tbh, I didn't read anything but first 3 posts of this thread.
My answers are as usual - the only way to do what the OP wants to achieve is to increase the maintenance/running costs of the ships (in form of death penalty or something else, for various ship classes) and balance their combat efficiency accordingly. Like, battleships could lose 30-60m worth of cash per death (depending on battleship "size", which will also allow to make heavy battleships more efficient than light ones, not the other way around), and bombers just 2-4-6 milions, but 2 bombers wouldn't be able to take on a battleship.
Numbers are used purely as an example and something I personally view as balanced.
Otherwise, if there's only initial investment used to evaluate ship's combat efficiency and no maintenance costs we'll end up with no point in flying cheaper ships, at all. Or we'll have sort-of-battleships fighting against uberbombers/gunboats, like it is now.
Above-mentioned approach will also have a positive effect on server's economy and on immersion effect when playing capships. Big, powerful and expensive.
P.S. If, during those 6 pages, anybody came up with shiploss on death - bad idea, will turn this mod into second EVE with all the drawbacks (like, RP will fly out of the window). Golden middle is better, imho.
