3% pop to me was a huge negative. It doesn't show tangible numbers. It could mean literally anything. When i saw 27 clients online however that actually made me think ok there are people playing. I should join them.
never seen a game anywhere that shows a server population count by this percentage system and I have still never been able to figure out why on earth this was a thing. It doesnt motivate anyone to join in when you cant see how many people are there already.
TL;DR
Change the percentage server pop to real numbers. Encourage more people to log on and play and not be dissuaded.