Why is the SRV shield so useless?

[Mazhurg]

Barring the shields on the SRV...

I mean, planetary objects still exert some form of gravity. Just look at the Mars Curiosity Rover for example: http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia19808-main_tight_crop-monday.jpg or https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipe..._Self-Portrait_at_'Big_Sky'_Drilling_Site.jpg

Those wheels are starting to get banged up over time, and that's over a few years of use. In Elite Dangerous, commanders are quite rough with their SRV's as according to what we've seen. It's no wonder the things are always exploding and falling apart.

Barring combat damage, I have never needed to repair the SRV while exploring.

Me thinks some folks don't know (or don't care to know) how to drive. /s

Oh, it's also perhaps one of the difference between the remoteness of looking at a monitor and being in VR in that one tends to be a bit more cautious when rumbling around uneven ground.

 

[Tarman]

Barring combat damage, I have never needed to repair the SRV while exploring.

Me thinks some folks don't know (or don't care to know) how to drive. /s

Oh, it's also perhaps one of the difference between the remoteness of looking at a monitor and being in VR in that one tends to be a bit more cautious when rumbling around uneven ground.

I did a boosting double barrel roll in the SRV while ramping over a crater lip. The landing however was less spectacular as the lower surface was waaay uneven. This is not to advocate ship-grade shields on my little space dune buggy, but to highlight that there are lots of fun things to do with the SRV apart from replicating the first couple episodes of Lost in Space (did that too). Lay down some tracks and kick up some moondust, man!

 

[Deleted member 38366]

As I remember how it all started (holy moly, the initial SRV was fragile like a raw egg ), I'm actually surprised it can take so much abuse.

...and abuse it gets. Alot

But on the overall robustness, I also see the limited durability of the SRV as a chance for the future :
The introductions of many variants of Vehicles.

From an unshielded "Racer" over Weaponized APCs all the way to slow but well-armed little tracked Tank.
Lots of possible Vehicle types come to mind that could nicely extend the line of Options vs. the current, lightweight scouting SRV.