Combat Mechanics & Questions
The following is all of the information I have collected for understanding the combat mechanics in Sins. I’ve noticed that many of these questions come up and clutter the board. Hopefully this may be of use to the community.
Please Read, Enjoy, Comment, and Prosper.
Hull
Hull is a ship’s secondary defense. When hull strength reaches zero, the ship is destroyed.
Hull Restore Rate
Hull restore rate is the amount of hull points regenerated per second. Regeneration occurs both in and out of combat. Hull Restoration is dropped to 50% while in combat.
Shields
Shields are a ship’s primary deference. When shield strength reaches zero, further weapon damage is applied to hull.
Shield Restore Rate
Shield restore rate is the amount of shield points regenerated per second. Regeneration occurs both in and out of combat.
In Combat
A ship is In Combat if it has been damaged within the last 10 seconds.
Weapon Damage
Weapons damage is first done to shield, and once shields are at zero, further damage is applied directly to hull strength. Phase missiles have a chance of bypassing shields and possibly shield mitigation.
Armor
Armor decreases the damage received from attacks. Each point of armor reduces the effectiveness of weapons by a factor of 5%, however this is not a straightforward reduction. Instead it reduces the effectiveness of weapons by factor of 1/(1 + armor * .05).
Another way of calculating the effect of armor is to consider each point of armor an increase to the base hull strength of the ship by 5%. However, armor is more effective than a straight hull strength increase because it increases the effective hull regeneration rate (again by a factor of 5% per point of armor).
Example of Armor Mechanics
An Arcova Scout Frigate shoots (weapon damage 24) at a Kol Battleship (hull 3000, armor 5). The Scout will do 24/(1 + .05 * 5) = 19.2 damage. Ignoring all other combat mechanics, it will take the scout 3000/19.2 = 156.25 shots to destroy the Kol.
Calculating the armor as a straight hull strength increase, using the same situation, the Kol Battleship now has an effective hull strength of 3000 * (1 + .05 * 4) = 3750. Ignoring all other combat mechanics, it will take the scout 3750/24 = 156.25 shots to destroy the Kol.
Shield Mitigation
Shield mitigation decreases the damage received from all attacks regardless of source. Shield mitigation starts at a base of 15% and increases as more damage is accumulated. It is believed it is a direct reduction in weapon damage, unlike armor’s indirection function.
Shield mitigation is present when the shields are down.
Shield mitigation starts at 15% and maximizes at 65% for capital ships and 60% for frigates. As capital ships level up, maximum shield mitigation increases by 0.0111 per level, which leads to a maximum reduction of 74.999%.
Source file data suggest that shield mitigation starts at 15%, increases 1% per 10 points of damage, and reduces 1.25% per second. Under normal circumstances 450 damage must strike a frigate (single one second salvo), or 600 damage for capital ships, to maximize shield mitigation. A damage per second rate of 12.5 will cause shield mitigation to remain stable.
For damage to count towards shield mitigation, it must strike the ship. It is unknown if mitigation kicks in before or after damage factors (like armor, weapon type & armor type, various powerups, etc). It most likely after all damage multipliers. Shield mitigation most increases after every shot, so high damage per shot weapons will cause more damage than low damage per shot weapons with DPS held constant.
Some observations have been made that suggest that some of the capital ship specials are not reduced by shield mitigation, this is unconfirmed.
Example of how Shield Mitigation works:
We aren't sure when mitigation adds up, before or after modifiers, regardless the following example should explain the fundamentals behind it. I used overwhelming damage to skip over the timing problem.
Your level 1 Kol Battleship (hull 3000, shields 1250, max mitigation 65%, starting mitigation 15%, ignoring all other parameters) engages a ship that does 1000 damage per second with a single shot. The first shot does 1000 damage, shield mitigation reduces it by another 15% to (1000 * (1 - .85)) 850 damage. This reduces the Kol's shields (1250 - 850) to 400. Shield mitigation increases by 1% per 10 points of damage, depending on when shield mitigation increases (it either is increased by 850 or 1000) either way that's more than enough to add 50% shield mitigation (only 500 damage is necessary) so the Kol's shield mitigation reaches maximum at 65% damage reduction. All further shots are reduced by 65%.
