Random Ace Pilots too deadly

[Grail Quest]

Is anyone else getting these types of encounters:

(a) Playing SP campaign, currently a Pilot Level 5 using (the only) Heavy Fighter available
(b) They are seemingly random. I have had them in the Shadowlands as well as by trade link disruption.
They show up as an Ace plus wingmen
(d) In their first pass, they all but destroy my ship. I have to use up all my nanos and batteries, and even then they continue to whittle it down. I have of course tried turning, afterburner, and/or dodging and running, but I am invariably destroyed inside of 10 seconds. They haven't even finished their head-on yet and are maybe still 300+ meters away.

I don't remember anything like this happening to me in vanilla FL.

* * *

Another type of insta-kill encounter that I've been getting are Wolfhound packs near Texas D3, the Rogue jump gate. I get them on sensors while still at CRUISE SPEED, so I turn away, still at cruise speed. Suddenly I get "impact missile" warnings. Then I'm hit by missiles and red beams, and I'm destroyed in about 2 seconds. How are they targeting me at CRUISE SPEED with anything?

[Dab]

You need a better ship (probably shield mostly). The NPCs in this mod are stronger but not THAT stronger.. If its still too difficult for you, go to My Documents -> My Games -> Freelancer -> PerfOptions file
Find the line that has DIFFICULTY_SCALE: 1.00 and set it to 0.50.

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[Grail Quest]

You need a better ship (probably shield mostly). The NPCs in this mod are stronger but not THAT stronger.. If its still too difficult for you, go to My Documents -> My Games -> Freelancer -> PerfOptions file
Find the line that has DIFFICULTY_SCALE: 1.00 and set it to 0.50.

I'm doing the SP campaign and currently fixed at level 5 until I do Mission 3. It's not like I can creep in Texas until I get more loot, a higher level, and better gear.

In any case, part of the issue is the quantum leap in lethality and the fact that it doesn't seem tied to available resources. I can do missions where I'm outnumbered 4-to-1 by Rookie Rogues, and it seems they can't get my shield down past 75%. Then I encounter a few Escorts, and until I take down 2 of them, my shields are perpetually dangerously low at 25% or less. And then there are the occasional Ace encounters and I'm wiped out before I start.

Exacerbating the situation is the fact that only direct-frontal-attack weapons are at all useful since the AI reacts far too quickly, both in maneuvering and using their turrets. I can't hit anything with a missile, even homing ones, unless they were head-on and less than 90 metres away. Even then, there's a good chance the AI will successfully swing their ship aside or away. And homing? What homing? Missiles are ridiculous in FL.