You're really not getting my point, despite my using the most simple examples I can think of. I really don't know the reward formula the game uses, and I even said I was using a supposition for the ease of explanation. I also said if you have proof that an competent NPC cobra pays out the same as a competent player, bring it and I'll admit I'm wrong. I haven't seen proof yet. Therefore, I'm not wrong. Yet.
In combat zones player kills are purely paid out on ship type I'm pretty sure it doesn't take rating in to account. Killing a skilled player in a cobra vs a low skilled npc in a cobra pays out exactly the same yet one is intrinsically harder than the other the majority of the time.
The exact opposite can be said and be equally true. Just because someone has an excess of skill and everything is so easy for them, it doesn't mean other persons/peoples experiences should be made more difficult to compensate.
It shouldn't all over but there should be some way of providing in game content for higher skill. A lot of players have been eating Elite anacondas for breakfast in ships as small as the viper (even after the ai tweaks in wings) and these players need more challenge. Right now the only place this can happen is through pvp in cgs but flying in a wing generally reduces the pay out (by halving bounties) so when it comes to cgs players feel like they're not rewarded for their skill. Most players would be happy with the current state of affairs if they felt they were on an equal footing but since it's easier to compete from solo or group they feel there's a problem.
I watched a portion of it, and I saw you(if that's you as the pilot of the "pirate" ship) mostly preying on what I guess to be lower rated, less skilled and less dangerous opponents. Not something to brag about, m'boy.
You missed the point entirely.
That's what pirates do for a start and in turn we're preyed on by bounty hunters. No real pirate is going to go after a well armed anaconda even if that's what the npc pirates do. Notice where there's also communication before each encounter as well? It's never guns blazing "ha ha ha ha!" like the npcs do. That's me pirating and I'm not proud of killing the odd trader but I am proud of trying to play one of the advertised professions as honourably as possible using the only tools available to me right now.
The point in question was that those are the types of ships players are facing in trade community goals whilst in solo or group you're facing shieldless eagles for the most part yet you're rewarded the same by playing in solo in a cg and you have less risk and less chance of death or damage.
My whole point was the AI should be tweaked to be representative of how the game is played under the current meta. I'm not saying make the AI punishing everywhere but no more shieldless eagle pirates and have the pirates use the current pirate ships being used with rails and shooting out your drives. This isn't an attempt to make things too hard for solo/pve but to make things realistic. You should never get interdicted in an anaconda by a wing of sidewinder pirates with no shields and pulse lasers.
We'll always disagree on this and that's ok, we both have our own opinions.