Shields, what are they, how do they work?

[CMDR KRITIKOSK8]

They used to do this, but were changed at some point, to make pirates' life a little bit easier.

Not easier , but doable, as pirating in this game is the hardest in all games I played so far.

 

[Morbad]

Yes it's perfectly possible to be an speed issues as most missiles and guided weapons detonate upon proximity and not impact

In Elite, they detonate upon impact.

 

[Eliza]

why does the sheild then block hitting roids and other objects if we are slow?
Why would people not have developed weapons that utilise this? All i woudl need is some limpets with laser drills or explosive charges flyin through the shields and then explode, or drill holes into the hull.

tbh FD should just implement mechanics basd around simple things, it would make a better space experience, and also make a newbies Life easier.

Uhm...okay...let's see...the quantum-frequency of roids and rocks are, coincidentially, matching the em-absorbing-frequency of the shields?

Regarding small weapons tech...humans are not able to minimalize phase-shifting technology in a degree to fit into compartements like limpets or rockets. Maybe in a couple of decades?

Long story short: Blame Frontiers Techno-Mages...or T.J.

 

[Lily from anim.o.v.e]

"Also, don't tell me this is "speed" related, if so missile catching me with hardly any higher speed than me would pass as well"

Yes it's perfectly possible to be an speed issues as most missiles and guided weapons detonate upon proximity and not impact

doubt you have an idea about how big the bubble is around some cutter parrt, nor do I think missiles in space would use the "explode on proximity" idea. Even less when they have a "percing value" and clearly explode on impact. Have you even ever used missiles in ED?

Honestly, your own words do not bear any proper logic unless you ignore 90% of what happens in ED.

We don't have the science today, to be able to adequately explain the science of tomorrow. Michael Faraday (a great mind of his time) would not have been able to explain the operation of a Transistor (something so ubiquitous today, we all own and use 100's of millions of them on a daily basis) using only what he knew in his life. I would not claim that it would appear as magic to him, but I'm fairly certain his reaction would be "how little I knew!".

Its only a 150 years since Faraday passed. Imagine how inexplicable the modern world would seem to people from the 8th Century - literally in the Dark Ages.

there is a difference between people not wanting to believe somrthing or not understanding it, and I doubt there is much to understand in such a fundamentaly differently behaving, yet physically equally based conditions.

 

[Surprised Brony]

doubt you have an idea about how big the bubble is around some cutter parrt, nor do I think missiles in space would use the "explode on proximity" idea. Even less when they have a "percing value" and clearly explode on impact. Have you even ever used missiles in ED?

Honestly, your own words do not bear any proper logic unless you ignore 90% of what happens in ED.




there is a difference between people not wanting to believe somrthing or not understanding it, and I doubt there is much to understand in such a fundamentaly differently behaving, yet physically equally based conditions.

Your beef is with the perceived lack of logic in the game, not people brainstorming ideas as you explicitly asked them to. Also, our current understanding of classical physics and quantum mechanics is in no way sufficient to gauge how "realistic" tech over a millennium from now will be. That understanding has drastically changed many times in the past few decades alone. You could be making a mistake by trying to use current theories to get a grasp on anything the game presents. I know it's not the answer you want, but it's an answer nonetheless. And a plausible one.

Let's just say, who knows how specific and weird these shields are? They're not made with current tech understanding, that's for sure. The universe allows some creepy stuff to happen at the quantum level, so who knows what we'll figure out how to do by the 3300's?

TL;DR:
You're worked up for the wrong reason. Future tech could exploit unknown intricacies of physics. I know you wanted an explanation based on current theories, but that's not how it works.

 

[Mo Ronik]

I try not to think about the way things work in ED. Trying to apply 21st century science "fact" to 34th century fantasy just gives me a headache.

 

[Nutter]

The earth has a shield, without it our planet would be like Mars

So basically ship use an electromagnet that causes a push force, which is why you can shoot through it

Thats the high level version. I'm not technical enough to take any questions though

 

[JesusRocks1988]

Shields in any sci-fi are going to be pure handwavium. Anything dense enough to stop high velocity kinetic rounds dead in their tracks as an "energy" barrier, should also be completely opaque and solid, AFAIK.

