I was wondering if anyone had considered an overloaded shield status, where for an additional amount of power you would recieve additional shielding for a limited period of time. The group I play with have used this on occassion.

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Monday, February 03, 2003 - 11:32 am: Edit

Ed: What, like something that lasts for a 1/4 turn?

That's interesting. 2 points gets 10 more shield for 1/4 turn in one direction. On the shield line on the EAF you mark 2+2.

I don't know it that's what you are thinking, Ed, but you didn't leave much to go on.

By George M. Ebersole (George) on Monday, February 03, 2003 - 02:07 pm: Edit

mjc; I'd humbly disagree. Shannon Nichols' proposal doesn't convert the damage to energy, nor even dispell the shield damage into something useful. It just moves it to an adjoining shield, if I understand correctly. I think an Andro differs in that it can actually convert that energy and toss it back in the attackers face. Big ouch, that.

Ed/Loren; that's pretty cool.

By Ed Crutchfield (Librarian101) on Monday, February 03, 2003 - 04:36 pm: Edit

Loren:

Yes each class of ship is permitted to spendeither in allocation or reserve power an amount of energy(since Im at work I dont have the amounts)to overload the shields. The amount of shielding varies depending on size class and lasts for 1/4 of a turn.I think the number of boxes runs from 25 boxes for SBs down to 5 for frigate class ships. We have used it two ways either for one shield or it can effect all shields.

Ed

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Monday, February 03, 2003 - 04:59 pm: Edit

I like it for one shield. It makes you really plan out your maneuver and timing.

In a way, though, it really a cheap reserve powered "Brick". And X2 has so much reserve.

If this were a 7th outer shield that went up for 1/4 turn but took permanent damage (you have SSD boxes that are checked off)it would be significantly different from Specific reinforcement from reserve power. It would truley act as a shield and have to be repaired as a shield. I would also say that you could not use specific shield reinforcement on a shield that in covered by the Seventh until the 1/4 turn is over. General Reinforcement could still be used.

Just tossing out ideas.

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Monday, February 03, 2003 - 05:04 pm: Edit

Imagin the cool transporter tricks you could do.

How would it behave with a Hellbore or enveloping torp? Just treat it as apart of that shield but the 7th shield takes damage first.

Maybe at would intermesh with the main shield and take on every other damage point taking the first point first.

By Kenneth Jones (Kludge) on Monday, February 03, 2003 - 06:31 pm: Edit

Here is something I came up years ago for a race I submitted. New shielding technology.

Ventu Protection Sphere.

It works like a shield capacitor you can charge for multiple turns. (Only holds 2-4 depending on YIS.)

But it would enable a ship to use the Shield Capacitor power to power General reinforcement as Specific. IE 1-1 ratio. But it could be activated as an ESG (4imp delay) and last only 8imp total.

And would only be used for the First damage points of any volleys. (IE the VPS shielding had to take damage before anything else.) The ventu never developed a regular General reinforcement.

Maybe it could be used as a discussion point for 2X.

By George M. Ebersole (George) on Monday, February 03, 2003 - 07:18 pm: Edit

And the cool shield techs just keep on coming

Neat ideas, guys.

OK, how about a "tandem shield" system? Something that can be used only in the presence of a second generation X-ship. A ship operating in reasonable proximity to a 2X ship can share shields by combining 50% of respective shield values.

Just more brainstorming. Nothing serious.

By Shannon Nichols (Scoot) on Monday, February 03, 2003 - 07:56 pm: Edit

Dcooke I worked on rules for a energy absorbing grid embeded in the ships'structure. Never meet my KISS rule. Decided to use a form of ablative armor.This armor is arranged in indivial banks covering each shield arc. It stops only weapons based energy damage. An is non-repairable during a battle/game. The ablative armor covers the outer hull of the ship and would take damage before regular armor. It would work by taking the first hit on a DAC location (not system)in a volley. Additional hits on the same location would be resolved as normal.

By John Trauger (Vorlonagent) on Monday, February 03, 2003 - 08:45 pm: Edit

This sounds similar to some of the Structural Integrity Fields that we have proposed around here.

By Tos Crawford (Tos) on Monday, February 03, 2003 - 10:34 pm: Edit

Regenerative shields may be the area where we can most easily break the X0-X2 balance. Proceed with caution.

