What do I lose if I pull a CMDR out of SC and they pull the plug? Honestly? It's much better for me if I know they're staring at the rebuy screen with their jaw hanging open and tears welling in their eyes wondering how they're going to scrape up enough pennies to get back in their ship, as opposed to simpering off to their desktop risk free.
An asymmetrical matchup is still no justification for CLing. Also, that's just a crutch that's used on these forums and in the Cler's head as a means to normalize their cheating behavior. A CLer is going to pull the plug no matter what ship they're flying if they're interdicted by a player killer. I'd lay money they do it at the slightest sign an NPC is getting the better of them, too.
Killing a CMDR for any reason whatsoever in any ship matchup whatsoever=perfectly legal. CLing under ANY circumstances=filthy cheater.
This is a circular argument, it all has been said before and we go back to the same results.
The attacker(s) benefit from some pretty powerful advantages:
1. Element of surprise, chooses when combat occurs.
2. Superior firepower (particularly when in wings).
3. Woefully insignificant repercussions to an illegal act.
4. Able to easily elude any efforts to be brought to justice.
5. Can easily organize a strike group to carry out their attacks, anti-strike forces can be assembled but due to the FD system, instancing make it a crap shoot as to the opposing parties being present at the same.
What doe the victim have?
1. Pay the re-buy, plus the loss of time/cargo.
2. No viable recourse to revenge/retribution.
3. Official enforcement "response" is weak/non-existent.
4. Protection from future attacks would require "hardening" the target, elements to do this is would not be easy to coordinate (ie: getting other CMNDR's to fly with you whenever you carry cargo). Randomness is a cruel mistress, you would be forced to be ready always, which sounds reasonable, but hard to do every time you play.
These are just off the top of my head, I'm sure others could add more to the arguments.
The combat logging phenomenon shouldn't surprise anybody. This is a normal response to a situation where one party feels powerless to respond to an outside influence.
Because players have no redress recourse available, they resort to whatever methods are available, call it "emergent game play" on their part.
If you remove the cause to CL, you would in all likelihood see a decrease in its use. However, at this time, CL is a symptom resulting from a variety of causes, you need to get rid of the causes.
As far as labeling, "filthy cheater", the other side is "filthy murderer", "habitual criminal", you see where this is going and it won't end nicely.
The last issue is blame, who is to blame here, if there is blame to be attached. Do we blame an unwilling victim who is usually a clean CMNDR, do we blame the attacker, who is usually someone who engages in this behavior on a regular basis?
FD is constantly re-balancing this and that, why don't they attack this issue? Only they know the answer. Other threads have shown a majority of players that are in favor of a balance here.
This is not over.