I'd be all for the "hardcore" mode. After I finished Privateer, a gazillion years ago, the very next game I played was called TFX (Tactical Fighter eXperiment), a simulation game that was way advanced even compared to the flight sim games of today (except for the graphics, of course). That game was hardcore: If you died, there was no reload. Your former self was now MIA or KIA, period! You had to start the game all over again, even go to the academy first. And how thrilling it was! There was no autopilot or time compression: If a mission took an hour of flight to get to your target, you'd spend an hour sitting in front of the screen, reviewing your mission objectives, rehersing in your mind, imagining possible scenarios, anticipating... In some of the longer missions, you had to fly for an hour to meet a tanker plane, refuel, and then continue on your way. Engagements were easy for the most part. The increase in difficulty was very gradual. And that would be a requirement if implementing hardcore mode.