¶ Battles
This document describes how the battle system works in Ferion, including ship-to-ship combat, ship-to-planet combat, and all related mechanics.
¶ Differences from OG Ferion
¶ Individual Ship Combat
In OG Ferion, all ships in a fleet were reduced to one aggregated "super ship" for battle calculations. This is no longer the case. Each ship now fights individually with its own stats. You cannot boost fleet effectiveness by adding ships with only shields - every ship must pull its own weight.
¶ Hidden Enemy Composition
In OG Ferion, enemy fleet capabilities were easily readable. Now, you must engage in combat to learn:
- How strong your opponent's ships are
- The composition of their army
- Their strategic loadout
This adds tactical depth and requires intelligence gathering through actual combat encounters.
¶ No Troop Ships Required
OG Ferion required specialized troop ships for planet capture. This is no longer needed - any surviving attacking fleet can capture a planet once its defenses are depleted.
¶ Fleets
Fleets are organizational units that allow commanding multiple ships as one group for movement and orders. However, in battle calculations, each ship operates individually:
- Ships are pulled from fleets and fight as separate units
- Fleet membership provides no combat bonuses
- All ships at the same coordinates automatically join battles regardless of fleet assignment
- Fleet actions are removed after battle concludes (win or lose)
¶ Ship Stats
Ships can be specialized for anti-ship combat, planetary bombardment, or hybrid roles during ship design. The following stats matter for combat:
| Icon | Stat | Description |
|---|---|---|
 |
Attack Power vs Ships | Damage dealt when attacking enemy ships |
 |
Attack Power vs Planets | Damage dealt when bombarding planets |
 |
Shields | Reduces incoming damage through damage mitigation formula |
 |
Health (Hit Points) | Total damage the ship can absorb before destruction |
¶ Health Percentage
Ship health is tracked as a percentage: (current_hit_points / max_hit_points) * 100
¶ Planet Stats
Planets have defensive capabilities focused on destroying attacking ships:
| Icon | Stat | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
Attack Power vs Ships | Damage dealt to attacking ships each round |
|
Shields | Reduces incoming damage (uses same formula as ships) |
 |
Energy Reserves | First line of defense - powers the shields |
 |
Troops (Population) | Second line of defense - fight after shields fall |
¶ Two-Tier Defense System
-
Shields (Energy-Based)
- Shields draw power from the planet's energy reserves
- While shields are active, population and infrastructure are protected
- Energy does not regenerate during battle
- Shield percentage:
(current_energy / energy_storage_capacity) * 100
-
Troops (Population-Based)
- Only engage after energy reserves are depleted
- Each hit after shields fall has a 4% chance to:
- Destroy a building, OR
- If no building destroyed, 4% chance to kill 1 population
- Planet health percentage:
(current_population / max_population) * 100
¶ Building Energy Infrastructure
- Energy storage can be increased through buildings
- Energy generation requires dedicated structures
- Late-game: Dyson swarms provide massive energy generation
- Troops automatically generate over time based on population size
¶ Ship vs Ship Battle
¶ Battle Flow
- Battle executes in cycles (rounds)
- Each cycle:
- All attacking ships take their attack action
- All defending ships take their attack action
- Maximum attacks per cycle:
max(attacking_ships_count, defending_ships_count) - Ships destroyed during a cycle can no longer attack
- Battle continues until one side has no ships remaining
¶ Targeting System: Focus Fire
Ships use a focus fire targeting system with random initial selection:
- Initial target selected randomly from living enemy ships
- Ship continues attacking the same target until:
- Target is destroyed, OR
- 2% chance per attack to switch to a new random target
- This creates realistic "focus down" behavior
¶ Victory Conditions
- Attacker Wins: All defending ships destroyed
- Defender Wins: All attacking ships destroyed
- Attacker Retreat: See below
¶ Attacker retreat
There is no stalemate result any more. Instead, an attack that cannot be won dissolves: the attacking ships turn around and go home.
A battle is hopeless for the attacker as soon as the attacking side can no longer damage any defending asset. That means no surviving attacker can hit the defending ships (none are alive, or none of the attackers carry an anti-ship weapon) and none of them can hit the planet either (it is destroyed, it is not defending, or no attacker carries a planet weapon). What matters is capability, not luck: a round where every bombardment roll simply missed does not count as hopeless.
