OFF broken by NPC ships blocking all the docking bays

[Cursed Ghost]

hi all

I'm on the last stage of the OFF plot only i have a massive problem the plot is un-completable because i cant dock at the military base due to blood NPC ships idling in all the docking bays preventing me from landing is there some way i can force them off the station so i can land ?

seriously whats the big idea swapping from unlimited interior bays to limited exterior bays because this change is for ever causing me problems due to docks being full preventing me from landing at busy stations

Also why is it my ships get auto un-docked if there blocking all the bays yet NPC ships that are doing the same thing don't this is incredibly irritating i though all the game braking bugs where meant to have been fixed well folks looks like you missed one.

[Timsup2nothin]

Give them somewhere else to go?

What kind of ships are they? If they are idling trade ships you just need to figure out some way to offer a deal they can't pass up. If they are military ships attack something they will be inclined to defend.

[Cursed Ghost]

it's the convoy ships from the missions previous missions

[Alan Phipps]

I expect that a lot of them will be game-fluff NPC ships such as employee shuttles and prisoner transports, etc that just cycle around Trading Stations, Equipment Docks, Military Outposts and similar utility stations. The dock-sitting problem comes when there are no or few places for them to go to next in the local area.

If you have player ships at nearby relevant stations then undock them and some of the fluff ships may make for the new vacancies. That is about all I can suggest short of making a few NPC shuttles and transports still in flight have 'little accidents' to cut down the local queues for spaces.

EDIT (after your last post): Oh you mean the escorts from convoy missions? Yes there was a bug and a subsequent patch to stop more happening, but that did not clear the ones already docked unfortunately.

[Cursed Ghost]

yeah because the military base only has 15 bays and all 15 are full with ships from the convoy missions previously so now i can't dock to get last mission to blowup the hive there must be some way to clear the bays either make them un-dock or have god remove them or change the behavior of npc ships so they no longer idle in stations for more than about 30 to 60 seconds either that or just change the mission so you don't have to dock to get it you can just comm the guy instead like most other missions

understandably this is rather aggravating especially since i always seem to have this problem at this point in the quest chain and i have yet to complete this plot because of it and reloading from an earlier point don't help either because I've already tried that

[Monkeyfister]

Edited to ask: How far into OFF are you? What was your last mission/battle in the game and where? What are you flying? What have you tried landing? I am thinking there might be a reason for the "no vacancy" sign.

--
Well, CG has already said smaller ships docking has some sort of limiter on it ATM. So, that's the problem.

Are there any Capital Ships/TL slots? I don't think TSs can park in those slips. Have you tried pulling in in an M7 or TL?

Docking For X3TC Military Outposts:
Unlimited x M3+-M5
10 x TS/TP/M6/M8
2-4 x M1/M2/M7

I think I either already had, or bought my first Panther in TC for last mission of OFF. Definitely bought it **for** OFF. Never knew there was a problem with the station filling up.

[Cursed Ghost]

seem to be able to dock in my aggy so that's sorted that issue.

now however I have another one as soon as I jump into khaak sector 926 I have a destroyer, a carrier, a guardian, and 3 corvettes on me immediately so within 10 seconds my shield are already down 50% even if I manage to take down the destroyer I don't have time enough to take down the corvettes, carrier and guardian before my shield collapse and I get shredded

If I run and I manage to kill the 3 corvettes carrier and destroyer, by that time my shields are critical and the unending fighter spam prevents my shield from recharging so I end up being pecked to death because I cant deal with the fighters effectively PSGs are nice weapons but they don't have enough range and while FAA are better for range they struggle to deal with so many targets plus both are so power hungry that they fry my generator in seconds leaving my pretty screwed and unable to fire back

seriously who did the balancing for x3 because they need to go back and do it again FAA and PSG need at least 3 km range and they need there power consumption turned down either that or all the ships in the game need there reactors increasing why ego didn't back port this change from AP I don't know but I wish they would because bad balancing is making life way more difficult than it needs to be

then there is the aggravating blind spot on the top and bottom of the ship due to missing turrets, the demos is better for that but cant deal with capital ships effectively due to the heavy artillery being on the sides and not having the ability to fire forward making it incredibly hard to bring it to bare

seriously how are you supposed to do this mission because the aggy and the demos are about the best of the m7s with the heaviest shields and the best reactors with the exception of maybe terrain ships and even piloting them I'm getting hammered in seconds because I'm taking so much fire when I jump in and I really don't want to have to buy/steal and outfit a destroyer just for one mission because I hate big ships there to slow and cumbersome

the Hyperion/Springblossom are tolerable but even they need better manoeuvrability because a turn rate of 6 rpm is not really sufficient minimum they should be at least 20 to 30 rpm and so should all the other M6s as well and m7s should be at least 10 to 20 rpm

[Alan Phipps]

I cannot recall if this is permitted in that OFF plot but, after a combat run away from the initial point of sector entry, couldn't you jump your Aggy into the same Kha'ak Sector 926 again to get a brief breathing space from your current attackers?

[ancienthighway]

Give CIGs a go in the turrets. They've got range, not to mention knocking fighters around so they have trouble shooting at you. Typhoon missile spam should do a nice job of chewing up fighters too (swarm that will acquire new targets if the primary is destoryed).

[Nanook]

...
seriously who did the balancing for x3 because they need to go back and do it again FAA and PSG need at least 3 km range and they need there power consumption turned down either that or all the ships in the game need there reactors increasing why ego didn't back port this change from AP I don't know but I wish they would because bad balancing is making life way more difficult than it needs to be...

