Hi there!
Here are some things I'd love to see addressed in Crossfire 2.0:
1. Employ a new ship design philosophy. Get away from the linear progression of "this ship is statistically superior to that ship" by adopting a design formula that would be applicable to all ships of the same basic type (LF, HF, Fr, etc.). The formula that I recommend goes like this: [+20%/+2, +10%/+1, +/-0, -10%/-1, -20%/-2], where one of the ship's design parameters (ex: Hull Rating) would qualify to recieve a +20% bonus, another one would qualify to recieve a +10%/+1 bonus (ex: +1 add'l Hardpoints), and to balance it out, the ship designer would need to select two design parameters that would recieve a -10%/-1 penalty and a -20%/-2 penalty respectively. All other design parameters would remain at or near the statistical average for the basic ship type. Another way to think about this would be, "Each starship manufacturer in the game will subscribe to a different design philosophy wherein one element/parameter of starship design will be regarded by that manufacturer as most important (+20%/+2) to the design of their starships, another will be regarded as more important (+10%/+1) than the rest, and two other design parameters will be selected as less important (-10%/-1), and unimportant (-20%/-2) to offset the chosen advantages."
So as an example, let's say that the South Hampton shipyard in New London is the production facility for the Avenger Class HF, and it subscribes to the design philosophy: [Hull Rating +20%, Hardpoints +1, Cargo Space -10%, Maneuverability -20%]. If the statisticaly average Hull Rating for HF's in Crossfire was 6000, the Avenger would have a rating of (6000 x 1.20 =) 7200. If the statistically average number of weapon hardpoints for a HF was 6, then the Avenger would get 7 (a turret probably since 7 is an odd number). But to get these advantages, it would have to sacrifice cargo space and maneuverability in respectively equal measure because that's what the design formula calls for. Following something along these lines should greatly reduce "Ship Superiority Syndrome (SSS)" where players pick their ship only on the basis of its statistical advantages, and allow them to explore more freely the pro's and con's of the various design philosophies, and eventually settle on one (or more) that best fits their own flying/fighting style.
A word of caution: It is possible to choose offset parameters that aren't a fair match up against the advantaged parameters, and so you will need to consider this possiblity when accepting or rejecting particular ship design philosophies. (Ex: choosing to reduce a ship's number of hardpoints in exchange for a higher Hull Rating doesn't seem right to me - how would the lack of a hardpoint or two contribute to a tougher hull?, etc.)
I recommend assigning one design philosphy to each shipyard in the game, and then decide which ships are/were produced at which shipyard, and then apply the assigned formula to those ships. Also keep in mind that ship yards themselves can be sub-divided into three catagories: Civilian, Corporate, and Military, so you will want to take that into account when deciding which ships were made where. These distinctions mostly apply to ship yards owned and operated by Colonial interests, whereas groups like the Outcasts and Corsairs (and there ilk) will operate ship yards that produce more all-purpose designs. Alien starships (i.e. Nomads, Dom'Kavosh, etc.) will most likely have just a single design philosophy no matter how many ship yards they operate in the game, so this rule doesn't apply to them as strictly as it does to human-owned ship yards.
2. More starship equipment variety. Every player loves being able to beef up their chosen ship, and Crossfire does provide some good options, but in comparison to some of the other Mods I've seen out there, I am of the opinion that Crossfire could be delivering much more in this area. You will likely need to re-evaluate how many option slots each class/type of ship is allowed to have in order to accomodate an expanded list of options. Here are a few of my recommendations:
1) More Armor Module variations - Military Grade (Highest Rating boost, Highest Weight, High Priced); Corporate Grade (High Rating boost, Mid Weight, Highest Priced); and Civilian Grade (Lowest Rating boost, Lowest Weight, Lowest Priced). Give Nomads and Dom'Kavosh ships regenerating armor (instead of Batts/Bots).
2) Shield Reinforcement Modules (SRM) - Increases Shield Rating by a fixed amount. Civilian versions would give the least boost, but are the most energy efficient, and the cheapest to buy; Corporate versions would give a bigger boost, bigger energy drain, and higher priced; Military versions give the best boost, are energy inefficient, and cost the most, etc. These would also take up Cargo Space to install.
3) Advanced Shield Power Coupling Array - Basically the same thing as the current Shield Upgrade Module found in Crossfire that improves Shield Regeneration Rates. Follows same design considerations as SRM's, except it wouldn't affect Cargo Space when installed (because its replacing other components).
4) Modularize Ship's Power Core/Engines. Create a variety of engine types that can be installed - Stock (comes with ship), Racing (Better Power Output, Best Speed boost, shortest charging time for Cruise engines, least rugged option, Expensive), Heavy-duty (highest power output, but speed reduced and longer Cruise charging time, more rugged than stock, Mid-priced), Ruggedized (Slightly better Power Output than Stock, Longest charging time for Cruise, Highest component damage rating before power loss and/or destruction occurs, Mid-priced), and High-Performance (A balanced - and therefore expensive - combination of improved Power, Speed, recharging time and ruggedness.) I'm not sure if FL uses a reduced power output rating after exceeding a damage threshold, but if it could be incorporated that would be awesome!
5) More coherency and consistency with regard to Thruster options and where to purchase them. High-Velocity/Low-Efficency models should be found at or near bases where Racing is popular (like Battleship Hood), or where Interceptors/Interdictor craft are sold. High-Efficiency/Low-Velocity models should be sold at or near bases frequented by cargo haulers, transports, mining craft, exploration vessels and starliners. High-Performance Thrusters (which combine the benefits of the other two types, but perhaps not to the same extremes) should be found at or near Military bases and Corporate HQ's, and be the most expensive to own (perhaps subject to high Reputation requirements?).
6) Weight Reduction Kits - Don't make these mutually exclusive with Armor modules. Armor is applied to the outside of a ship, whereas Weight Reduction involves the replacement of internal components with versions made from lighter materials. The two options should be designed to work together not at odds with each other. If anything, use a formula for weight reduction that subtracts out the weight gained from Armor before calculating the amount of the reduction.
OK, that ought to do it for now.
