[ibol]

Auto-Explore: is it safe:
Well, it's not perfect, in that it does not have any knowledge of the sector beyond what you as a player would have, but it does tend to stop when it sees something dangerous. It is a feature, not a requirement.
I would judge by how safe you feel overall: are you strong compared to your foes?

Gamepad support:
It was a stretch goal, and it was in the game for quite a while. But it was less than perfect, so it was removed. I met every other stretch goal, and every original design point, as well as very many additions not originally conceived.