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Monday, February 03, 2003 - 10:44 pm: Edit

Tos, I don't know it you are refering to my posts but that what I did try to avoid in the end. THe shield would have a specific number of boxes and could only be raised for breif periods of time. But when it has taken all the hits it can it's gone (unless repaired which would be at the same rate as other shield repair. I would count against the limit for shield repair as well.)

Could be a late X2 era addition after the Xorks arive.

By Tos Crawford (Tos) on Monday, February 03, 2003 - 10:52 pm: Edit

Not referring to any post in particular, or even shields exclusively. I’m just very worried that it is way easier to create exotic new systems then it is to create balance. I’m worried that we are already on a road that will eventually lead to broken and useless.

By George M. Ebersole (George) on Monday, February 03, 2003 - 11:03 pm: Edit

Then, in that case, what's a good alternative?

Maybe component armor/shielding, like in the Triangulum module?

By Jeff Tonglet (Blackbeard) on Monday, February 03, 2003 - 11:20 pm: Edit

What about 7-10 extra boxes to each shield?
It's not exotic, and we all have an intuitive feel for how the improvement helps a ship's combat performance.

By Shannon Nichols (Scoot) on Tuesday, February 04, 2003 - 12:20 am: Edit

JT Yes the armor is suppouse to do the same thing as the purposed SIF. Except it has a limit that can be pounded away.

Also in my first post I talked about 2x ships causing a damage column shift to energy weapons fire, I made a mistake in how I said the last part. I was trying to say a -1 on the applied damage per hit, not a -1 on the damage roll. Sorry about that.

TS is right. If things get get out of hand there won't be a useable product. I think effort should go intoimproving how they use there power and other systems, not making them bigger. Make them more efficient.

By Mike Raper (Raperm) on Tuesday, February 04, 2003 - 09:22 am: Edit

My take on it is this. X2 ships don't really need a vast improvement in shields; maybe a bit more than X1 had should do. The reason I say this is sort of hard to explain, but I'll try.

Say you've got two X2 cruisers, with around 45 points per shield. They're on equal footing, neither with an advantage. That's equality, at least as far as 2X vs. 2X goes. Now, take that same ship up against 1X or 0X. 45 point shields are by no means invulnerable; a well-placed photon strike or disruptor strike can penetrate that and more, if the need arises. What gives the 2X ship a big advantage isn't the strength of the shields; it's the ability to fight at longer ranges, doing more damage to the 1X or 0X enemy than he can do in return. By doing that, your shields will hold up longer not because they're grossly bigger, but because you are outranging the opposition. Get sloppy and let them get close, and you could pay a steep price...and I think that's totally reasonable and desireable. I'm working up a series of 2X ships, and right now they aren't vastly different in terms of shields or power than their 1X counterparts were. But with these newer weapons, better firing arcs, and improved EW, they'll still fare much better in a battle than the older ones would, without a huge shield improvement. Does that make sense at all?

By Christopher E. Fant (Cfant) on Tuesday, February 04, 2003 - 01:16 pm: Edit

I love it.

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Tuesday, February 04, 2003 - 02:32 pm: Edit

Mike R. Well said and the nail on the head.

By John Trauger (Vorlonagent) on Tuesday, February 04, 2003 - 02:53 pm: Edit

Agreed. No need to improve everything.

X1 was in many ways an improvement to the starship chassis with only moderate change to weapons.

X2 could invert this with minor changes to the chassis (only moderately more shields, EW, transporter, trac) and big weapons changes.

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Tuesday, February 04, 2003 - 02:59 pm: Edit

For X2 shielding, compair the increase of shielding that the BCH had over the CC and apply that to the X2 over X1. (Since X2 will be slightly bigger hulls they can have more shield grids.)

Mikes shield improvements are modest, I think. And a good choice.

By Jeff Tonglet (Blackbeard) on Tuesday, February 04, 2003 - 06:52 pm: Edit

Here's the values for the Fed

Fed CC 30/24/24/24/24/24
Fed BCH 36/30/24/24/24/30
Fed CX 40/32/32/32/32/32

Fed DN 39/38/26/26/26/38
Fed DN+ 42/38/32/32/32/38
Fed DNG 45/38/36/36/36/38

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Tuesday, February 04, 2003 - 07:24 pm: Edit

Then lets have the XCA be:45/38/32/32/32/38.

By George M. Ebersole (George) on Tuesday, February 04, 2003 - 07:36 pm: Edit

I don't think beefing up shields is the way to go

By John Trauger (Vorlonagent) on Tuesday, February 04, 2003 - 07:39 pm: Edit

Why?