I actually saw on the ISboxer forums that Lax added additional variable hotkeys for ftl follow/assist up to 10. Basically they are user definable but I am not entirely sure yet how to go about doing it ;p

http://isboxer.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=4099

Seems like Smedbox is using it, I think in the short term, just to get rolling I will do what you are doing.

I did a quick test run with all 10 logged on on my i5 2500k@4.9ghz.

All clients on low render and I was actually getting 40-50 FPS outside so it looks like mine will be playable, although I can see that that framerate might tank hard in more congested areas.