once you get to know the engine, it's actually pretty easy to un-brick tho
every project i have bricked has been because the engine was looking for files that didn't exist anymore because i screwed up, and you can "un-brick" that by editing dat files
but editing dat files is definetely not recommended
and i hear you on the weapon sprites not needing to have all the empty space. i just find it makes it much easier when actually making the weapon sprites, i can just add layers in paint.net and onion skin, knowing what its gonna look like on the screen, and i don't have to scale it in the editor cuz it already sits where i want it to sit. i imagine it wastes some memory, but i have never noticed any impact and its become a standard part of my workflow