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While this is made of several small ideas I will be presenting it as a single suggestion to give a better impression of what will be the overall method for shields using my methods.
The only new block I suggest is a connector that I will call the Cable Module. A multipurpose block used for connecting things via cable.
Power Reactors have that interesting bit of math. Weapons have the secondary and tertiary bonuses and even color options. There are even uses for the Effect Computers for the ship itself. In the end I feel like the shields are terribly boring by comparison since they have long been something you simply buy/build a ton of.
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Shield Spread:
My idea is based on shield bubbles. I feel actual influence bubbles would likely add strain to the game’s engine, but I think I have found a way to simulate the bubble.
Shield Capacitors will be our primary source for the shield’s location. Armor blocks with a face touching a Shield Capacitor will receive 100% shielding. Each block loses a percentage as you move farther away.
Shielded blocks of Armor will split the damage, the shield’s percentage being how much is absorbed then anything beyond is delivered to the block. The loss of the current rules is because I think it is boring to simply void all damage until the shields are half down.
Non-Armor blocks cannot carry more than 70% shielding and lose a greater percentage at distance. This is to prevent players making naked ships with Armor.
A physical connection would be preferred but the game as it is would likely be easier to set up with just using distance to calculate the shield’s effectiveness. I'm trying to say that I would like the shield's spread to be based upon touching blocks rather than distance from the Shield Capacitors.
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
The spread of shielding as based on touching blocks:
The shielding starts at block 1 with 100%.
Blocks each receive shielding from the blocks around them. They pull their share from the highest shielded block they are touching.
Blocks 2 & 4 would see block 1 and pull 'source - 2' to receive 98% shielding.
Blocks 7 & 3 would do the same and receive 96%.
Block 5 has two equal sources at 98%. Since they are the same then it would simply choose one either at random or thru some default like always preferring to calculate horizontally or from closest to the core. This would leave block 5 at 96%.
Blocks 6 & 8 would calculate from 2 & 4 and would become 94%.
Block 9 would use 6 & 8 to become 92%.
This method makes a diamond pattern. I wanted it to come out so the diagonals are only -1 rather than -2 but that screws up the others with this method. Someone better at math can do it. Also keep in mind these numbers are examples. I imagine the spread to lose much less than that per block.
Short & simple:
Shields are calculated by distance from a Capacitor starting from 100% at 1 block.
The drop-off is steeper for non-armor blocks.
Damage is split into shield’s absorption then into the block to encourage players to build overlapping circles of shield influence.
“Are you just trying to make us build a layer of capacitors under the armored shell?”
No. I am proposing Shield Banks to increase the width of the max shield radius. By placing multiple Shield Capacitors together (touching faces) the max shield radius increases. Placing a line of 3 Shield Capacitors perpendicular and touching the face of an Armor wall will give you 3 blocks distance of max shielding before the drop-off. Placing the same line in parallel will not only increase the number of touching Armor and Shield blocks but also still increase the max area’s spread.
“This whole thing seems like it will create weak areas that can be broken without my shield dropping.”
You’re right. It does. If you do not overlap your shielded areas you will be vulnerable. The damage will not be absorbed and will go into the Armor instead. This makes it crucial that you design your ships to be efficiently shielded. Areas that will be hard to provide shields for will require stronger or layered Armor.
“Why shouldn’t I just build a shell of armor then a shell of shields under it?”
Well, because that would be boring.
Currently there is nothing in my design to prevent this but I have some ideas. If Shield Capacitors were nerfed slightly then changed to be like Power Capacitors with their expanding capacity when touching, but make it so they expand capacity based on the number of sides touching each other, then the highest capacity of a single block would only be allowed on blocks fully enclosed. Edges and then corners would have the lowest capacities. This way creating a shell of Shield Capacitors would be minimally useful as most blocks would then have only 4 sides touching in a single layer.
I think it would be best if there were a fall-off point where the efficiency of the Shield Banks could begin to drop if the shield capacitors are spread too thin. Reducing the capacitance rather than raising. The math would be the ‘opposite’ of how the power reactors are calculated. Rather than encouraging empty cubes the numbers would increase more rapidly in filled cubes. Creating a filled 5x5x5 cube should be much higher than making a wall of the same 125 shield capacitors.
Shield Banks & Charging:
Shield Banks are what I imagine as areas where the Shield Capacitors are strategically placed in blocks to create touching faces with Armor and the additional Capacitors to spread the shielding effect. These would be along the outer hulls and usually placed in strategic locations.
