Understanding Combat Damage

[ptarth]

For the most part the combat damage makes sense. However, every now and then something happens that doesn't add up and I don't know why. Sometimes it's because I forget to take something into account, but that's not too often. I've made some mantis reports and sometimes there is a discrepancy and it is fixed, sometimes I just misinterpreted things, and sometimes it remains a mystery. Rather than keep spamming the mantis, I thought I'd bring it up here. Then, if it is obvious what's going on, I can creep away into the darkness, and if not, we can make a more informed mantis item.

Here is a mystery case, can you explain it?
The screenshot is attached.

• My spreadshot shots do 2200 Ballistic damage.
• I'm shooting an Evuck Interceptor. It is immune to missiles and pierce and takes only 15% from Concussion. It does not have a listed multiplier versus ballistics.
• You can see that the Interceptors take 1109, 1110, 1026, and 5545 (which is either 2.5 or 5 hits) damage to four different interceptors in the same round.
• I've kept my power at 100%, I didn't monkey around with it before or after the round.
• It doesn't seem to have anything to do with range.
• It is not unique to spreadshot. I've seen it happen with Energy Blaster. I never really use the other weapons, so I don't know about them.
  

My problems

• This is half the expected damage. Where did the damage go?
• There is variance in the damage. This is more generic. I'm assuming there is some random variance in shot damage? Anyone know the formula?

[Draco18s]

Hum.

I think--and this is based only on what I can see in that screenshot--that the base damage is 2220.

This is fine and dandy.

Except that your power bars are at "even split" which is 50%-50%-50%, so your spreadshot is actually doing 1110 damage per bullet.

Ok, that helps.

Looking at the numbers we get the following:
1109 -- 1 damage less than the per-bullet.  Weird, but whatever.
1026 -- 84 damage less than the per-bullet.  Very weird.
5545 -- 5 damage less than 5 bullets worth.  Equivalent to that first one.
4945 -- 605 damage less than 5 bullets worth.  Or 121 less per bullet.  Extremely weird.
1110 -- Dead on the expected value (ship is in the upper left corner)

[ptarth]

Ah, validation that someone is just as bad as I am.
4 bars is each power, is indeed neutral, but it is 100% for everything, not 50%.
Your shot strengths do change to reflect your power settings. So if I had it set to 200% weapon damage it would have appeared as 4440, likewise if down to 50%, it would appear as 1110.

[Draco18s]

Then I don't know.