Fields / Shields

Magnetic Confinement
Post Count 15 | Prerequisites: None The ability to produce magnetic fields to keep a particle within a certain volume. It is a larger, more energy inefficient form of a Gauss coil.

Inertial Dampening Fields
Post Count: 20 | Prerequisites: N/A

Inertial Dampeners utilize a shipboard system designed to reduce or otherwise nullify the effects of inertia on the crew and contents of a vessel, however, any attempt to explain how these system functions is deemed 'too confusing' to the reporters, therefore many scientists have resorted to calling it a work of space magic.

Magnetic Repulsion Barrier
Post Count: 20 | Prerequisites: N/A

The capability to create and manipulate a magnetic barrier across a surface, it was rather quickly discovered this allowed a form of very weak anti-gravity on some planets (no more than a meter off the ground)

Super-Capacitor Armour (Reactive)
Post Count: 15 | Prerequisites: N/A

This technology, known as SCAR for short, involves placing a cloth-like layer of super-capacitor under the armour a vehicle or spacecraft. After charging the super-capacitor, the energy can be readily discharged into the armour when a threat is approaching. For a split-second, this forms an electromagnetic field around the spacecraft, which can redirect kinetic energy weapons and cause missiles to detonate. It is not a perfect technology, however. Missiles have a chance of bypassing the shield if timing is wrong, and it can only turn a glancing blow from a KEW into a near-miss. A KEW's direct hit can be, at best, turned into a glancing blow, which would still be fatal for most non-capital vessels. The shield's effectiveness can be increased by having a more powerful reactor. It will decrease when more armour is used. Note: One SCAR layer is required for every 45CM of armour to get 100% effectiveness. One layer for 90CM will result in 50% effectiveness. Two layers for 45CM will result in 200% effectiveness.

Magnetic Envelope Projection
Post Count: 20 | Prerequisites: N/A

Developments in electromagnetic field manipulation technologies focused on improving the range from the electromagnets had a substantial breakthrough, allowing for high-powered electromagnets to have an affect on objects at simply obscene ranges, which has allowed for interesting theories to pop up about military applications for weapons previously theorized to be impossible.

Energy Barrier Theories
Post Count: 25 | Prerequisites: N/A

A collection of theories that are believed to allow the development of energetic defenses colloquially known as 'shields' by most.

Simulated Artificial Gravity
Post Count: 25 | Prerequisites: Inertial Dampening Fields

Utilizing further applications of the Inertial dampening systems, this ship-wide system imitates gravity using modified inertial dampening field generators to allow objects to be pushed around within the ship - typically towards a direction designated 'down' in the ship design schematic. This 'gravity' field is able to be manipulated over broad areas within the ship, but it is slow to respond and usually unable to apply its full force of natural gravity simulation in any direction other than the intended direction.

Deflectors
Post Count: 30 | Prerequisites: Energy Barrier Theory

A small energy based field system created to replace Whipple shields as the primary defense against things such as micro meteors and debris. Deflectors are far less expensive than primary shield generators due to their low power along with being exceptionally low profile, and thus can easily be mounted on ships without proper shield generation systems for effectively free. Allows ships to be equipped with deflectors for no DP cost.

Integral Fields
Post Count: 40 | Prerequisites: Inertial Dampening Field, Energy Barrier Theories

"Integral fields," formally known as Hull Integrity Maintenance Fields, are a class of fields based in the theories of energy barriers and acceleration dampening systems capable of mitigating the impact of hull stress on a vessel. The most recognizably useful trait of this system is a significant reduction in damage taken from kinetic weaponry, allowing armor to function as a primary defense tool without needing to be thicker than old naval cruisers were wide.

Magnetic Field Control
Post Count: 25 | Prerequisites: Magnetic Envelope Projection

Grants greater control over magnetic fields, improving upon Envelope Projection, as well as allowing for multiple fields to be controlled at once.

