Every weapon hit is defined by three values:

  • The Expl_Power is the explosive power which reduces the unit's shields and damages the hull.
  • The Kill_Power is the amount of gamma radiation emitted, which kills crew.
  • Weapons may emit Death Rays instead, which have a different characteristics. Death rays also kill crew when the ship still has shields, and do not damage the hull.

Beams: The Expl_Power and Kill_Power are taken from the weapon definition. A beam emits death rays if its Expl_Power is zero. If the owner of the weapon is Privateer, the Kill_Power is tripled. The beam's charge affects its power; a beam fired at charge 600 has only 60% of its normal power.

Expl_Power =
   Trunc(Beam_expl_power * Beam_charge / 1000)
Kill_Power =
   Trunc(Beam_kill_power * Beam_charge / 1000) * PF
   ...with PF=3 if beam owner is privateer, PF=1 otherwise

Torpedoes: The Expl_Power and Kill_Power are taken from the weapon definition. If AllowAlternativeCombat is off, the values are doubled (note that some clients already display the doubled values). A torpedo emits death rays if its Expl_Power is zero.

Fighters: The Expl_Power and Kill_Power are defined by FighterBeamExplosive and FighterBeamKill, respectively. Fighters never fire death rays.