Mech high-shield

Mech high-shields are Mechanoid cluster buildings added by the Royalty DLC. It blocks incoming mortar shells, orbital bombardments, and aerodrone strikes in a 25-tile radius around it. Upon being hit by an EMP, it is disabled for 1,080 ticks (18 secs). Every 10 days, it goes down to charge for 1 day. When deconstructed, they are a valuable source of shield cores needed to create low-shield packs.

Acquisition

Mech high-shields can arrive as a component of mechanoid clusters. Mech high-shields cannot be acquired for player use, and shutdown when the cluster is defeated.

Summary

Mech high-shields can arrive as parts of a mechanoid cluster. Upon landing, they will begin projecting a shield that blocks incoming mortar shells, orbital bombardments, and aerodrone strikes in a 25 tile radius. The mech high-shield will not intercept shells fired from mechanoid auto mortars, even if they are on the outside of the shield radius.

High-shields will continuously project their shield without material or power requirements from the cluster. Every 10 days, the shield projector will be disabled for a 24 hour charge cycle. The projector will automatically re-enable itself after the charge cycle is complete. Once the cluster is defeated, they will be permanently disabled.

Mech high-shields have a 10 day charge cycle. Every 10 days, the shield will be disabled for 24 hours to recharge. High-shields can also be disabled with EMP. EMPing a mech high-shield, even with a mortar, will not wake up a dormant mech cluster.

High-shields will be disabled when the shield intercepts an EMP shell, or when EMP damage from any source is dealt to the emitter itself. Projectiles that the shield type does not stop will not have any effect when crossing the shield - the projectile must be intercepted by the shield to disable it. The projectile will be destroyed in the process and will not be have any AoE effects even if it normally would.

Will be disabled for 1,080 ticks (18 secs) when hit by an EMP from any source.

Note that an EMP's area of effect overlapping with the projected shield will not disable it - a projectile must hit the shield or the EMP damage must be dealt to the structure itself.

Analysis

Countering

Have two or more mortars, one loaded with an EMP shell, the other(s) loaded with high-explosive shells. Fire the EMP shell first, and then a moment later fire the HE at the high shield. The "Hold Fire" option can be used to control when they fire. One mortar cannot be loaded and fired fast enough to both stun the shield and fire the explosive.

Exploiting

If you don't defeat the cluster, you can repurpose the shield to cover your own equipment against enemy mortars.^{[Automortars?]} This is most easily done by walling in a single Mini-slugger turret through the liberal use of EMP, smoke, and the wall raise psycast.

Trivia

Like all mech cluster buildings, they not only have a Flammability of 0%, but also take no damage from attacks with the Flame damage type. This is in contrast to, for example, a stone wall which will not be ignited by molotov cocktails but will take the 10 flame damage from the initial attack.

Version history

1.1.2575 - Implement mech shield generator charge cycle. Shields now go down for a random day every 10 days. Now shuts down when the cluster is defeated.
1.2.2753 - Renamed from mortar shield to mech high-shield.
1.3.3066 - Now stops orbital strikes and aerodrone strikes, the same way they stop mortars.

Skipshield - A 6th level psycast with that stops all incoming and outgoing ground-level ranged attacks in a smaller radius and short duration
Low-shield pack - a utility item that stops all incoming ground-level ranged attacks in a smaller radius and short duration
Mech low-shield - a mechanoid cluster building that produces a similar effect in size and duration, but tuned to ground-level ranged attacks only.

Mechanoids

Mechanoids | Core: Centipede (Blaster, Burner, Gunner) • Lancer • Pikeman • Scyther • Termite
Combat: Centurion • Legionary • Militor • Scorcher • Tesseron
Command: Apocriton • Diabolus • War queen (War urchin )
Labor: Agrihand • Cleansweeper • Constructoid • Fabricor • Lifter • Paramedic • Tunneler
Cluster | Buildings: Condition causer • Count-down activator • Mech assembler • Mech capsule • Mech drop beacon • Mech high-shield • Mech low-shield • Mech node • Proximity activator • Unstable power cell
Turrets: Auto charge turret • Auto inferno turret • Auto mortar • Mini-slugger turret
Creation | Pawn: Mechanitor
Buildings: Mech gestator • Large mech gestator • Mechband antenna • Mechband dish

Mech high-shield

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