MystbladeWA Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 Is there a way to make the first preference for this ability to set shields to forward? rather than back? I use this ability offensively quite often on Harbringer with the abundance of players that want to to head on duels. It would just be nice not to have to click twice to set it to a configuration that i use most often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramalina Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 Not at present. Basically you have to get out of combat to safely alter shield configuration with directional shields. From a pilot's perspective it's incredibly bad starship design, but it's been a known issue for long enough that change seems unlikely at this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaybeEvil Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 Is there a way to make the first preference for this ability to set shields to forward? rather than back? I use this ability offensively quite often on Harbringer with the abundance of players that want to to head on duels. It would just be nice not to have to click twice to set it to a configuration that i use most often. Yeah I'm a fan of directional as well and this has always mystified me. We definitely need the option to set them shields forward or back..not just automatically to the rear when you got a couple enemies blasting the canopy off your fighter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Altheran Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 As long as Directional Shields will be a component like every other ones, with one and only activation button, it's probably bound to act in an only way like now. Personnally I think that Directionnal Shields should turn into a Shield Invertor that only swaps front and rear shields current charges, and that front and rear shield priority should be a baseline ability of all ships with two distinct commands to activate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Verain Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 (edited) I think it needs two buttons, or to have a MUCH shorter GCD. The problem is the GCD is kinda in their engine I bet. A workaround is to try to normally have shield power anywhere but neutral. For instance, if you are going somewhere, have them set double forward, or double backwards. If you see someone start to come towards your face, you are either already good to go, or one button press away from double forward. If someone is grabbing your tail, your first button press will take it regular, then all back- or it's already there. Basically, don't cruise in neutral, because that alone can cause the scenario where you have to cycle through "no shields on my vulnerable side". Any other configuration doesn't have that weakness. As for "swap them", that would greatly reduce the strength of this. The power of directional shields is being able to do the doublewhatever. Edited March 9, 2014 by Verain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Streven- Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 I actually like the way they operate now. Keep them in neutral. Once someone dcides to engage you boost pass them then switch to rear. As you turn switch to front. Hopefully the baddie wastes cooldowns as you pass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Verain Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 That way is awful though. It means that if you see someone coming at you, you have to tank them with your shields at neutral. Try it the other way- leave them all either at back or front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coldcrush Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 I think the thought process here is rear first because that is the "oh $#!T" some one is on my tail scenario, where as I know beforehand if I am going to be jousting some one. Of course optimally these are all separate keybinds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Verain Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 The reason they aren't separate keybinds is just because there's "use shield component". Anyway, you can ask for a set of shield directional buttons, or for the shrinking of that GCD. You might get one or both. OR- and this is my suggestion- you do what the rest of us do, and default your shields anywhere but neutral. Default shields to back has several advantages. First, you almost ALWAYS see someone coming to your face. If someone sneaks up on you, the shields are already towards your back- you're golden. If you see someone coming at your face, you can immediately press 2 and have a full stack forward. But one guy defaults to forwards whenever he's boosting around, on the basis that no one is magically boosting right behind him. He presses once for neutral if he sees stuff happening around him, and then if he needs rear he presses it a second time- but either way, each of his presses gives him progressively more backwards shields. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MystbladeWA Posted March 10, 2014 Author Share Posted March 10, 2014 A workaround is to try to normally have shield power anywhere but neutral. For instance, if you are going somewhere, have them set double forward, or double backwards. If you see someone start to come towards your face, you are either already good to go, or one button press away from double forward. If someone is grabbing your tail, your first button press will take it regular, then all back- or it's already there. Seems like a decent option. Will give that a try, thanks Verain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pentence Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 I dont have much experience with those in this game ma more familiar with the x-wing and tie fighter series with directional shields. That being said i usually take the approach of forward unless / until i am in range to engage the enemy. If you can only swith with the one button (seems silly for directional shields IMO) then id go with that and just click it once ot hit neutral. I rarely have the issue come up of someone getting on my tail initially anyhow . Side note here , who would love some directional radar, like front and rear similar to Tie fighter and X-wing alliance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Altheran Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 Side note here , who would love some directional radar, like front and rear similar to Tie fighter and X-wing alliance? Can you explain further please ? I'm not knowledgable about this game, so I have no idea of what you mean with directional radar and its implications. Here we have focused detection range (front-conic detection range) which may be similar to what you're talking about, but I don't know if that's really similar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramalina Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 (edited) Can you explain further please ? I'm not knowledgable about this game, so I have no idea of what you mean with directional radar and its implications. Here we have focused detection range (front-conic detection range) which may be similar to what you're talking about, but I don't know if that's really similar. They're actually talking about the situational awareness displays from the X-Wing series cockpit. They were space combat sims released from 1993-1997 or something like that, I forget exact dates. There were two circular displays, one in the upper right and one in the upper left of the cockpit. They represented projections of ships in the hemispheres of space in front of and behind your ship. Without going into the math with several pages of details and diagrams on how to make projections from 3D space onto a 2D plane it's easier to just give a similar example. Science education companies often sell little circular star charts that show constellations, if you lie down outside at night and hold up the map properly aligned, it will show you where to look to find constellations of stars. The X-wing display was basically that sort of system, only instead of stars it showed ships and missiles color coded by friendly/neutral/hostile. And of course it was dynamically updated rather than static. Basically, unless the system got blown out by hits from ion cannons or from power surges if you did shield ramming of another ship you could have perfect situational awareness for the entire flight, every time you flew. It was an incredibly powerful tool for a pilot to maintain situational awareness once you learned how to interpret it. Most StarWars themed interfaces based on the movies are pretty terrible, because George Lucas is fond of an art style that he thought of as cool when he was a little kid. Meaning that the interfaces would have been state of the art, in the 1920's or 1930's. The X-Wing displays were sort of an anomaly by that standard, because they were better than the systems in modern fighters like the F-22 (largely due to the space and mass restraints that limit how much sensor system you can jam into an aircraft designed to be highly maneuverable, display screens and software would be easy enough but there's not space for a full sized radar array pointed in every direction). For those of us geezers that remember the cooldown free instantaneous switch of directional shields and the situational awareness displays from X-Wing and it's sequels their absence from GSF is missed. Mostly because if they were implemented we would be more deadly and harder to kill, at least until other players learned how to use them effectively. Edited March 11, 2014 by Ramalina Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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