Hello Commanders!
Sounds like multiple lines of debate here.
Player versus player conflict is integral to the game, as is player versus environment (and cooperative game play as well).
I don't find much use in arguments suggesting burning aspect one in favour of the other. However, I'm always interested in suggestions to improve the game for any particular group. Just be aware that improvements to any area of the game that require undermining others are less likely to have us champing at the bit (unless they're godly...)
Ideas don't *always* have to come at such costs though; the concept that we could alter mechanics/ships to offer more variety in combat doesn't have to mean "death to player versus environment" (I would hope).
Perhaps folk with ideas to improve player versus player combat (which I take to mean reducing paths of least resistance, but feel free to correct me) could post them. Sure, we don't get time to read everything on the forums, but no harm in having them visible, right? If they are already around somewhere, chuck a link here (otherwise there's no guarantee I'll find them!)
As mentioned earlier in this thread, there are several balance changes which could be made "Soon"", and some others which would require some actual programming and new modules introduced to the game.
Starting with the easiest:
1. Balance SCB and Hull Reinforments Effective Health Values. This is to say, 2 modules of the same size should provide the same effective health, whether they be shield or hull.
Currently, small ships benefit more from hull reinforcements while ships with larger modules (Python, Anaconda, FAS, Corvette, Clipper, Cutter) benefit more from Shield Cell Banks. Also, MOST larger ships have large internals AND small internals. So their choice of defense is "divided" between hull and shield, while small ships are strictly limited to hull tanking in order to be competitive. A Courier, for example, has incredible natural shield values and incredibly weak hull. THAT is balance. Since 1.5/2.0, however, the Courier is now pigeon holed into choosing Hull Reinforcements for more effective HP, or choosing inferior shield cell banks. Since the Courier has horrible heat management (being a small light ship that it is), the sacrifice for choosing smaller shield cell banks would be too great to make worth it. In essense, the Courier is useless now, where in 1.3 it was a "shield tanky" fighter with mediocre DPS, speed, boost, and maneuverability.
The internals, defensive measures, and offensive measures for all ships should be decided by the strengths and weaknesses of the given ship. Making Hull Reinforcements scale down in size and SCB's scale up in size has pigeon-holed many ships into something that they're not suited for. The FAS basically got the best of all worlds with the recent changes, as it was a naturally hull tanky, maneuverable ship, with weak shields. So, it got: Bi-Weaves for faster shield recharge, and more tankiness + Buffed Hull Reinforcements for even more hull tankiness, and it has enough internal compartments to fit plenty of chaff and heat sinks without the need for Shield Boosters because shield boosters actually reduce the recharge rate of it's already low shield values, which means it can go "stealth" and break lock at just about any time, increasing it's effective "tankiness". Combine this with excellent speed (Up there with the FdL), and you have a ship that is extremely over-powered at the moment.
2. As Alexander The Grape mentioned, the Speed and maneuverability of smaller ships should be markedly superior to larger ships. It's very annoying (and unintuitive) that a Viper, Eagle, Courier, or even Vulture cannot "get behind" much larger ships for very long; if at all. Anything with a "LARGE" hull should be extremely slow to turn and require wing-mates to watch it's back. MEDIUM hulls should be in the middle ground, and SMALL hulls should be extremely maneuverable. In essence; small ships should have very little damage per second and a weak "tank" (shields/hull), but should be able to out-maneuver larger ships if piloted correctly. Basically, speed and maneuverability should be a form of damage mitigation; and right now it's just NOT. Yes, in a small fighter you can generally run away from an Anaconda or Python, but even the FAS and FdL can catch up to much smaller ships and match their maneuverability.
3. Reduce the heat output from SCB's considerably. Not COMPLETELY, mind you.. But considerably. As I mentioned in point 1, there should be a balance between Hull and Shield tanking, as I feel they should provide approximately the same effective HP. That said, certain ships which benefit the most from shields simply cannot handle the heat or cannot afford to sacrifice other utility modules for heat sinks (See: Courier, Python). The heat should be a factor, as in you shouldn't be able to boost, spam rail guns, and shield cell bank all at the same time... But 1 Shield Cell Bank should not melt your ship to the point where it currently does.
