Space combat
Space combat is warfare beyond planetary atmospheres, be it in low orbit or in the interstellar void.
Range
The shape of a starship battle is determined by the range of the combatants, for the simple reason that their weapons are optimized for different ranges.
The longest range is considered to be the limit of a starship's sublight detection range, anything from several millions to hundreds of thousands of kilometers. While FTL sensors can potentially detect objects from light years away, combat at these ranges and velocities is impossible.
Short range is anything below a thousand kilometers, while a target at ten kilometers is considered to be at point blank.
Particle beams are capable of obtaining a hard kill at short range, but at longer ranges they are less effective. At point blank, they are devastating.
Lasers and railguns are most effective at close range, though they both have peculiar traits regarding accuracy and hitting power.