At the end of each hopeless round, every attacking ship still in the fight rolls to withdraw:
| Hopeless round | Retreat chance per ship |
|---|---|
| 1st | 25% |
| 2nd | 50% |
| 3rd | 75% |
| 4th | 100% |
So a hopeless attack always fully dissolves within four rounds.
Retreating ships survive. They leave the battle with whatever hit points they have left and keep their damage, they are not destroyed. Once every attacker has withdrawn the battle ends and the defender is credited with the win. Retreats are shown in the battle report, and the fleet counts in the report tick down as ships leave.
¶ Futile attacks (cancelled before they start)
If the attacking fleet cannot damage a single defending asset before the first shot is fired, and there is nothing there to capture, the battle would only ever end in a retreat. So it is cancelled outright:
- The attack does not happen and no battle report is generated.
- The attacker gets an "attack was futile" news item plus a push notification, telling them where it happened.
- The defender gets a news item too (no push), so a cancelled attack is not invisible to them.
The classic way to hit this is sending pure bombers at a target whose fleet is still alive, or pure anti-ship fighters at a bare planet. One exception: a defenceless planet already at zero hit points is captured without a shot, so that attack is never futile.
¶ Ship vs Planet Battle
¶ The combined phase
Ship combat and planet combat are not separate phases: a defending planet takes part from the first round, at a reduced rate while its own fleet is still alive.
| Situation | Planet fires | Attackers bombard the planet |
|---|---|---|
| Defending ships still alive | On 20% of its opportunities (40% with the Siegecraft minister Korrath) | Ships with a planet weapon have a 5% chance per shot to hit the planet instead of the fleet (10% with the Siegecraft minister Zenix), otherwise they shoot at ships |
| No defending ships left | Every opportunity | Every ship that can bombard does; ships without a planet weapon sit the round out |
A destroyed planet never fires. See Cabinet & Ministries for the two Siegecraft candidates that double one of these rates.
¶ Battle Flow
- Battle executes in cycles similar to ship combat
- Each cycle:
- Attacking ships bombard the planet (using Attack vs Planets stat)
- Planet defenses counter-attack ships (using Attack vs Ships stat)
- Ships destroyed during battle are removed immediately
¶ Damage to Planet
While Shields Active (Energy > 0):
- Damage reduces shield energy
- No harm to population or buildings
- Infrastructure is protected
After Shields Fall (Energy = 0):
- Each hit has 4% chance to destroy a building
- If building destruction roll fails: 4% chance to kill 1 population
- Planet fights until troops reach 0
¶ Planet Capture
When planet hit points reach 0:
- Planet is automatically captured by the attacking player
- Ownership transfers immediately
- No troop ships or special mechanics required
¶ When the attacker cannot hurt the planet
Same as ship battles: an attacking fleet that cannot damage the planet (no planet weapons, or the planet is already out of reach of what it carries) is hopeless and retreats. See Attacker retreat above.
¶ Damage Calculations
¶ The Formula
Damage uses a logarithmic shield reduction formula:
ratio = shields / attack
damage_multiplier = 1 / (1 + log(ratio + 1))
damage = ceil(attack * damage_multiplier)
final_damage = max(1, damage)
¶ Key Properties
| Scenario | Base Result |
|---|---|
| Attack = 100, Shields = 0 | 100 damage (full damage) |
| Attack = 100, Shields = 100 | ~54 damage (shields reduce ~46%) |
| Attack = 100, Shields = 1000 | ~15 damage (heavy mitigation) |
| Attack > 0, Any Shields | Minimum 1 damage guaranteed |
| Attack = 0, Any Shields | 0 damage (e.g., settler ships) |
¶ Critical Hits
After base damage is calculated, there's a chance for a critical hit:
| Roll | Chance | Effect | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-5 | 5% | Critical Hit | 150% damage |
| 6-100 | 95% | Normal Hit | 100% damage |
This adds tactical uncertainty to battles - even weaker fleets can get lucky with critical hits, potentially turning the tide of battle.
¶ Important Notes
- Base damage formula is deterministic, randomness comes from critical rolls
- Minimum damage of 1 ensures battles eventually resolve
- Higher shield-to-attack ratios provide diminishing returns on defense
- The formula rewards balanced ship designs
¶ Ministers
Ministers can significantly modify battle behavior. Combat-related ministers are found in the Ministry of Conquest, the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Siegecraft.
