Tweaking NPC encounters for groups

[Deyn]

I loved the setting of Joss Whedon's "Firefly" Series. E: D is a great opportunity to give us a similar Universe, venturing out to the Black and living a life on the fringe, just taking jobs to keep flying!
No focus on dogfighting and piracy. Less big space battles, but more adventure, exploring, discovering, mining and trading...

Maybe E: D give us the opportunity to introduce different playing styles into groups... like setting possibility percentages of pirates and other "NPC threats" for groups in the future.
Not totally switching it off, of course, just tweaking it down or up, as we like it or not?
Maybe limit enemy tech levels a bit.
The result, could be that you no longer get ambushed by 2-3 pirat vessels, that turn out to be Cobras and armed to the teeth?

Thus we can build groups where it's possible to enjoy more the adventurous and peaceful side of the elite universe.

[GlobusDiablo]

Although I agree initially that some sort of slider could be nice, on afterthought the risk of losing the "dangerous" element would probably mean losing incentive to be on your guard, and thus never feeling the "fragility" of traveling in space, which I think is incremental to the game.

[Deyn]

To be very clear about this: I do not want a 0% option!!!
Just the number of accounts, ships and threat level tweakable between "rampage" 3-5 heavily armed Cobras and Vipers blasting you apart while trying your first trade run in a stock Sidewinder vs. a reasonable Sidewinder or two with standard weapons occasionally stumble upon you...
The threat level should be based on your rating/equipment/ship type.
You still need to take care to watch your surroundings, but you need not worry, that any blip on the scanner is a "dangerous" killer squad coming to blast you apart?
If you smuggle stuff feds are a real danger already, if you transport valuable cargo and get scanned by pirates your doomed... but if I fly food or ore from A to B I would like to have a reasonable chance to arrive in one piece without putting my dogfighting skills to the test all the time.
Well my rate says "harmless", not "target practice drone"?
If I chose to get a maxed out ship, armed to the teeth I should get likely more dangerous encounters, whereas in a Hauler with standard pulse lasers I like to have a chance to be left alone for a while.
Anarchy systems may be more likely etc. It is already in the design. Just it would be nice to tweak it just a little bit, to your play style...