Cav's shield suggestion

Joined
Nov 12, 2019
Messages
576
#1
I imagine shields needing multiple components with which to operate. A system based off of a consumable resource. Perhaps each mineable material could be used, or any that respond to EM fields, and so on. Anyway, the first part of the shield system would be the particle generator. The generator takes the raw resource and creates a particulate that can be used by the next part. The emitter. The Shield emitter is an emitter that emits the particulate. To completely encompass a ship, one of these would be needed for every 20*20 plane the builder would want covered by the shield.

Then comes the items that bend the particulate around the ship. We’ll call them formers. The more of these, the closer the shield is to the hull (down to half a meter), and the denser the particulate can become in that area.

YOLOL can be used to set the density, and replenishment rate of the particulate.

Storage of the resource would take up space, the resource costing ship mass. Running the particle generator, emitters, and formers takes power. So much power.

Effects of an endo crossing a shield could be temporary paralysis, damage to contact parts, etc.

Impacts cause spikes in power needs as the formers need to draw more energy to reform the shield. Multiple impacts can push away the particulate in an area, leaving the hull exposed. More formers, using more power, can mitigate that effect to a point. Though not entirely mitigate it. No need for perfect shields.

Formers and emitters must be on the exterior of the ship, with line of sight to the shields field.

Formers set the distance of the shield from the hull, and its density. More power and more formers mean closer shields with greater density. Emitters replenish the shields particulates. More emitters, more particles with which to work with. They too take power to operate.

Fomers and emitters need each other. No formers, and emitters are sending their resource out into space. No emitters and the formers are wasting power.

I am not proposing some HP sponge, nor a perfect shield. Bleedthrough is a must. How much bleed through is determined by the system. Like thrusters, continued operation uses power and a resource. Where this resource(s) comes from and how it interacts with the system is best left to the devs. I also didn't think of this as something that should be viable on fighters, bombers, and the like.

The idea is to give meaningful engineering decisions to designing a ships defenses. There should be pro's and cons to shields and armor versus each other, and a mix should certainly be viable. I'm also interested in how the armor meta will form up alone, and this is to throw an idea out while they're in the brainstorming or designing phase.
 
Joined
Nov 12, 2019
Messages
576
#3
Having no viable alternative to boarders than a wall and a small army doesn't seem fair to me.

This isn't an all or nothing idea.
 

Amos.37

Veteran endo
Joined
Aug 22, 2019
Messages
154
#4
The counter to boarders is that your ship is faster than an endo.
To board your ship, an enemy either needs to sneak aboard, or disable your engines before leaving their ship to come to yours.
Personally, I think shields simply shouldn't be added at all.
 
Joined
Feb 11, 2020
Messages
10
#5
Honestly i do see the appeal to ships being in this game, even though the style is more "Hammer and Nail" kind of... machine style.
Especially if this were used on something like absolutely huge mother ships, to keep the wars going on for a bit longer because i imagine they will be a extremely exciting part of the game. As well i definitely want to kind of live out some of my StarTrek fantasies lol BUT-

I'd probably have to cast my vote more on more chaotic destruction that the game offers. Especially with players having to get extra creative on not just the exterior, But booby trapping and building interior defensive systems.

You know what, This makes me rethink about how extra large ships should be designed in the game, Less like fantasy starships and more like flying castles :eek:. Dang, i am even more excited now to start experimenting with ship parts and designs...
 

Burnside

Master endo
Joined
Aug 23, 2019
Messages
308
#6
Shields as a barrier or damage field do give you lots of options, but they're a bland wall of power, having to form them adds in some engineering requirement to make it (more) effective than a crude implementation, but given how complex building and thus destruction is in this game, shields in general are extremely crude tools and don't add enough to gameplay for what they take away. I've thought about deflector fields that add an xyz ricochet to weapons depending on whether they're energy bolts and how much power/angle the field has applied, but again, it adds complexity (coding and implementation) and takes away from design challenge for the cost of a power requirement. For a more fantastic setting universe, sure, shields fit, here they don't really justify themselves.
 