To add some more interesting mechanics for shielding I think the Shield Rechargers should require a physical connection. With this method you could concentrate chargers on important areas.
“What was that new block you mentioned?”
Ah, right. The Cable Module. Using this you could connect a bank of Shield Rechargers to several banks of Shield Capacitors which would allow them to not only charge from a single source but also allow them to share the damage absorption. This means that you could could tie all the capacitors from one side of your ship into a single recharge bank as well as increase spread the absorption amongst all those smaller banks of Shield Capacitors and still create many centers of shielding to create better overlap.
A side note on this idea: I think it would be interesting to replace the shield bar in the HUD with several smaller bars to represent the shield banks on the ship so you can have more knowledge as to where you are being hit. This would work as a 6 part display based on the facing of the Charging Bank I describe below.
“Why charge separately?”
To create areas of strength in the shields. You may need to place shields in the rear of the ship, but those are not the ones taking all the hits in a fight. This way your capacitors in the back can sit and wait while the ones up front are being pounded and make use of your heaviest recharge banks so when someone sneaks up on you from behind then those shields are still at full. (I feel like this description is not the best. If someone agrees I will attempt a rewrite.)
“Are the Cable Modules required?”
Yes. They can be used to connect multiple banks of capacitors to each other as well as to the charge bank.
“Can I use just 1 Charge Bank?”
It depends. I’m hoping yes, but I don’t know the limits of the game. So this next statement is made with the hope it can do this.
If you wish to use one Charge Bank but have separate Capacitor Banks then you can do so by using the Cable Module to create lines from each facing of the Charge Bank. This would limit you to 6 Cable Module lines per 1 charge bank. Each of the 6 Cable Modules would be able to connect to any number of Shield Banks but that would tie them together in capacitance.
If ships were limited to a single Charge Bank then it would be easier to create a HUD representation of the capacity of the Shield Banks attached to the 6 Cable Modules. Remember that all Shield Banks attached via Cable Module would share capacitance and charge together.
Charge Banks and Shield Banks would require at least 1 Cable Module to connect them together.
I’m not great with the crazy algorithmic math so I won’t pretend to try. If there are requests for math I’ll try to do something a bit more visual to show it. If there are requests for examples I’ll build some stuff using a hollow ship and colored armors to show it. I did it once but lost the images.
The only new block I suggest is a connector that I will call the Cable Module. A multipurpose block used for connecting things via cable.
Power Reactors have that interesting bit of math. Weapons have the secondary and tertiary bonuses and even color options. There are even uses for the Effect Computers for the ship itself. In the end I feel like the shields are terribly boring by comparison since they have long been something you simply buy/build a ton of.
___________________________________________________________________
Shield Spread:
My idea is based on shield bubbles. I feel actual influence bubbles would likely add strain to the game’s engine, but I think I have found a way to simulate the bubble.
Shield Capacitors will be our primary source for the shield’s location. Armor blocks with a face touching a Shield Capacitor will receive 100% shielding. Each block loses a percentage as you move farther away.
Shielded blocks of Armor will split the damage, the shield’s percentage being how much is absorbed then anything beyond is delivered to the block. The loss of the current rules is because I think it is boring to simply void all damage until the shields are half down.
Non-Armor blocks cannot carry more than 70% shielding and lose a greater percentage at distance. This is to prevent players making naked ships with Armor.
A physical connection would be preferred but the game as it is would likely be easier to set up with just using distance to calculate the shield’s effectiveness. I'm trying to say that I would like the shield's spread to be based upon touching blocks rather than distance from the Shield Capacitors.
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
The spread of shielding as based on touching blocks:
The shielding starts at block 1 with 100%.
Blocks each receive shielding from the blocks around them. They pull their share from the highest shielded block they are touching.
Blocks 2 & 4 would see block 1 and pull 'source - 2' to receive 98% shielding.
Blocks 7 & 3 would do the same and receive 96%.
Block 5 has two equal sources at 98%. Since they are the same then it would simply choose one either at random or thru some default like always preferring to calculate horizontally or from closest to the core. This would leave block 5 at 96%.
Blocks 6 & 8 would calculate from 2 & 4 and would become 94%.
Block 9 would use 6 & 8 to become 92%.
This method makes a diamond pattern. I wanted it to come out so the diagonals are only -1 rather than -2 but that screws up the others with this method. Someone better at math can do it. Also keep in mind these numbers are examples. I imagine the spread to lose much less than that per block.
