In an online game, being blown up by players who are cheating is a pain in the arse, and the frustration and paranoia it causes is evident from the forums. I just can't be bothered with that sort of thing anymore.
To use a reply that I haven't already seen many times ("use solo mode" gets old after such a short time); a shitty player in a massive, heavy, slow ship has no guaranteed victory over a good player in a small, cheap, nimble ship. You can destroy Pythons (costs 57 million) in an Eagle (44k credits, and many players including myself received a free one for early backing or buying the Mercenary Edition), I have seen it done. Apparently my IRL friend who took out an AI piloted one while I was there, subsequently managed to kill a poorly piloted player Python who interdicted him a few days later (and who apparently didn't try and run even when his hull was down below 10%). For realsies.
If you've got the skills, you can get the kills, and the people desperate to cheat because they don't have the skills aren't actually going to get the edge they think they will by just buying the most expensive ship and assuming it is intrinsically "better". The Eagle is designed as the most agile and maneuverable ship bar none, and is the cheapest ship you can get (bar the starting Sidewinder). If you can stay in someone's blind spot and get their shields down to start doing hull damage, it is amusing how many people in more expensive ships will immediately try to run ;)
Hell, even the starting (aka free to replace as many times as you want) Sidewinder is usable in combat, the only problem is "weak guns syndrome" because you get the least damaging weapons in your free package. Flown well it'll take on anything up to an Adder, but the default lasers are slow enough to kill that a Viper or larger will have plenty of time to see their hull slowly going down and be able to run away if they want. I've embarrassed a few (badly piloted) Cobras into running away myself, and it is pretty satisfying even if you do fail to get the kill.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
