I think it was a really good suggestion, Frank! It definitely adds to the game. And I've noticed I lose my shield if a fireball mélee into an asteroid now, too. Would probably destroy my ship if my shield was down!
We've toned down the volume of some of those sound effects. That one where you spawn before the countdown start was cranked to full. So that should be nicer on the ears in the next live build.
Regarding the "Start Over" button highlighted. That's a tough one. It has to do with where your mouse cursor was. So if your mouse cursor was right over the "Start Over" button, that will be highlighted when you pause the game. It's super annoying -- and I've been trying to think up ways to fix it without breaking other functionality. Will have to dive into it further!