Executive summary: don't trust the shield flashes of your opponent, they are broken, HUD shield bars are also probably just dishonest, and the problem is probably a client/server sync issue.
Sometimes shields let AMC fire and even missiles through while your shield bar is still full/your opponent has visible shields and no one quite knows why. I have posted before that it was from multiple simultaneous hits "overwhelming" the shields. I was wrong.
These tests were done far from sector boundaries while both targets were stationary or nearly stationary.
Test 1: Generic shielded cubeship vs two clusters of 30 D1000 missiles controlled by two different computers. Nothing happened. Nothing continued to happen as I tried various timings. Missiles weren't going through like I expected no matter what.
Test 2: Generic shielded cubeship vs two clusters of 34 D1000 missiles, modified so they stuck forward of the test ship and could be jammed right up against the target. Nothing continued to happen.
Hmm. I know I've seen it happen. I've killed pirates with it. Maybe it only happens when the shields are already weak?
Test 3: Derelict pirate ship with much weaker shields vs same missiles. Nothing happened.
Test 4 (the interesting one): Weakened shields with AMC fire until they started turning light red, had major breakthrough, successfully got both single and double missiles and all AMC fire through visible shields. Now we're getting somewhere.
Repeating test 4 gave inconsistent results. Sometimes stuff went through shields when they were weak but still mostly blue, other times the shields held until the moment they appeared to break. Don't trust the red. Sometimes when shields go red it means what you think it means and your opponent is still protected but barely. However, sometimes it looks like the shields are still holding but they're not. They're gone. You see reddish-blue or red flashes like you are still hitting shields but the blocks behind the shield flashes take damage.
I think what is happening is client and server both keep a tally of how many shields are left, and sometimes the server thinks the number is lower than what the client displays. Sometimes it is a lot lower. The difference between 0 shields and 200 shields is very important in the instant before a missile is about to hit; this is the source of "miracle" missiles that went right through shields and scored kills on targets that appeared shielded, leaving wrecks that often still had fake client-side shields even after being hit badly leading to confusion. This also explains how I've occasionally had "miracle" survivals where I thought I'd lost shields and been hit badly only to inspect my hull and find no damage.
Tactical Implications: Spamming missiles will sometimes work much better than expected, but they never actually ignore shields. Save your missiles until you first see hull blocks disappearing from AMC; vanishing hull means the shields are down server-side and it's time to deliver the killing blow.
Sometimes shields let AMC fire and even missiles through while your shield bar is still full/your opponent has visible shields and no one quite knows why. I have posted before that it was from multiple simultaneous hits "overwhelming" the shields. I was wrong.
These tests were done far from sector boundaries while both targets were stationary or nearly stationary.
Test 1: Generic shielded cubeship vs two clusters of 30 D1000 missiles controlled by two different computers. Nothing happened. Nothing continued to happen as I tried various timings. Missiles weren't going through like I expected no matter what.
Test 2: Generic shielded cubeship vs two clusters of 34 D1000 missiles, modified so they stuck forward of the test ship and could be jammed right up against the target. Nothing continued to happen.
Hmm. I know I've seen it happen. I've killed pirates with it. Maybe it only happens when the shields are already weak?
Test 3: Derelict pirate ship with much weaker shields vs same missiles. Nothing happened.
Test 4 (the interesting one): Weakened shields with AMC fire until they started turning light red, had major breakthrough, successfully got both single and double missiles and all AMC fire through visible shields. Now we're getting somewhere.
Repeating test 4 gave inconsistent results. Sometimes stuff went through shields when they were weak but still mostly blue, other times the shields held until the moment they appeared to break. Don't trust the red. Sometimes when shields go red it means what you think it means and your opponent is still protected but barely. However, sometimes it looks like the shields are still holding but they're not. They're gone. You see reddish-blue or red flashes like you are still hitting shields but the blocks behind the shield flashes take damage.
I think what is happening is client and server both keep a tally of how many shields are left, and sometimes the server thinks the number is lower than what the client displays. Sometimes it is a lot lower. The difference between 0 shields and 200 shields is very important in the instant before a missile is about to hit; this is the source of "miracle" missiles that went right through shields and scored kills on targets that appeared shielded, leaving wrecks that often still had fake client-side shields even after being hit badly leading to confusion. This also explains how I've occasionally had "miracle" survivals where I thought I'd lost shields and been hit badly only to inspect my hull and find no damage.
Tactical Implications: Spamming missiles will sometimes work much better than expected, but they never actually ignore shields. Save your missiles until you first see hull blocks disappearing from AMC; vanishing hull means the shields are down server-side and it's time to deliver the killing blow.