IonoSpheric Protective Shield
Post Count: 30 | Prerequisites: Magnetic Envelope Projection, Magnetic Repulsion Barrier

Creates a magnetic field around a spacecraft, in which plasma is suspended. This plasma recreates the effect of a planetary ionosphere, reflecting electromagnetic signals. It can effectively block lasers, and can muffle the effect of plasma weapons. It has the downsides of not affecting any other weapons system, preventing or severely disrupting communications, and does not discriminate between incoming and outgoing weapons fire. While this shield is in operation, a spacecraft cannot return fire.

Fine Artificial Gravity Control
Post Count: 35 | Prerequisites: Simulated Artificial Gravity

Artificial gravity is a very powerful technology allowing for long term crewed missions to not require fragile habitat rings in order to prevent the negative effects of zero-G, but it also is able to be a powerful tool in the right hands. Previous development on these systems were very unresponsive and very broad, making utility application of the gravity beyond the primary use impractical. Further development on these systems have allowed far more localized control of gravity down to being able to control particular sections of corridors - but its still not possible to apply more than natural gravity in other directions. Artificial Gravity Control does not function properly inside a large natural gravity wells such a planet or star.

Variable Shield Array
Post Count: 35 | Prerequisites: Deflector

After the development of deflector systems, a variety of concepts arose on how to scale up the application of these systems into a powerful defensive system able to stop even high powered impacts from ship-to-ship weaponry. The most useful of these ideas developed into a powerful shield array built into the entire outer superstructure of a vessel with a vast number of shield emission blocks with overlapping coverage to prevent holes from being formed by battle damage. This development unlike its competitors manages to combine strength with relatively low power demand, and in addition to this is capable of being easily modified by shipyards with any branching developmental path. Unlocks Variable Shield Arrays and Standard Pattern Shielding.

Integral Fields Gen II
Post Count: 45 | Prerequisites: Integral Fields

A major upgrade to integral fields, now directly integrated into ship designs allowing more efficient use of the integral fields. Smaller upgrades included in the new generation also help improve the durability against kinetic weaponry, resulting in the vessels being even more durable then before.

Variable Shield Array Gen II
Post Count: 40 | Prerequisites: Variable Shield Array

With additional research on shields, it has been discovered that the array is able to generate alternative styles of energy field apart from just the standard pattern of shielding. it has been confirmed that additional lines of development can be created from the existing technologies, along with new calibrations and designs that allow for the standard shield to withstand further firepower from all sources without a drastic increase in the baseline power demand. Additionally, these updates have allowed for miniaturization potential of a single emitter block becoming hand-held, though it would be rather bulky and only generate a very weak shield. [Grants prototype of a hand-held energy shield.]

Variable Shield Emitter
Post Count: 40 | Prerequisites: Variable Shield Array

Building on the concepts brought forth by the Variable Shield Array, it was considered to develop another system rooted on using individual emission blocks with separate shield grids and coverage with the goal of allowing more fine control of the ship's shields. The resulting system does not have full ship-wide coverage, instead only covering an area of the hull around the emission block with less raw power than the full-fledged array, but when used in bulk the power can be swapped between blocks to strengthen the shield on any particular area. Research into this area also has interestingly confirmed that emission blocks can be modified to generate nonstandard fields. Unlocks the Variable Shield Emitter.

Integral Fields Gen III
Post Count: 50 | Prerequisites: Integral Fields Gen II

Further development into Integral fields has resulted in a modified system able to be integrated into the actual structural framework at key points. This results in ships having a much needed improvement in overall durability, a side effect of this as engineers discovered is designs can also promote far more leeway for "Creativity".

