Argh! Pirates constantly fleeing!

Marcus7144

M
This is driving me up the wall!
Currently flying around in a Python, heavily armoured with 3 fixed lvl 3 beams and 2 lvl 2 beams. I had to abandon the last pirate mission (A Fer-de-Lance) because they always warped out when they got to a certain health. It was just a constant game of cat and mouse. Even when the security forces came into help, they'd get to around 40 health and then flee. Last mission this went on for about 6 times until I had enough and abandoned. Now I'm in exactly the same predicament as the last one. Another Fer-de-Lance doing exactly the same and now I'm about to pull the plug on this mission as well. When he surges, even at 4 pips in engines he leaves me for dust.
I can understand that they want to survive, obviously, but here's the rub what's really p*****g me off; they'll flee to another system and yet the minute I'm out of normal space into FSD, heading to a nearest station, they'll instantly reappear with FULL HEALTH!!!

I love flying around in my Python and I'm not going to change the weapon loadouts (which I find very effective normally against everything but Fer-de-Lances) just to do these missions. The previous mission I lured him into a RES hoping that I'd manage to get close to the two patrolling security Anacondas, to help finish him off, but he tends to warp in just after me and scarpers again when health gets low. It's just utterly pointless fighting against an Fer-de-Lance because they'll always scarper when their health gets low and instantly regenerate health. Waste of time really.
 
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Faded Glory

Faded Glory
One of the least entertaining things the AI (they are meant to be our content...) do. Not to mention immersion breaking as they return (which no real person would do if you're obviously losing the fight) seconds later, and are as you say fully repaired because it's not really the same NPC, just a new spawn with the same name...

That said, they cannot wake out if you destroy their FSD... So try targeting that. If they are down to 40% hull then there's a chance that you will have been able to get their FSD to 0% health and then you should be able to destroy them.

Regarding weapons choice, that is obviously up to you but I'd just mention two things. Using only lasers is great against shields, but not so great against hull or modules. You might want to try out some kinetic weapons (multi-cannons for example) that you can bring to bear once the shields are down. Secondly, if you are a good shot then the fixed weapons are great, but if you aren't getting time on target you might want to re-think that.

On my Python I use a single large fixed pulse laser along with a couple of medium pulse laser turrets to get the shields down and the switch to the large pulse laser and a couple of large gimballed multi-cannons to destroy the targets.
 

Marcus7144

M
Faded Glory,

I've swapped out the 3 level 3 fixed beam lasers and put in 3 level 3 gimballed multicannons. Swapped out the two lvl 2 fixed beams for lvl 2 beam turrets - they're using less power drain and power distributer than the fixed ones. I wanted to stay with lasers for unlimited ammo, meaning infinite time in the RES's.
 

Faded Glory

Faded Glory
Yes, for RES, if that's what you're after you will eventually run out of MC ammo. It will probably take a while though... And depending what ships you are fighting in a RES you may never even get to fire them as smaller ships often pop just from laser fire.

You will probably find that your new load out will let you complete the pirate assassination mission although just two turreted beams might take a while to get the shields down, hence why I split the large hardpoints and have the one below the cockpit a pulse laser and the other two multi-cannons. Then I use two firegroups, and split the weapons between two triggers - the first with the lasers to take down the shields, then swap to the second with the pulse laser and the multi-cannons to destroy the ship (and to take out the FSD so they can't wake out).

My Python is used for delivery missions, and it's weapons load out is designed for the incoming enemies that I sometimes get which will usually be four Anacondas one after the other, so it's not specifically a combat ship, more an armed hauler. I use different ships for pirate assassinations or anything else pure combat based, usually a Mamba or an iCourier, very occasionally and FDL.
 

Macros Black

Macros Black
I use an all gimballed Multi-Cannon Overcharged with Auto Loader setup except the last 2F which has the Corrosive Shell experimental. NPC's rarely escape.
This is the weapon setup on my mission runner Python.
 

Marcus7144

M
Faded Glory,

Thanks for that. I'll see how I get on taking down shields. I did just have a pirate mission against a Vulture and it took them down quite quickly. If I'm having too much of a problem against bigger ships' shields then I'll consider swapping out one of the multicannons for another laser. Then again, I could swap out the lasers for plasma cannons, for pirate missions.
I tried the FDL but I wasn't keen. Oddly enough, when I started playing ED a couple of years ago (I left and just came back again to start afresh) I bought an FDL then and wasn't too happy. That and the fact there's something wrong with flying one as after about 20mins, I lose vertical and horizontal thrust capability. I haven't got to a station yet with a Mamba or an Imperial Courier, but having encountered them, especially the IC, it looks like a ship I'd like to fly.
 

