If shields become a thing, some things should not be shield-able.

Deon – if we assume that the shield is some kind of force/energy field that is currently unknown to physics, we should "quietly" assume that it only works in a vacuum.

Q6 - No. Functioning in the atmosphere and in water requires overcoming the enormous mass of air and water – and Brownian motion of molecules, which occurs at the microscopic level but at relatively high speeds – the average speed of air molecules roughly corresponds to the speed of sound (air ~490 m/s at 20 °C, O2 ~ 600 m/s, N2~500m/s...). Although the density of air is only 1.29 kg/m3, the volume of air inside the force field of the shield quickly reaches thousands or even millions of cubic meters – and thus tons to thousands of tons.

If we assume that the shield is "filled" with something (gas, dust...) - in water and air, the problem arises of how to create this mixture quickly and, above all, how to keep this mixture close to the ship. So limiting the function of the shield to a vacuum is the simplest logical solution.

Q8 - I think not. It does not have friend-or-foe recognition. And a projectile can be made from anything - even from ice, if necessary.

Q9 - Then a guided missile at the distance of the shield's thickness will slow down and penetrate the shield at low speed

Q10 - I believe that the shield should be anchored in the grid - specifically in the shield generator

Q11 - films and other evidence of the existence of shields show that a strike to the shield has an effect on the grid to which it is anchored, although the effect of the strike is dampened

@Deon Beauchamp Ah, fishing for logical input then... lets see...

"...Engine exhausts should not be shield-able at any distance in the direct line of their plumes..."

-How does this respond to ships with internal thrusters, gravity drives (provided the cursed things are allowed), or most challengingly: subgrid thrusters? If something doesn't make a hole then people will quickly use it to not have any holes, and if it always makes a hole then they'll quickly look to weaponize it.

"...work backwards from the desired end goal and then make the use of shields fair and fun..."

-Tried that a while ago, it only works out with significant build restrictions (e/x: everyone must build and operate ships that weigh W, with external volume X, TWR Y, and internal/external systems Z). While such restrictions are all well and good for a tournament, they fall apart when applied to a sandbox where you're trying to encourage creative variety and not just meta-adherence.

@Tael - Maths = Tissue paper shields?

As for covered thrusters, one bit of magic deserves another, the armour along the exhaust plume line will be vulnerable. (Now will someone think of exhaust channelling for internal thrusters?)

"...Tissue paper shields..."

-If you are planning for shields that wont stop anything then why have them at all?

"...armor along the exhaust plume line will be vulnerable..."

-That would prevent using internal thrusters to circumvent that loophole, what of grav-drives and subgrids?

OK - 2 layers of tissue paper then.

Do grav drives and subgrids work in SE2?

Grav-drives: hopefully not.

Subgrids: if they don't work now they will eventually, connector-docking kind of requires it.

A sector shield, as demonstrated in the video, would be a brutal weapon against small ships.

Why?

Because if the shield is going to work against small grids, missiles and drones, logically it has to work against small grids - ships.

If I can manipulate the width of the beam and the distance/reach of the shield, I can also create a narrow and long beam.

And I have the equivalent of a braking beam with which to deprive a small ship of mobility and then shoot it with tower weapons.

Or I create a barrier with some amount of hit pints and put it in the path of a small ship to smash into it. There are plenty of options, you just have to think creatively.

How?

Simple - I place the shield generator on a gimbal controlled by the camera and computer. So I can move the shield around in space.

----------------------------------------------------

Not to mention that if the author of the video is talking about existing things, he is talking nonsense and doesn't understand at all how those things actually work and why.

And of course - all the time he talks about how to weaken the capabilities of big ships against small ships. Something like 'the same rules for everyone' obviously says nothing to him. He just wants to win, and he doesn't care that he cheats in the process.

@Semtex - Not that I really know, but when redirecting a shield would there be any back EMF effects?

@Kim - thank you for the link.

Deon - why should there be an EMF effect? The shield normally moves with the ship, following it when it accelerates, maneuvers... There is no difference between turning the gimbal with the shield generator or turning the entire ship with the shield generator fixed in place.

Yes, there could be limits and restrictions. Some restrictions could arise when relativistic physics is introduced into the game—the speed of light limit and other restrictions. The second group could arise from the capabilities and abilities of the game engine, similar to the ability of a searchlight to track and illuminate a fast-moving target.

So are you saying that using shields could slow you down?

