Revision as of 07:19, 13 September 2026

Targeting and Priority

Combat does not spray damage evenly across every enemy ship. Fire is biased toward front-line hulls first, then middle combat ships, then rear logistics and support.

Echelons

Ships have a target priority tier in the catalog:

Tier	Role	Examples
1 — Front	Screens & light combat	Fighters, Corvette, Frigate, Interceptors
2 — Middle	Main combat line	Cruiser, Battleship, Battlecruiser, Bomber, heavy combat hulls
3 — Rear	Logistics & support	Cargo, Recyclers, Probe, Carrier, healers / support

Exact tier per hull is on that ship’s catalog page.

How damage is shared

When the front tier still has ships:

Most incoming damage hits the front (typically clamped around 60–98.5%, with a little random jitter).
Rear (and deeper) shares are tightly limited (on the order of a few percent combined) while a real front screen exists.
Within a tier, damage splits by ship count (quantity), not by individual hit points alone.

If the front cannot absorb everything (or is wiped), unused damage escalates into middle and rear tiers.

Tier bias weights front much more heavily than middle or rear when computing shares, so fat fighter screens soak fire; thin screens leak hits into your battle line and backline.

Player implications

Fat screens protect Capitals and logistics — expect light craft to die first.
Thin or missing fronts expose Cruisers, Battleships, and Carriers much earlier.
Rear logistics and Carriers are hard to snipe while a solid front still stands.
Rapid Fire interacts with this: high RF into the front clears screens faster and opens deeper tiers sooner.

References

Fleet Combat · Rapid Fire · Damage and Shields · Carrier · Fleet and Ships

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 = Targeting and Priority =
-Targeting determines which enemy unit is selected when a ship or defense fires.
+Combat does not spray damage evenly across every enemy ship. Fire is biased toward '''front-line''' hulls first, then middle combat ships, then rear logistics and support.
-Each unit has a defined '''Target Priority''' value that influences how likely it is to be selected as a target.
-Target priority plays a major role in fleet survivability and battle outcomes.
 ----
-== How Target Selection Works ==
+== Echelons ==
-During each attack cycle:
+Ships have a '''target priority''' tier in the catalog:
-. An attacking unit selects a valid target from the opposing side.
-. Target selection is influenced by that target’s priority value.
-. The attacker deals damage to the selected unit.
+{| class="wikitable"
+!Tier
+!Role
+!Examples
+|-
+|1 — Front
+|Screens & light combat
+|Fighters, Corvette, Frigate, Interceptors
+|-
+|2 — Middle
+|Main combat line
+|Cruiser, Battleship, Battlecruiser, Bomber, heavy combat hulls
+|-
+|3 — Rear
+|Logistics & support
+|Cargo, Recyclers, Probe, Carrier, healers / support
+|}
-. If Rapid Fire applies and the target is destroyed, another target is selected.
+Exact tier per hull is on that ship’s catalog page.
-Target priority does NOT guarantee selection. It influences selection probability, occasionally other priority ships can be also selected to fire.
 ----
-== Understanding Target Priority Values ==
+== How damage is shared ==
-Lower numbers indicate frontline preference.
+When the front tier still has ships:
-Typical values:
-* Priority 1 → Frontline combat units
-* Priority 2 → Midline / support combat units
-* Priority 3 → Logistics / utility units
-Example from ships:
-Fighter → Priority 1  Battleship → Priority 2  Cargo Ship → Priority 3
-This means Fighters are more likely to be targeted before Cargo Ships.
+* Most incoming damage hits the '''front''' (typically clamped around '''60–98.5%''', with a little random jitter).
-----
+* '''Rear''' (and deeper) shares are tightly limited (on the order of a few percent combined) while a real front screen exists.
+* Within a tier, damage splits by '''ship count''' (quantity), not by individual hit points alone.
-== Example 1 – Mixed Fleet Engagement ==
+If the front cannot absorb everything (or is wiped), unused damage '''escalates''' into middle and rear tiers.
-Fleet A: 20 Fighters (Priority 1) 10 Battleships (Priority 2) 30 Cargo Ships (Priority 3)
-Fleet B attacks.
-Most early damage will hit Fighters first.
-Only after frontline losses increase will Battleships and Cargo Ships begin taking consistent damage.
-This is why frontline composition matters.
-----
-== Example 2 – Shield Support Strategy ==
-Fleet: 10 Heavy Cruisers (Priority 1) 5 Frigates (Priority 2) 2 Support Vessels (Priority 3)
-Since Support Vessels have higher priority values (3), they are less likely to be hit early.
-This allows them to provide sustain mechanics during early combat rounds.
-----
-== Interaction With Rapid Fire ==
-Targeting determines who is selected. Rapid Fire determines how many consecutive attacks can occur.
-Example:
-Destroyer has Rapid Fire against Frigates.
-If Frigates are Priority 2, but Fighters (Priority 1) are present,
-Destroyers will more often hit Fighters first, unless no Fighters remain.
-Thus, target layering can reduce Rapid Fire impact.
-----
-== Defensive Targeting ==
-Planetary defenses also follow priority logic.
-Turrets often eliminate:
-* Frontline attackers first
-* Swarm units before capital ships (if Rapid Fire applies)
-This is why sending only Light Interceptors into Flak Cannons is inefficient.
-----
-== Strategic Implications ==
+Tier bias weights front much more heavily than middle or rear when computing shares, so fat fighter screens soak fire; thin screens leak hits into your battle line and backline.
-. Frontline units protect logistics. 2. Mixed fleets reduce catastrophic collapse. 3. High-value units should not be lowest priority. 4. Support ships survive longer in layered compositions. 5. Defense grids should counter expected attacker roles.
-Target priority is one of the key tools for fleet design.
 ----
-== Common Mistakes ==
+== Player implications ==
-* Sending only one unit type (exposes Rapid Fire and priority focus).
+* '''Fat screens''' protect Capitals and logistics — expect light craft to die first.
-* Protecting cargo without frontline buffer.
+* '''Thin or missing fronts''' expose Cruisers, Battleships, and Carriers much earlier.
-* Underestimating defense layering.
+* Rear logistics and Carriers are hard to snipe while a solid front still stands.
+* [[Rapid Fire]] interacts with this: high RF into the front clears screens faster and opens deeper tiers sooner.
 ----
-== Related Systems ==
+== References ==
-* [[Rapid Fire]]
+* [[Fleet Combat]] · [[Rapid Fire]] · [[Damage and Shields]] · [[Carrier]] · [[Fleet and Ships]]
-* [[Damage and Shields]]
-* [[Fleet Formations]]
-* [[Fleet and Ships]]
-* [[Defenses]]