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The Anti-Bio beam in FTL only damages crew, and - as with any beam weapon - it's often tricky to line up the perfect shot on an enemy ship. I understand (based on answers to this question - How do beam weapons damage enemy crew?) that a beam's path must specifically cross crewmembers - and not just the room they're in - in order to deal them damage.

Is it sufficient, however, for the beam to hit the square / tile containing the crewmember - or does the beam's path literally have to cross through the actual crewmember's sprite? That is, if a beam 'cuts the corner' of a square containing a stationary crew member, but doesn't actually touch the crew member, will they still take damage from the shot?

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    As stated on the accepted answer on the question you linked, it's hard to test. However, the two answers allude to the fact that the beam needs to pass the unit's hitbox. So, from my point of view, this was answered in the question you linked.
    – Doktoro Reichard
    Commented May 21, 2014 at 22:00
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    @DoktoroReichard It appears this question was answered in a comment to an answer on that other question. In that light, this question could be interpreted as questioning the veracity of that comment (since comments aren't held to the same standard as answers).
    – Brilliand
    Commented May 21, 2014 at 22:45

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I have had a beam hit an enemy crewmember when I had simply drawn it through the center of the room he was in, and believed that it would miss him. (I was quite lucky it did, since that got me the "kill three enemies with one beam" achievement.) If the crewmwmber's hit box is any smaller than the square he's occupying, then it could only be by a pixel or so. Either way, the beam does not need to cross the crewmember's sprite - passing through his square (or his hitbox, which is nearly indistinguishable from his square) is sufficient.

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  • yes, correct. the room he is in suffices. the same with fire. the crewmember does not have to stand in the fire, he gets hurt if there is fire within the room.
    – christian.s
    Commented May 22, 2014 at 6:28
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    @christian.s Actually, it think the answer says the opposite: the room is not enough, but the square the crewmember is in. See: gaming.stackexchange.com/questions/89802/…
    – SysDragon
    Commented May 22, 2014 at 14:26
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    @christian.s The room he's in suffices for fire and lasers, but a beam has to hit the square he's in. Hitting the sprite isn't necessary, though - just the square.
    – Brilliand
    Commented May 22, 2014 at 15:53
  • I would like to think that if a powerful laser beam just tore a chunk out of the floor tile you were standing on, it's more than likely gonna cause you some superficial burns as well (at the very least), even just from heat exposure
    – Robotnik ♦
    Commented Nov 19, 2014 at 3:43

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