[Jourin]

One defense is armor. It is cheaper to research than shields and offers more protection per space (a level III generates 150 points for 40 tons while 40 tons of armor protects 160 points). It also cost less. 4x50 armor is 200 while a shield generator costs 300. Armor is also good against all shield skipping weapons especially the phased polaron beam. The disadvantage is that shields regenerate while armor needs to be repaired. For smaller ships through destroyer, armor is a better defense than shields. Battles are not long with smaller ships so shield regeneration adavantage is not that important. A 40ton shield generator limits your design flexiability where 4x10 armor lets you build in the weapons and protection mixture you desire. Factor in the lower research, build, and maintenance cost than shields and armor is a good choice. In larger ships the best design is a mixture of armor and shield generators. Armor is for more than just filling in that remaining 10ton space.