Active
Large, temporary bonuses
High PG/CPU costs
Single encounter surviveability
Passive
Small, persistent bonuses
Comparatively low PG/CPU costs
Multiple encounter surviveability
Module Types
These are the modules that weGÇÖll be focusing on in our first-pass rebalance:
Armor/Shield Hardeners (A): Massive, temporary reduction to damage received.
Used to survive short, high-DPS situations. Long cool down times discourage overuse.
Armor Plates / Shield Extenders (P): Small permanent HP increase
Increases long-term sustainability at the expense of the base hullGÇÖs inherent strength (shield recharge time in the case of shields and speed in the case of armor)
Shield Boosters (A): Instant, emergency use high HP restoration in the heat of battle. Ultra-long cool down times.
Last-ditch injection of HP and a kick-start to shield recharge.
Armor Repairers (P): Speed up HP recovery outside of combat
Used to make running repairs between battles (too slow to be of real use in the heat of battle)Damage Amplifiers (A): Massive, temporary increase to damage dealt.
Used to GÇ£punch above your weight classGÇ¥ or to restore something like parity to the playing field when hardeners are used.
Ammo Cache (P): Increases the amount of on-board ammunition available to turrets.
Used to increase ammo capacity. Useful when not near a supply depot.
Armor vs. Shields
The low HP, constant regen rate of vehicle shields previously used offered no real pros/cons. Vehicles now have much higher shield recharge rates than before, but to compensate they also have higher shield recharge delays. When taking fire shields will not regenerate (not until the second wave of module types is introduced, at any rate) requiring players to use shield boosters to kick-start shields, retreat to safety or attempt to destroy all targets and recuperate in the lull that follows. The hope is that this change will offer a readily apparent trade-off between shields and armor that allows players to pick a playstyle that suits them while not overly favoring any particular one.
Shield
Low HP ceiling, fast regen, hit-and-run.
More shields increases shield regen delay.
Once depleted, shields take a long time to kick back in.
Armor
High HP ceiling, slow regen, stand-and-deliver.
More armor slows you down.
Armor has no native regen.
CCP Wolfman