Targeting panel usage

[madmac]

Am I missing something? I'm working my way through the combat scenarios and I have yet to use the targeting panel at all. I'm flying around, trying to line ships up in the crosshairs, fire off a few shots, they dodge, so I chase and repeat the process until they are dead or more often I am
Should I be doing something else, or do the mechanics change once in game?
At the moment I'm struggling to see what the thing does, is it more useful later on or am I missing a big part of combat out?

 

[Half Giant]

Sub Targets? If you are in a small fighter taking on an Anaconda you might want to target the shields so they stop recharging. Or as a pirate you might want to take out the engines of your new friend so they have time to think about your proposal.

 

[madmac]

Maybe it is just the level Im at as Im still practicing the combat missions.

For the scenarios you describe I presume that you are scanning the target first for that level of choice?

 

[Half Giant]

I'm not doing it at all. I'm a trader not a fighter. I was just speculating about what that panel might be used for. Larger ships should have more complex damage models and multiple shield generators in the future. So in combat they might be rotating which shield is facing an opponent while the other recharges. So specifically targeting a shield generator might combat that. Or you might get a combat mission to kidnap a passenger from a transport. Probably best to disable the transport rather than blow it to bits. Probably not that useful against the rats in the missions. But no harm in trying it and seeing what happens. Maybe in the Anaconda mission.