Came on here to see if I was doing something massively wrong. Short answer, nope. CQC is nothing to do with skill, or knowledge of game mechanics. It's whoever is the higher level and or can kill faster wins. But don't let that fool you, no skill required.
Here's a copy paste from Fia, and seems to be the common consensus with all players in CQC.
"Once someone starts hitting you it is pretty much over in seconds. You can try running and dodging behind cover, it sometimes works, but generally you are as good as dead. A little practice however and you get quicker at killing others before they get a chance to target you."
This makes CQC not only a monster waste of time, but a joke as a game mode.
2 seconds after your shields go down, you're dead. Nothing you can do about it, no amount of dodging, erratic maneuvers, or flying by the seat of your pants will make it any different, and your shields go down in .3 seconds as well. So its basically go in hot, Yolo the out of the closest enemy and repeat when you inevitably die instantly after.....
Yea, no thanks... Crap game mode at its core.
Why can't the fights last longer like in the base game? Having time to actually target modules, and components of your enemy, knowledge and good calls on adjusting your energy outputs between shields, engines, and weapons, and knowing when not too, all while menouvering, and keeping tabs of things.. that'd take skill, because depending on the situation, depends on what you focus, how, when, and why. Skill + knowledge of your ship, and how the enemy is fighting.. That's what it should be about, not insta gibbing the closest thing you can until you eventually die.
Example: The enemy ship is firing lasers, they're engines are damaged, but their shields are holding, common logic may tell you to focus their power supply, but you realize their heat sinks are damaged, and focus that instead, causing them to over heat their lasers and by pass the shields entirely forcing them to kill themselves...
Knowledge of game mechanics, your enemy, etc. just won you that fight, not who can blast away faster.
Edit:
People seem to be under the impression I suck at CQC. I usually get first or second place on my team, and win, but it doesn't change the fact that I think everyone responding to this thread is in la la land thinking they survive because they have skill. It's really not.
From what I've seen, everyone who attempts to get away and does, only did because of either luck, or the follower got caught up with something else. Nothing more, nothing less. If I don't want a guy to get away, he won't. First hour, lvl 1, against players lvl 25+ and I was killing them easily without them being able to get me off them... How can you say it requires skill when I'm able to do that at lvl 1 and not having touched ED in 5 months prior?
It's easier to live longer when your ship is upgraded too, but.. again that doesn't = skill required. I just went 2 games in a row without dieing once.. but its due to my ship being upgraded, and slight situational awareness, again, not really skill. It's just me not being a complete moron. So equipment + not being brain dead = auto win? seems to be.. but that's not how it should be entirely..
"Learning" how to turn your ship quickly to attack someone on your 6 is easy as hell and common sense, which will result usually in you blowing each other up. But again.. you didn't get away did u? Nothing you can do to disengage from a fight, or run if your shields are low, unless they get caught up or destroyed themselves. otherwise, nope.. you're not gonna get away. Most you can do is turn around and kill them at the same time they kill you.
I've never had an enemy get away from me if I ddin't want him too.. ever... I also never got away from someone unless they either broke off themselves, or got caught up with something else.. but that wasn't because of anything special I did..