Localized Non-Reality Stabilizer
Post Count: 50 | Prerequisites: Stealth Designs, Any Tier 3 or higher FTL drive

A result of overly convoluted developments from study of non-reality fields, fields generated by a number of FTL drives in the moment of activation, these devices are something almost entirely unrelated. By utilizing astronomical amounts of power, these devices are capable of placing a vessel out of sync with local real space, effectively phasing them out of reality. During such a period the vessel effectively ceases to exist to the surrounding space, though still contained in its own tiny bubble of reality. The exact benefit being that a specialized vessel mounting such a system could effectively cloak themselves if only momentarily, rendering themselves both blind and effectively invisible on and to all but the most dedicated of sensor systems. The power required is understandably astronomical, similar to the constant activation of an FTL drive, rendering most ships unable to maintain the field but for a few scarce minutes at best. Improvements have been looked into, but have stalled after an entire lab was relocated to someplace called 'hell' temporarily, unfortunately the lead developer didn't survive long enough to defrost. [Essentially a cloaking device, Renders you invisible to sensors but mostly unable to detect anything outside the cloaking field. Cost is 10% of the total DP utilized. Astronomical power use.]

Variable Shield Array Gen III
Post Count: 45 | Prerequisites: Variable Shield Array Gen II

With a new generation of designs, the arrays have been modified to allow for more efficient draw on a ship's power grid. These efficiency improvements are accompanied by taking advantage of the more efficient energy usage to allow for more powerful emission blocks within the same space as before along with the possibility of using them in civil engineering planetside to protect small-yet-important structures without enormous array assemblies breaking up their appearance dramatically.

Variable Shield Emitter Gen II
Post Count: 45 | Prerequisites: Variable Shield Emitter

Through enabling far better power flow through the shield emission block and overall improvements in the design of the generator's inner workings, shield emitters can generate a far more powerful barrier than previously without too substantial a boost in their power requirements. In addition to this, it is easier and faster to transfer power between two different emitter blocks than before, allowing more responsive adjustments to the ship's shield.

Reinforced Shielding
Post Count: 55 | Prerequisites: Variable Shield Array Gen II or Variable Shield Emitter

Branching development off of the general purpose shield generator has lead to a method of generation that changes the standard shield's overall structure, allowing for a minor ability to shrug off smaller munitions with reduced strain on the integrity of the shield; these improvements however are rather insignificant and require substantial shield generation infrastructure, meaning this only strengthens a larger ship's shields against particularly small weapons - smaller warships are unable to draw upon these boosts to any degree of practicality over their deflectors. [Effect: Weapons of 1DP cost have negligible effect on shields [Standard Pattern] of cruiser size-class vessels and up, going up 1DP per size class from there]

Absorptive Shielding
Post Count: 55 | Prerequisites: Variable Shield Array Gen II or Variable Shield Emitter

Absorptive shields are a development of the variable shield system tuned specifically for combating the use of kinetic weaponry. These shields operate by using a modification of the shield emission block to generate a field that saps the kinetic energy of objects that are enveloped within the sizable barrier this pattern generates. This effect grows with the mass of an object to allow for it to keep up with larger munitions. These shields however are unable to offer effective defense against plasma weapons due to their design specifications rendering them generally useless in the face of particulate weaponry, stopping neither the plasma or interfering with the containment field. The field is also fairly easy to overpower with thrusters, allowing boarding pods and self-propelled munitions to force their way through - albeit at a reduced velocity. [Unlocks Absorptive Pattern shielding.]

Deflective Shielding
Post Count: 55 | Prerequisites: Variable Shield Array Gen II or Variable Shield Emitter

Deflective shields are a development of the variable shield system tuned specifically for combating the use of lasers and particle weaponry. These shields operate by using the emission block to create a deflection zone that redirects photons and particles away from the hull of the vessel entirely, but shields using this shield pattern do not amply defend against plasma weaponry due to the high powered containment system used to project plasma to its target allowing plasma to punch clean through the barrier.. Kinetic weapons and missiles only face a minor deflection comparable to a very weak SCAR system if any at all due to these shields being designed with low mass objects in mind; they are unable to properly scale the effect up to the scale of projectile munitions due to limitations with redirecting the sheer mass of shells. [Unlocks Deflective Pattern shielding.]