Continuing, that would mean for the next 1000 damage shot, shield mitigation reduces it by 65% (1000 * (1 - 65%)) to 350 damage.
Without shield mitigation your Kol would have been destroyed after ((3000 + 1250)/1000) 4.25 shots.
With minimum shield mitigation your Kol would have been destroyed after ((3000 + 1250)/850) 5 shots.
However with increasing shield mitigation your Kol will last for (((3000 + 1250 - 850)/350) + 1) 9.71 shots.
This also demonstrates the usefulness of specials that decrease damage mitigation. A special that reduces shield mitigation by 30% would in effect double the amount of damage dealt (max mitigation is 65%, 35% effective damage is getting through, adding on another 30% from the special increases your effective damage to 65%).
Damage Type
Damage type combined with the armor type of the target determines how much actual damage occurs. The modifier is a percentage.
Armor Type
Armor type combined with the damage type of the attacker determines how much actual damage occurs. The modifier is a percentage.
Accuracy
Accuracy is a modifier on the probability to hit a target. It has been observed that ships do not always hit their targets; possible causes are distance and movement. The accuracy value somehow combines with this underlying accuracy value to determine hit probabilities. All ships have a 100% accuracy modifier to hit frigates and capital ships and a penalty to hit strikecraft.
Hit %
Some ships, like the Akkan Battlecruiser have an ability that increases the Hit % of other ships. It is currently unknown what this does, if anything. It has been observed that moving ships suffer a reduction in firing speed and accuracy, this may be because of targetting problems or it may be because moving reduces accuracy and firing rates. Additionally, strikecraft have a reduced chance to be hit. The Hit % up ability may increase accuracy in either, one, or neither of these situtations. Further experimentation is necessary for this to be resolved.
Another point of interest in the topic is that asteroid fields have a negative to hit penalty, which may be countered by positive hit % abilities. This also suggests, that if accuracy is currently implimented in Sins, that it is present in all combat situations.
A possible test is to setup a multiplayer game and then run many trials pitting strikecraft against a anti-strikecraft ship and an Akkan (with and without the hit % up ability) compare the average time to destroy the strike craft after 40 trials of each condition (with & without ability). This may provide insight.
Weapon Type, Armor Type, & Accuracy
The following is a chart that matches weapon type against the armor type of the target. All values have been modified by accuracy, but because only strikecraft have a reduced accuracy values, only strikecraft values change.
The chart can be used in two ways, to find targets to destroy or to find counter units.
To use the chart to find counter units, find the ship you want to destroy on the top, go down the row of numbers until you find a large modifier, and then look to the left to see what ship causes it. That’s what you want to use against it.
To use it to find targets to destroy, find your ship on the left, and then go across the row looking for high percentages.
Example of Chart Use:
Let’s say you’ve been troubled by LRM swarming and want to stop them.
Looking up LRMs at the top of the table, we find that they have Light Armor. Looking down the column we find that Fighters do 200% damage, Scouts do 200% damage, Colony Ships do 200% damage, and Anti-strikecraft do 100% damage. Thus we would want to look at the dps and cost of those ships to evaluate which would be best, and avoiding using Basic Assault frigates which would only do 75% damage.
Likewise you can use the table in reverse.
Let’s say you have an LRM swarm and want to do the most damage, looking at LRMs at the left, we find that they do Anti-Medium damage. Anti-Medium damage is good against Basic Assault Frigates (150%), and fair against everything else (75% - 100%).
