THIS IS A GAME DESIGN DOCUMENT: you may discuss it in this thread.
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Hi guys,
We've had a lot of headaches with this features but I think that we finally have something cool. So it's different from what I announced in the overview, and I think, for the best. This new approach involves less micromanagement and bring a new simple and efficient gameplay which is going to enhance the battles.
So, here are some of the targeting orders and formations we have in mind. As usual, feel free to comment and bring your own ideas! 
Rational
We want to add more strategy regarding the battle, and for that there are two new features: Formation and Targeting.
- Formation allows the player to define how his ships are sorted. This will then define which ships will be targeted first by the opponents.
- Targeting defines how shots are divided: you can either focus on one ship or spread shots on the whole fleet.
With those two additions, battles are going to be more strategic and require a better upstream preparation.
Formations
Gameplay
From the battle notification, the player can select one formation for its fleet from a list. This list evolves through the game thanks to specific technologies unlocking new formation. Also, some formations require a ship over a specific level.
As previously mentioned, a formation defines how your ships are sorted. Each formation uses properties and sorts your ships either in a top down order or in an ascending order.
Here is the list of available formations:
- Protect the damaged ship: ships with the highest Hull Points are on top of the list;
- Use weak ships as a shield: ships with the least weapons are on top of the list;
- Defend the fleet: ships with the highest defence are on top of the list;
- Protect the supports: ships with the most MP are on top of the list.
A formation is selected only during the pre-battle and cannot be changed during a fight.
Targeting Orders
Gameplay
From the battle notification, the player can choose a targeting order, which will impact the outcome of the battle.
The targeting order can be defined for each phase, if none are selected, a default targeting order (the Spread fire) is used or the one selected in the previous phase.
There are three different types of targeting available:
- Focus fire: all your ships focus the first ship of the opponent (depending on its formation). Once the target is destroyed, there is 1 dead round to acquire a new target.
- Strong fire: from the top of the list, a third of your fleet targets the three first opponent’s ships. Once the target is destroyed, there is 1 dead round to acquire a new target.
- Spread fire: each one of your ship targets the first ship of the list which is not targeted. If every ships are already targeted, the ship selects the less targeted from the top of the list. Once the target is destroyed, a new target is acquired immediately.