Hard Light Concepts
Post Count: 45 | Prerequisites: Any shield generation technology.

Basic concepts have emerged finally over hard light, something that might theoretically be possible now utilizing emitter technology, for the moment however they are mere concepts and require more work to finally utilize.

Integral Fields Gen IV
Post Count: 55 | Prerequisites: Integral Fields Gen III

Refinement of the Integral field systems has brought about another series of upgrades, the overall durability of a ship only sees minor improvements but it provides significantly more overall strength against damage, allowing ships to hold together through more significant damage. Engineers however have begun side projects for "Artistic" ships using the integral fields to hold together otherwise nonviable designs.

Advanced Deflector
Post Count 60 | Prerequisites: Variable Shield Array Gen II

With the advances from shield array development, another look has been taken back at the deflector system designed for navigational protection - and it has been discovered that when integrated into the more advanced network of a shield array, it can be used to mitigate some of the damage delivered by weaponry: It is incapable of stopping shells larger than those used by fighters still, but it can take away energy before impact. This integration does add a proper cost to the deflector due to additional equipment required.

Variable Shield Array Gen IV
Post Count: 50 | Prerequisites: Variable Shield Array Gen III

A total revamp to the generation system allows for a near frightening amount of miniaturization to be achieved - almost doubling the amount of power able to be put out optimally using similarly sized emission blocks - though unfortunately there is very little power saving done for capital ship shield management with this generation of shield systems. However, the miniaturization does allow for weak shield arrays to be mounted to larger land vehicles if they have the power supply to feed the energy cost.

Variable Shield Emitter Gen III
Post Count: 50 | Prerequisites: Variable Shield Emitter Gen II

With further development on the Emitter blocks, alongside the usual improvement to durability, some interesting discoveries along the lines of using an advanced network to create a dramatically less power-hungry and more responsive deflector grid than the original system had been; the equipment to create a new class of deflector systems are still pretty far out, but the potential has been discovered. In the process of finding this, a rework of shield extension units allowed for each unit to have more effect, allowing upgraded blocks to cover larger portions of the hull without needing to scatter more of the expensive generators around the superstructure.

Integral Fields Gen V
Post Count: 60 | Prerequisites: Integral Fields Gen IV

A breakthrough in the fields emitters allow them to be miniaturized to the point of fitting on board strike craft. Allowing strike craft far more durability then before, Further more the improvements have allowed a stronger field to be fitted to ships giving a minor improvement to durability. Finally however Engineers have devised a way to utilize integral fields to create an entirely new form of artistic ship, able to have sections of the ship effectively "Floating" next to the main hull, held in place by only the access corridors and integral fields.

Early Hard Light
Post Count: 60 | Prerequisites: Hard Light Concepts, any Gen III Shield

These early concepts of hard light, while little more than novelties, are still significant breakthroughs in technological development. These simple devices, only capable of about a pound of strength are still the groundwork of the future.

Variable Shield Array Gen V
Post Count: 55 | Prerequisites: Variable Shield Array Gen IV

This newest generation for the array model has increased durability against damage on the shield emission blocks themselves via a weak secondary barrier protecting the block itself regardless of shield pattern, slightly reducing the threat of a hole being opened in the shield by a weapon destroying the shield emission blocks. In addition to this, new miniaturized shields are finally able to be reduced down to small enough scales for the use on power armor and exosuits, though these prototype shields are rather weak and cannot not be relied on as a replacement for protective plating and cover. They do not have access to shield patterning due to sacrifices made to shrink them down, and cannot reboot in the field, but these issues are able to be fixed with focused development.

Variable Shield Emitter Gen IV
Post Count: 55 | Prerequisites: Variable Shield Emitter Gen III

[Fluff pending.]

