Mod Theorycrafting: How to make enemy ships distinct

[Levgre]

So there are lots of enemy ship types in this game. Auto AI ships, Mantis/Rock/Engi/Zoltan/Pirate so on. But how could you make the experience of fighting these more unique?

I'm thinking about Auto Ships to start, they are somewhat them simple in that they don't have crew, or even shields, sometimes.
They tend to have above average dodge and offense, and below average durability. So ideally you want to get past their shields and use auto hit beams to shut down their potent weapon/drone arsenal. Most/all other approaches are inferior. Breaching to stop repairs can help, but if your bomb/etc. misses you could be in trouble, so I think it is less consistent.

Is there any way to diversify fights vs Auto Ships? Perhaps auto ships that are tanky, with bombs and boarding drones? Keep in mind there are 2 types of auto ships, vs 3 of most other ship types.

[Dirka]

Four guys that would be a nightmare to fight:

Targeting drone:
- No weapons, but accompanied by ASB
- Very high dodge
- Cloak
- Very little health
- 2 Anti-Personnel Drones

The Assimilator:
- 2 Boarding Drones (more if enemy systems can go beyond 8)
- Hacking
- MC
- Defense Scrambler

Tank Drone:
- Zoltan Shield, Rock Plating, Ti Casing
- Shield Drone, Def. II,
- 1-2 Vulcan

Ion Nightmare:
- 2 Ion Intruders
- 3 Ion Bombs
- Fire Beam