diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index e35ebfe..943bb3a 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -52,6 +52,48 @@ respawns, the bar — lives in **`data/combat.json`**:
   `window.__ORBIT_COMBAT__ = { system, bar, player, kills, spawn,
   damagePlayer, cast }`.
 
+- **Feel** — the handling is what the range tunes. Every feel number
+  (thrust, top speed, drag, turn rate + turn response, throttle ramp/
+  decay, brake) lives in `data/combat.json` under `combat.player`, and
+  both fronts run the same pure `handleFeel` integration
+  (`js/combat/Combat.js`) — so what you feel in the range is what the
+  main game ships. Thrust ramps in and decays out, turns ease on, and
+  the brake kills the velocity instantly.
+- **Feedback — VFX** — every combat event has a distinct *visual* cue,
+  all procedural (`js/combat/Fx.js` — canvas dots / additive glows, no
+  new art): a tracer + muzzle flash on **firing**, a spark burst +
+  damage number on **impact**, a cyan flash + damage number on a
+  **shield hit**, an orange flash + damage number on a **hull hit**, a
+  big burst + double ring on an **enemy kill**, a DOWN burst when the
+  **player goes down**, and a REFORMED bloom on **respawn**. Shield
+  reads cyan and hull reads orange in both the flash and the number, so
+  a glance tells you which layer took the hit.
+- **Feedback — SFX** — the same seven events each get a *distinct* voice
+  from the existing `data/sfx.json` set (no new sound files), through
+  one shared event→voice map + playback path (`js/combat/CombatSfx.js`)
+  so the two fronts can't drift: firing = `scan`, impact = `ui_click`,
+  shield = `solar_buzz`, hull = `mining_split`, kill = `thunder_01..04`
+  (one at random), down = `deconstruct`, respawn = `discovery`. Enemy
+  fire reuses the `scan` voice, quieter.
+- **Readability layer** — a shared HUD (`js/combat/CombatHud.js`, pure
+  rules in `js/combat/Combat.js`) makes the fight *readable* in both
+  fronts: a rotating **lock reticle** on the current target (the same
+  target the cannon auto-fires — one rule, one target), pulsing
+  **threat markers** over every live hostile, **off-screen arrows** at
+  hostiles outside the camera (the main game's camera follows the ship),
+  a **kill feed** (newest-first, top-right), and a **gauge flash** — the
+  combat bar's shields/hull gauge lights the moment it takes the hit.
+- **Dev hooks + checkers** — besides the two pokes above, every SFX call
+  is logged to `window.__COMBAT_SFX__ = { log, last }` (capped), so the
+  wiring is verifiable headless in both fronts. CDP checkers drive the
+  real game and read state back: `node dev/combat-flycheck.mjs`
+  (flight feel — t60/t30, spin, stop distance, top speed),
+  `node dev/combat.sfxcheck.mjs` (all seven SFX events fire through the
+  shared path, in both the range and the main game), and
+  `node dev/combat-shot.mjs [outDir]` (captures a labeled feedback frame
+  per context through the production paths into `dev/shots/` — the
+  committed `combat-range.png` + `combat-main.png` are that evidence).
