Matrix Games Forums

Why does the Hull get pummelled before the Shields? Shouldn't it be the other way around? Especially since there are no Hull repairs? Which I believe was a bad design decision.

Thanks

I think some of the shields just reduce damage

like take 10 and make it only do 5 to the hull

just my theory tho I have not used shields yet (have not got to centauri ships)

this in my view is more "real" anyways, the best I can see tech being able to do is flood an area with some particals that break down or reduce the power of incomming bolts, heance only reducing damage

mind you

totaly usless against kinetic projectiles, or should be

shields just take out the OOMPH of weapons, try geting shot with them off. lots of fun

It's all part and parcel of the physics model in the Starshatter universe. The shields are localized regions of gravitational distortion. They form a skin or bubble of constantly shifting gravitational potential that scatters the coherent radiation of energy weapons such as x-ray and gamma-ray lasers. The amount of energy applied to the shield controls the amount of distortion and rate of modulation, and hence the amount of damage deflected.

EDIT

As DamoclesX noted above, Starshatter shields are less effective at blocking the damage from kinetic energy weapons such as missiles and torpedoes. They do filter some of the fine stuff and slow moderate sized pieces of shrapnel, but heavier pieces will go right through them.

END EDIT

They simply don't work anything like the capacitor-based shields you may be used to from games like Freespace or Wing Commander. They are more like the shields in Star Trek games or the Honor Harrington fictional universe. You can of course create capacitor-based shields for mod ships, if you so desire.

By the way... If you notice an ship's shield strength drop, that's because the reactor powering it has been damaged and can no longer supply the energy the shield generator requires not because the shield "bubble" itself is damaged. So, it's not the hull getting pummelled before shields, it's hull getting pummelled before fusion reactor (before kaboom!). [:D]