i played on a vanilla server for a while, and i can tell you the results of simplicity - boredom. And when kids with guns get bored, the rulebook goes out of the window, creating a situation where a giant meta-clan of unlawfuls ganked the smallest clan (shout out to the WT) who tried to act as protector to the trading ships. Can you imagine undocking every time into a furball again and again? you're right, it was epic, but it was also kinda shallow. just fighting, no talking. mine spraying, and cd killing.
what you're actually feeling is the difference between studying and learning. Studying sucks. Read thousands of pages of text before you fly a ship? (well, that's kinda realistic but this is a game, right?) However, learning is fun. I learnt how to drift fight. I learnt how to drift dock a BARGE. I learnt how to drop mines and use them as an ambush. I learnt how to carry profitable and highly illegal cargoes so that the pirates left me alone (mostly). and all through actually doing.
don't get stressed out about getting slapped down. it means that you are pushing your success rate to the maximum. "If you're not failing, you're not trying hard enough" - Elon Musk
