BattleCruiserCommander
Most ships* under 2m don't need and should not use dedicated shield modules; if you've read the Oneye Guide you'll see it talks a bit about maximizing the use out of each reactor to obtain a higher cost efficiency.
Reactors are the most expensive system you need lots of. Since you're using cannons (extremely energy efficient) as your primary weapons, your compartments will have sufficient excess power generation to be almost as good as dedicated shield modules in terms of shield regen speed. If you take a look at the '2 minute noobcrusher' that I shared with you earlier, it uses a very orthodox 1 reactor : 2 shield generator : 6 standard cannon compartment configuration.
If your engine blocks don't fit, then redesign them or alter the ship. Engine Rooms give each thruster block touching them 75% more power; ships above 500k** (and many ships under 500k) absolutely need to be using engine blocks rather than naked thrusters.
*The exception that comes to mind is missile barges that want to incorporate an anti-ion layer in their armor matrix.
**The exception is ultralights using permaboost configurations, though that is actually more expensive than engine blocks in terms of thrust/cost. Just more responsive (due to zero ramp time) and lower in weight, though they're unsuitable for big ships due to excessive engine exhaust (no build zone) volume.
Engine blocks actually save you money and volume (for a given design speed) with the proper configuration.
