Editing Armor (section)

===Square-by-Square Penetration===
[[File:DamageTemplate.png|thumb|right|Damage templates for different weapon types.]]
For most strikes, the exact pattern of damage on armor may be predicted reliably.  The image at right shows the expected pattern of damage for missile and carronade strikes at left, while lasers are shown at right.  A hit of a given damage will destroy all squares equal to or lower than its value.  For example, a size-nine missile will destroy all squares with a value of nine or less in the template.  

The pattern in which damage is applied favors the design of weapons which deliver a damage found in the central column of the template, due to those numbers representing the first penetration into an additional layer of armor.  This represents the least damage required to penetrate that particular armor layer and therefore the most efficient warhead or beam strike.

For additional examples of penetration mechanics in action, see [http://aurora2.pentarch.org/index.php?topic=10470.msg116088#msg116088 this forum post].