Best not to think too hard about shields...

 

[Kenneth McGrew]

So, after shields

cannot protect my ships from the magical sandsurfing in space making my paint wear of faster than it can dry.
cannot even protect from the fartfumes of thargs.
cannot proect me from hatch breaker limpets.

So what weird handwaveium are weapons made of, that they can be "deflected?" by shields, while basically evertyhing else can't?

Also, what are they? What is that forcefield made of? Is there any officiel lore science explaining that? When we can burn off the corrosive effect by heating the ship up, the shields surely can not be made of something that is hot, otherwise the fartbubbles would never enter the area within the shield. How can we even land with shields without them not getting shut down or us bouncing off the surface? Or enter exit the ship as a person/SLF/SRV/limpet without having to shut it down? Also, don#t tell me this is "speed" related, if so msisile catching me with hardly any higher speed than me would pass as well.

So do we have a proper non handwaveium explanation on how they work and what they are?

i dont mind the handwavium personally, i'd like to turn off the sandpaper of space though, upsets my OCD screenshots - just a toggle in the menu, i know how sensitive the "i want my ship to look like a turd after 5LY" crew can get

 

[JesusRocks1988]

I mean, let's have a think about what the shields actually do:

- Allow gasses (oxygen - as evidenced through canopy breach; and Thargoid corrosive clouds) to pass through
- Allow interstellar dust to pass through
- Allow light to pass through, and by extension...
- Allow thermal radiation to pass through
- Allow radio waves/handwavium FTL communications to pass through
- Allow cargo canisters and micromaterials to pass through
- Allow flechettes from the flechette launcher to pass through
- Allow phasing energy to pass through (phasing sequence)
- Allow limpets to pass through
- (in SRV) allow all rocks of any size to pass through
- (in SRV) provide no impact protection

- Stop focused light (lasers)
- Stop high velocity kinetic rounds
- Stop ionised gas (plasma) projectiles
- Stop concussive force
- Stop the heat from explosions
- (in Ship) stop rocks of any size
- (in Ship) provide 100% impact protection

In terms of how they operate, they clearly expend energy in order to stop something.

There's way too much contradiction here to be able to come up with a viable explanation for them. As they both stop and allow low velocity, high velocity, low energy and high energy matter. They stop light, but allow light; stop gas, but allow gas, stop solid matter, but allow solid matter.

It's not got enough consistency to make a sensible theory out of.

EDIT
Oh, and let's not forget that (in the SRV) they allow Thargoid Scavengers' puke to pass through. So that's allowing liquid matter too.

 

[Florenus]

Let's try this:
Shield generator deflects (or tries to deflect) only damage it was designed to deflect. Shield isn't some constant sphere around the ship, but rather a sphere, where generator can concentrate energy to counter certain... ekhm, molecular frequency.
Company that's responsible for limpet production clearly paid shield manufacturer to not include limpets into database. Same with paint manufacturers and spacedust or Aliens.

 

[Gun Star]

Just reminds of the personal shielding in David Lynch's: Dune. In that movie, slow moving targets could get through the shielding and high velocity projectiles will be reflected. (opposite shielding effect as discribed above)

so much for my techno-babble

Just don't use a Lasgun. We don't need nuclear explosions going off everywhere

 

[Rowander]

'Tis a game, so everything is pure handwavium... but I would have thought there are ways to create fun and engaging experiences around "less handwavy" conditions. On the matter at hand: I would believe that magnetic forces (yes, the ones capable of lifting trains and containing plasma) are perfectly capable of stopping bullets, while a reflective surface or device would be able to... reflect... laser light. I like Elite, we all like it, no doubt, but I always wonder what would Elite be if there was less handwavium... would it be better? more fun? more cohesive and credible? would it have more depth? I'm not sure the answer to those questions is always "yes"...