Short & simple:
Shields are calculated by distance from a Capacitor starting from 100% at 1 block.
The drop-off is steeper for non-armor blocks.
Damage is split into shield’s absorption then into the block to encourage players to build overlapping circles of shield influence.
“Are you just trying to make us build a layer of capacitors under the armored shell?”
No. I am proposing Shield Banks to increase the width of the max shield radius. By placing multiple Shield Capacitors together (touching faces) the max shield radius increases. Placing a line of 3 Shield Capacitors perpendicular and touching the face of an Armor wall will give you 3 blocks distance of max shielding before the drop-off. Placing the same line in parallel will not only increase the number of touching Armor and Shield blocks but also still increase the max area’s spread.
“This whole thing seems like it will create weak areas that can be broken without my shield dropping.”
You’re right. It does. If you do not overlap your shielded areas you will be vulnerable. The damage will not be absorbed and will go into the Armor instead. This makes it crucial that you design your ships to be efficiently shielded. Areas that will be hard to provide shields for will require stronger or layered Armor.
“Why shouldn’t I just build a shell of armor then a shell of shields under it?”
Well, because that would be boring.
Currently there is nothing in my design to prevent this but I have some ideas. If Shield Capacitors were nerfed slightly then changed to be like Power Capacitors with their expanding capacity when touching, but make it so they expand capacity based on the number of sides touching each other, then the highest capacity of a single block would only be allowed on blocks fully enclosed. Edges and then corners would have the lowest capacities. This way creating a shell of Shield Capacitors would be minimally useful as most blocks would then have only 4 sides touching in a single layer.
I think it would be best if there were a fall-off point where the efficiency of the Shield Banks could begin to drop if the shield capacitors are spread too thin. Reducing the capacitance rather than raising. The math would be the ‘opposite’ of how the power reactors are calculated. Rather than encouraging empty cubes the numbers would increase more rapidly in filled cubes. Creating a filled 5x5x5 cube should be much higher than making a wall of the same 125 shield capacitors.
Shield Banks & Charging:
Shield Banks are what I imagine as areas where the Shield Capacitors are strategically placed in blocks to create touching faces with Armor and the additional Capacitors to spread the shielding effect. These would be along the outer hulls and usually placed in strategic locations.
To add some more interesting mechanics for shielding I think the Shield Rechargers should require a physical connection. With this method you could concentrate chargers on important areas.
“What was that new block you mentioned?”
Ah, right. The Cable Module. Using this you could connect a bank of Shield Rechargers to several banks of Shield Capacitors which would allow them to not only charge from a single source but also allow them to share the damage absorption. This means that you could could tie all the capacitors from one side of your ship into a single recharge bank as well as increase spread the absorption amongst all those smaller banks of Shield Capacitors and still create many centers of shielding to create better overlap.
A side note on this idea: I think it would be interesting to replace the shield bar in the HUD with several smaller bars to represent the shield banks on the ship so you can have more knowledge as to where you are being hit. This would work as a 6 part display based on the facing of the Charging Bank I describe below.
“Why charge separately?”
To create areas of strength in the shields. You may need to place shields in the rear of the ship, but those are not the ones taking all the hits in a fight. This way your capacitors in the back can sit and wait while the ones up front are being pounded and make use of your heaviest recharge banks so when someone sneaks up on you from behind then those shields are still at full. (I feel like this description is not the best. If someone agrees I will attempt a rewrite.)
“Are the Cable Modules required?”
Yes. They can be used to connect multiple banks of capacitors to each other as well as to the charge bank.
“Can I use just 1 Charge Bank?”
It depends. I’m hoping yes, but I don’t know the limits of the game. So this next statement is made with the hope it can do this.
If you wish to use one Charge Bank but have separate Capacitor Banks then you can do so by using the Cable Module to create lines from each facing of the Charge Bank. This would limit you to 6 Cable Module lines per 1 charge bank. Each of the 6 Cable Modules would be able to connect to any number of Shield Banks but that would tie them together in capacitance.
If ships were limited to a single Charge Bank then it would be easier to create a HUD representation of the capacity of the Shield Banks attached to the 6 Cable Modules. Remember that all Shield Banks attached via Cable Module would share capacitance and charge together.
Charge Banks and Shield Banks would require at least 1 Cable Module to connect them together.
I’m not great with the crazy algorithmic math so I won’t pretend to try. If there are requests for math I’ll try to do something a bit more visual to show it. If there are requests for examples I’ll build some stuff using a hollow ship and colored armors to show it. I did it once but lost the images.