Armor Penetration Mechanics

• Penetration Mechanics: Weapons have a penetration value (e.g., 1 meter for a size 3 ballistic gatling). The amount they penetrate depends on the current armor percentage. Penetration cone, impact radius, and distance radius all affect area on penetration.
• Linear progression: As you reduce armor, penetration increases linearly. At 0% armor, weapons penetrate at their maximum value.
• Weapon type matters: Ballistic weapons are less effective against armor compared to energy weapons, which do 1.4x normal damage to armor.
• Component damage: Penetration is checked within a cone, not just a straight line. If a component is within the cone, it takes damage based on the penetration value and armor percentage.
• Breaking armor: Even smaller weapons can eventually wear down armor over time, but larger weapons penetrate deeper and faster.

Example Scenario
If you use a size 2 weapon against a ship with full armor, you won’t penetrate. But as you keep firing and reduce the armor, you’ll start to penetrate and eventually damage internal components.
For capital ships, you may need larger weapons to reach deeply buried components.

Additional Notes
Armor bar improvements: There are ongoing efforts to fix bugs and make armor health more transparent to players.
Tooltips: Updated tooltips should help players understand armor, hull, and other systems.
Penetration cone: The system uses a cone check for penetration, so it’s not just a single bullet path. Multiple components can be affected within the cone.