Why hasn't it been changed in a year? Reasons.
TL:DR - Some would prefer SLS as default. Stop the debate and just give both safe drop and SLS as default. OR - give it another slot where you can choose SLS or safe drop - Stop whining and learn to use it properly - you'll be amazed what you can pull off.
Why hasn't it been changed in a year? Reasons.
One of it being, half the people want SLS as default, the other half wants safe drop. Discussions always get split this way and nothing gets done. Personally (I'm not alone in this belief) I'd prefer SLS as default. A good pilot can come in fast and/or undetected and stop it nearly instantly ... good'ol-Nam-style. If I want to drop people off at full speed and high above, I can use a galaxy. Giving the valk both as default would maybe make it (bit too) powerful, albeit I'd love to give it a try. Especially since we have enough things capable of killing it ... hell, it isn't even immune to bullets.
Another reason. Valk usage has a completely different mentality surrounding it, which requires a tad of fatalism on user's side. Shit sometimes hits the fan, but here are some commandments to think about: - bigger battles = lower survival chances (fact of life #1) - love Hossin; fuck Esamir (fact of life #2) - listen to Vietnam music while you're flying around (magic) - always use fully certed stealth (with recent dmg res buff, composite is trash; engies in rumble can repair) - get in low and from unexpected directions (tzu said) - stationary gunning is done at max range (clausewitz said) - hower frame = flying coffin unless at max range (=||=) - for "cqc" ground engagements you have cca 2-3s window of standing still, then GTFO (again, depends on size of engagement, map, enemy composition, etc) ... gunners and rumblers need to understand that and wait before they shoot (move or = dead meat) - same applies for not breaking stealth until you're over that goddamn sunderer birthing c4 fairies (Rambo = fail) - as a gunner/rumble denizen ALWAYS spot shit for the pilot ... you fly valks with vertical thrust, thus pilots depend heavily on map (love your pilot #1) - when you inevitably explode sooner or later, understand, that the pilot feels like shit. Cheer him up by saying something like "shit happens, ask my parents" (love your pilot #2) - sometimes things go fubar, deal with it. Stop whining how useless it is and use its strengths and be creative! (common sense #1) - given recent deploy changes it has become an essential tool which is so badly misunderstood (common sense #2)