The other visible improvement is that there are actually space pirates now, but they're kind of pussy. They only attack when the short-range sensor goes off on the ship AI, which is only like six meters away. However, they are vicious and even the small ones can cut you up with a light machine gun.
I had a quick duel with one in an uninhabited system, resulting in his gory demise from my overpowered turret weapon.
Other mild improvements:
- You can refill ammo from "ammo charger" items you buy at space stations
- You can no longer dock with a space station from across the system; you must now be within seven units.
- The "Go To" feature is now a bit more aggressive, and has raised its speed limit and stopping distance.
- Data grids now have resizable columns (hopefully putting an end to a lot of the ugliness with quests, but I doubt it).
- Hostile enemies are now indicated in the HUD brackets.
- The AI is better at sorting out its foes, and now optimizes who to attack based on proximity, rather than who just shot it.