This is not correct. Different levels of AI have different levels of pip handling ability and there are deliberate delays built-in so that they don't use their computer-like speed. Even shooting railguns, they are not a patch on a good player, and suffer terrible heat problems as a result of spamming them as they do.
I can't mitigate for your chosen control method, suffice it to say that as mentioned above, they don't do things with computer-like speed, as you imagine they do, they are programmed to behave in a human-like way in that respect. Moreover, I am able to perform all those adjustments at the same time with my HOTAS. What percentage of players would you suggest are on PS4? I hope you don't think it would be appropriate for my AIs to get a nerf so that DS$ players can compete? It;s not my fault FD went with the exact same version of the game for the console release. I will mention that they spend most of their time with 4 pips to ENG, which perhaps explains why you percieve them doing things that you can't, it's because you don't have full pips to ENG, and it's why their shields will often melt like a wet paper bag once you do get them under your guns.
Again, nope. Firstly, lower levels of NPC are notably less good at firing fixed weapons, while Elite NPCs almost never miss a railgun shot. This is one thing I will give you (they are freakishly good with railguns, not PAs or any other fixed weapon though), however, they are not as good as the best players. They also don't open fire at maximum railgun range (thank god), they wait for some arbitrary range to be reached, so you can keep them at a distance and use your own long range railguns.
I don't care what others claim, you can take it from me as gospel that up to 3.3 for sure (and I haven't seen anything that contraindicates this is the truth since then) that NPCs CANNOT fly FA off. I know this because it was stated by the person who programs the AI, Sarah Jane Avory (or MoM) on more than one occasion, along with a lot of my other points, when she too got tired of people
imagining that the AI cheats.
I also do more pvp than pve these days, both in squadron 1v1 practice (twice a week), wider inter-group wing practices (once a week) and real multiple contact engagements with outlaw groups (about once a fortnight), and I have never ever seen an AI do something that a player can't do twice as fast and twice as accurately. The AI are utterly pitiful compared to the commanders I fly against and so they should be. You'd be stunned how quick I can 'whip the vette around' with my controls. Perhaps the joypad is the problem here as well? Not being facetious, genuine thought.
I don't believe that FD went to the trouble of changing the AI combat code for the PS4 release. I hope I've helped you come around more to the idea that they aren't cheating half as much as you suggest.
I don't 'enjoy' fighting the AI any more, but then I find most humans laughably easy to kill as well, it's only the good ones that are worth worrying about and they do things the AI can only have digital dreams of.
This is the best I can do as far as evidence goes...Unfortunately, the original links don't work since the forum 'upgrade'.
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/do-npcs-cheat.437888/#post-6850672