Matrix Games Forums

Forums  Register  Login  Photo Gallery  Member List  Search  Calendars  FAQ 

My Profile  Inbox  Address Book  My Subscription  My Forums  Log Out

Question on Shields

 
View related threads: (in this forum | in all forums)

Logged in as: Guest
Users viewing this topic: none
  Printable Version
All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> Distant Worlds 1 Series >> Question on Shields Page: [1]
Login
Message << Older Topic   Newer Topic >>
Question on Shields - 4/15/2010 11:54:09 PM   
Alex Gilbert

 

Posts: 140
Joined: 9/20/2002
From: New York City
Status: offline
I have been playing and enjoying the game, but while designing ships, I started looking for limitations on shields. I had assumed that they used energy at some rate which made loading up on them prohibitive. However, they have no effect on static energy use, and I have found nothing about how much energy they use on demand in combat. The only limitation on shields seems to be the actual size of the components (and the minimal drops in acceleration, max speed, and turning ability). This hardly seems to be much of a down-side, especially when designing bases (which neither move nor accelerate).

Does anyone know, is there some other limitation?
Post #: 1
RE: Question on Shields - 4/16/2010 12:25:37 AM   
FerretStyle

 

Posts: 157
Joined: 3/30/2010
Status: offline
Space monsters totally ignore them?

(in reply to Alex Gilbert)
Post #: 2
RE: Question on Shields - 4/16/2010 12:43:04 AM   
HsojVvad

 

Posts: 1036
Joined: 3/24/2010
Status: offline
I never noticed that the static energy didn't go up. I just assumed it. I will have to keep an eye on it. So far I have seen no limit to how much shields you can put on.

FerretStyle reminded me of something. I will have to make shure, for my monster killing ships, not to put on any shields, but just heavily armour them. I am assuming, armour is the first thing destroyed before any other components. I keep forgetting monsters ignore shields. I almost cried when my 300+ shields did nothing when being attacked by a monster.

(in reply to FerretStyle)
Post #: 3
RE: Question on Shields - 4/16/2010 4:32:00 AM   
Alex Gilbert

 

Posts: 140
Joined: 9/20/2002
From: New York City
Status: offline
True, monsters ignore them, but they are very useful in battles against ships, and at the moment, I can't really think of a reason not to load up ships with 30+ shields to make them essentially invulnerable.

I definitely think there needs to be an energy cost to shields.

(in reply to FerretStyle)
Post #: 4
RE: Question on Shields - 4/16/2010 4:46:22 AM   
Fishman

 

Posts: 795
Joined: 4/1/2010
Status: offline
Shields have no energy cost, they are entirely self-contained systems.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Davor

I never noticed that the static energy didn't go up. I just assumed it. I will have to keep an eye on it. So far I have seen no limit to how much shields you can put on.
Well, the limit to how many shields you can put on is defined by how much you want your ship to cost and how big you want it to get. Shields are pretty sizeable pieces of equipment.

(in reply to HsojVvad)
Post #: 5
RE: Question on Shields - 4/16/2010 7:09:50 AM   
Pocus


Posts: 1185
Joined: 9/22/2004
Status: offline
I have a strange behavior though... When my 720 shield-points cruisers start to fire, they immediatly drop to 420 points, so here I assumed that the energy load from the fire prevented all the shields to be powered up? Or is it a bug of sort?

_____________________________

AGEOD Team

(in reply to Fishman)
Post #: 6
RE: Question on Shields - 4/16/2010 7:17:46 AM   
Cindar

 

Posts: 101
Joined: 4/5/2010
Status: offline
Yeah, until you reach the super shipyards the main problem with shields is that you simply don't have much room to go overboard with them, keeping in mind that you also have to add more thrusters to keep moving at the same speed, which requires more reactors, which requires more fuel, etc.

It does become a bit ridiculous when every ship you build can run around with more shields then a station, though. Unfortunately, the AI doesn't seem to understand how to take full advantage of custom ship designs and make truly powerful ships.

(in reply to Fishman)
Post #: 7
RE: Question on Shields - 4/16/2010 8:01:36 AM   
Fishman

 

Posts: 795
Joined: 4/1/2010
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Cindar

It does become a bit ridiculous when every ship you build can run around with more shields then a station, though.
Why does every ship you can build run around with more shields than a station? Stations have absolutely no size constraints. If I want to make a station with over 9000 size, half of it shielding, I can. What's more, the station has no engines, and therefore, I will not have to add compensatory components to avoid harming its other attributes: Shields can be added to a station ad-nauseam in a vacuum. If your ships have more shields than a station, this only occurs because you CHOOSE to make stations that are light on shields, perhaps because something that cannot actually move is unlikely to get into a fight.

