Theorycrafting on Shield Mechanics
Mar, 06/28/2011 - 18:42
Prexxus
Legacy Username
Hi together,
I wanted to get this a little bit more theoretical and into game mechanics.
The big question:
How do shields work?
Let's take a common shield as the base - Grey Owlite Shield
http://wiki.spiralknights.com/Grey_Owlite_Shield
What we got:
"Defense Power"
"Elemental"
"Health"
+
"Fire"
"Shock"
Starting with Fire/Shock - both seem to be on the max. possible. Does this actually mean you are imune to Fire/Shock while your shield is active? Is there a difference between the three shield states (blue, green, orange)?
What about the other stats. Are they "passive" or also just in use, when shield is up?
This leads to another question. If these are passive, then will the Fire immunity (I just assume this here) stack with the Elemental resistance the shield grants when shield is up?
I think, we need a way to express the values in numbers. Does anyone have some, maybe through own tests?
I'd love to dig into game mechanics with some of you geeks - I know you are out there! :)
Mié, 06/29/2011 - 17:59
#2
MLC
Legacy Username
Shield Mechanics
1) You are totally and completely immune to everything* coming at you from outside of your shield while your shield is active, regardless of the shield's defenses or resists, so long as the shield doesn't break. The asterisk is for Greaver hazes.
1a) The shield's stats (except for bonuses like those on Switftstrike and the Snarbolax line) only apply to the shield bubble. You don't get the shield's hitpoints added to your maximum hit points, you don't gain any passive fire or shock resistance from the Owlite line, or any passive shadow defense from the Skelly line. These defenses and resists serve only to decrease the amount of damage the shield bubble receives from the applicable attacks.
Example:
Assuming each of the following attacks has the same base damage value, an actively blocking Owlite bubble will take increasing amounts of damage in this order:
Elemental Fire attack < Elemental Freeze attack < Shadow Poison attack
1b) Even a full bar is not immunity. You can stand in a fire for a VERY VERY long time while shielding yourself with a Gray Owlite Shield, but the bubble will still slowly deteriorate.
2) The shield colors show you how much buffer is left in the shield bubble, and do not represent any other changes in effectiveness.
3) Expressing these values in numbers is a pretty herculean task since the shield health states aren't granular enough. Plus OOO (apparently) hates giving us any hard numbers, or even correct meter values. (See: Leviathan vs. CIV threads.)
When I have Fire status I usually try to stay shielded. I've noticed that the shield will absorb the fire damage completely upon tick.
It seems to me that shield only work when they are active. You have full 360 degree's protection around the character while your shield can absorb hit points.
The 3 easy colors are for:
Red: you no longer have hit points the shield can absorb.
Yellow: you are between an estimated 25-75% of the hit points your shield can absorb (or under 50%)
Blue: your shield has complete hit points it can absorb.
*Note that you can be below Red color. You will not see any aura around your character and you will not absorb any hit points. If you wait a moment, you can see the shield regen around your character.