PlanetsCentral

True, but when taken with the cost of engines, it seems like it would really slow the game down.

If you take the goal 'build a bunch of silly high-end hulls and look who's got more of them' for granted then it slows the game down, yes.

But on the other hand midclass ships get a real worth for offense and defense even in late midgame. You can actually make use of all the ships your shiplist has to offer because very view can afford the big ones in big numbers. So in my opinion It's fundamentally changing gameplay to a more versatile kind of game.