¶ Ministry of Conquest
¶ 1. Reduced Destruction Chance
Name: Vesper
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Effect | Reduces collateral damage during planetary bombardment |
| Mechanic | Building/population destruction chance reduced from 4% to 2% per hit |
| Applies To | Attacking player (protects infrastructure on planets you're capturing) |
| Benefit | Captured planets retain more buildings and population |
¶ 2. Auto-Assign Capture Building Queue
Name: Orin
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Effect | Automatically assigns a building queue to newly captured planets |
| Mechanic | Uses the player's configured "Conquer PQA" (Planet Queue Automation) |
| Applies To | Attacking player (on successful planet capture) |
| Benefit | Captured planets immediately start productive construction |
¶ Ministry of Defense
¶ 1. Focused Planet Defenses
Name: Bonucus
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Effect | Planet defenses use focus fire targeting instead of random |
| Mechanic | Same target attacked until destroyed, 3% chance to switch per attack |
| Applies To | Defending player's planet |
| Benefit | Concentrates fire to destroy attacking ships faster |
¶ 2. Preserve Defensive Buildings
Name: Olyx
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Effect | Defensive buildings may survive planet capture |
| Mechanic | Each defensive building has 50% chance to NOT be destroyed on capture |
| Applies To | Attacking player (buildings on planets you capture) |
| Benefit | Captured planets may retain shields/attack buildings |
Note: Normally when a planet is captured, ALL defensive buildings (those providing planet attack or shield bonuses) are destroyed. This minister gives each one a coin-flip chance to survive.
¶ Ministry of Siegecraft
The third Military ministry, unlocked once you have appointed a Defense minister. Both candidates cost 4 decrees and 250 credits/week, and each doubles one of the two combined phase rates.
¶ 1. Planet Fires More While Defended
Name: Korrath
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Effect | Your planets keep shooting while their own fleet is still defending them |
| Mechanic | Planet fire chance while defending ships are alive raised from 20% to 40% of its opportunities |
| Applies To | Defending player's planets |
| Benefit | A defended planet contributes far more damage before its fleet dies |
¶ 2. Ships Bombard Through Defenders
Name: Zenix
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Effect | Your bombers shoot past the defending fleet at the planet itself |
| Mechanic | Chance for a ship with a planet weapon to target the planet instead of ships raised from 5% to 10% per shot |
| Applies To | Attacking player's ships |
| Benefit | Starts wearing the planet down while the enemy fleet is still alive |
Note: These two are opposites, and picking one closes the other off permanently. Korrath is the defensive pick, Zenix the offensive one.
¶ Common Strategies
¶ Fleet Specialization
Fighters (Anti-Ship)
- High Attack vs Ships, low Attack vs Planets
- Designed to hunt and destroy enemy fleets
- Vulnerable to planets, ineffective at capture
Bombers (Anti-Planet)
- High Attack vs Planets, low Attack vs Ships
- Designed for rapid planet capture
- Requires fighter escort: sent alone against a defended planet they cannot hurt the enemy fleet, so the attack is called off as futile or ends in a retreat
Hybrid
- Balanced Attack vs Ships and Planets
- More versatile but less specialized
- Safer option when enemy composition is unknown
¶ Defense Strategies
High Health Builds
- Ships that absorb more damage but deal less
- Effective for attrition warfare
- Good for defensive positions
High Shield Builds
- Reduces incoming damage significantly
- Effective against many small attacks
- Less effective against concentrated high-damage attacks
¶ Battle Reports
¶ Generation
After every battle, a detailed report is generated containing:
- Battle position (coordinates)
- Day number
- Players involved
- Winner determination
- Complete object states (ships, planet)
- Full event history
¶ Notifications
- Both players receive news items with battle report links
- Reports accessible from the news screen
¶ Battle Replay
- Clicking a battle report plays a visual replay
- Replay is 100% accurate to actual calculations
- Shows each round, damage dealt, ships destroyed
¶ Frequently asked questions
Do ships with no bombing capability participate in the attack of a planet?
All ships owned by you in the location of the planet will participate in the attack.
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