I recently came to a workable solution for a problem that annoys many. When other people deploy all their ships in a corner, combat starts with your fleet getting flanked. Which would mean our captains failed badly at engaging the enemy fleet.
What if battles would be centered automatically? The server figures out the center of mass (or hp?) of both fleets and aligns those. That way, you can still flank (but you need some solid ships in the center to draw the enemy’s attention), but corner-deployment is not as ridiculous anymore. Maps might need to be increased in size from what was specified if ships get “pushed out” due to different placing, but that should be possible to do on the fly when the game loads.
I mean really - who ever heard of bounderies in space?! Wouldn’t mind if the size of the map wasn’t fixed. Your deployment area is fixed - but a battle can grow outward and outward. Make for awsome running battles.
Lonestar.
Lone Starr: A million? That’s unfair.
Pizza the Hutt: Unfair to payor but not to payee. But you’re gonna pay it, or else!
Barf: Or else what?
Pizza the Hutt: Tell him, Vinnie.
Vinnie: Or else pizza is gonna send out for you!