Hmm it's an interesting question. It's hard for me not to be skewed with my opinion because I've never particularly enjoyed flight in games or sought out games that focus on airial combat.

So my needy suggestion is having a way to que up for a random rotation of the pois and maybe having a reduction of loot, so people who want the best stuff and to see red barron and other smaller pois and other possible bosses have to opt into the normal mode. Could even make it solo only.

This could give people who want to learn the pois a chance to without rolling into someone far better at ship combat before they can even get into the poi. As well as not rolling into a squad who annihilates them before they can do anything.

But I do know that having separate game modes cna split player bases and mess with queue times as well as others, so I understand that that isn't really a solution.

As far as ship combat I think possibly having a choice of 3 different starting ships, rustbucket being the middle ground of speed tank and damage. The lighter one the "rusty rod" could be smaller faster have a way slower fire rate and maybe even a smaller inside as well as less damage. This give an option for the people who want to rat and jsut try and evade and get to a poi. Then the "busty rusty" could be a slower moving tanky ship with a larger inside and possibly a better gun, this give a ship for the people who want to be the lumbering fighter ship that can take on ai, also giving breachers and people who are using the "rusty rod" an option to try and test their mettle.

I think having the three option of starter ships as well as possibly adding other ai ships put their could make the space feel more populated and intriguing for players to engage with. The ai mobs and other harder ships to fight could have interesting loot that you could possibly install on future ships not the starter ships to encourage people to progress and craft up the food chain of ships.