How do hatch-breaker limpets get through shields?
- Thread starter Verlaine
- Start date
By the power of osmosis , if you require any lore i can suggest that they have been engineered with phasing technology capable of rendering shields useless against them.. other than that feel free to add or amend your own lore.
I thought their effect penetrated the shield but not the actual projectile?
I dunno, same way your limpets go through your shield? 
Gameplay reason: It's so pirates can steal without murdering people.
Gameplay reason: It's so pirates can steal without murdering people.
I dunno, same way your limpets go through your shield?
Gameplay reason: It's so pirates can steal without murdering people.
Pirates could strip their targets shields and then steal cargo with limpets. Would make for a more difficult and fun game mechanic than the handwavium that exists now.
Must be the Holtzman Effect. How do you cargo scoop things or use your own limpets for that matter?
They were originally implemented the way you describe & were changed following feedback from the community. The way it is now it gives some gameplay around where to fit point defence. On a trade ship I fit them underneath (to kill hatchbreakers), on a combat ship they go on top to take out missiles.
This. Plus the 20 seconds required to submit and high-wake doesn't give pirates enough time to strip a trader's shields and apply limpets. It's simply impossible.
Because it's a game.
I suppose cosplay cmdrs "imagine" that that local area of sheild deactivates for a split second.
But it's just a game at the end of the day.
Do you really think that in the future, all spaceships will have the same dated cockpit layout, or fly to planets using crappy coordinates, or there will only be 5 types of mission's to do in millions systems.
Nope it's just a game. Mile wide inch deep at that.
To answer how, we'd need to know how shields are supposed to work.
They don't stop flechettes, space dust, atmosphere, radiant heat, or phasing effects either.
They don't stop flechettes, space dust, atmosphere, radiant heat, or phasing effects either.
I think it's because limpets are limpets - it's the controller than distinguishes between hatchbreak and repair, for example. If shields stopped a limpet hatchbreaking, they would also stop a limpet from refueling or repairing you too.
Which is all back-to-front, of course. I read an excellent suggestion a few days ago that we should have a universal limpet controller, and specialised limpets - we could then fill our holds with the limpets we need to do whatever activity we're doing, without stuffing our internals full of controllers.
Fixed it
The shield only turns the fast blow.
I think is the correct answer, there is no giant window ala spaceballs its about speed.
An SLF can pass through shields too but it's relative velocity as it closes is very slow, so the assumption has to be that the hatchbreaker and other limpets slow their relative velocity and slip through the energy field.
Weapons to cause hull damage need to be travelling fast and the assumption being that no genius has though of making a hatchbreaker that drills/deposits explosives inside the ship yet.