I definitely think I’ve benefited more from being mixed in with more experienced TSN crew than I would have from an all cadet crew. You get a better feel for play and communication styles, though I have played the game a fair few times before joining, so can’t comment on how best to get brand new players up to speed.
I’m curious about fighters/carriers in the mod. Have you found a way to make the fighters take resources from their carrier when they resupply, or a fuel/power system for the fighters? I found the base game ones a tad overpowered when we tried them as long as we were mindful of their shield status.
As cool as it would be (I have a bit of a love for wing commaner style games), I know it’s unrealistic to expect a carrier in the group anytime soon unless everyone’s happy with dropping 2 of the current ships to allow it to run, and it would probably have a massive effect on division combat doctrine and mission design.