As much as I enjoy this game, I avoid combat, since I'm playing on iron mode, and my mistakes could ruin whole playthrough (and I'm doing a lot of mistakes). Therefore I have no opportunities to actually get better at maneuvering my ships. Sure, there is simulation available, but problem with simulations is that they don't push the game forward in any way. If we take Mount and Blade: Warband, for example, game which is fairly similar to Starsector in many ways and also has great combat system, which takes some practice to master, in this game there are trainers whom let player improve their skills, but also give character some xp (almost nothing, but can help to level up in a very early stage) or let you practice with your troops and level up them, as well. There's also arena at which, we can compete with others and fight for interesting rewards or renown. And last, but no least, there's great mercenary mod, that allows player to join NPC's band and fight in someone's ranks. All of these cause game to progress in some way and therefore make me want to take part in those activities, but also they pose no threat to the future of our character. Simulation in Starsector is a great way to practice and experiment with different fleet compositions. There's no doubt about it, but to me it feels kind of like doing homework.
Thus, I have an idea. Arena seems pretty generic and also it'd be nonsensical to sacrifice actual ships in a world where people salvage used ones. However, let's say there are simulators on some planets (ones with military markets would make sense) that let our character take part in tournaments or just regular ship fights to earn some money, experience and maybe standing with various factions. One-on-one or teams fights. Maybe even tradition of Olympic Games would still be alive and every four cycles every factions would compete in a great tournament. I think it would make sense for the reasons below:
1. People play games and do it even professionally, why would it change in a future where we have incredibly realistic simulations of combat?
2. People compete in sport and probably will in future.
3. There's already feature like simulation, it's just a matter of implementing it into actual gameplay.
4. In "Frequently Made Suggestions" thread is suggestion for board games. It would kind of fit into this category, but would be easier to implement for the reason stated above.
5. It would give players like me, who never opt out of iron man mode, to safely practice combat, while still taking part in the actual game.
I think that's all for now. That's a little suggestion I've come to, after playing this game for some time. I'm anxious to see what others think about it and especially developers. Have a great day!
EDIT:
Since I mentioned M&B: Warband and Mercenary Mod, it just came to my mind, that being able to join someone else's fleet would be neat idea too. Although this might be more difficult to implement from a technical and game design point of view.
