ROFL I've coded software for 20+ years, everything from games to accounting software. I do know how coding works, and network coding especially. Peer2peer is RARELY used for these types of games, because of ALL the arguments people are making in these threads. Its primarly used for fps/rts games, where people just connect and play a match or matches and then find new matches.
It IS the most cost effective proposal because you eliminate the need for the huge/superfast/tons of processing power/memory SERVER that a client/server game requires NOT to mention supporting oh say 100,000 people connecting to said server simultaneously, the bandwidth requirements, etc etc.... It Is a MASSIVE undertaking. So yeah, 1. the whole program would have to be rewritten to go away from peer2peer, and 2. FD would have to invest 100's of thousands of dollars in servers AND make the server software to support it, since it doesn't exist at this time at all.
while some of your arguments are spot on, no, the game wouldn't have to be re-written.
granted some coding is required, and some server is needed (for the best solution), but it can be done.
and even without server, it can be done, just need that both player (in case of two wich is the least ideal case) also send their respective ship metrics at the start of the encounter, thus shall one disconnect, the remaining could still be "online" for the one remaining, with it's shield / hull etc.... since we already have those metrics..
then all whats is left is.....wait for it.....to keep sending datas to the server...like it is done now
said server having the ability to validate if they are acceptable or not (and i hope this is already the case btw, or we will have serious issues soon)
the ideal solution would be that the server itself runs the "logged off" ship, but this would cost more.
so yes, there ARE solutions, mister "I've coded software for 20+ years....."