Personnel Shields

[mmcc]

Just a random idea I had while showering one day.

 

I think hand-held shields would be very useful while traipsing around terror sites, bases, and UFOs.

 

I'm not sure if the armor and weapons system changed a lot from X-Com, but here's the stats I had in mind:

 

-requires one hand to use.

-When held, adds 75 addtional armor to front armor *only*.

-When held, gives 20% penalty to accuracy, in addition to the penalty you get when you have the other hand occupied while using two-handed weapons. It's because it's big, cumbersome, and gets in the way of your vision.

-Takes 3 alien alloys and $20,000 to manufacture

-Weighs 20 weight units.

-Takes up the entire backpack in inventory space.

-Available right after researching alien alloys. Come on, it's just a sheet of alien alloys flattened into a shield-like shape.

 

So basically, you'd give it to your scouts in bases or UFOs. It'd be real handy on the door opener. It wouldn't make your soldier totally invulnerable, not even from the front with the best armors, assuming weapons still do 0-200%, but give them a real good chance of survival. And it'd give a reason to use the otherwise crappy personal armor because soldiers won't die from one hit anymore with that and the shield equipped.

Edited April 6, 2005 by mmcc

[[NKF]]

I've always been partial to the idea of riot shields as well. Basically a human variant that'll last once and only once against plasma attacks. All shields should at least be able to deflect any melee attack, unless it's a real armour piercing attack (Muton-type bruisers), or the attacker has much greater strength than your soldier (Mutons again).

 

An alien alloy variant that could last several more hits from plasma based weapon would be highly desireable.

 

In much later stages, you could even go so far as to make an energy based projectile inertia blocker that isn't as grand as the alien alloy variant, but does recharge slowly, which means you could get hit from the front once every few turns and not suffer the consequences. Would do diddly squat against melee attacks, so there would be some reason to keep using the old cheap and reliable riot and alloy shields.

 

Carrying it in your backpack would increase your back armour, and carrying it in your hands should increase that side just mildly, say +15%. Kneeling with any shield should plant your soldier in place and you'd be mostly temporarily invulnerable (you'd get a minor increase in defence from kneeling too) from the front as long as the shield holds. An excellent method of staging and assault on doorways.

 

It wouldn't be as grand as Apocalypse's all-round personal shields, but it would be more interesting.

 

- NKF

[mikker]

If we make it CS 1.6 style, and make it impossible to hold 2-handed weapons, it will vastly improve the usefullness of the laser and plasma pistol. 2 birds with one stone. Edited April 6, 2005 by mikker

[GARAK]

Garak likes front only shields, but not all around stuff. The game would be too hard if the aliens had it especially in the begginning, and unbalanced if they didn't.

[[dipstick]]

Maybe aliens generally only carry armour on base assaults? When they expect to be attacking someone (ie your base) they bring armours? esp the sectoids!

[Linkdead14]

Great ideas! Here is some of my personal ideas, which are free to be thrown out.

 

I think the alloy sheild should be able to be knocked out of the hands of the user, say by a grenade. Maybe it could even be destroyed, or if a certian amount of damage is taken by a sheild in a single turn the soldier would be forced to lower his guard. Also the inertia blocker should be on some type of battery which drains as damage taken. It could requie changing a battery.

 

I think the aliens carrying the shield early on wouldn't unbalance the game, it would just require some flanking or grenades.

[Tsereve]

I love these ideas! I think this sounds cooler than the Apoc Personal Shields (although not nearly as useful). Keep the ideas coming!

[[Blehm 98]]

what about like small extra.. alien alloy/energy armor plates(?) and alien alloy kevlar

[GARAK]

I meant energy all around shields, like star trek or whatever. Invisible barriers that look like bubbles. It wouldn't make any sense if they existed for the aliens not to have them. If xcorp get them, than the aliens should have them to. Possibly on their ships. Oh wait, that would make them impossible to beat because an F22 could never blow up a shielded alien ship. Rifles wouldn't be able to penetrate their personal shields. It would be rediculous.

 

As I said, alien alloy hand carried shields make sense. It would add a challenge but wouldn't unbalance the game. Force fields are going to far.

[[Blehm 98]]

i know what you meant, but don't you think that would be cool too?