Did you know that 80% of this game utilizes the CrystalSpace game engine? This means that you can constantly add new release plugins of crystalspace to improve overall performance!
But it is still far too risky to put new CEL files in planetshift.
As for loading times, when map initializes, it loads all of the zones, not just the plaza centre. That is why you need loads of memory. Perhaps the team should consider clip adjustment or truncating the zones at checkpoints.