Don't pass me off as a content whore. I've been playing this game since you paid on paypal and waited until friday, so I think I've proven my commitment. This is Naval Action, not SOL Battle Royale.
Even outside of port battles, the SOL creep is very clear, so open world utility is limited in the future for unrated ships.
As for grinding, we had the advantage of PVPING on roughly equal footing. New players will not have that. And for the record, did you even read my post like 4 posts back? I never said not to use SOLs. Quite the contrary. I don't want a BR limit or some arbitrary mechanic that nullifies a player's work. Go read my proposal before you fucking insult me again. I think you'd actually rather like it.
As for what I sail, I sail a Connie, and I literally will not get into an SOL unless I have to for some reason. A lot of my friends prefer rated vessels, but I'm content with a frigate. It's why I bought the game. Hell, if I can get my hands on an essex, I'll sail that too. Problem is, most people will not sail anything less than their biggest ship, which actually limits them and will cause player retention issues. But go, read my post before you respond again. I'd kill to hear input on the idea.