I'm sure this has been suggested before, but I'm a bit too tired and lazy to make a simple search. A lot has been said about the effectiveness of armor relating to combat, and the general amount of time a battle takes. My suggestion is that the armor value of a block is taken into consideration even when the shields are still up. Values may have to be changed to accommodate this, but it would make the relation between advanced, standard and basic hull more dynamic, with advanced providing excellent protection against the enemy but being hard to produce. Basic hull providing very little protection, but being very easy to produce. And standard hull being a compromise of both.