[Shielding] Upvote if you want SE2 to have new technologies

"From the perspective of pure science, force fields are fact — and not just fact but familiar. The four basic forces that govern our universe — gravity, electromagnetism, and "strong" and "weak" nuclear forces — are all associated with force fields, some of which provide protective shielding."

Realism Threshold:

Ion Thruster - Low threshold. (exists in a real world context)
Shields - Medium threshold. (semi-theoretical)
Jump drives - High threshold. (science fiction)

You supply energy to the armor blocks to increase its defence against certain weapons.

• Energy field appears about 1mm from armor blocks.
• Could also be implemented as infused into the armor blocks themselves.
• Powered by reactor ultimately.
• Energy could be distributed across the armor from plasma conduits or manifold blocks that are embedded into the armor itself to provide proper coverage.

Visuals:

• Visually would appear as a hue on your hull or only appear when hull impacts objects or is shot at.
• If implemented as infused into the hull itself adding protective properties it may not require a graphic.

Purpose:

• Would balance light armor blocks in combat, adding more tactical depth to building combat ships.
• Protect light armor blocks, thus allowing builds to be lighter while still affording them protection.
• Add in more power consumption mechanics for reactors, and power that is generated would have more uses.