Ignoring the whole “in real life” thing (because making such points will always be on shaky ground in a science-fiction game)…
The main purposes of the current system is thus:
It encourages people to make conscious choices and team up with others.
-
For gankers, they have to…
– sit idly in abject boredom (for who knows how long) waiting for a potential target to show up
– gauge whether it is worth losing security status (causes headaches later)
– gauge whether it is worth losing a ship (lost ISK/materials, non-recoverable)
– gauge whether it is worth not being able to fly any other ship for up to 15 minutes (more downtime)
– gauge whether it is worth being a legal target for everyone in the game for 15 minutes (potential for some logistical issues if shot)
– gauge whether all of the above is worth all for a potential payoff that has a 50/50 odds of dropping as loot (see: 50/50 chance to run a loss in both time and money)
– gauge whether a friend will be fast enough to grab the loot and get away before someone takes a shot at them (see: chance to run a loss in both time and money)
That last point is kind of important, because someone who ganks cannot also scoop loot. So teamwork is absolutely mandatory (in some form or another).
And the person who scoops loot can be shot at by everyone in the game (but not police) once they load up their cargo bay. -
For haulers/miners/mission runners, they have to…
– gauge whether it is worth loading up a ship with a certain amount of value
– gauge whether said value will make a ship more or less attractive to potential hostiles
– gauge whether their ship’s tank will make the ship less attractive to potential hostiles
– whether all of the above will dent their efficiency and by how much
Teamwork works for haulers/minder/mission runners as well.
A teammate can use a stasis web to make it warp faster., provide remote rep support to increase a ship’s staying power, do cleanup/salvage/ferrying operations, etc.
The whole thing is SUPPOSED to be a “rat race” where players are constantly trying to develop ways to attack and defend, loot and secure, produce and destroy, supply and starve.
Once you find something that works for you, another player will find a way to get around it. And the cycle continues.
Ganking is merely the most obvious and (arguably) jarring example of this.
Now… to answer your question directly:
- Be less appealing that the people around you
- Tank your ship
- Carry less than it takes to destroy your ship (this requires a bit of math)
- Be slippery (and generally more trouble than you are worth)
- Have friends (scouting, webbing, etc)
- Take routes that see less traffic
- Use the right ships and fittings for the right job
– Example 1: Fast frigates are good for low-volume, high-value items.
– Example 2: Active-tanks (repair modules) ideal for steady, controlled DPS situations… like missions. Buffer tanks (armor plates & shield extender) are good for quick, burst-DPS scenarios… like ganking. - Generally speaking: Don’t use auto-pilot unless you know when to use it.