Originally Posted by
tobster911
but if during training I'm only told to ask for basic service, and told I don't need the others, then that's what I'll think
That's not far off, actually. The day you want a traffic service is the day there are lots of people flying, but if you ask for one chances are you won't get one due to "controller workload" ... because there are lots of people flying.
On a crap day you'll get a traffic service if you ask for one (if you can first find a radar controller who works weekends, which you tend not to in my part of the country), but as there's nobody but you flying they won't be telling you much.