< Message edited by Fishman -- 4/16/2010 8:02:02 AM >

(in reply to Cindar)
Post #: 8
RE: Question on Shields - 4/16/2010 10:02:58 AM   
Bloodly

 

Posts: 94
Joined: 4/14/2010
Status: offline
Stations have absolutely no size constraints.

When at a colony. Stations not at a colony(research base, resort base, defence base, deep space, etc.) do have size restrictions, but their limit is far higher(As an example, at game start, ships are 200, bases are 550.)

The sizes made by default by the game are not the be-all and end-all. You can have a 'small' starbase be better equipped than a 'Medium' or 'Large' starbase. The freedom is nice, but it also screws with the standard thinking.


(in reply to Fishman)
Post #: 9
RE: Question on Shields - 4/16/2010 10:54:49 AM   
Astorax

 

Posts: 188
Joined: 4/11/2010
Status: offline
Well, you can also build a max size 200 Escort at game start, make a size 800 Mk2 version and retro fit it on the first day its out of the oven thus neatly bypassing any shipyard size constraints the game throws at you.  In my most recent game I scrapped all my starting ships, made a size 200 cap ship and retrofitted it to about 350-ish while still having the SY-100 component. I'm pretty certain you could do the same for a base if you can retrofit it at all though I'm not sure thats possible except for a space port. 

(in reply to Bloodly)
Post #: 10
RE: Question on Shields - 4/16/2010 11:27:31 AM   
Fishman

 

Posts: 795
Joined: 4/1/2010
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Bloodly

When at a colony. Stations not at a colony(research base, resort base, defence base, deep space, etc.) do have size restrictions, but their limit is far higher(As an example, at game start, ships are 200, bases are 550.)
Okay, 600, but point. The size limit on a noncolonial station is 3x that of a ship of the same tech.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Bloodly

The sizes made by default by the game are not the be-all and end-all. You can have a 'small' starbase be better equipped than a 'Medium' or 'Large' starbase. The freedom is nice, but it also screws with the standard thinking.
Well, it screws with the thinking when you compare two separate modes of thinking to each other, as there is no rule enforcing the similarity of such thinking, anyway.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Astorax

Well, you can also build a max size 200 Escort at game start, make a size 800 Mk2 version and retro fit it on the first day its out of the oven thus neatly bypassing any shipyard size constraints the game throws at you.
Yeah, but we're going to classify this as an "exploit" and not count on it as part of legitimate gameplay, because you have to figure this is going to get stabbed in the face at some point.

(in reply to Astorax)
Post #: 11
RE: Question on Shields - 4/16/2010 1:38:59 PM   
Erik Rutins

 

Posts: 37503
Joined: 3/28/2000
From: Vermont, USA
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Pocus
I have a strange behavior though... When my 720 shield-points cruisers start to fire, they immediatly drop to 420 points, so here I assumed that the energy load from the fire prevented all the shields to be powered up? Or is it a bug of sort?


I haven't seen this in action - were your shields fully charged up before combat?


_____________________________

Erik Rutins
CEO, Matrix Games LLC




For official support, please use our Help Desk: http://www.matrixgames.com/helpdesk/

Freedom is not Free.

(in reply to Pocus)
Post #: 12
RE: Question on Shields - 4/16/2010 3:38:13 PM   
Cindar

 

Posts: 101
Joined: 4/5/2010
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Fishman

quote:

ORIGINAL: Cindar

It does become a bit ridiculous when every ship you build can run around with more shields then a station, though.
Why does every ship you can build run around with more shields than a station? Stations have absolutely no size constraints. If I want to make a station with over 9000 size, half of it shielding, I can. What's more, the station has no engines, and therefore, I will not have to add compensatory components to avoid harming its other attributes: Shields can be added to a station ad-nauseam in a vacuum. If your ships have more shields than a station, this only occurs because you CHOOSE to make stations that are light on shields, perhaps because something that cannot actually move is unlikely to get into a fight.


I should clarify: my ships have more shields then the standard stations that the AI builds.

(in reply to Fishman)
Post #: 13
RE: Question on Shields - 4/16/2010 7:19:52 PM   
Fishman

 

Posts: 795
Joined: 4/1/2010
Status: offline
That is normal. The AI tends to use technologically backwards designs. My garbage barges have more shields than his bases do.

(in reply to Cindar)
Post #: 14
Page:   [1]
All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> Distant Worlds 1 Series >> Question on Shields Page: [1]
Jump to:





New Messages No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages Locked w/o New Messages
 Post New Thread
 Reply to Message
 Post New Poll
 Submit Vote
 Delete My Own Post
 Delete My Own Thread
 Rate Posts


Forum Software © ASPPlayground.NET Advanced Edition 2.4.5 ANSI

1.703