I fully support this... Switching modes only provides unfair advantage to those who switches modes whenever a human pirate poses a threat. Thus creating imbalance to the game and negates the effectiveness of how other features are implemented.
OR it forces the pvp player to do more than the usual gank and run because if they overdo it they are soon alone in open.
And that is the beauty of it.
I do not know.. like .. maybe.. duh... play his role good... like.. more than shooting at stuff .... maybe even turn bounty hunter at players who abuse there role...
Because, if you are honest with yourself, ask yourself, would there be more traders in an forced open, or if they can not switch to solo to make up losses through PK players (an T9 blown up rates easy in the 15-20 million damage to the player, and it IS an sitting target)
Elite is quite lax with penalties for PK and already some of them are whining it is unfair, picture an Elite where choices are limited as you propose and how populatet open then would be.
If i there wanted to play an trader the hell i would not choose open, or i would go to the outer systhems, but only to the more populated areas in an ASP for trading, something fast enough to evade or with enough teeth to defend.
Turn it as you want, no change in the way the game is designed will add more targets for you, i dare to say even less.
I have seen it over and over in online games, pvp junkies overdo it, the other players leave or switch to chars/roles that can defend better or are outright not desirable for the pvp player to interact with, the pvp player throws a fit and demands that things have to change.
Now what i ask myself, where and when was an law made that forces players who paid the same price for the game and have to sacrifice there free time for it too to serve as amusing feature of the pvp player or leave the game?
You can discuss it for an back but enforcing an no switching of modes will not give you more targets, rather less because there will be only traders in small agile ships, or as soon they have the money big well armed ships, and if that does not work no traders at all.
Way back there was an online game, very wow like just with offcourse way less good graphic where one character class who was cleric like was very handy to have around, but at the same time very vulnerable, so prime target for pvp players.
One day they where all gone because players who played clerics where annoyed.
The whole game came to an grinding halt for everyone who had not such an priest in an character slot to do certain tasks.
and the pvp players where whining without end but never once did they consider that it was there own actions that caused it, not ONCE.
And the same will happen for the pirates, there will be no traders to have, and they will point there fingers at everyone but them self.