How about using extra DP to alter the amount of CR lost? So DP saved = CR earned (or at least, not spent)?
That would reward frugal fleet usage and under-deploying somewhat but not reward any particular build too much.
Why would deploying less than the maximum number of ships I'm allowed to reduce the CR cost for deploying the ships I did deploy? CR costs represent in one way or another the stresses imposed by battles upon the crews and ships involved, if I'm not mistaken. If that is the case, then if anything deploying more ships should reduce the CR hit for each ship deployed in battle, not deploying fewer ships.
Maybe you can use your deployment points for command points instead?
It's kinda like leading a smaller, more well knit force, where your command staff has more resources to issue much more intricate orders and watch over the whole fleet than deploying many more ships and stretching the CNC to the limit.
This would be more reasonable to me, as long as the bonus isn't directly dependent on the total number of deployment points available. In other words, you'd have your basic number of command points plus (some constant)*(deployment points used)/(maximum available deployment points), rather than (command point bonus) = (unused deployment points)*(some constant). I'd argue that it's more of a command and control issue than one where you have a more tightly knit task force, because you'd still be able to make use of the bonus with large fleets if you aren't in the habit of deploying as much as you can at once. If this were done, I would also suggest giving the Advanced Command skill a bonus to deployment points which scales with the game deployment point setting, which I think should partially answer gunnyfreak's concerns about making Advanced Command less useful through the introduction of this kind of system. Also, the command point bonus formulas given above are example formulas.
Regardless, I don't see any real reason why there necessarily should be any particular bonus for not making use of the full deployment cap. I also tend to prefer Gothar's suggestions, as they relate to the deployment of ships, which is the stated purpose of deployment points, rather than to arguably unrelated aspects of the game.
