In some of these sandbox games, it does not allow you to grind down other player ships or buildings, you have to blow up the armor or take out it's core and then scrap it for parts. But in real life you can grind down walls, and the tougher one you have to blow up. So what if you can grind down lighter armor and basic doors, but require explosives to blow up the heavier ones. This way you don't have to waste explosives to blow up dingy armor, or ram it open with the skuls of your enimes. But if you destroy their core, then you can grind down everything.
I think this will balance it out from people just grinding through the maze, rather tan than actually doing the maze. It may take longer to grind, but you shouldn't be able to grind everything, and have to always use explosives and ramming.