I understand two things that go into shield calculation: Mass and base shield multiplier. All ships come with a base mass, and a base shield multiplier, and that will determine the effectiveness of a shield on a particular ship. However, I have a few questions:
1.) How is the shield reduction calculated? How much shield is lost when a ship has more mass than what the shield is rated for?
2.) Does extra weight from modules and cargo count towards the "mass calculation" when the game determines shield strength?
3.) The game states that shields are weaker when they cover more surface area, but adding more volume within the same size space shouldn't do anything to shield strength, if the game is to be believed. Is this true?
Scenario: I own an Anaconda, but I'd like to keep it as effective at trading as I can, while still having a ship that can do bounty hunting with my friends whenever they get on. In order to achieve this, I require at least 1 million credits per trade loop. In my current configuration, 400 tons of cargo space, if I can secure a route that gives me at least 2,500 credits profit per ton per loop, then I can achieve my goal of getting 1 million credits profit (not counting fuel spent). However, I cannot keep my 400 tons of cargo space if I equip anything larger than a size 6 shield.
This would seem to work out fine for me, since a 6A Prismatic shield offers ~1,336 shield rating, while a 7A offers ~1,309 shield rating, making them virtually identical in practice, not counting power draw differences that I would account for. However, the 6A states that it's optimal hull mass is 540 tons, with a max of 1,350 tons. The 7A has an optimal hull mass rating of 1,060 tons, with a maximum of 2,650 tons.
The Anaconda's base hull mass is 400 tons. Fully loaded, both setups push the Anaconda near and beyond 1,500 tons. Does this mean that the class 6 shield is totally out of the question for what I want to do? I've seen conflicting reports saying that only the ship's base hull mass matters, with others stating that the maximum loaded hull mass matters.
Thanks for your help in advance.
1.) How is the shield reduction calculated? How much shield is lost when a ship has more mass than what the shield is rated for?
2.) Does extra weight from modules and cargo count towards the "mass calculation" when the game determines shield strength?
3.) The game states that shields are weaker when they cover more surface area, but adding more volume within the same size space shouldn't do anything to shield strength, if the game is to be believed. Is this true?
Scenario: I own an Anaconda, but I'd like to keep it as effective at trading as I can, while still having a ship that can do bounty hunting with my friends whenever they get on. In order to achieve this, I require at least 1 million credits per trade loop. In my current configuration, 400 tons of cargo space, if I can secure a route that gives me at least 2,500 credits profit per ton per loop, then I can achieve my goal of getting 1 million credits profit (not counting fuel spent). However, I cannot keep my 400 tons of cargo space if I equip anything larger than a size 6 shield.
This would seem to work out fine for me, since a 6A Prismatic shield offers ~1,336 shield rating, while a 7A offers ~1,309 shield rating, making them virtually identical in practice, not counting power draw differences that I would account for. However, the 6A states that it's optimal hull mass is 540 tons, with a max of 1,350 tons. The 7A has an optimal hull mass rating of 1,060 tons, with a maximum of 2,650 tons.
The Anaconda's base hull mass is 400 tons. Fully loaded, both setups push the Anaconda near and beyond 1,500 tons. Does this mean that the class 6 shield is totally out of the question for what I want to do? I've seen conflicting reports saying that only the ship's base hull mass matters, with others stating that the maximum loaded hull mass matters.
Thanks for your help in advance.
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