!!! Basics Of Combat And Research

|*  [1 Battle Turns|Basics_Of_Combat_And_Research#Battle_Turns] 
*  [2 Weapon Basics|Basics_Of_Combat_And_Research#Weapon_Basics] 
**  [2.1 Power|Basics_Of_Combat_And_Research#Power] 
**  [2.2 Damage|Basics_Of_Combat_And_Research#Damage] 
**  [2.3 Accuracy|Basics_Of_Combat_And_Research#Accuracy] 
**  [2.4 Range|Basics_Of_Combat_And_Research#Range] 
**  [2.5 Rate|Basics_Of_Combat_And_Research#Rate] 
**  [2.6 Defensive|Basics_Of_Combat_And_Research#Defensive] 
*  [3 Unit Basics|Basics_Of_Combat_And_Research#Unit_Basics] 
**  [3.1 Hull|Basics_Of_Combat_And_Research#Hull] 
**  [3.2 Armour/Shield|Basics_Of_Combat_And_Research#Armour/Shield] 
**  [3.3 Combat (Maneuverability)|Basics_Of_Combat_And_Research#Combat_.28Maneuverability.29] 
**  [3.4 Command|Basics_Of_Combat_And_Research#Command]
!!! Battle Turns

Battle turns occur every 15 minutes. Whenever a battle turn occurs, your forces will fight against the enemy and a  [battle report|http://web.archive.org/web/20130204094751/http://exorace.com/wiki/en/Battle_Report]  will be published. The space battle occurs before the ground battle, but both occur in a single battle turn. This means that if you were against a player (aliens don't have space units.), you could lose transports in space and not land your ground forces.

!!! Weapon Basics

!! Power

A weapon's power is its ability to breach an opponent's shield (space) or Armour (ground). A weapon will only do damage to a unit if the power rating is greater than the shield/Armour rating. This means that a weapon with 500 power will do no damage against a unit with 500 or more Armour. In addition, power does not stack. Two weapons (or two units) with 500 power each will still do no damage against a unit with 500 or more Armour.

In addition, the difference between power and shielding also plays a role in deciding the final damage, with a larger difference resulting in more final damage. Power isn't the only factor in deciding final damage though.

!! Damage

Influences how much of a unit you kill but, as stated above, final damage is also affected by the difference between the weapon's power and enemy shield. An analogy that could be applied here is to think of the damage stat as the bullet size and explosive capability. A high damage weapon can score splash damage on smaller units (i.e. tank shell vs infantry) but will take up more space which will sacrifice other attributes such as accuracy, range and rate.

!! Accuracy

This is the likelihood of hitting an enemy. A higher accuracy will result in a larger number of hits from the same number of shots.

!! Range

Longer range weapons fire first, which gives you a chance to destroy enemy units before they can get a shot in. In addition, shorter range weapons will need less accuracy to maximize their hit rate.

!! Rate

Influences the number of shots fired. Higher rate weapons will experience a hit rate boost since the bullets can spread around the target to increase the likelihood of a hit occurring. A high rate is especially useful in anti-infantry or anti-fighter weapons.

!! Defensive

Making a weapon defensive will mean that your unit will not move towards the opponent in order to fire this weapon and will only use it against enemies that come within its range. This will reduce both the shot number for this weapon and the likelihood of your unit being shot at. This has applications for secondary weapons that hold a smaller range than the primary weapon of your unit.

!!! Unit Basics

!! Hull

This determines the size of the unit, the available build points (also influenced by tech level) and then also the unit's "health". Smaller units will be more difficult to hit and can carry smaller unit components (i.e. less Armour, smaller weapons).

!! Armour/Shield

See weapon power

!! Combat (Maneuverability)

This is decided by the number of engines on a unit and its hull size. Having a higher CM results in a unit that is more likely to get within the required range to fire a weapon (resulting in more shots) and is also more likely to avoid incoming shots (and so will get hit less).

!! Command

This component provides combat bonuses to units within an army or fleet, think of it as the computer systems and military leaders that coordinate your forces. It should not be placed on every unit, and you should read  [this|Command]  article for more information.