>The controls
>take some getting used to, because your maneuvering physics are
>semi-Newtonian (you have a maximum speed, which objects under thrust
>in a zero-G vacuum really don't on that scale, but you have to cancel
>your motion to stop or change heading, and "up" and "down" are all in
>your head)

That may be somewhat more realistic than it seems - yes, objects don't have a maximum speed per se, but there is a hard limit for rockets using reaction mass: they can go no faster than the velocity of the mass they're throwing out, whether it be chemicals or ions.

Thus, your thruster pack? May just be -very low velocity-, to fit in with how crap the rest of the equipment is.