Does anyone else feel like the shields of the ISD are unusually weak? 3 shields on Port (Left side) and Starboard (right side), 4 shields Fore (Front) and 2 shields Aft (rear). I don't question the 2 on the Aft but the Port and Starboard sides should be a 4 at the very least. This is a battleship a ship designed for enemy engagements.

Has anyone ran any play testing and tried bumping the shields up to 4 or 5 ?

I would even substitute a Hull point for a shield point on this ship. Hear me out before you grab pitch forks and torches. I would rather spend 2 points of Engineering to recover a shield over 3 points repairing a damage card. Since the ISD has 4 Engineering you could replace 2 shields over fixing 1 damage on each activation. Plus if I really want that extra Hull I would grab Motti.

It's for balance reasons I reckon. Otherwise it would be too powerful or it would push the points cost up. Imperials in the game are mostly about hull and firepower. Rebels are manoeuvre and shields

Yes, those changes would make it more powerful.

The real question is does it need to be more powerful?

I don't disagree that the shields are not blowing minds but the hull makes up for it, no?

But the trade off Hull for shield?

You get 2 as much out of your Engineering command fixing shields vs repairing hull.

That's why I would gladly drop a few points of hull to get equal amount of shields. Plus I know my Engineering command is going to go further fixing those shields.

Yeah, shields are easier to repair, that's true.

Is the ship not balanced the way it is, or is there some fundamental problem with its balance that it needs to be more powerful?

But the trade off Hull for shield?

You get 2 as much out of your Engineering command fixing shields vs repairing hull.

That's why I would gladly drop a few points of hull to get equal amount of shields. Plus I know my Engineering command is going to go further fixing those shields.

The problem is that hull is always useful whereas shields are only useful when defending against that hull zone (or in a neighboring hull zone with Redirect). With the ISD's shield configuration you still cannot regenerate all of the shields in a non-rear zone with a single Engineering command (the front arc requires two full turns of Engineering to restore), which should be plenty.

But the trade off Hull for shield?

You get 2 as much out of your Engineering command fixing shields vs repairing hull.

That's why I would gladly drop a few points of hull to get equal amount of shields. Plus I know my Engineering command is going to go further fixing those shields.

Yes, but the extra hull can't be negated by accuracies on your redirects (or XI-7s), overload pulses, those accursed crits that take out all of your shields on one zone (that single-handedly lost me the game once). Its important to remember too that you can still redirect shields with that extra Engineering point that's left over after you repair a hull point. Its easy to forget about that.

EDIT: Snipafist basically says the same thing, we posted at the same time.

EDIT: Snipafist basically says the same thing, we posted at the same time.

Hey no worries, you brought up the XI7s and other shield-messing-up tech, which I realized I forgot to mention.

High five, bro.

Hull is useful sure I don't think anyone can argue that. But once damage starts coming in and the right or I should say wrong Crit effect hits you it can cripple you. Why wouldn't it be more beneficial to have more shields as a buffer to prevent the damage from hitting your ship in the first place?

If I was going to up the shields on the ISD, I would add one more to the front.

Hull is useful sure I don't think anyone can argue that. But once damage starts coming in and the right or I should say wrong Crit effect hits you it can cripple you. Why wouldn't it be more beneficial to have more shields as a buffer to prevent the damage from hitting your ship in the first place?

More shields might stop a crit from reaching your hull for one more attack than modest shields would. It's hard to say for sure and there's a lot of variables to consider. After that, either ship will need to keep on hitting Engineering as often as they can get away with to regenerate shields (or move shields) to keep hits from reaching the hull.

This isn't to say higher shields values are not advantageous. This is simply to say that they're not as advantageous as you believe them to be and that shield points are not as good, point for point, as hull points are.

But is it needed?

empire is all about big nasty ships in numbers, with lots of flaws.... shields are one of them

More shields would break the ISD. As it is, it's hard to bring down one unless your being pretty reckless with it.

Hull is useful sure I don't think anyone can argue that. But once damage starts coming in and the right or I should say wrong Crit effect hits you it can cripple you. Why wouldn't it be more beneficial to have more shields as a buffer to prevent the damage from hitting your ship in the first place?

More shields might stop a crit from reaching your hull for one more attack than modest shields would. It's hard to say for sure and there's a lot of variables to consider. After that, either ship will need to keep on hitting Engineering as often as they can get away with to regenerate shields (or move shields) to keep hits from reaching the hull.

This isn't to say higher shields values are not advantageous. This is simply to say that they're not as advantageous as you believe them to be and that shield points are not as good, point for point, as hull points are.

You hit the nail on the head with this response.

Obviously, I want my cake and to eat it too. I just want the ISD to just be slightly more imposing. I want the rebels to fear shaking it up with this ship.

Nope. I like it as it is. Now I am playing Imperials to combat the recent rampant growth of Ackbar (and my new love for the ISD. . . ) I think it is great as is.

Nope. I like it as it is. Now I am playing Imperials to combat the recent rampant growth of Ackbar (and my new love for the ISD. . . ) I think it is great as is.

Topic for a new video on your you tube channel perhaps?

Nope. I like it as it is. Now I am playing Imperials to combat the recent rampant growth of Ackbar (and my new love for the ISD. . . ) I think it is great as is.

Topic for a new video on your you tube channel perhaps?

I have a few planned but I am working on getting some presentation things set up and I am getting a better camera and mic. Christmas is going to be a spending spree. . .

I don't disagree that the shields are not blowing minds but the hull makes up for it, no?

Especially with Motti. I always get glares when I plop him on the table and there's now a 14 health ISD flying around.

Nope. I like it as it is. Now I am playing Imperials to combat the recent rampant growth of Ackbar (and my new love for the ISD. . . ) I think it is great as is.

Topic for a new video on your you tube channel perhaps?

Hmmmmmm what idea do you have?

I have a few planned but I am working on getting some presentation things set up and I am getting a better camera and mic. Christmas is going to be a spending spree. . .

Tips for flying an ISD successfully, perhaps even tips for flying against Ackbar. I have seen there are a lot of people having a hard time with this. (This thread is evidence of that)

Yeah. I don't think I could beat myself playing Ackbar. Its just, so second nature now.

Nope. I like it as it is. Now I am playing Imperials to combat the recent rampant growth of Ackbar (and my new love for the ISD. . . ) I think it is great as is.

Topic for a new video on your you tube channel perhaps?

Hmmmmmm what idea do you have?

I have a few planned but I am working on getting some presentation things set up and I am getting a better camera and mic. Christmas is going to be a spending spree. . .

Tips for flying an ISD successfully, perhaps even tips for flying against Ackbar. I have seen there are a lot of people having a hard time with this. (This thread is evidence of that)

Hmmmm I like this. . . Ok it is on the list!

Why stop at one Motti ISD? I've run three before, and will again when I'm not borrowing Star Destroyers. Muahahahahaha!

It is a little disconcerting that the MC80 has more shields and is arguably better on the repair than the ISD. But the ISD trades off by being so easy with it's firepower (gunnery team, both weapon upgrades). For anything other than an MC80, the ISD has great potential for damaging whatever it can bring most of its guns against.

But having all that firepower means for game balance it can't be invincible, just nearly invincible.

I think the sum total of all shields + hull for the ISD and the mon cal are almost the same...

ISD - 4+3+3+2+11= 24

Mon cal - 4+4+4+3+8 = 23

I think I got this right...?

So to boost the ISDs side shields, to maintain the balance simply with the Mon Cal they would have to make the Moncal 5 shields on the sides...

What would this do to the strength of the big ships over the medums and small ones?