1. If I attack "through" an enemy unit, do I run into that unit or just somehow magically pass through it and attack at the coordinates I selected?
You attack each sector along the path in turn. So, you will fight with any unit you encounter.
2. If a level 3 tank attacks a level 5 tank, does the level 5 win and stay a level 5, or could the level 3 weaken the level 5?
Units do retain damage from a battle. So, in your example, the 5 would be left with strength 2. It's not quite that straightforward, but it's roughly the idea.
3. Is there any sort of randomness or "X factor" in battles, or is the outcome of every battle type (tank vs. tank, infantry vs. tank, etc.) exactly the same every time.
There is a random factor, and the attacks take into account the unit's strength, power, and armor.
4. Could you be a little more specific about the order in which attacks are processed? (If I set my attacks at 4:01 a.m., then come back and change one of them at noon, do they all get reset to noon?)
Each attack has its own time. So, if you set an attack at 4:01, another at 4:02, and a third at 4:03, then you cancel and/or reset the 4:02 one at noon, the time on that attack will be noon. (It goes to the end of the line, basically.) The others will retain their previous times.
You attack each sector along the path in turn. So, you will fight with any unit you encounter.
2. If a level 3 tank attacks a level 5 tank, does the level 5 win and stay a level 5, or could the level 3 weaken the level 5?
Units do retain damage from a battle. So, in your example, the 5 would be left with strength 2. It's not quite that straightforward, but it's roughly the idea.
3. Is there any sort of randomness or "X factor" in battles, or is the outcome of every battle type (tank vs. tank, infantry vs. tank, etc.) exactly the same every time.
There is a random factor, and the attacks take into account the unit's strength, power, and armor.
4. Could you be a little more specific about the order in which attacks are processed? (If I set my attacks at 4:01 a.m., then come back and change one of them at noon, do they all get reset to noon?)
Each attack has its own time. So, if you set an attack at 4:01, another at 4:02, and a third at 4:03, then you cancel and/or reset the 4:02 one at noon, the time on that attack will be noon. (It goes to the end of the line, basically.) The others will retain their previous times.