When enemy uses FTL target helm or engine?

[wesleyshaver]

When you get the message that the enemy is trying to jump away is it better to damage the helm, engine, both, neither and why?

[Zaffre]

I believe that the helm and engines are interconnected, but the engines would be good to target because damaging lowers dodging chance. If you were to destroy the helm, they wouldn't be able to jump away; if you destroyed the engines, they wouldn't be able to jump away, and vice versa.

[icepick]

It works just like your own ship. So damaging either will slow the ship down. Destroying one will completely prevent the jump.

I usually target the helm, since it's probably got less health, but there's no garuntee of that. If I'm using beam weapons a lot of time I'll be hitting the engine anyway. So there's also that.

[nakatach]

and they can jump without a pilot

[TJJ]

helm.

- Almost always has fewer hit points than engines
- disabling it has exactly the same set of effects as disabling the engines.
- the AI will keep power allocated to the engines even when the helm is destroyed; power that it might otherwise shunt to weapons/drones/shields/cloak
- depending on ship design, the maximum achievable repair rate may be lower. (helm is always 2 squares, engines are sometimes 4 squares)

I don't see a reason why you'd ever target the engines.

[mahe4]

I don't see a reason why you'd ever target the engines.

there is one reason why you would aim for the engines.
if you have a laser, that'll doo more damage then the helm could sustain, and you know you would destroy the engine with one salve, then aim fore the engine. the more you destroy, the longer takes the repair.
example:
normal helm (lvl 1) - 1 damage = dead
engine (lvl 4) - 4 damage = dead
with most lasers, its better to aim for the helm, because they probably wont do the whole 4 damage to the engine.
but if you have a missle that does 4 damage, aim for the engine.
it takes 4 times to repair the engine, if it is dead, then it would take to repair the helm.

i admit, this is a very rare case, and they only need to repair one level of the engine, but still

[Savage117]

helm.

- Almost always has fewer hit points than engines
- disabling it has exactly the same set of effects as disabling the engines.
- the AI will keep power allocated to the engines even when the helm is destroyed; power that it might otherwise shunt to weapons/drones/shields/cloak
- depending on ship design, the maximum achievable repair rate may be lower. (helm is always 2 squares, engines are sometimes 4 squares)

I don't see a reason why you'd ever target the engines.

As far as I know TJJ is correct, but he has forgoten another point in favor of hitting the helm, now I havent tested this but I believe I noticed it on my own ship.

If you dissable the Engines but not the helm, I believe the FTL still charges, it just cant activate until the engines are back online, while if the helm is broken the FTL will not charge until its fixed.

I personally always go for the helm, it usually only takes one hit to take it down and there is almost always a pilot in there, so he takes damage too, and their dodge chance goes to nill, meaning you can't miss with your shots, although the lack of dodge also happens when engines are dissabled.

[icepick]

You only do one damage per room with a beam. Room size doesn't matter.

Also engines DO NOT charge if they are down.

[DarkenDragon]

It's simply ask about the over kill factor. you should never use more than one weapon to take out either unless the dodge rate is too much to handle. If your weapons can take out the engines in one hit go for it go for pilot. Destroying either one will do the same job but engines take longer to repair and that's Les crew to do more important with.but really either is fine since they must be near dead if they are trying to escape

[Kaerius]

You only do one damage per room with a beam. Room size doesn't matter.

There's more than one beam... halberd beams do 2 damage, and glaive does 3.