I can only assume that the DEV desired tactical approach against bases is a tunneling approach followed up by Explosive Charges (which are dirt cheap to make and extremely effective against shields) or if one has resources to burn- that plasma rifle. Exactly opposite of what I find fun, but it's the game as is.
Why ask me? I didn’t design the game. But I assume so that once a player actually manages to get a CV bases don’t become completely obsolete as a point of interest. All the unshielded ones become laughably easy even with using only mini guns and cannons.
It's not like tunneling plus demo charges make it any harder. Tunnel up to base, use a handful of demo and the shield is gone. It's now laughably easy again with the CV or just use more demo charges and go in that way. In fact, I use this method in order to get the resources for my first CV in a game. It's not a question of easy or not. It's a question of which is more fun and 'realistic'.
Well with people going neutral at the start with zirax for other reasons (peaceful mining in space) and only later deciding to blow them up, then it just gets easier - walk right upto it, and dig tunnel. Sapping remains by far the fastest way to get the shield down in a vanilla game, but at cost of it taking alot of det packs to get through a combat steel block after (compared to dumb fire rockets from an sv).
Except it doesn't take a lot of det packs. As I said, it's a handful to take the shield down an then it's as open for SV or CV attack as any other base. With two players, the SV/CV just waits for the shield to go down and then pounces saving the time traveling back. Or use a bunch of det pack, it's not like I don't have access to them. The fun part is then invading the base. Unless you don't need anything from it and are willing to pound it into dust from the CV's guns. In any case, it's still easy mode with the current system. I for one would prefer that a 'build thing' game would make stuff easier by.. well building things instead of just using a drill and explosive devices that anyone has after a day or two of play.