FPS shields are weird

[Tikanderoga]

I've tried to unlock the engineer by doing 10 FPS combat missions, done 11, no unlock. But anyway:

I prefer the rocket launcher because unshielded meat bags take one hit and gone.
However:
If you hit someone at the right angle, it takes down the full shield. If the target still has the tiniest sliver of shield left, that little bit will absorb the full blast of the explosion. Doesn't matter how you hit it, it will never make a dent into the target's hit points.
This doesn't become apparent when using other weapons, as they don't do large chunks of damage, stripping you of shields in one hit, but it is VERY apparent with the missile launcher.

Example:
Blast damage: 100
Shield left: 10 (out of 100)
Hit points: 100 (out of 100)

Currently: Getting hit by the explosion, full on or even indirect, the damage of 100 gets absorbed by the 10 points of shield. The same hit however can also strip 100 points of shield.

Should be: From the 100 damage, it should absorb 10 points of shield and 90 points of hit points.

 

[Guyperson]

It was like this in the alpha test too and since personal shields visbly sort of explode outward when they go down I'm pretty sure it's intended to prevent a one-hit knockout on shielded targets.
Of course gets pretty ridiculous when you realize someone in a stock flight suit can take a ship-mounted class 4 plasma accelerator bolt to the face and all it'll do is pop their shield bubble.

 

[CMDR The Riz]

I've tried to unlock the engineer by doing 10 FPS combat missions, done 11, no unlock. But anyway:

I prefer the rocket launcher because unshielded meat bags take one hit and gone.
However:
If you hit someone at the right angle, it takes down the full shield. If the target still has the tiniest sliver of shield left, that little bit will absorb the full blast of the explosion. Doesn't matter how you hit it, it will never make a dent into the target's hit points.
This doesn't become apparent when using other weapons, as they don't do large chunks of damage, stripping you of shields in one hit, but it is VERY apparent with the missile launcher.

Example:
Blast damage: 100
Shield left: 10 (out of 100)
Hit points: 100 (out of 100)

Currently: Getting hit by the explosion, full on or even indirect, the damage of 100 gets absorbed by the 10 points of shield. The same hit however can also strip 100 points of shield.

Should be: From the 100 damage, it should absorb 10 points of shield and 90 points of hit points.

There does appear to be a damage gate between shield HP and armor HP. I notice this a lot with my Executioner when a target's shield HP is low. As Guyperson pointed out, it's likely to prevent one-hit-knockouts on NPCs and especially players to give them time to react. I have heard of the plasma shotgun one-shotting enemies, likely because of multiple projectiles impacting simultaneously...

 

[Bigmaec]

There does appear to be a damage gate between shield HP and armor HP. I notice this a lot with my Executioner when a target's shield HP is low. As Guyperson pointed out, it's likely to prevent one-hit-knockouts on NPCs and especially players to give them time to react. I have heard of the plasma shotgun one-shotting enemies, likely because of multiple projectiles impacting simultaneously...

This. You can overpower those last shield points with enough damage, I use a plasma shotgun in CZ and can confirm this.

 

[Guyperson]

This. You can overpower those last shield points with enough damage, I use a plasma shotgun in CZ and can confirm this.

Plasma shotty definitely does the trick. That last-hit invulnerability only applies to one of the pellets.

 

[Tikanderoga]

This. You can overpower those last shield points with enough damage, I use a plasma shotgun in CZ and can confirm this.

It's not so much about overpowering them, it's more about the fact that 2 points of shield can absorb/nullify any single hit projectile (like the full face 4A PA).
Shotgun makes complete sense, as it is multiple pellets, not just one hit.