This might work with only some mod tweaking, but just in case, something I was thinking about.
A slightly more challenging method of gaming. Realistic, or 'Advanced' gravity mode.
In normal gameplay, Gravities only have an affect on the ships when they are 'close' to planetary objects.
In the real universe, gravity travels on until infinity, effectively distorting the motions of ALL objects. In space travel, all courses are actually curves. There are no straight lines.
Advanced Gravity mode would be effectively a tweak where you feel the pull of gravity all across the map, and your maneuvers are subject to keplarian motion rather than normal arcade motion.
As an example, a dogfight occuring in range of Earth would be harder to pull off in classic arcade style, and taking advantage of orbital mechanics to pull off sling-shots, sync orbits and all that would be more important than twitching about. Not to mention leaving Earth Orbit would leave the players maneuvering in the gravity well of Sol itself. So they'd still have to move in orbital trajectories.
Free motion would still be possible, it's just that you'd spend a lot more time burning counter to the pull of celestial objects.
And just to keep things interesting, bullets and missiles would have to be subject to it to.
It can be an alternate map, or a game mode... But I think it would be fun to exercise keplarian motion combat.
I played a game that attempted actual space physics, it was XF5700 Mantis, all the AI did was suicide tactics, otherwise the piloting of the actual fighter was insane (as in somewhat bad).
I would put this as an alternate game mode, since it might sound either fun or disturbingly hard to try this out.