+
 ## Current state — v0.2: a seedable galaxy
 
 - Main menu with **Continue** (resumes the newest save — grayed out while
@@ -336,7 +378,7 @@ node dev/perimeter-shimmer.test.mjs # the READY row's dual-shimmer rim: perimete
 node dev/quests.test.mjs         # the quest ledger: grant/claim + the ONE priority (set/clear/sticks/auto-assign) + save round-trip
 node dev/sfx.test.mjs             # the shared SFX voice: guards + sfx.json keys/files
 node dev/music.test.mjs           # the shared music voice: guards + music.json contract
-node dev/combat.test.mjs          # the combat RULES: armor damage, the enemy's ring AI + lance decision, bullet life, CombatSystem (pack, auto-fire, hits, rams, armor, respawn) — real data/combat.json
+node dev/combat.test.mjs          # the combat RULES: armor damage, the enemy's ring AI + lance decision, bullet life, CombatSystem (pack, auto-fire, hits, rams, armor, respawn), ship FEEL (handleFeel), the SFX event→voice map, and the READABILITY rules (pickTarget, feed, off-screen arrows, the shared CombatHud) — real data/combat.json
 ```
 
 `dev/test-game.html` boots straight into the GameScene (no menu click),
diff --git a/dev/combat-shot.mjs b/dev/combat-shot.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..261dd5e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dev/combat-shot.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,218 @@
+/**
+ * Dev-only CDP screenshot harness for the COMBAT FEEDBACK set — drives
+ * the real game in BOTH combat contexts (the training range `/combat` and
+ * the main game `index.html?combat`), fires the combat events through the
+ * PRODUCTION paths (fire / impact / shield+hull / kill / player-hit), and
+ * captures a labeled frame per context so the new feedback (VFX + the
+ * readability layer) is on record.
+ *
+ *   node dev/combat-shot.mjs [outDir]
+ *
+ * Requires the dev server (http://127.0.0.1:8080) and a headless
+ * Chromium-CDP browser on 127.0.0.1:9333 (same as dev/cdp-shot.mjs):
+ *   /opt/brave.com/brave/brave --headless --disable-gpu \
+ *     --remote-debugging-port=9333 about:blank
+ *
+ * Outputs (committed as evidence under the given outDir, default
+ * dev/shots/):
+ *   combat-range.png   — /combat: lock reticle, threat cue, enemy-hit
+ *                        flash + damage number, kill burst + feed,
+ *                        player-hit flash + gauge flash
+ *   combat-main.png    — index.html?combat: the same set in the
+ *                        main game, with the real combat bar gauging
+ *
+ * Every event goes through the shared production code (CombatSfx / Fx /
+ * CombatHud), so the frame is a faithful picture of what a player sees.
+ */
+const fs = await import('node:fs');
+const CDP = process.env.CDP_PORT ? `127.0.0.1:${process.env.CDP_PORT}` : '127.0.0.1:9333';
+const BASE = process.env.BASE ?? 'http://127.0.0.1:8080';
+const OUT = process.argv[2] ?? 'dev/shots';
+
+const sleep = (ms) => new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, ms));
+
+async function main() {
+  fs.mkdirSync(OUT, { recursive: true });
+
+  // Open a fresh page target at `url`.
+  async function openPage(url) {
+    let target;
+    try {
+      target = await (await fetch(`http://${CDP}/json/new?${encodeURIComponent(url)}`, { method: 'PUT' })).json();
+    } catch {
+      target = await (await fetch(`http://${CDP}/json/new?${encodeURIComponent(url)}`, { method: 'POST' })).json();
+    }
+    const ws = new WebSocket(target.webSocketDebuggerUrl);
+    let id = 0;
+    const pending = new Map();
+    const send = (method, params = {}) => new Promise((res, rej) => {
+      const mid = ++id;
+      pending.set(mid, { res, rej });
+      ws.send(JSON.stringify({ id: mid, method, params }));
+    });
+    await new Promise((res, rej) => { ws.onopen = res; ws.onerror = () => rej(new Error('ws error')); });
+    ws.onmessage = (m) => {
+      const x = JSON.parse(m.data);
+      if (x.id && pending.has(x.id)) {
+        const { res, rej } = pending.get(x.id);
+        pending.delete(x.id);
+        x.error ? rej(new Error(x.error.message)) : res(x.result);
+      }
+    };
+    await send('Runtime.enable');
+    await send('Page.enable');
+    await send('Network.enable');
+    await send('Network.setCacheDisabled', { cacheDisabled: true });
+    await send('Page.navigate', { url });
