Faster movement in this game is a good thing; especially if there is a hope of retaining players from Steam.
I returned recently to this game after a long hiatus (former NEX member). I quickly remembered what I didn't like about this game: many circuitous pathways, including access to terminals, like the lines at Disneyland - they manage to turn 10 linear feet into 25 miles by going back and forth and around barriers and through gaps in the steepness. Yes, this was improved with better freeways and xporter beacons, but not improved nearly enough for frustration free game play. Also, even with the freebie speed buff from the former extension, the bots still move far too slow. Travel time should be at a minimum so that the time spent actually involved in action is maximized.
Personally, I love how we can spark around - it allows us to take advantage of opportunities for fun. Example: I'm mining solo on New Virginia; the corp announces a beacon slam: get to terminal, spark to gamma --> group fun begins !
Exploits ? I think not. If everybody has the same capability, what is the issue ? Example: PvP corp projects 50 mechs rapidly into the theater of operations resulting in domination of opponent. Um, what is preventing the opponent from projecting similar qty's of destructive or defensive power onto the battlefield?
Sparking makes the game more fun by minimizing time spent NOT actually playing. So if you consider slow, plodding and lengthy runs to get to the action "playing the game", then vote for slower bots, and elimination of freeways, xporter beacons and sparking.
If you prefer getting into the action over traveling to the action, vote to keep the sparking thing.
Lastly, if new players from Steam are like me, they're gonna hate the slow travel and windy pathways that resemble the lines at Disneyland. Hershfield is a great example of this.