I have uploaded a new THANCS.rar and linuxthancs.rar
There are also a couple updated graphics and a tweak to the mod files to use the new graphics.
If you have SVN, you can just click update on your mods and graphics folders to get the latest of them. Otherwise, download the rars again.
New feature in the designer is a defence arc indicator; there will be a blue hexagon around your movement indicator to show the coverage % of your shields with brighter colors being better protection. Same thing for armor in orange/yellow just inside the shield hexagon.
Also, in game when using the NavView, your ship's weapon ranges will be shown as thin red arcs so you can see where you can shoot things next turn based on the movement orders you've given.
USEC_OFFICER:
That's a nice nimble and fast fighter. You should be able to get it behind enemy warships and stay there where they can't shoot back.
If they do shoot back, you've not no defence, so it'll get wrecked quickly Its small enough to make most heavy weapons fire miss, but beware light lasers and short range disruptors. Try to approach targets at high speed in packs while there is something else more important to shoot at, like missiles incoming.
Your disruptor is more accurate at point blank, so try not to overheat the gun early in your attack run.
The carrier has almost full shield coverage, and it is double-layered across most of the front. 16 CnC should be able to handle to handle damage control until you get a squadron of things shooting at you, or a warship hitting you with the heavy stuff.
Disruptors have a penetration bonus vs deflectors so shoot those down first.
The spacedocks coming out the side will make your ship look bigger if you enable them, so you can use them as a sort of ECM in combat; just be careful not to drain the batteries.
As people have said, you'll need to invest in reactors early in the game. If you can afford the budget limit, more capacitors are good for starting parts.
Capacitors you have at game start will begin at 100% charge.
Anything you build during the game will begin at 0% charge, and will take some energy from the mothership to charge up. (upon construction they share to an equal % charge - so a carrier with 20k/20k energy building a fighter with a 5k capacitor will result in a carrier with 16k/20k and a fighter with 4k/5k)
UPDATE:
PS; The light lasers would probably be better if you packed them tightly into a cluster. That way there would be space free to add the wider, heavy guns later on.