Shields...

[darkchair]

Hmmmm that is a problem somewhat. I mean all you really need is a new boolean to say, "is a shield on?", then the program can say, "If the shield is on, apply a 5-15 second cooldown". Maybe it's not so simple, cooldowns could be tied to other things, but I am a computer science major... so if I'm wrong please to me! 

Anyway, I'm just trying to be thrifty. The devs could do ridiculous amazing things to innovate shield use if they wanted (I'm sure they could, as demonstrated by AI War and Tidalis), but I figured I'd recommend a simple fix to a pretty significant issue. There's always later, but time is precious.

[Gemzo]

Honestly I was just grasping at straws trying to convince others to support the idea of a complex solution rather than a simple one. While simple fixes are usually best, I really feel that a standard cooldown, even on just turning off the shield (or one that lets you turn it off during cooldown and without triggering cooldown) would make shields clunky and less fun to use.

[yllamana]

I just want to reiterate my stance that cooldowns in general are a horrible game mechanic and often get used because they're easy rather than because they lead to good gameplay. I would rather see a creative and interesting solution than "just whack a cooldown in there and ship it."

[Jerebaldo1]

The simplest evolution of the cooldown I suppose is the Secret of Mana/Evermore style "chargeback" system where you can strike as fast as you want but for much less damage than if you waited the optimal time between strikes...so there's flexibility therethat mirrors more of a natural exertion effect.