For those whose main focus is neither combat nor PvP, there's a requirement to compromise their not-optimised-for-combat builds to survive an attack if they wish to play in Open in player populated areas. A build capable of running from NPCs does not need to make the same level of compromise.
The attacker also starts off with the interdiction advantage, i.e. few players seem to be able to win interdictions by players whereas interdictions by NPCs seem to be successfully won by many players....
While it’s true that escaping potato-NPCs is nowhere near as difficult as escaping players, that’s hardly an excuse to continue flying the weakest possible ship. Or at least doing so
recklessly.
I mean, nobody is
obligated to build their ship a certain way, just like they aren’t obligated to wear a helmet while riding a bicycle. Either way, it isn’t a bad idea to be cautious.
Some ships designed to withstand player attack may be marginally ‘worse’ at their intended task, but that’s a small trade off for the potential risk and excitement that comes with open play.
There isn’t a single non-combat ship in my whole fleet who’s purpose has been ruined because it’s been hardened to survive. Trade, mining, rescue, exploration, etc.
Exploration builds are more difficult to build for open depending on the ship, because most defensive upgrades tend to add weight. You can forgo these so long as you are careful, as there aren’t many threats out in the middle of nowhere. Cautious flying will take you a long way— the best way to survive an attack is to avoid it entirely if you can help it.
Even I’ll admit to having a greedy taxi thats stripped down as much as possible. If I encounter a hostile player in that DBX, chances are, I’m gonna blow up unless they’re really,
really bad at aiming. I mean, that thing will blow up if someone looks at it wrong, or I gamble on a fart and lose.
Of course, nobody needs to worry much about these sort of things in solo/PG. The fact those modes exist make complaints about unwanted player contact just as silly as they were when the modes were first made available.
If it’s the social aspect people are looking for, they’re gonna have to harden up for open (or chill out about occasionally exploding), or jump into one of the well-known PvE groups that have been around for years.
As for players being better at one aspect of the game, there isn’t much we can do about that. Some people are great at interdictions, some aren’t... and sometimes interdictions are just broken entirely, to the point where skill doesn’t seem to play a factor.
It really is a mixed bag.