What Shield paradigms do you like?

[J Ryan]

There's also the Hardfield from Niel Asher's Polity Novels. As they describe it in the books:

Simple hardfield principles: this kind of field is projected from its generator much like a torch beam from a torch, the circular field meniscus generating at a distance preset in the generator like said beam striking a wall. Rather than getting into the complex maths and spacial-warp mechanics involved, it is best to think of it as simply a disc extended from its generator on the end of a long and extremely tough girder—both being made of a superconductor. Kinetic shock against the disc results in kinetic shock being transferred to the generator itself, where many methods are used to either absorb or convert it. Simple hydraulic rams are often used, also thermal or electrical conversion rams. Heat applied to the disc results in heat being applied to the generator. Again various methods are used to deal with this: superconductors to bleed it away, and other cooling systems. There are, however, deliberately designed-in limitations to how much of either a generator can absorb. Sufficient onslaught of each will usually result in a generator, with designed-in obsolescence, melting, though sometimes, if the limits are sufficiently exceeded, it will explode. A generator not so designed can, at some unplanned limit, implode, briefly creating a singularity at its core and a consequent fusion burn from highly compressed matter when the singularity goes out. The explosion in this case exceeds, by orders of magnitude, the explosion in the former case. Hence the deliberate obsolescence.

— From ‘Weapons Directory’

They are shown in use on the ground via anchored transports to enact a form of quarantine, and used in space on all their ships. The largest ships will have multiple banks of generators linked to ejection ports. As a generator takes too much damage it is ejected from the ships with a new generator ready to switch in.

[Sky Captain]

If you can do gravity manipulation or tractor beams at a distance then simple projectile deflection also is possible. Deflecting a railgun round just enough to miss a ship would take far less energy than absorbing it. Deflecting relatively slow projectile would require nowhere near gravity strength to bend laser beams or rip apart matter. Deflecting missiles would require capability to generate enough force to overcome thrust of terminal stage engine.

[Q99]

In Skylark of Space, the shields were immutable bubbles that allowed things through in neither direction at first.

Later on newer technologies were made that allowed shooting out, but there was a time when the only way to beat a ship with shields on was to keep at it until they had to drop them. And when exchanging fire, it was all about armor, not shields- which remained true even later on as the means that allowed shooting out also allowed shooting through, and resulted in extreme ships like thousand-mile-across mostly-armor vessels made of the hardest substances their science could produce, and where defensive duration was decided on how long til your ship was literally blasted away through all that armor.

[Jub]

In Skylark of Space, the shields were immutable bubbles that allowed things through in neither direction at first.

Later on newer technologies were made that allowed shooting out, but there was a time when the only way to beat a ship with shields on was to keep at it until they had to drop them. And when exchanging fire, it was all about armor, not shields- which remained true even later on as the means that allowed shooting out also allowed shooting through, and resulted in extreme ships like thousand-mile-across mostly-armor vessels made of the hardest substances their science could produce, and where defensive duration was decided on how long til your ship was literally blasted away through all that armor.

Did those bubbles move with the ship or were the ships essential immobile while their bubbles are active? I mean, realistically they would start to cook if they fired engines to maneuver but if the bubbles move they could keep drifting in a straight line while the shields are up.