With 3D I didn't mean you to implement 3D graphics, ofc. I just meant that even with a number-based game, a line vs line setup is not really what one would expect if thinking about star-wars-like battles.
As for the setups, it might be ok with more ship types involved, but still, if 100 corvettes fight vs 100 corvettes, the attacker should not just lose 11 of them and win so dramatically.
As said, I have quite a few suggestions how to get around this.
I am very interested in your post and your ideas. Thank you very much for your constructive feedback. I disclaimer upfront: we need to consider also the complexity of any potential idea for our code.
Honestly, I would be happy for 3D mode. I think 3D will increase interest in space exploration, if you can explore space in 6 directions. What about the idea isometric view?