When Open universe is released, there will undoubtedly be a balance problem between tier 1, and tier 5 ships.
if there are a higher rate of upper tier ships on the battle, its likely that battle is already lost due to the superior fire power, and defensive capabilities.
As a result this post is being created to address these issues.
Which of the following would you like to see?
Eve styled ships
in this style of game, you have basic hull sizes. Frigate, destroyer, Cruiser, battle cruiser, Battleship. After cruiser things get slow and harder to turn (something like the current frigate is what eve’s version of a battleship is in terms of mobility; Eve bs’s have far more fire power and tank, however).
From these main hull tiers, you have variants on each new tier. For example, a Tier 2 frigate can be either an assault ship, or an interceptor. A tier 2 destroyer is an interdictor ship, Which drops bubbles that slow, and prevent warp. A tier 3 cruiser is either a Recon ( A cruiser classed,Cloak based ship) Or a heavy assault ship. Each variante has its strength in weaknesses, but in general the life amounts are not really more then 20% Differencial (And this is only in the heavy firepower/tank ships like heavy assault cruisers most of the others are only 10-15% if that).
Each ship requires a specific skill-research tree. so every player and what they fly is unique. Each ship skill also have up to 5 levels. Which can be added and adapted here easily. Each level gives a passive. for example, Recons get faster movement speed while cloaked, or some other such effect.
X - Universe
In this style of system you have faction reputation. This reputation when reaching specific points gives you ranks. These ranks in return give you access to new ships, and technologies (shields, weapons etc). Upon getting new levels of access you have to buy specific licenses for them (other wise the factions consider it pirated technology, and may attack; this is actually a good system, and is very close to SC at current. And in fact this system will open the idea of pirates later in SC). If you do stuff against your race, you lose rank, other wise you stay at that level. As your reputation grows, you may gain access to more hidden technologies, or even ships.
Earth and beyond
In this style, you start out picking from some basic wing, and hull shapes. You can at any time change these wing or hall shapes into a variant of designs. These hull and wing shapes change as you acquire various ranks, so at for example rank 2 you could get an improvement to your ship which would change it graphically, and stat wise.
each hull upgrade will grant you more module slots. from here you grow from a small frigate sized ship, to a battleship (well the ship says the same, they use a graphic effect to make your ship appear big when by smaller ships, much like they do in eve).