Target modes
What it is
Every weapon auto-aims. Each time a weapon is ready to fire, it scans for living enemies and picks exactly one to aim at. The target-mode field on the weapon spec decides which enemy gets picked when more than one is eligible.
The four modes
| Mode | Pick rule | Tiebreaker | Fallback when nothing is in range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Closest | Enemy with the smallest edge-to-edge distance to the ship | First eligible enemy scanned | Weapon does not fire |
| Furthest | Enemy with the largest edge-to-edge distance to the ship, still within acquire range | First eligible enemy scanned | Weapon does not fire |
| Flanking | Enemy whose direction from the ship is closest to perpendicular to ship facing (90 degrees off) | Closer enemy wins among equally sideways candidates | Weapon does not fire |
| Low-HP | Enemy with the lowest current hit points | First eligible enemy scanned | Weapon does not fire |
Distance is measured to the nearest point on the enemy’s collision circle, not its center, so larger enemies count as effectively closer.
Acquire range
Each weapon has an acquire range — the radius around the ship in which enemies are considered candidates. Target mode and acquire range work together: acquire range builds the candidate pool (every living enemy inside that radius), and target mode picks the winner from that pool. Enemies outside acquire range are ignored regardless of mode.
Acquire range carries a small generosity buffer so weapons start firing slightly before enemies cross the nominal range, and it expands automatically for weapons whose damage zone (blast radius, beam width, orbit radius) reaches farther than the base range.
When no target is available
If the candidate pool is empty, most weapons stand down: they hold their cooldown, do not warm up, and do not spawn projectiles. They will fire on the next frame an eligible enemy appears.
A small number of weapons always fire on their cooldown regardless of whether any enemy is in range — these are the always-fire weapons (auras, orbits, and a few centered casts). See the always-fire list on the weapons roll-up page.