Make Hatch Breaker limpets slow down the target slightly

[Kissamies]

Typical NPC pirating scenario: You find and interdict the target. You shoot their drives off and then destroy the point defences, if any. The target is usually drifting at a quite good speed, so you body-block it with your own ship to slow it down as much as possible. Then you break their hatch and collect the containers they drop.

Having to slow down the drifting target with your own ship is pretty unintuitive and it doesn't work that well. Since tractor beams don't fit in this universe, I think it would be best to have a slight braking effect on the Hatch Breakers. They shouldn't slow down a ship moving on its own power much, but should eventually stop a drifting ship if you use many of them.

 

[m0rl0ck]

How would the physics of that work. Limpets moving at speed attaching themselves to an object would impart some inertia to that object. If they are moving in the same direction as the object they attach to, shouldnt it speed up?

 

[Kissamies]

Well, it needs to be handwaved a bit, but the explanation would be that they use their tiny thrusters against the movement of the ship while they are attached.

 

[Riverside]

They could enable the lower speed cap because the cargo hatch is opened. Or lower the landing gear of the target ship, either would achieve the desired outcome.

 

[Northpin]

Scan the ship. If it has PDT move along
If not, just fire off the Hatch breaker limpets. They go through shields.