Has anyone suggested PvP only combat zones? Maybe also around some structures or even stations. It would be a bit like destiny with its separate modes.
How about making a PvP mode, so the modes become
Open
PvP
PG
Solo
PvP, unlike Open, can ignore block lists and can push more people into the same instance, ensuring that PvP occurs. At least more actively. If it is possible to make it happen, if trading for PP merits and faction changes are buffed there, but only as long as they are done entirely in the PvP mode, then for those who WANT "meaningful PvP" for PP, you get it. The people carrying letters will be enticed with carrot into PvP mode where they will have a higher risk but higher reward, for their PP actions. Those who only want to be the predator get to see some prey. They should not get increased PP power for combat, however. Otherwise there would be no benefit from being anything other than combat PP PvP. If the reward difference is high enough that those who run combat only are going to lose against a PP player who runs the risk of trading leaflets, there's a reason for someone to swap about a bit and at least do SOME trading in the PvP mode, increasing the diversity of the player base in that mode, so you aren't going to be only slaved to another combat meta build.
If it were "No rebuy" in the PvP mode, with current rewards, combat builds lose little, but those who trade lose a lot. THAT needs to be upped, if only to increase the diversity of players in this mode. And enough that if you want to play the combat version you are still "forced" to play SOME of the time as prey. Otherwise you will only meet combat pilots again. And it could eventually become some CQC match in-game.
After all, if you run this mode you won't instance with someone else in Open, so you can be on equal footing even if you're given free rebuys but pay if you lose in Open. So if it is made so that you can choose your ship and be instantly teleported into just that zone for your "meaningful PvP" and to leave you have to log out and restart in another mode, meaning you are now back to the original location, just with whatever gains and losses to your account you earned, then AGAIN, we get CQC in the "real game" *without* ruining everyone else's game in their mode.
But the very simplest option is for PvP to be a mode, and if you're in that mode, you will be instanced with others who chose that mode. Heck, to allow a greater increase in the player count, it could be where some FD server is used as the hosting client, and devoting all the resources to the coordination that would otherwise be put into flying the game and rendering the objects. Put a few around the world and you would cut the audience a bit, but you could stack a lot more people a lot more reliably.
Maybe some form of limit to the sectors it keeps. If you go too far, therefore won't be instanced with anyone, you go to the open state again, where you or another peer will coordinate the shared state,with the rubber banding etc that gives you.
The next release, for changes to the base game, needs to find some love for trading and tradeships/miners. Trading improvements WILL help miners too, since they gotta sell to make any money. Add this PvP mode as coeval with the other modes of playing, and anything else, including paid content (IMO if the base game gets space legs, to get out of the hangar will require a pass, which you get "free" with the paid expansion. It's how I'd do it, FD have to get paid), can be external. The base game needs some loving for the trading gameplay loops so that you don't have to run trade missions to see a decent ROI and a loop you can actually work with easily.
