This is the current meta and it's fucking disgusting.
1. Use the 2x2 piece with one missing corner for things like guns and large generators to save just a few kilos. There's no downside, it's not any weaker as long as you align it inward.
2. Use 2x1 pieces for things like small gas tanks or fire extinguishers. They're lighter than the 2x2 piece.
3. Don't use the fixed engines, or at least use only a minimal amount.
4. Always mount flares, and use at least 4 of them for diagonal coverage. Best use 8 emitters. Even with a small ship, evading and repositioning takes too much time that could be spent firing.
Now it starts to get worse.
5. Use this particular armor pattern:
Unlike (1) and (2), the mass savings are fucking massive.
It's takes the same amount of durability with the same hitboxes. Proofz:
The bottom part of the Gladiator isn't meant to be protected, hence the extensive damage.
6. Just spam Palash everywhere. This isn't considered excessive by the game.
7. Use a small vertical gear piece and a modified rotation of bottommost small gear piece, if you can get away with it. Tap upward thrust when landing.
Piece rotation has a crazy positive effect on damping properties of the gear pieces.
8. Proximity rounds are OP, even against armor.