No, unless you reach relativistic speeds (i.e., speeds close to the speed of light).

There is no point in analyzing the interaction of the shield with space-time—we do not have a physical description.

We can analyze the interaction of various objects with the shield (or the shield's energy field).

Interactions with material objects:

1) Your ship moves with the shield generator and thus with the shield (or energy shield field) it creates. The relative speed of your ship and your shield is zero.

2) Your projectiles and missiles - moves relative to the shield at a non-zero speed.

2b) The reaction mass of your engines – moves relative to the shield at non-zero speed.

2c) Personnel (players and NPCs) on your ship – if they are moving or otherwise relocating, they move relative to the shield at a non-zero speed.

3) Enemy projectiles and missiles - moves relative to the shield at a non-zero speed.

4) Enemy ships - moves relative to the shield at a non-zero speed.

5) Your ship and the enemy ship's shield - moves relative to each other at a non-zero speed

6) Voxel object – if your ship is moving, it moves relative to the shield at a non-zero speed.

7) Free-floating objects and grid fragments - moves relative to the shield at a non-zero speed.

Do shields (or force fields) interact with each other?

8) Your ship's shield and the enemy ship's shield - move relative to each other at a non-zero speed.

Remember: in a fair game, the same rules apply to everyone and everything...

If your shield generator does not move relative to your ship, but you are moving a partial shield relatively around the shield generator, you are saying there are no issues?

The above-published design assumes movement of the entire generator that creates the sector shield. In other words, the shield does not move relative to its generator.

There should be no problems – the linear and angular speeds of the generator on the cardan joint are relatively low. The load on the cardan joint drives may be higher.

Of course, the moving shield must not collide with the hull of the own ship.

In my opinion the size of a shield generator and its supporting parts should be proportional to the max size of the shield that is generated. So for a shield to completely cover a grid, the shield generation system should take up a fair amount of space, perhaps somewhere between 5% and 10% of the grids total volume.

That is exactly the problem – he wants to introduce "artificial" restrictions that are only beneficial to certain designs. In other words, unfair rules.

The dimensions of the shield, its quality (HP), and the energy required to create it should be determined by the same formulas for everyone.

I don't see it that way. Which ship or base design would have an unfair advantage in your opinion?

If you're annoyed by the three different default settings, you could also achieve this with a slider with the same max and min parameters for the shields. That would give you more freedom to adjust.

If you design drones that surround the enemy to prevent them from moving, they would need more mass, more engine power, and longer energy retention, depending on the situation. In addition to the outstanding flying skills needed to deploy six drones from all sides simultaneously around the enemy ship, they should also be able to cripple the enemy. The ultimate perfect solution, without a midmaxing feint, doesn't exist, not even in reality.

You make me feel like you're fundamentally dismissing all ideas because you don't want shields. Let's assume there will be shields and they can be deactivated on servers. How would you want to see a shield implemented in vanilla?

Assumption:

- the energy field of the shield is cone-shaped with its apex in the generator and its base in free space

- the energy density is the same throughout the entire volume of the shield

- The shield stops a projectile (or other material object) by removing ("neutralizing") its kinetic energy and reducing the object's speed to zero relative to the shield

Limits:

- Maximum allowable "energy density" in the shield (can be set lower)

- Maximum energy input to the generator (the power supplied to the shield may be affected by the efficiency of converting electrical energy into shield energy)

Calculations

- Base diameter x length/distance -> shield volume

- Volume x maximum permissible (or set) energy density -> maximum energy stored in the shield, maximum energy of projectiles (material objects) that the shield can "neutralize"

- Energy stored in the shield / generator power -> speed of shield creation and shield maintenance and renewal

A more accurate and correct model would be one that gradually reduces the kinetic energy of the projectile, where the kinetic energy (and thus the speed of the projectile) decreases based on the energy density of the shield.

However, such a model would be disproportionately more complex and demanding in terms of calculations. It could, however, be applied in calculations of the shield's impact on grids (ships).

Disadvantage of this solution:

the object captured in the shield retains its inertia and thus depletes the shield's energy when maneuvering the ship, because the shield moves at a non-zero speed relative to the captured objects...

A shield of this type also neutralizes explosive objects - it removes the kinetic energy from the fragments. More precisely, a projectile with an impact fuse and explosive charge should explode upon contact with the shield, because the mechanical parts of the fuse in the front of the projectile will be "stopped" before the rest of the projectile, so the process will be similar to hitting an armor plate.