xyrmagus Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Not that I'm saying I'm skilled, but I've been playing GSF quite a bit lately on my Pike, and enjoying it. Looking over a few threads, a lot seem to heavily favor directional shielding... is that really the way to go? I ask because I find myself not always able to properly pick the right direction (especially hard if you are getting shot from "above" or below" on the Z-axis relative to your ship). Any tips? Thoughts on other shield options (specifically for strike fighters, but I'm open to discussion about other ship options as well). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armonddd Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 (edited) Quick charge isn't bad at all. It's the easiest one to use (is the button off cooldown? y/n are your shields low? y/n if yes twice, push button) and has solid returns. I don't personally like directional shield because I have to tell the computer to cycle through reinforcing the shields, which potentially means a hit straight to my hull, which is basically death in the current metagame. Both shield types have amazing t3 benefits (shields recharge at 60% normal after being hit vs -3 seconds regen delay - the other options just don't compare). Reduced regen delay combined with turbo reactor makes for very fast shield regen, while partial recharge during delay means you're always regenerating some shields. I think it really comes down to whether you think you can get the directional shields in the right place at the right times, and whether you're willing to accept the probability of being blown right up if you fail to do so. Also, I don't like charged plating because I just feel super vulnerable the whole time. One upgraded concussion missile can ruin my whole day. Edited January 10, 2014 by Armonddd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Itkovian Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Let's not forget that Quick-Charge Shields also give +45% recently used engine energy recharge, which is a major bonus on top of its other functions. About the only drawback is the low shield strength (but of course you recharge those very quickly). Charged Plating is virtually useless. It has the potential of being VERY useful, with a significant drawback to balance it out (40% of your damage goes to your hull, period). BUT since everyone and their uncle has access to armor penetration (practically all the best weapons have it), it's ultimately suicide to run charged plating, since you end up being MORE vulnerable than with quick-charge shields when hit by armour penetration. And really, just Slug Railgun alone getting 100% armor pen at tier 3 is enough to make this a suicical component. Directional Shields are more palatable, offering much stronger shields than quick charge, and the ability to shift shields forward/back, which is very useufl in head on attacks or when fleeing. Also, you can use it to rebalance shields. HOWEVER, they have a major flaw: there's a .5 second cooldown on using its ability. This means you cannot redistribute in the middle of a fight, and worse if you don't pay attention you may end up with shields in the wrong direction because you didn't notice the CD wasn't finished. In the end, I believe that Quick-Charge shields are the best option for strike fighters. Directionals are VERY risky to use if you get focused a lot, because the .5 seconds makes redistributing almost suicidal (and don't offer the mobility advantage of Quick-Charge). And Charged Plating is utterly worthless with the prevalence of armour penetration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemarus Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Directional, Shield-to-Engine Converter, and Feedback are the only shields with no inherent capacity penalty, so I tend to use those. Also, after tons of practice, I never find myself accidentally putting my DS in the wrong arc. One use of the ability lets you react to someone on your tail. Two touches lets you prepare for a frontal assault on turrets or a joust, which you always should know is coming because you choose where your ship goes and can always see what's ahead of you. Yes, "rebalancing" can only be done in the quiet moments ... but it's better than being stuck with full shields in one arc and none in the other. Yes there is a half second cooldown, but once Igot a feel for the rhythm of it, I really had no problems. YMMV of course. Spatial awareness is key, but that's true about most aspects in GSF and is often the biggest differentiator between aces and non-aces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Itkovian Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Directional, Shield-to-Engine Converter, and Feedback are the only shields with no inherent capacity penalty, so I tend to use those. Also, after tons of practice, I never find myself accidentally putting my DS in the wrong arc. One use of the ability lets you react to someone on your tail. Two touches lets you prepare for a frontal assault on turrets or a joust, which you always should know is coming because you choose where your ship goes and can always see what's ahead of you. Yes, "rebalancing" can only be done in the quiet moments ... but it's better than being stuck with full shields in one arc and none in the other. Yes there is a half second cooldown, but once Igot a feel for the rhythm of it, I really had no problems. YMMV of course. Spatial awareness is key, but that's true about most aspects in GSF and is often the biggest differentiator between aces and non-aces. It certainly does take getting used to, and really directionals are excellent when doing head-ons or fleeing. The issue is when being focused that ability is fairly useless, and even though your max shield is higher, it recharges slower and the quick-charge cooldown does restore a fair chunk to compensate (something like 500). Between that and the Quick-Charge's constant recharge (which is almost as fast as the normal recharge speed of directionals), the shield strength advantage of Directionals is tenuous at best. Where Directionals because truly useful is the ability to rebalance shields and to set double shields in a direction, which is subject to the annoying .5 second cooldown. They definitely are useful when making head on attacks (or fleeing). But ultimately the mobility advantage (more engine energy) and much faster recharge of the Quick Charge tend to make them a more useful shield when one is frequently the focus of attention, at least in my opinion. I find my shields "attrited" away much faster with Directionals than Quick-Charges, as any hit will reset the 3 second countdown on the Directional's recharge, whereas the Quick-Charges will keep charging away (and so will my engine energy, allowing me to boost away). And that's the main sticking point. If we could "instantly" the shields in the middle of a firefight I would probably go with Directionals (because going head on with double front shields is awesome *grin*), but as it stands the quick-charges just seem more useful in the big fights (though jousting is definitely riskier). But, as you say, YMMV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lymain Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 But ultimately the mobility advantage (more engine energy) and much faster recharge of the Quick Charge tend to make them a more useful shield when one is frequently the focus of attention, at least in my opinion. Agreed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharee Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Some math for fun. My strike fighter has 175.5/sec shield recharge rate (quickcharge shield) 60% of that is 105.3/sec (regen under fire) Bomber railgun drone does 650 damage, takes 4 sec to charge gun, and has 2 sec CD after, meaning it will hit me every 6 secs for 650 damage. In those 6 secs, my shields will regen 6*105.3=631.8 shield power. This means that(accounting for the active shield ability) i will regenerate faster than the drone can damage me. However the drone has 28% shield penetration. This means every shot will do 0.28*650=182 damage to hull. Assuming 1450 hull health, it will take the drone 1450/182= ~8 shots to kill me. 8 shots take 8*6=48 seconds to fire. So the star guard can survive continuous railgun drone fire for 48 seconds. #cantsleepandbored Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DroidDreamer Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 I love them on my Sting especially with the fast regen reactor and 65% regen during damage. If you get in trouble, all you need to do is put power into shields and duck out of LOS for while to bring shields back up. They're nice also when you have to stop the enemy from capping by hugging the node and staying alive while back up shows up. My problem is forgetting to use them while I have target fixation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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