+    const ev = async (expr) => {
+      const r = await send('Runtime.evaluate', { expression: expr, returnByValue: true, awaitPromise: true });
+      if (r.exceptionDetails) throw new Error('page: ' + JSON.stringify(r.exceptionDetails.exception?.description ?? r.exceptionDetails.text));
+      return r.result?.value;
+    };
+    const waitTrue = async (expr, timeoutMs = 45000) => {
+      const end = Date.now() + timeoutMs;
+      while (Date.now() < end) {
+        const v = await ev(expr).catch(() => null);
+        if (v) return v;
+        await sleep(250);
+      }
+      throw new Error('timed out waiting for: ' + expr.slice(0, 60));
+    };
+    const shot = async (path, delayMs = 110) => {
+      await sleep(delayMs); // let the last paint land (flash near peak, numbers mid-rise)
+      const r = await send('Page.captureScreenshot', { format: 'png' });
+      fs.writeFileSync(path, Buffer.from(r.data, 'base64'));
+      console.log(`  shot: ${path}`);
+    };
+    const close = async () => {
+      await fetch(`http://${CDP}/json/close/${target.id}`).catch(() => {});
+      ws.close();
+    };
+    return { ev, waitTrue, shot, close, target };
+  }
+
+  // ------------------------------------------------------------ the range
+  {
+    console.log('range  (/combat):');
+    const p = await openPage(`${BASE}/combat`);
+    try {
+      await p.waitTrue('Boolean(window.game && window.game.scene.getScene("CombatScene"))');
+      await sleep(1200); // let the pack settle into its ring
+      await p.ev(`(async () => {
+        const s = window.game.scene.getScene('CombatScene');
+        // A live target on the current-target rule (the lock + threat cue show it).
+        const e = s.enemies.find((x) => !x.dead) || (s.spawnEnemy(s.w / 2, s.h / 2, 99), s.enemies[s.enemies.length - 1]);
+        // Fan the cannon at it through the real fire path (the shared weapon).
+        const cfg = await (await fetch('/data/combat.json', { cache: 'no-store' })).json();
+        const wpn = cfg.player.weapon;
+        const a = Math.atan2(e.y - s.ship.y, e.x - s.ship.x);
+        for (let i = -3; i <= 3; i++) s.firePlayer(a + i * 0.05, wpn);
+        // A guaranteed enemy hit through the real collide path: spawn a
+        // tracer ON the enemy so the first frame's swept segment crosses it.
+        const e2 = s.enemies.find((x) => !x.dead);
+        if (e2) s.spawnBullet(e2.x, e2.y, a, wpn, 'player');
+        return true;
+      })()`);
+      // Wait for the fan to land (the SFX dev log records an
+      // impact/shield/hull voice — it stays true once it has fired) so
+      // the enemy-hit feedback is live, then finish the cue set + capture.
+      await p.waitTrue(`(() => {
+        const log = window.__COMBAT_SFX__?.log ?? [];
+        return log.some((x) => x.event === 'impact' || x.event === 'shield' || x.event === 'hull');
+      })()`, 8000).catch(() => null);
+      await p.ev(`(() => {
+        const s = window.game.scene.getScene('CombatScene');
+        // The kill (burst + kill feed + the thunder voice).
+        const e = s.enemies.find((x) => !x.dead);
+        if (e) s.killEnemy(e);
+        // A player hit (damage number + the bar's gauge flash).
+        s.shields = 40; s.hull = 100;
+        s.damagePlayer(8);
+        return true;
+      })()`);
+      await p.shot(`${OUT}/combat-range.png`);
+    } finally {
+      await p.close();
+    }
+  }
+
+  // ---------------------------------------------------------- the main
+  {
+    console.log('main   (index.html?combat):');
+    const p = await openPage(`${BASE}/index.html?combat`);
+    try {
+      await p.waitTrue('Boolean(window.game && window.game.scene.getScene("MenuScene") && window.game.scene.getScene("MenuScene").seedValue)');
+      await p.ev('window.game.scene.getScene("MenuScene").startNewGame()');
+      await p.waitTrue('Boolean(window.__ORBIT_COMBAT__)');
+      // The new-run tutorial comms are 'ack' comms: each owns the screen
+      // and pauses the sim until the player ACKs. For the combat shot we
+      // clear the chain through the hub's own finish path (end the active
+      // one, drop the pending queue, un-pause) so the fight is LIVE —
+      // the sim ticks, the tracers fly, and the bar's gauge flash is
+      // visible — instead of frozen behind a comm panel.
