combat that don't make sense

[Arkcon]

If your scroll around the tactical map while ships are moving, their images may not be erased until the screen updates next turn. That might be what's happening. Are you sure they weren't hit by point defense?

[Randallw]

some times it doesn't show the fire or damage being caused if the attacker is off the screen. So if your'e fighters are just in range of the enemy and they fire PD from off screen they will appear just to dissapear.

[Pocus]

ok, thanks.

slightly diverging from the topic, I will dare, in all my glorious newbiness ask this question:

are all beam weapons capable of spreading damages on several units? I see that some weapons are capable of shooting down 3-4 of my fighters at once (not only PD).

[Alneyan]

Multiplex components allow a ship to fire on up to 5 targets at once (planets can fire on 10 targets in a given turn, if memory serves). So, a ship with 5 weapon components can fire on 5 different targets.

[Q]

Pocus said:
ok, thanks.

slightly diverging from the topic, I will dare, in all my glorious newbiness ask this question:

are all beam weapons capable of spreading damages on several units? I see that some weapons are capable of shooting down 3-4 of my fighters at once (not only PD).

A group of fighters is treated as one target and the individual fighters in that group like components in a ship for the combat damage calculation in SE IV. Therefore if you fire at a group with weapons that do more damage than one single fighter has hit points you can destroy several fighters or even the entire group with one sigle shot.