From
this thread:
Amira Navaras wrote:
Now, the armor system isn't really a contributing factor to fight difficulty. I feel that having infinite resources doesn't make combat necessarily easier, it instead completely changes the way we fly and fight in very negative ways. This system has become a bad thing in itself. It removes risk, it removes reward, it removes incentive to play with care and thought. It removes causality and consequences. There is no reason at all that I shouldn't airbrake in front of an oncoming swarm and hold space until they all disappear, because my actions are not rewarded. And that takes a lot of fun out of the game, and that's a bad thing. What do we get in return? Honestly, not much: individual combats are harder, due to reduced armor. Reloading adds a little difficulty, and a little frustration, and a lot of grind. Armor regen lets us continue fighting after a loss, and that is definitely good. But there are other methods to do that with fewer drawbacks, and they should be considered.
There's a question of how many consequences we want from combat. This is a casual game, and while many players enjoy combat, only a small percentage are actually skilled at it. Nearly everyone wants some of the rewards from combat (especially combat points, but also gun mods), but some penalties are too harsh (I hate morale because I was stupid enough to hire an eager navi).
Rewards: Carriers (and similar boss battles) are great for showing who has skill, who is just plain persistent, and who is avoiding combat altogether. Taft liked my idea of top ten lists for each legendary. Many people like the idea of salvaging ammo and armor; there was also a neat suggestion of salvaging some special resources that could be used for crafting.
Penalties: I wouldn't mind gaining a bad condition every time I'm shot down, and having pirates steal cargo again. What about crew getting a tiny experience penalty for each shield of armor lost? Didn't we use to have high score lists showing win/loss ratios for each player?