@ Sy: The point of Needlers, and beams for that matter, is to hit things at long-range. If I use Safety Override on Medusa, and I use the new Ion Pulsers, I would not use Needlers, and I might use IR Pulse Laser, Light Assault Gun, or some sort of missile (Safety Override does not affect missiles) on the hardpoints instead.
Currently, Aurora is just a MK ninja color swap of the Gryphon. Changing missile mounts to something more versatile is nice, though I miss it losing the large mount. I was looking forward to mounting a plasma cannon on Aurora. Now, with only seventeen light weapons worth of weapons, it is barely more armed than the Falcon or Doom, and matches Apogee. I would like to see a high-tech energy version of the Dominator, and none of high-tech cruisers fit. Currently, Dominator is the most powerful cruiser overall, and it is my go-to choice for cruiser.
Could a few of the small mounts on Aurora be upgraded to Medium (if Aurora has no large mounts)? For instance, the one near the back and to the left. The one on the right is medium, the one on the left is small. Also, maybe one of the small hardpoints upgraded to Medium, like the one furthest out forward?