Ships in Capital Command die one system at a time, and every battle is a race to fix what's broken before more breaks.
The primary indicator of a ship's "health" is an abstract number called its structural integrity. It describes the state of the primary structural elements that keep it in one piece. When structural integrity reaches zero, the ship will effectively die: components and sections fall apart, systems fail catastrophically, links and communication lines are severed and, for good measure, the main ammunition magazine usually explodes in a spectacular display. Reducing structural integrity to zero is the proximate cause for a ship's existential failure.
In addition to structural integrity, ship are also divided into sections. Each section has its own damage status, also displayed as an abstract number. When an attack impacts the hull, the corresponding section takes the brunt of the damage, before the ship's structure. Of course, if the impacted section is already heavily damaged, or if the attack is exceedingly devastating, structural damage will be significant.
Death by a Thousand Cuts
However, attacks can do much more than just degrade a ship's sections and structural integrity. The complex machinery that keeps a ship moving and fighting, is fragile and vulnerable. Every time a ship is hit, there is a risk that various systems become disabled, resulting in impaired effectiveness, or even rendering the ship completely unable to maneuver or fight.
The physical location where an attack lands is the most important factor in determining its effects, with nearer systems more likely to be affected. That said, ships' inner layouts are notoriously complex, and the path of damage inside the hull is inherently chaotic. Therefore, it is quite possible that distant systems will be disabled, although usually damage doesn't easily cross between sections.
Most ships are designed expecting damage mostly on their forward and "top" sides, which is where their primary armament is located. Therefore, dorsal and frontal sections are usually somewhat more durable, while other more fragile, critical parts such as the drives or the ammo magazine, are positioned (hopefully) safely in the stern and underbelly.
Another dangerous consequence of taking damage is that it may start cascading failures and chain reactions inside the ship. Although generally called "fires", these events rarely involve actual oxygen combustion, although they often produces flame-like plasma that escapes from the hull in rather spectacular pyrotechnic displays. This type of uncontrolled energetic phenomena inside the hull causes both structural damage, as well as additional disruption to other systems in the vicinity.
Normally, while serious, fires aren't altogether lethal. Only a ship in very poor shape, afflicted by multiple fires, could face structural failure from them alone. While fires do degrade structure and sections, they are at their most critical when they randomly disable other systems, suddenly depriving the ship of its capabilities at inopportune times.
Damage Control
Of course, warships are designed and built knowing that they will be shot at. Damage effects aren't completely unpredictable, and automated procedures and responses exist to restore functionality and limit side-effects. While this does not happen immediately, or even very quickly, captains can be reasonably certain that most fires will be put out, and system failures restored, within a matter of minutes.
However, a few minutes is more than enough for an enemy to take advantage of the ship's reduced capability, and launch additional attacks. Most damage effects will be seriously worsened when more damage hits them, significantly increasing recovery time. A skilled attacker will prioritize damaged ships, and will try to hit them where they're already visibly wounded, hoping to finish them off before they can recover.
Damage control parties are a captain's best tool to deal with damage effects. These are teams of highly-trained personnel, equipped to navigate the inside of the hull, isolate and contain hot spots, apply emergency repairs and restore systems to operation. DCP's are experts at damage control and can be relied upon to neutralize emergencies and restore functionality quickly and effectively.
The major downside of damage control parties is their low availability, They are limited in number; worse, after each assignment, a significant time is required before they are prepared to deploy again. Situational awareness, tactics and the captain's judgment will dictate whether a problem warrants a DCP intervention.
That's it: a primer on damage, destruction and damage control in Capital Command. I hope you enjoyed this presentation. Remember to wishlist the game, and thanks for reading!
The dev