I was a fan enough of the mechanics in 2.5, but was happy to hear about what they were doing with 2.6. What do you suggest they implement instead? I agreed with them that there was an issue with ships simply being way to far apart to really feel fun.
Of course this is the issue with sci fi right, like real space combat would be something more akin to a joust than dogfighting. But what fun is that. So to some degree they do have to ignore physics to get something fun.
In general emulating FPS combat does make logical sense since--well it seems like people really like FPS gameplay. However the bastardized idea that is COD's latest version of space combat sounds more like what they are going for with 2.6 How does 2.6 feel in comparison to COD?
The FPS gameplay isn't a result of space, it's inherent in the SCs flight mechanics. The maneuvering thrusters are as whole overpowered. Just about every non-flash space game doesn't have this problem. Since I'm in a list mood:
*trigger warning, I will reference Elite, not because SC should emulate it but to acknowledge what they get right in terms of feel and combat balance*
1. Lower the power of maneuvering thrusters, they should only be able to output ~half of main thrusters (some ships will be different of course). Will make fine maneuvering more manageable so aiming weapons through flight becomes easier and we can eliminate the terrible ESP.
2. Raise the speed cap while lowering the ship acceleration. This will put emphasis on energy management and making the right maneuver. Also this puts a penalty to players who try work against the momentum of the ship making chases and actual dogfights the norm. Will also layer decoupling to work with ship momentum for the best pilots fly in the most effective manor. Energy management also opens fighting styles for ships like tight turning fighters or boom and zoom tactics.
3. Eliminate IM and the aim to fly dependency. Having a proper V-joy and relative mode ensures that players are playing the same game across control methods.
4. Have gimbals work from an automated system and take direct control of them from the pilot. Like Elite have them tracking but SC could do a lot more with the signal/noise and e-war suites in ships. Having systems to defeat them or upgradable systems to make them more effective adds another layer to ship building and more styles for pilots to choose from.
5. Have the cruise/SCM/Landing/docking work like trim modes in other flight games. Cruise would kick in after reaching a certain speed (say 85%+) percentage in SCM and toggle the thrust mode to switch to AB. Adjusting the mode to land would work in the opposite with lowering to a certain percentage (say 10%) and changing the thrust mode to landing/docking and deploy the gear/collar when you are close.
My main point is to make the flight rely on the physics of the game and not trying to defeat it at every turn.