DON'T PULL THE PLUG!
Jimminy Christmas... How many parts do we need on this issue... It's a real no brainier... We have to keep the modes... Absolutely essential.
While it ain't kosher for the many die hard openers wishing to increase their mode populous, we need to agree that solo is essential as a gateway to eventual comfortability to switch to open for those a wee bit timid of playing with other commanders who have much better ships and/or modifications. This game has a huge learning curve to master just the basics of flight and successfully landing at space stations or dodging suns... Last thing virgin players need is being hunted down by player commanders to be blown to bits before they are ready & comfortable. Let us as I have suggested in the middle of part 2 of this discussion consider solo as an academy atmosphere if that helps us die hards accept the fact that not everyone is ready to plunge into open... This was the case for me... It took a mid rated federal dropship and mid ranking experience levels for me to try out open... Oddly enough I'm in a part of space where I have seen less than 10 player commanders in the past month (who immediately disappear off the radar without any wake).
As far as groups you'd be insane to get rid, change, or penalize that particular mode... In fact it seems to be succeeding where open is not... I believe Möbius is a very fine example of what I mean... Over 10k commanders enlisted to that group alone... All wanting to enjoy the game in a player commander atmosphere together in a third party network without the risk of player commander predators ruining their quest for progress and investment. Get rid of group mode and you instantly inflame a huge majority into mutiny.
As previously highlighted by myself in previous posts, I emphasize again that the three modes--Like em or not--Are essential to marketing the game to as wide an audience as possible in order to keep the entire project going... Kill or penalize the modes you are essentially pulling the plug on the game... This is a one time entry price that frontier gets from each of us to gain admission... Besides vanity paint jobs & merchandise, there is no monthly subscription online fees, there is no access to purchasing ships or modifications with real world money. Please keep this in mind... While being online with other commanders is attractive to some, it is equally unattractive to others, this is why group and solo is essential for future game development... Limit it to just open, you instantly annihilate an entire market of virgin commanders, and let's equate that to a large chunk of money gone that could have been utilized for all those wonderful patches & updates we've all been waiting for.
The goal of this thread should not be the debate of whether to remove, change, &/or penalize solo/group... This has been mutilated into petty debates of ego between the main characters on this thread who seem to live on it. Let us instead discuss how we can make open mode more attractive and inviting for everyone to want to be there... If a player doesn't desire to play the game in an online multiplayer atmosphere, what can the open community do to make it more inviting, what can frontier do to make it more appealing than playing solo.
That my comrades is the question... Maybe the answer is to make open mode a privilege of attaining a certain rank, that way they actually feel it as a right of passage to be there that they grind for... Reverse Psychology... Make it to where you have to unlock open mode.