Maybe I was firing too fast for me to notice, or maybe the smoothing on the UI made it look like it was constant. It's a super minor nitpick anyway.
You could have an energy shield around the ship that changes from blue to red as you take damage, and fizzles when you're dangerously close to death. Food for thought.
I did not! But I did after that comment because I had to see it. That is what I was thinking of! And it looks and feels just like I was hoping it would. Admittedly, I didn't even beat the first level before posting that comment.