4. Limit the amount of SCB's and Hull RF's that can be equipped per ship. Having every ship max out as much defense as it can creates a meta of sustainability. Pulse Lasers, Multi-cannons, and other "sustain damage" are almost a necessary part of most builds, as they are required to "eventually" get through the tank of an enemy ship. This removes other options - Such as Burst damage builds where people slap 5 rail-guns on an FdL, or 4 PA's on a FAS.. This is not to say that these builds can't be effective now, but they are much less efficient and versatile. Ammo is one of the limiting factors. Burst damage, Sustained Damage, Mixed, Kinetic, Thermal, Mixed, Projectile, Hit Scan, Mixed, Fixed, Gimbaled, Turreted, Mixed... In an ideal world, all would be viable. Right now, Fixed Sustained damage is more favorable due to the tanky builds people are allowed to have because they can stack SCB's, Hull Reinf, and Boosters. If you limited everyone to 1 Hull reinf and/or 1 SCB, you would see battles lasting much less time and it would open the opportunity for more viable builds (Such as all Railguns, missiles, etc.)
5. Make Missiles viable. I think them NOT doing (much) damage to shields, is fine.. But they should do *a lot* of damage to hull. Torpedoes especially, seem to have fallen off since 2.0. I'm not sure if this is because people are all running hull reinforcements currently, or if they actually got nerfed. Either way, 1-2 torpedoes should destroy just about anything. They're expensive, they create a lot of heat, they're slow, they do nothing to shields, and their ammo capacity is extremely restricted. Other missiles should be viable as well, but this might require some other tweaks such as on their ammo capacity and/or internal compartments which can carry ammo. If you made Cargo bays able to carry ammo, you would suddenly have PvP ships that equip cargo bays in lieu of SCB's/HRP's, and you would increase the probability of people equipping Point Defense or ECM's to counter missile boats.
6. Mines... Something should be done with them. Right now they're useless. If they attached to peoples hulls and slowed them down or decreased their maneuverability or prevented them from high-waking for a short period of time (maybe increased their FSD charge time by 10 seconds, or something) you would start to make them viable. Could call them Grav Mines or Mag Mines, or something. They would be tricky to use but the pay-off would be awesome, and as above with missiles it would encourage using ECM/Point Defense to defend against them.
7. A module which temporarily increases your boost speed/range. Maybe a 1 or 2 time use until it burns out/runs out of fuel, but that GREATLY increases your speed and gives you a "GTHO" alternative to simply high-waking.
8. Allow the AMFU to repair systems while in-combat ie: while that system is being used.. This has severe implications so balancing it would be difficult, but it's an idea.
9. "Repair Limpets" .. We already have limpets in the game. Create a version that can repair your hull/systems from outside of the ship. This could be used in combat (and countered by ECM, Point Defense, or shooting the limpets), and it could be used by explorers or traders to extend their journeys.
10. "Attack limpets".. Small, fast, maneuverable, but with relatively low DPS (maybe a small pulse laser or slightly lower). A limpet controller and cargo bays to carry limpets could open up PvP options for trade ships (like the Asp, for example.), and would start to create real "decisions" that larger ships have to make. Again, these could be countered by ECM or Point Defense, which means you'll see less Shield Boosters, Heat Sinks, and Chaff, which makes all of the things those affect more viable. (Gimbals/turrets) Note: It would also give the "much slower and less maneuverable" LARGE ships like Anaconda/Cutter/Clipper/Corvette options for defending themselves against small fighters.
11: Size 1-4 of *most* weapons. Why are there no Size 4 Torpedoes that carry 4 Torpedeos? Why are there no Size 3-4 Railguns or Multi-cannons, etc?
12: Balance the PP unique weapons/modules. Currently only a handful of them are even USEFUL, let alone "viable": Antals Cannons are decent, Imperial Hammers are good, Prismatic Shields are good, Advanced Plasma are good, Pulse disruptors are GREAT for PvP but useless in PVE, and Hudsons Enforcer Cannons are now "better", but they used to be trash. So.. Mining Lasers, Pack Hounds, Heat-beamey-thing.. They're crap. Fix/buff/change them.
Edit: 13: Fix Stealth mechanics vs NPC's!