Marcus7144

M
Macros Black said:
I use an all gimballed Multi-Cannon Overcharged with Auto Loader setup except the last 2F which has the Corrosive Shell experimental. NPC's rarely escape.
This is the weapon setup on my mission runner Python.
Click to expand...
I'm currently not with Horizons so don't have access to engineering unfortunately. :(
 

Faded Glory

Faded Glory
Marcus7144 said:
Faded Glory,

Thanks for that. I'll see how I get on taking down shields. I did just have a pirate mission against a Vulture and it took them down quite quickly. If I'm having too much of a problem against bigger ships' shields then I'll consider swapping out one of the multicannons for another laser. Then again, I could swap out the lasers for plasma cannons, for pirate missions.
I tried the FDL but I wasn't keen. Oddly enough, when I started playing ED a couple of years ago (I left and just came back again to start afresh) I bought an FDL then and wasn't too happy. That and the fact there's something wrong with flying one as after about 20mins, I lose vertical and horizontal thrust capability. I haven't got to a station yet with a Mamba or an Imperial Courier, but having encountered them, especially the IC, it looks like a ship I'd like to fly.
Click to expand...

Glad that the mission against the Vulture worked out.

The iCourier does require a certain rank with the Imperial Navy - can't remember exactly what, but not too high, and is a fun ship to fly. The Mamba I find is great and just as effective (firepower wise) as the FDL. Unfortunately both the ships have nacelle hardpoints that don't converge that well for fixed weapons, although I still use them. What I like about them is their speed, but that is much enhanced with engineering which you don't have access to. Might want to think about getting Horizons at some point, perhaps if it's on sale...
 

SciTrekker

SciTrekker
Faded Glory said:
My Python is used for delivery missions, and it's weapons load out is designed for the incoming enemies that I sometimes get which will usually be four Anacondas one after the other, so it's not specifically a combat ship, more an armed hauler. I use different ships for pirate assassinations or anything else pure combat based, usually a Mamba or an iCourier, very occasionally and FDL.
Click to expand...
Ditto here.
 

Marcus7144

M
Faded Glory said:
Glad that the mission against the Vulture worked out.

The iCourier does require a certain rank with the Imperial Navy - can't remember exactly what, but not too high, and is a fun ship to fly. The Mamba I find is great and just as effective (firepower wise) as the FDL. Unfortunately both the ships have nacelle hardpoints that don't converge that well for fixed weapons, although I still use them. What I like about them is their speed, but that is much enhanced with engineering which you don't have access to. Might want to think about getting Horizons at some point, perhaps if it's on sale...
Click to expand...
I'm a veteran of the original Elite (got it on the BBC 32k cassette version :) ) and from what I recall, the Mamba was a small ship, same class as the cobras, vipers, geckos, adders and sidewinders. From what I can see, they've moved it up to medium class and it's had a design overhaul. I think they did the same with the Krait as well, putting it up one size. As for Horizons, I should imagine so.
 

TheSaiZo

T
I had the same issue in my imperial courier and vulture.
Changed weapon layout:
Vulture - pulse laser and railgun.
Courier - pulse laser, missile rack and railgun.

I have tried various weapons on the Vulture, the only 2 I did not like was Cannon and Plasma Accelerator.
The missile rack I use to destroy them when they around between 30 and 20 percent. Two well placed shots and they are done.

As you can't engineer (didn't read all the posts, sorry!), the mamba is a rather fast ship.
Also as GroG97 said, a wake scanner is a good tool.
Main ingredients for bounty hunting (well for me..), FSD interdictor, wake scanner and warrant scanner.
 
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Faded Glory

Faded Glory
GroG79 said:
Bring a wake scanner. Scan and jump. You will find the pirate NPC in the next system without full health. You can keep your lasers if you want.

Quite realistic no ;-)
Click to expand...

While that would be great game-play, actually following, chasing your prey, unfortunately it doesn't work, as if the pirate is actually in the new system (the couple of times I tried that they weren't), if you destroy it there it doesn't count against the mission as they have to be destroyed in the system the mission sent you to...

Unfortunately.
 

GroG79

G
It works for sure. If you enter SC and then (manually) select the system the NPC jumped to it does not work.You need to use the wake scanners capabilties
 

Faded Glory

Faded Glory
GroG79 said:
It works for sure. If you enter SC and then (manually) select the system the NPC jumped to it does not work.You need to use the wake scanners capabilties
Click to expand...

Yes, I understand that. :) As I said, the couple of times I tried it the NPC simply wasn't there, and I waited a couple of minutes for them to turn up. Certainly could have been user error, but I did target the wake not select the system manually.

The point of it 'not working' is that (unless this has very quietly changed), destroying a mission target in any system other than the one given in the mission description doesn't count against the mission.
 
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