I am extremely excited for this.
I was a "Kiter" and I have always found it weird that you don't really need to progress beyond a Hyperion or Tempest. I like the idea of them becoming a sort of hit and run craft, because while you would no longer be able to dismiss all battles as risk free, the ships would still remain an effective "hunter killer."
Also, I love the idea of there being a risk to staying in combat too long, rather than a predictable debuff. I look forward to the moment when I begin to speed through the middle of a fleet, only to have my engines blow out, smashing me into the shields of the Onslaught I was trying to avoid.
The concept of Combat Readiness is in my opinion a good one too. I feel it is an elegant solution to the problem of a ship being able to effectively fight indefinitely.
I also look forward to managing my ships in a way that maximizes their combat effectiveness, while increasing the role non combat ships play in the game. (Troop transports, or Freighters)
I love randomness to an extent, and as far as I can tell, this is the perfect amount. Obviously the day after the patch, I'll be right back here, complaining my a** off about how unfair the changes were, and how I didn't see them coming.
But until then, keep up the good work!
This concept was so awesome it made me de-lurk, and go through the account process. I'm a bit worried I got the "average number of ears" question wrong though.