Shields

The shield system is one of the most important systems for anyone who is at risk of being attacked or attacking someone else (pretty much everybody). The shields are responsible for blocking incoming projectiles. Shield Charge is the durability of the shield. While there is at least 1 shield charge, it absorbs all of the damage taken. Meaning if there is a shield charge of 10, and a ship takes 3 damage, the shield charge would be reduced to 7. The charge does not recharge unless the ship is out of combat.

The shield system works by creating a thin bubble of energy, wrapping a meter away around the ship. Sensors placed around the ship track all objects flying around the ship. Depending on the size and quality of the shield, the distance from the shield at which it activates varies. While nothing is being fired at the shields, it draws very little power.

Once an object enters the range of activation, the shield system creates an electronic barrier half a meter away from the ship. Although it draws high amounts of power, the barrier is able to completely stop objects from passing through the temporary electronic barrier. It absorbs the velocity of the object, and sometimes even reflects it (depending on the projectile). The electronic barrier is kept up until the projectile has fully left the range of operation of the shield.

The better the shield, the smaller distance from object to shield will the shield will activate, the faster it powers up, and therefore it spends less energy and can block more projectiles in the long run.