Unfortunately (as I see it) both of you are looking for a system that punishes (for lack of a better word- I don't think you're actually trying to punish them) a vet who wants to fly PVP. Yes it's important to help the newer players out, but we don't have alot of them and telling someone they've got to fly a ship with 7xPh2's is a bit harsh by my estimates.
If any admin wants to set a system up that extends the idea to this degree they're more than welcome to.
But I still maintain the idea of including the command variants will work well enough.
The CWLP (As an example) is a fantastic ship, but it's not a hex flipper as well as a combat ship (like the D5D)
or a chase ship for fleets( AS CF's tend to be)
The command variants (tend to) do one thing-PVP as opposed to the mutl roles offered by some of the other ships.
I'm also not sure Lepton- what you mean by benefitting players with big bank accounts- everything I've proposed is only intended to deal with stuff up to CA size hulls- really the difference between any of the ships is going to be about 1K tops, so about 2-3 missions.
As for the fair fight?_ It's not going to happen over the course of a server, -all joking aside about my PVP skillz, I'm not even close to one of the top pilots, but I've smacked new players in BCH's using a D5 or a CWLP, I've beaten Fed CC's with a DWLP, and I've crushed Lyran CC's with a (admittedly LDR) FF
And I'm sure that each of those could have been done easier and faster by any of the better players.
You make players better by having them show an ineterst in PVP, then by having them fly a CC/CA type ship
Sticking a Fed noob in a CF isn't (imo) going to teach them alot about power management, handing a Lyran noob a BCPP in 68 isn't going to help him develop anti-drone tactics.
Yes it would be better if we could put them in CA's- but some of those are just not fun to fly.
I know Chuut likes some of the old boats,but persoanlyl I can't stand running around in something like the D7.
The CC variants are (I'd hope) fun enough for everyone, yet don't have the "jack of all trades" ability some of the specialties do.
I have no intention of completely leveling the playing field between the elite player and one showing up for their first game.
At some point the newbie has to take on the challenge of becoming better at PVP (if they deisre) of their own iniative.
-I myself did this, I listened to all the jokes and comments, then went out, got out of the BCHs and fought battle after battle.
While I didn't arrive at elite status, I like to think I had become decent enough at one point that even the better players at least had to pay attention when flying against me. (Of course after a year or so of barely any PVP I suck again.. but oh well
)
Really all the system is intended to do is move the elite players (and hence the killer fleets) away from the specialty ships
and into the CC's. Hopefully some other players will follow them.