At the moment, practice mode is lacking a lot of features and only allows for rather basic testing. Here are some things that I think would really be a big help for new players and old hands alike:
-More maps. I know this has been suggested multiple times, but I feel that it should be a higher priority. It's nice to be able to try stuff out on Dunes, but in all honesty that's one of the maps where practice is least valuable, being mostly open. Captains would be able to get a lot of benefit out of familiarizing themselves with the layouts of maps like Canyon Ambush and Paritian Rumble
-Loadouts switchable mid-practice. It opens up a lot more room for experimentation without having to constantly start new practices.
-Multi-ship practices. Say I want to help a friend learn the ropes in piloting. It's hard to do that in a normal match. This would also help out in testing different gun loadouts, since the practice dummies aren't great references.
-AI ships. Stationary ships that can be controlled in various ways. There could be an option to have their engineers repair, have them shoot at you, or do nothing. Once again, this would really help out people who are trying new loadouts on their ships.
-Selective component damage. Right now, there are two options for dealing damage to certain components on a ship in practice. You either use a pilot tool like chute vent or moonshine, or walk up to the component and use the damage button. This isn't really enough. I'd like to be able to customize different "scenarios" and then bind them to keys. For example, you could simulate Gatling fire by setting the key for a certain amount of damage per second. You could simulate a merc hit by instantly destroying a certain component. It'd be a great way to see how the ship can do against certain things before trying them out in real matches.
Anywyas, those are e few features I'd like to see in the future.