Well said rshubert!!
I enjoy exactly what you describe, but I also enjoy the close hard fought battles that are difficult to find in the MA. The problem is, that the MA is such a fluid, constantly changing environment. No matter what we do to the game, there will always be inbalances. The pros and cons of different environmental settings (IE: Strat target toughness) may or may not solve the problems discussed here, but it will surely give rise to some other variable/problem which will be the subject of much debate in the future.
When I feel that bases are too far apart, I find one that is closer. Sometimes a base I am flying from has porked fuel, then I fly from another one (usually retaliating by porking the enemy fuel). Sometimes the carrier I am flying from gets nailed, so I find another one that is already engaged, and fly from there.
There are plenty of options available on the new larger maps, everyone should be able to find a situation in a short period of time that is to their liking if they just look hard enough. Unlike the smaller maps, the number of options is significantly greater, you just have to go find them. We can't tailor make situations that are to our liking. The joy of the engagement is that it is always different than the last one. Strat target toughness forces us to go find a different fight, or change the one we are currently in.
If someone (myself included) wants to fly a sector and a half and turn himself into a flying bomb, that is fine with me, he is the one that wasted the long flight to get there for a few seconds of glory. Whatever floats your boat (or sinks it). This game is not broken! Please don't try to fix it. I do not subscribe to the mentality 'fix it till it is broke!' That is what some of these arguments sound like to me. This game strikes a pretty darn good balance for all types of players.
