Nodes on Area Tool

Hi, I’m trying to use the new Area tool (which seems really good!), but struggling to understand how to control the angles of the lines as they meet the nodes. It feels a bit like a bezier curve, but without handles. Some appear to be sharp (usually the node I started with) and the rest are curved, but I can’t work out how the curve is defined.

Selecting nodes and rotating them seems generate all sorts of strange loops.

Is there any way to get more control over what is going on? The only way I have managed is to put tension to 100% and then facet all my curved edges. (And additionally, is it possible to hide the display of the nodes? The project quickly gets covered in orange dots!)