Poor game design

[david vin]

no

[5thHorseman]

Shields can totally mitigate the pulsar pulse on the first round, and all but the longest charging weapons (which to start are only on ships with long range scanners that can see the pulsars coming).

Hold back firing your weapons until the pulsar is about to fire. then fire a full volley of EVERYTHING at your enemy's weapons. If you time it correctly your volley will arrive just after the pulsar takes their shields down, and you'll take out all their weapons almost guaranteed while yours are either guaranteed to stay up (due to your shields holding) or only have a chance to go down.

[MantisManMike]

while yours are either guaranteed to stay up (due to your shields holding)

Your weapons are not guaranteed to stay up.

Pulsars always ionise two systems. If shields are powered, then one of those systems is guaranteed to be shields -- effectively halving the chance for weapons to go down.

[5thHorseman]

while yours are either guaranteed to stay up (due to your shields holding)

Your weapons are not guaranteed to stay up.

Pulsars always ionise two systems. If shields are powered, then one of those systems is guaranteed to be shields -- effectively halving the chance for weapons to go down.

You are incorrect. If your shields are up they get ionized instead of the thing being ionized. If they are up after the first ionization, then they get ionized again.

[MantisManMike]

Hah! Check the behaviour, you'll find I'm right.

It's possible you're mixing up the shields behaviour with Zoltan Shields, which do fully absorb all damage from an ion pulse (apart from one weird exception, mostly relevant to the Stealth C).

Alternatively, just wait for my next FTL tips video -- I was planning to cover pulsars, as it happens.

[5thHorseman]

I will admit I take my shields down almost every time so don't have that instinctual knowledge about it. But I would like to see some form of video proof about it I'm that sure. If I had cared enough I'd have gone back through my videos to find one where I didn't take the shields down, but that could easily have been hours of (albeit enjoyable) work.

[MantisManMike]

Here's one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKiW2hDrS3c&t=2m53s

First pulse: shields are powered but down, shields and engines get ionised. Second pulse: shields are up, shields and doors get ionised.

[5thHorseman]

That's not an example of what I'm talking about. I'm talking about when you have enough shields for them to get ionized by the first ion and still have at least one bubble up. In that video (of mine! ) the first ion hit took the shields down fully, so of course the rest of the ship was available to be hit by the 2nd ionization.

[MantisManMike]

That's not an example of what I'm talking about. I'm talking about when you have enough shields for them to get ionized by the first ion and still have at least one bubble up. In that video (of mine! ) the first ion hit took the shields down fully, so of course the rest of the ship was available to be hit by the 2nd ionization.

It doesn't matter how many shields you have, two systems will always get ionised. For example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxU0fWfO_bs&t=1m

Your theory is "neat" and attractive, but wrong. I had the same theory for a long time, despite the game constantly showing me that I was wrong. It's interesting how bad we -- not you, people in general, including me -- are at observation! Confirmation bias in action.

Your theory (previously also mine) is appealing because it matches the way that ion projectile weapons work (e.g. Ion Blast). But it turns out pulsars don't work in the same way...and not just in this respect!

[amekassa12]

That's not an example of what I'm talking about. I'm talking about when you have enough shields for them to get ionized by the first ion and still have at least one bubble up. In that video (of mine! ) the first ion hit tookmy ip birthday wishes tneb the shields down fully, so of course the rest of the ship was available to be hit by the 2nd ionization.

That's not just punishing difficulty, that's sloppy game design. I'd request a refund for this game from steam but I've owned it way too long, and the refund system wasn't around when this released