Danik wrote:So, an incentive for the defenders to actually, well, defend?
How about this : if the blockade attempt fails, the attackers fleets marked as 'sunk' ( those with 99% damage) are sold off and the funds go to the defenders : we can call it 'abandoned and taken as prizes at battles end'. Further, the initiator loses their MOW fleet : it is sold off and the funds go to the defenders.
Now, we start to see some incentive for both sides to win this tussle.
So you propose that as a counter to traders simply stopping their fleets? An all or none scenario that favors defenders 100% is not the answer either. I agree the defenders need some incentive to defend as well, but that makes the upgrade irrelevant and one that is never used.
The way it is proposed now the attackers already bear all the risks for what you yourself have said is little to no reward. So your reaction now is to completely make the upgrade untenable?