Force Fields
Post Count: 55 | Prerequisites: Any Gen IV Shield, Hard Light Concepts

Using a variation of hard light concepts, these shield emitters create a full on energy barrier. While disastrous for organic mater to touch they are capable of containing most known substances. They are incredibly resilient however are power intensive enough to make military deployment an impossibility.

Integral Fields Gen VI
Post Count: 65 | Prerequisites: Integral Fields Gen V

In a possible conclusion to the advancement of the integral field system class, it is no longer possible to further miniaturize further in the foreseeable future. While as expected, extremely expensive, these systems are now able to be fitted to drones and land based military vehicles. Gains at this scale are however somewhat questionable due to the power requirement from the small space still being rather sizable, but a few people have already jumped at the idea of making a tank with a floating cannon - needless to say their tests ended poorly. On the starship scale, disjoint hull segments are capable of being completely free-floating and even mobile in relation to the primary hull of a vessel - furthering pursuit of the more fantastical starship artistic possibilities.

Variable Shield Emitter Gen V
Post Count: 65 | Prerequisites: Variable Shield Emitter Gen IV

[Fluff pending]

Personal Shield Array
Post Count: 65 | Prerequisites: Variable Shield Array Gen V, Advanced Capacitors

Building upon the early prototypes of the personal shield system led to multiple breakthroughs on efficiency to their operation - they still cannot be patterned like starship scale shields can, but they no longer effectively are down for the count upon being disabled. The fully developed personal shield array is capable of taking far heavier firepower than the prototypes but it cannot be expected to survive anything heavier than infantry weaponry.

Hard Light
Post Count: 65 | Prerequisites: Early Hard Light, Force Fields

These new Hard Light mechanisms are immensely useful, though they can't be projected at any noticeable range they are capable of a number of feats. Able to handle the weight of a small child, the scientists have found them useful for decorating. They unfortunately prove to be extremely power demanding mechanisms, reclining them to fixed units normally.

Advanced Hard Light
Post Count: 70 | Prerequisites: Hard Light

Another generation of Hard Light, these devices have been made much more power efficient, now able to be hand portable units. They do however still have a very limited projection range. Unfortunately development has stalled thanks to an experimental "Lightsaber" that resulted from this development.

Efficient Emission Grid
Post Count:75| Prerequisites: Gen V Shield Array OR Gen V Shield Emitter

The addition of more energy efficient equipment to replace the current shield generators is definitely considered to just be a stopgap measure to assist with the heavy use of shields, but these new generators allow for ships to run their shields for longer under fire for the same level of protection they had before. People can only hope however that this isn't the end of development with weaponry still gaining more and more power.

Advanced Forcefields
Post Count: 75| Prerequisites: Advanced Hard light, Forcefields

In a project to continue development of the forcefield technology by using lessons learned by recent developments in hard light technologies as a basis, forcefields are able to be utilized on the same scale and strength as in the past for a much lower energy cost than before. While their generators are very large and still rather costly to power, it is possible to properly utilize them within starships.

Gen VI Shield Emitters
Post Count: 100|Prerequisites: Gen V Shield Emitters, Advanced Hard Light

Picking up on a thought to be perfected system, the newest generation of shield emitters adds in the currently-stalled research of hard light technologies on top of the existing knowledge of shield generation techniques in order to continue advancement down this line, resulting in in a significantly stronger and efficient barrier being generated. Further development does seem possible from cursory studies into the matter, with a few speaking of attempting to apply it to other shielding concepts as well.

Bulk Antimatter Containment
Post Count: 120|Prerequisites: Advanced Forcefields, Quantum Capacitors

With the advancement of forcefield technology, exceptionally long term storage of vast quantities of antimatter becomes possible. Whereas with pre-existing technologies, only small amounts of antimatter were able to be stored and for relatively insignificant time periods, this development allows a variety of mixed systems to pump varying amounts of antimatter anywhere within a ship with ease. This unfortunately does not ease the generation of antimatter any, but it does help to save and store that which is made.