The ships in the game have a great deal of potential, but there are some serious problems just trying to figure out the hardpoint map.
I've got a solution to that for those who're doing modding and who're just frustrated at the difficulty in knowing where that one hardpoint you want to use is.
Go into the 'main_ComponentConfigurationSlotsPlayer.txt' file and find the ship you're wanting to understand.
Scroll through the ship's loadout until you see 'Inner Hull' or 'Outer Hull' with a number beside it.
Then go down to the fifth line in *that* entry, and simply put a number beside the 'H', as follows
Slot 20 Xpos := 282
Slot 20 Ypos := 572
Slot 20 Group Name := Inner Hull 18
Slot 20 Comp Type Allowed := Hull
Slot 20 Comp Type Abbreviation := Hi18
Slot 20 Comp Box Color Index := 0
Slot 20 Ship Section := Hull
Slot 20 Ship Side Facing := 0
Slot 20 Weapon Firing Point := 0
Slot 20 Weapon Arc Start := 0
Slot 20 Weapon Arc End := 0
Notice the 'Hi18'... when you look at the ship in the Shipyard and check 'show hardpoints', then you will immediately see where Inner Hull 18 is.
It's a labor intensive way of doing things, but it works like a charm.
[EDIT: This doesn't seem to be a calendar event, so I changed it. If you have any questions, PM me. --Instar]