Brushes

Well-known endo
Joined
Sep 28, 2019
Messages
75
#10
I could see a directional deflector type shield being useful, especially if it helped with structural integrity during warp or something... Maybe reduces loads by deflecting space dust and such?:unsure:
 

Amos.37

Veteran endo
Joined
Aug 22, 2019
Messages
154
#11
I could see a directional deflector type shield being useful, especially if it helped with structural integrity during warp or something... Maybe reduces loads by deflecting space dust and such?:unsure:
I like this idea, that shields would be for protection from environmental damage, not from battle damage.
Different shield types for different environmental hazards.

Maybe they cold have some affect on combat, but I'd rather there be no bullet sponge/temporary invulnerability shields. That would take away so much more than it would give in gameplay.
 

Killer_Rabbit

Veteran endo
Joined
Aug 14, 2019
Messages
102
#12
I think shields should definitely be for environmental hazards but for combat they just reduce skill. If your worried about pirates there are probably factions that would willingly work as escorts on the ship or in their own armed ship and if you don't want to pay for that then don't go in areas you could be pirated
 

Burnside

Master endo
Joined
Aug 23, 2019
Messages
308
#13
They'll be a thing eventually. You can either make them fun, or leave yourself out of the equation through your shear stubbornness.
As much as I enjoy our debates, that presumption comes off as a little arrogant. The devs have said they'll see if shields are needed, not if they are wanted.


I think shields should definitely be for environmental hazards but for combat they just reduce skill. If your worried about pirates there are probably factions that would willingly work as escorts on the ship or in their own armed ship and if you don't want to pay for that then don't go in areas you could be pirated
Environmental plating fills that role, it would seem. I'm fairly sure, though I refuse to sift through the mess of discord to check, things like corrosion resolve their stacks slowly enough that you have an ability to repair or "wash off" large stacks before the whole thing resolves into armor value reductions to affected parts. If I've remembered correctly and that is the plan, I find it way more interesting than environmental shields, and I'd like to see it tried in lieu of a shield mechanic.
 
Joined
Nov 12, 2019
Messages
576
#14
As much as I enjoy our debates, that presumption comes off as a little arrogant. The devs have said they'll see if shields are needed, not if they are wanted.
Well, I do get arrogant. However, over the lifetime of the game the likelihood of them being added increases. I used to be like some of you on Carriers in STO, and now there's dozens of carrier ships in the game a decade on.
 
Joined
Nov 12, 2019
Messages
576
#16
No one is saying not to. There are many ways of doing shields. They don't even have to stop damage, but could increase resistance. of the ship to damage.
 

Norway174

Active endo
Joined
Apr 12, 2020
Messages
44
#17
Then I'd rather have the devs tweak the armor value. Rather than make it into a game of who can fit the most shield resistance(?) modules.

From what I've seen so far, damage is a very real possibility, with a real consequence. And everyone is bound by those same rules. Which I really like.

Right now, I feel like it's going to be a challenge to build smarter ships. Not spam as much shield modules and guns as possible. (Al though, admittedly, I do think some people will try and spam more guns.)

I mean, that's just my thoughts anyway.
 

Burnside

Master endo
Joined
Aug 23, 2019
Messages
308
#18
I still think the coolest shield concept so far is the kind that deflect incoming shots based on type/speed/KE/whathaveyou and just make the projectiles deviate away from their path of travel. It's a complete inversion f the HP pool shield, so it'd get a vote from me if we absolutely had to have shielding of some sort.
 
Joined
Nov 12, 2019
Messages
576
#19
I still think the coolest shield concept so far is the kind that deflect incoming shots based on type/speed/KE/whathaveyou and just make the projectiles deviate away from their path of travel. It's a complete inversion f the HP pool shield, so it'd get a vote from me if we absolutely had to have shielding of some sort.
Like, the grav shields in SE?
 

Burnside

Master endo
Joined
Aug 23, 2019
Messages
308
#20
More or less, but with less fiddly implementation compared to SE. More hi-tech emitters that sit nice and flush with the hull or at least don't have to be put out on meters-long booms.
 
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