I have to agree that "Warp Points" are just about the single most important and defining characteristic of the SE series. It wouldn't be Space Empires anymore if you removed them. That said, I have lobbied Aaron myself for
additional methods of interstellar travel. Warp Gates for example -- buildable devices controled by players instead of just 'natural features' that you can only create or destroy. You could control who uses a warp gate, such as only allowing your own ships or your allies to use it. And some sort of 'direct' or 'off road' method of travel is needed. I prefer 'sleeper ships' where the crew actually has to be put into some sort of hibernation and it takes years to get from one system to another. It'd be really cool to play the occasional 'lotech' game with no FTL at all, even if it would take ages to play.
A 'hyperspace' system like we see in Babylon 5 would also be nice, though.