+      await p.ev(`(() => {
+        const g = window.game.scene.getScene('GameScene');
+        const h = g.comms;
+        if (!h) return true;
+        if (h.current) { try { h._finish(); } catch (e) {} }
+        if (Array.isArray(h.queue)) h.queue.length = 0;
+        h._setPaused(false);
+        try { h.box?.close(); } catch (e) {}
+        h.box = null;
+        return true;
+      })()`);
+      // The camera follows the ship smoothly (game.camera.followRate). The
+      // ship settles at its system rim AFTER create (tether), so the camera
+      // must catch up — wait until it is centered on the ship, or the
+      // ship + pack (now re-anchored on it) sit off-screen for the shot.
+      await p.waitTrue(`(() => {
+        const g = window.game.scene.getScene('GameScene');
+        const cam = g.cameras.main;
+        const w = g.scale.width, h = g.scale.height;
+        const cx = (cam.worldView?.x ?? cam.scrollX ?? cam.x) + w / 2;
+        const cy = (cam.worldView?.y ?? cam.scrollY ?? cam.y) + h / 2;
+        return Math.abs(cx - g.ship.x) < 24 && Math.abs(cy - g.ship.y) < 24;
+      })()`, 8000).catch(() => null);
+      await sleep(600); // the pack settles + the lock acquires + any drift damps
+      await p.ev(`(async () => {
+        const oc = window.__ORBIT_COMBAT__;
+        const sys = oc.system;
+        const t = sys.currentTarget() || sys.enemies.find((x) => !x.dead);
+        if (!t) return false;
+        const cfg = await (await fetch('/data/combat.json', { cache: 'no-store' })).json();
+        const wpn = cfg.player.weapon;
+        const nose = (sys.ship.radius || 12) + 8;
+        const a = Math.atan2(t.y - sys.ship.y, t.x - sys.ship.x);
+        for (let i = -3; i <= 3; i++) {
+          const aa = a + i * 0.05;
+          sys.spawnBullet(sys.ship.x + Math.cos(aa) * nose, sys.ship.y + Math.sin(aa) * nose, aa, wpn, 'player');
+        }
+        // A guaranteed enemy hit through the real collide path: spawn a
+        // tracer ON the target so the first frame's swept segment crosses it.
+        const t2 = sys.enemies.find((x) => !x.dead);
+        if (t2) sys.spawnBullet(t2.x, t2.y, a, wpn, 'player');
+        return true;
+      })()`);
+      await p.waitTrue(`(() => {
+        const log = window.__COMBAT_SFX__?.log ?? [];
+        return log.some((x) => x.event === 'impact' || x.event === 'shield' || x.event === 'hull');
+      })()`, 8000).catch(() => null);
+      await p.ev(`(() => {
+        const oc = window.__ORBIT_COMBAT__;
+        const sys = oc.system;
+        const e = sys.enemies.find((x) => !x.dead);
+        if (e) { e.shields = 0; e.damage(9999); sys.killEnemy(e, sys._now()); }
+        sys.shields = 40; sys.hull = 100;
+        sys.damagePlayer(8);
+        return true;
+      })()`);
+      await p.shot(`${OUT}/combat-main.png`);
+    } finally {
+      await p.close();
+    }
+  }
+
+  console.log('combat feedback screenshots: done');
+}
+
+main().catch((err) => { console.error('combat-shot failed:', err.message); process.exit(1); });
diff --git a/dev/shots/combat-main.png b/dev/shots/combat-main.png
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diff --git a/dev/shots/combat-range.png b/dev/shots/combat-range.png
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