I fiddled with it a bit more, didn't find any worthwhile changes.
On a performance note I get 6-7 fps on my machine. I made the entire thing in javascript completely independent from Construct and got 22 fps, but that's also with a 360x360 grid instead of 50x50 and I'm not doing anything fast with the rendering.
I found that fun. I'm probably going to do that sort of thing more and more. No engine, no editor, completely diy, and no limits. Completely carefree, and it actually isn't harder and doesn't take much longer than doing it in a game maker. Sorry for the off-topic tangent, it doesn't help with the op in relation to this software.
It is interesting though that in theory java script would have been even faster, but that the fps still weren't blazing fast. To me it corroborates what many coders have been saying in the forums, that it eventually comes down to code strategy or optimization, and specific to the type being used. I'm sure that any further effort from your part would come up with a way to double up performance for a similar look hehe.
I am finally starting to get comfortable with construct 2 and I personally would not even dream of switching software or languages right now. Coming up with solutions, physics, etc... like you do ROJOhound, or completing a responsive and finished Construct 2 product like "Klang" and "The Next Penelope" are my inspiration. Although I wonder how much of those projects is done with outside sources, because I am trying to create even without plugins out of fear that my export will not work.
I know nothing about actual programming, and compiling (or compilation debugging) sounds like an unachievable nightmare to me, so I rely on hope that Cocoon or other auto exporting methods will work for what I manage to create. In a different world, I would have done computer science while I was in college.
My tangent on a tangent