Seriously, you just need a bigger fleet.

Fact is, the level of enemies you face in OFF is based on your combat rank, nothing more. If you have a high rank, you simply need to bring more firepower. A single M7 probably isn't enough in your case.

[ancienthighway]

A single Boreas tends to mop the floors.

[Monkeyfister]

I think you are under-gunning it. You absolutely must have Capital Ship Warfare level weapons to get the Guardians out of the way in order to kill the stations. A hold full of Lasertowers could really make the difference. In TC they activate immediately. Eject a hold of those, and you've got something to hide behind. In the Aggy, you'll want to spin or barrel-roll your way everywhere, because top and bottom are barn doors.

PSGs simply don't have the range or the power versus Capital Ships fit as Main Guns. Even Ion Shard Railguns will not have the impact of IBLs. They are mainly an anti Corvette and smaller weapon.

But you should use the ISR in the 8 Main Guns, and fit 4 IBLs in Front Turret set to Attack My Target, as they have a 5+ Km range vis the ISR's 3.33 Km. Follow the IBL shots in to ISR range and have at it. You'll need to be extra patient and apply extra-clever tactics often-- like RSLG, and application of appropriate levels of ordnance.

If you are good with quick-shifting through Weapons Groups, you could fit 2 IBLs Left and Right, and 2 FAA in another group. Flying in at an angle can get 6 IBLs on target (same as Panther). Micromanaging can be fun. Any Big Gun/Missile advantage for this is good.

You are at a disadvantage in your Aggy as is. Tough haul at best. Arm up!


I did it with a Panther loaded up with M3s, 6xIBLs in the Main Turrets, FAA everywhere else (2x PAC also in rear for MD), and lots and lots of missiles.

IIRC, I did use the Turbo or perhaps SETA to get past a big scrum at some point. I still had a big lot of repair to do at the end, M3 losses, and had to apply the RSLG tactic often to let shields recharge.

[Monkeyfister]

I cannot recall if this is permitted in that OFF plot but, after a combat run away from the initial point of sector entry, couldn't you jump your Aggy into the same Kha'ak Sector 926 again to get a brief breathing space from your current attackers?

You can do that as you need. Eventually, they do manage to close on the gate, so some tactics are required.

One thing I don't know, is if you can call in help from elsewhere. The fully-loaded Panther was all I needed. M3s set up to do specific tasks worked for me, so never tried.

[riceygringo]

The lasertowers have a tiny blindspot where you can maneuver a Springblossom into, that's how I completed the final OFF mission.

[Cursed Ghost]

hi all

I had an idea how well do Mass-drivers work ? see I'm wondering if it might be a better tactic to use MD's since they ignore shields and khaak capitals have relatively weak hulls more reliable then relying in IBL's which m7s really don't have the reactor capacity to use effectively

[ancienthighway]

The short range of MDs would play against them, not to mention the massive amount of ammunition needed to take down a capital ship. IS could have collision detection moving AI controlled ships out of firing position completely. But with some good flying, an Argon M6 may be able to slip into a blind spot and do it.

[Monkeyfister]

hi all

I had an idea how well do Mass-drivers work ? see I'm wondering if it might be a better tactic to use MD's since they ignore shields and khaak capitals have relatively weak hulls more reliable then relying in IBL's which m7s really don't have the reactor capacity to use effectively

Aggy doesn't fit Mass Drivers.

Mass Drivers are M6 weapons. OK versus M6 and lower. Lots and lots of patience required for M7 and up. Doing the final battle of OFF in anything less than an M7 is an exercise in futility.

In the Aggy, you're talking about 4 Front Turret guns. I'd put your most powerful weapons (IBLs) in there, as the best you can fit in the Mains is ISR, which are OK, but not close to the anti-capital power of the IBL.

The Guardians are basically Orbital Defence Stations. They either need anti-capital weapons, or BIG missile ordnance to take them out efficiently. The Kha'ak Destroyer(s) won't go down easy without at least **some** heavy fire. In TC, Missile Defense is not so good, so you have better odds.

I personally think your choice of taking the Aggy (or lower) into this particular battle is the problem. Sure it has great shielding, but it's just under-gunned for this one. No M3 hanger, and no anti-capital Main guns puts you at a decided disadvantage. The Aggy is just not the best choice for anti-capital warfare. It's best used for thinning out crowds of M6 and below.

Seems like you can't buy the IBLs from the Yaki in Weaver's Tempest, or the Pirates in Loomanks?

Loading up the Aggy with MK2 Fighter Drones (fighter defense), along with a **lot** of heavy missiles to spam might see you through.

The Panther or maybe a Cobra (if you can target quickly enough to get those missiles in flight) would serve better.

[Sabrina Bergin]

I agree with that sentiment the Aggy is just not up to the task back when I was playing TC I tried every ship I could lay my hands on for this and settled for a Boron thresher as a cheap option but even so I took massive damage in the process.

[DiArmada]

A single Boreas tends to mop the floors.

my thoughts exactly.
it did the job without breaking a sweat.
Argon firepower FTW
\o/

[Monkeyfister]

Sure, an M2 will do great.

Seems OP only has the one M7, and cannot afford to upgrade.

I'm just trying to work with what he does have.

That Aggy is going to have a very hard slog of it as is.