Shield Cell rebalance idea.

[Iori]

I'd say make them only one use, and then the module recharges based on the energy pips on systems.

Pretty much like the KERS in a Formula 1. Instead of being a consumable, the energy of the module must recharge itself first before the next use.

That way you can have virtually unlimited shield cell usages for long sessions without docking, so it is a buff in that sense. But it is also a nerf for single fights since they would take a long time to recharge while you are in combat. Also, make the module more demanding on your power plant, so people chose between offense and defense capabilities.

 

[Adept]

I'd say make them only one use, and then the module recharges based on the energy pips on systems.

Pretty much like the KERS in a Formula 1. Instead of being a consumable, the energy of the module must recharge itself first before the next use.

That way you can have virtually unlimited shield cell usages for long sessions without docking, so it is a buff in that sense. But it is also a nerf for single fights since they would take a long time to recharge while you are in combat. Also, make the module more demanding on your power plant, so people chose between offense and defense capabilities.

If an emergency shield recharger is needed, then some variant of this is the answer. It shouldn't be anything like the current shield potions.

An expensive component, with mass comparable to the shields themselves which uses energy from the system bar and has a long cooldown. It should work like the boost, where you need enough ENG power to trigger it. In the same way, the shield re-charger could be triggered to rapidly pump energy into the shields. Not too often, of course. This also keeps the pip-management logic going.