1. Since turrets are created using cores and are thus considered separate entities, are they still saved as a part of a ship's blueprint?
Yes, though I still find myself checking to make sure their AI is set properly after spawning them in.
2. Since turrents only get half of the ship's shields is it more pratical to only use manual weapons and no turrets?
No, turrets used to get 'no' protection from shields. The half protection actually makes turrets even more useful. Just yesterday my battleminer found itself in a very tough fight versus a squadron of much tougher pirates than standard. It took me fifteen minutes to dispatch them all. During much of that time, my shields reached 50%, the point where turrets were taking the hits. Here's the thing, my shields never dropped 'below' 50%, as the damage started to be split between the turrets (who had regenerating shields of their own) and those of the ship. The combined regeneration of the turrets and the ship as fire got split between them (as my ship's shields regenerated above 50%, they would take the fire till they again dipped below), was higher than the pirate's DPS. I did lose some smaller turrets, but the larger ones emerged unscathed.
3. Do turrets consume more energy than manual weapons?
No. In fact because turrets can generate their own power with their own soft cap, they are often more power efficient than manual weapons.
4. Is there a size limit to turrets?
Not in the native game, no. There are some multi-player servers that will limit the size of turrets, but most do not.