So, if you are LRM swarming, assuming equal costs and production rates, your best case scenario would be an opponent building Basic Assault Frigates. You do extra damage against his frigates, and he does less damage against yours.
|
Attacker
|
|
Fighter
|
Bomber
|
Scout, Long Range, Planet Bomber, Colony Ship
|
Basic Assault
|
Anti-Strikecraft, Carrier, Disable/Repair, Support
|
Heavy Assault, Structure
|
Capital
|
|
Ship Type
|
Type
|
Very Light
|
Light
|
Light
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Medium
|
Heavy
|
Very Heavy
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Capital
|
|
Fighter Squadron
|
Anti Light
|
65%
|
150%
|
200%
|
25%
|
25%
|
25%
|
25%
|
|
Bomber Squadron
|
Anti V Heavy
|
5%
|
10%
|
50%
|
50%
|
50%
|
100%
|
75%
|
|
Scout
|
Anti Light
|
65%
|
150%
|
200%
|
25%
|
25%
|
25%
|
25%
|
|
Basic Assault
|
Anti Heavy
|
10%
|
8%
|
75%
|
100%
|
150%
|
50%
|
50%
|
|
LRM
|
Anti Medium
|
10%
|
10%
|
100%
|
150%
|
75%
|
75%
|
75%
|
|
Planet Bomber
|
Anti Heavy
|
10%
|
8%
|
75%
|
100%
|
125%
|
50%
|
50%
|
|
Anti-Strikecraft
|
Anti V Light
|
105%
|
85%
|
100%
|
25%
|
25%
|
25%
|
25%
|
|
Colony Ship
|
Anti Light
|
65%
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150%
|
200%
|
25%
|
25%
|
25%
|
25%
|
|
Disable/Repair
|
Anti Heavy
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10%
|
8%
|
75%
|
100%
|
125%
|
50%
|
50%
|
|
Support
|
Anti Heavy
|
10%
|
8%
|
75%
|
100%
|
125%
|
50%
|
50%
|
|
Heavy Assault
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Composite
|
10%
|
15%
|
150%
|
100%
|
125%
|
125%
|
75%
|
|
Capital (All)
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Capital
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3%
|
8%
|
75%
|
100%
|
100%
|
100%
|
100%
|
|
Capital Ability
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Ability
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100%
|
100%
|
100%
|
100%
|
100%
|
100%
|
75%
|
|
Structure (All)
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Anti Medium
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10%
|
10%
|
100%
|
150%
|
75%
|
75%
|
75%
|
Focus Fire versus Distributed Fire
Shield mitigation has the effect of reducing the value of focus firing as a fleet strategy. Focus fire is useful for destroying troublesome opponent ships (repairing ships, defensive ability ships, high dps ships, high level capital ships), however it seems that you need a relatively high dps fleet before it becomes the strategy of choice for all targets. There have been many threads devoted to the topic, however a consensus has yet to emerge.
Phoebus on the pros and cons of focus fire & Shield Mitigation
https://forums.sinsofasolarempire.com/178279/page/3
Another Focus Fire Discussion
https://forums.sinsofasolarempire.com/300361
Culture Bonuses
While fighting in gravity wells that are claimed by their respective culture, each race receives certain benefits. The Vasari receive damage bonuses, the Advent receive shield mitigation maximum bonuses, and the TEC receive anti-matter regeneration bonuses.
Data & Sources
Much of the information can be retrieved from the game source files, however Zyrxil has put together a very nice set of spreadsheets:
Original Post
https://forums.sinsofasolarempire.com/177682
On Google Docs:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=p7xc_snd9Cc-6o2UwvPEWUg&gid=0
Download from Mediafire:
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?xdyuy5xconi
EncyClanPedi also hosts the some excellent tables and charts
http://roe.totalgamingnetwork.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Sins_of_a_Solar_Empire%2C_Ships
Other quality tables and charts exist, however these are the ones I reference.
Credits
I have collected this information from the forums and from gameplay. This is a community effort, and everyone should be thanked for their contributions. Individuals include: Phoebus, PeskyFly, archpsi, Fl, Zyrxil, Dairuka, EncyClanPedi,HuntingX, JinxOfSin, Bobucles, and many others who I neglected to record.
Also, in case readers get confused. I orginally made two posts below this to allow for later expansion should the original topic expand too much. I was not aware that this post can be of virtually infiinite length nor that replies can't be edited. So a special thanks goes out to Mettra for telling me this and to kryo for removing my reserved post spam. Active mods are important for an active community.
Please comment, correct, and add additional information, all of this was collected from the community, and it is the community that will continue to update it.
Updated
1/14/09 On comments & 1.12 edits
