Hm...
Roundabout thought process gave me an idea for a game mode that won't happen, but would be interesting.
If AI pilot is difficult, then maybe you create a static object with guns that you team up with allies to assault. The AI just take care of repairs and shooting on said static object.
But having one static object would lead one to want to assault from hidden spots. Of course, AI will respond to sneaky approaches the same every time, so once you've used it once, it probably won't be entertaining anymore.
So maybe make it so you have a lot of gun emplacements, but you can only use up ?? of them. It is now a varied assault, changing blindspots, etc.
But AI configuration of the weapons will suck. So give it to humans...
TLDR ^
PvP tower defense. Assaulting team has to reach or destroy something, maybe cap a point and hold it. Assaulting team gets 3 ships. Defending team gets 1 ship, the wildcard that can adapt to mistakes made in the tower emplacement. Additionally, there are a ton of slots where the defending team can place guns, but they can only place 5-10 guns or something. Assaulting team has to analyze the layout of the guns and create an approach plan. Defending team has to shoot down approaching ships, and use the wildcard ship to cover any sudden changes that leave the defending team exposed.
I realize this is completely counter to, and off topic from, my original post, but we need more game types (like moving CP).