Yes that's true it's not really misses....but if i'm hitting for zero damage over and over it might as well be, either way it's still just not very fun. IMO there is a ton of tweaking that needs to be done in this area to avoid this kind of stuff, watching two high defense units fight it out hitting each other for zero for 3 minutes then one of them finally breaking through and one shotting the other is kinda boring and doesn't seem like what should be happening. Though I could be wrong maybe that's what they want, but I hope not.

It should probably just say -0 or absorbed instead of miss. Then its less confusing to people who don't understand the system.

The combat attack/defense ratings in this game contain no information as to how they actually work.  This is the main issue I've had in tactical battles as it can be very frustrating watching your units miss (or apparently, do 0 damage) over and over again.  If the attack and defense system was explained in-game, it would be much easier to implement a sound attack strategy.  I was quite frustrated in the campaign when none of my units could hit the drake except for my sovereign.  It took out several of my champions and troops before I realized something odd was going on with all the misses. 

The combat is my biggest gripe with the game right now, and a lot of my complaints stem from these unexplained details.  The rest primarily reside in too few special combat mechanics to make each units seem "special" or strategically valuable.  Most units right now are a hodgepodge of different, unexplained, stats only right now.

The combats not that hard to figure out. Take light plate armor for instance. Its armor bonus will roll an 8 vs any slashing weapon (swords, axes, etc) But against a piercing weapon or blunt weapon it will roll a 1-8 for defence. Its just like the Gal Civ 2 defenses system really.

What kind of units are you attacking these guys with? Have you researched squad tech and magic equipment, or are you relying on single units?  High defense units can usually be easily killed with magic, unless they also happen to have high magic resist.  Unfortunately, the lack of transparency in the battle mechanics leaves that largely up to trial and error.

It is very hard to figure out when this information does not appear to presented anywhere.  Unless it's buried in the in-game manual somewhere.  I assume it has been revealed somewhere on the forums, but I haven't had the time to hunt it down. 

Where are you getting this information from?  I had no idea light plate worked better against slashing than piercing or blunt.  How do I know what type of armor an enemy monster is wearing and what type of weapon is best to use?  Does this only apply to humanoid AI players wearing actual armor?  Some of us have not played Gal Civ 2.  The last 4x space game I played was Space Empires IV Gold and before that MOO, so I have no idea how Stardock's defensive systems work.  I shouldn't have to either, as it should be clearly indicated within the game so the player can make an informed decision.