For example, one evening on GW1, I logged on, in my CWLP, to find that the base captured by the Lyrans on the Kzinit border was under attack by 7 Kzinti players, and I was the only Lyran on. So, they drafted me in 1s and 2s, and I defeated every single one of them, some by chasing them off the map, some by destroying them and some were captured, thus securing the base for some time. In the end, the base was captured some time later (after I'd gone to bed). Prior to the disengagement rule, I'd have lost that base quickly despite defeating the opponents.
Good case to look at. What was preventing the other six Kzin from flipping the hex while you were in mission with the first one? Seems the boys are getting slow in their old age... hehe. I do see the advantage and utility of the rule in such situations, but is it realistic that one light cruiser can hold off seven? (I know, its a game and realism can be iffy sometimes.). After you logged off and the hex was undefended, it is still somehow magically defended by a ship that is not there? Seems odd to me.
What if the first battle was against a DN and you had to run away or were destroyed and being the only Lyran on you had no DN for backup... so you have to go fly boring missions against the AI in some other hex that is not important? How does that encourage PvP? If there is seven enemies there is little to no chance that you will be repeatedly engaging a larger ship and running away... why can't you have another chance in the ship you've been knocked down to? Why not something like three strikes in a hex and you're out - your commander deems you unworthy of the front and sends you back home for training.
If we want that kind of thing then I'd be more for something that has been suggested: if you are destroyed or captured you must start a new account but can fight wherever you please... that would sufficiently discourage the "irritating-mosquito" factor...
What I object to is an ememy DN coming into a hex you have been working on for some time, running you off in one mission, then leaving the hex for his own hex-flippers to undo your work and you can do nothing about it, and are denied a fair match against a ship of your own class. The DN can move along the front repeating this again and again, making all smaller enemy ships effectively useless.
First mission I was drafted by 2 Kzinti. One in a CVS, and one in a DF+. A convoy raid, I believe. I captured the DF+ (still don't know how Soreyes escaped to command another ship
) and chased the CVS off. Meanwhile, the others would have been assaulting the base and possibly getting long missions. I am not sure, but all I know is that I was getting cussed to hell on their Teamspeak and I was having a ball, possibly my most enjoyable session ever.
As for how realistic it is for 1 ship to fend off seven, maybe I'm a legendary captain, a la Kosnett, Kumerian etc ?
Certainly, it could be said that my opponents were a bit intimidated by me and my ship, and thus weren't very aggressive in their battle plans (I hope this doesn't sound like I'm blowing my own trumpet - prolly does). If I'd faced all 7 at once, in the same mission, undoubtedly I would not have won, but because it was a series of engagements I had a chance, and I don't think that is unrealistic at all (consider that I was not the only defender of the sector - ai involved in the other missions).
Funny you should mention a DN. The last engagement found me in another convoy raid, facing a player CVS and an AI F-DN (what the Feds were doing there I still don't know to this day). I captured both ships in that one. As for facing a human DN, I'd most likely have been forced to disengage or die, but stranger things have happened (I felt very lucky that night).
I didn't log off straight away after driving them off. I ran missions to boost the defences back up, staying in the area to chase them away when they could return.
I do see your point about using a DN to secure several sectors in a short space of time, and think that you have a good point in that maybe the victor should stay in the hex they won in for a similar amount of time, but, if that hex is maxed out in DV, what would be the point - you'd have a player sat there twiddling his thumbs/claws.
As the one who suggested that if you lose your ship or are captured then you have to make a new character in one of Gook's other threads (easily done by changing the capitalisation of a character in your login email address), I'm glad to see someone else take notice of it and even approve of it. I'd like to see that tried in a campaign to see if it's a viable (and more realistic) alternative.