I didn’t realize that there was a correlation between damaged machinery and salvaged tech modules. I will pay more attention to this going forward.
As for starting new, I don’t think I would have the heart to start completely over at this point. I would need a serious issue like you described to even consider it. And yes, NMS seems to be getting easier with each update.
I’ve still got my Legacy Save & my Next Permadeath Save.
Over the updates, I’ve had a bit of a go at each altered playthrough but have never gone far before stopping & later deleting.
This time I’m having a crack at a serious but slow playthrough & it is very different from before. Having had a (forced) break has allowed me sufficient time to approach NMS with a fresh mind.
I think you got lucky with your starter system. 
That said, I agree that the game has gotten easier, though still not exactly easy.
As long time players, we still have the advantage of experience over a completely new player who hasn’t got a clue what those floating red boxes can do to you if you happen to laser down that tree while they are watching (as one example).
There are hazardous plants in caves that we know not to get too close to. We know that the environment will kill us if we don’t feed our health/shields consistently. That kind of thing.
I do have to say that this is the first time I have played hundreds of hours on a new normal save where I have not felt the dire need to install any mods, just to enjoy the gameplay.
This scene has been in the game since day 1. But Sean brings it to our attention now.
What’s he telling us?
Well, when we first began this journey, there were Korvax, Gek and Vy’Keen. Now we have more variety in the Anomaly. And we have the ability to choose from them for our avatar. Could we be getting more story to add in details about these other characters?
I can’t remember the dialogue from that particular scene but I’m guessing it’s got something to do with it.
I’ll pay closer attention when I get to it on my new playthrough.
There is an update out, no notes as of yet
GOG claims there is a new build 2.26. As far as I know there was no experimental branch running.
Any hints on the content from those that have played after the update??
Waiting on anything official, but here are two links with the new update discussion:
Development Update
A minor game update to support the upcoming shop items has been released on all platforms today. We have another, more substantial update arriving in the not-too-distant future, and much more planned for 2020 that we look forward to sharing with you!
Thank you so much,
Sean
Release notes are up.
Commencing on Monday 27th, Polo’s Robotic Companion will begin compiling community research data to unlock a new category of customisation: coloured jetpack trails!
So now we can get together and put on an air show! 
I wonder what is next on the agenda?
We have another, more substantial update arriving in the not-too-distant future, and much more planned for 2020 t
I hope that 2020 brings improvements that center on exploration.
I’d be happier if they could find a way to fix all the old stale zombie-bugs that never seem to stay dead, as well as fixing some that they are probably going to blame on the lore --again.
Coloured jet pack streams? Really, HG? 
Glad you’re having fun with creating all these innovations, but please…
Farting Rainbows is now a thing
