Well don't compare Freelancer with RL, cause there's a lot of inconsistencies.
But of course, armor upgrades do make sense, and they are kinda essential for balance.
And btw, the fights really are not that long, except when it's experienced people fighting.
I like how the fights are long anyways, pronounces tactics more, and not being able to play for 4 hours is not a good trade for 5 minutes of combat fun.
Anyways, I myself am a VHF whore. Always been, always will be. Removing armor would make it an all around cap fest.
I mean, we -could- remove armor upgrades and decrease the damage of all weapons by 2.5:P
(Kidding)
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<span style="color:#000000">All morons hate it when you call them a moron.