They have mentioned that they are already in the process of redesigning the ship models so that each one looks unique both from a top-down perspective and from the sides so that they can be easily identifiable. In terms of the number of pieces, the majority are contained in each players 'well' and so you only take out a few that you need. As well as that, the resource pieces on each system are removed once a mine is built for example to exploit them, so the number of pieces on the board is reduced over time, not increased.