That all makes sense. Maybe the smoke could be made a lot more obvious as I don't think I even noticed it. A red, glaring alarm on your ship when you're a point away from destruction would definitely catch my attention, for example. Anyways, in case you haven't heard of this title already, I am very slightly reminded of it being like a larger-scale version of: https://store.steampowered.com/app/624690/NEXT_JUMP_Shmup_Tactics/
I haven't actually played the game, but it just came to mind. Anyways, based on its negative reviews, remember that unique graphics do not a good game make! Gameplay is always first. I'd rather play something solid in ASCII than vice-versa. Best wishes to your continued work.