Squash Mine Sweeper Ship Please

[xTemon]

Are they really Sqash Mines? I've never laid any down, and only have storyline experiance with them. I've found "them" in both Loomancketstrat's Legacy around the Mamba, and now in Midnight Star, not a pleasent experiance

They don't show on sector map, gravidar, viewscreen, or anywhere else for that matter. I'm not happy about the vicious exploding invisible objects that can't be removed in a practical fashion.

I sent a bunch of "unshielded as they always are" fighter drones to "protect" the Mamba Raider and they all vanished along with the ship. If I could teleport it out of there without getting within 5km, teleport's not possible anyway as far as I know so 5km works for me, I would do it, but, as is, it's just a rediculous trap in a pirate haven. How many times do you have to bang your head against a wall to finally admit that doing such an absurd thing is insane?

The section, unknown whether more than one, or how much space it takes up, in Midnight Star doesn't protect anything, and isn't part of the storyline, as far as I know, and exists for the sole purpose of irritating players as they hug a Centaur all the way to the Trade Station. 49m/s for 80+ Km

It's the only way I could figure to find a way through the sector without suddenly evaporating.

How many more areas like this are there, and is the one in Midnight Star just limited to those few asteroids?

[JayKat]

You need to set your HUD to scan for hostiles...it will then target the mines and you can destroy them with your lasers.

Cheers

Kat

[Nanook]

That Mamba Raider is actually quite easy to get if you use the 'Think' part.

Spoiler

Show

Try flying in from another direction and you might have better results.

Simply trying to bull your way straight to it will never work. The SQUASH mines (which aren't actually invisible, just really small) are close enough to the ship that you'll blow it up every time coming in from the obvious direction.

As for your problems in Midnight Star, hmmm. A fully shielded Centaur should have absolutely no problem getting through a minefield. It's actually a good way to clear mines, your 'minesweeper', if you will.

[Kitch]

Aye, squash mines will show up on the sector map, but only once you've targetted them.

The Mamba Radier is perhaps the hardest "free" ship to claim because of the trap you've encountered.

There is definitely a way to do it.

Flat out telling you how to get it wouldn't be any fun though. I kept my Mamba forever purely for the sense of accomplishment. (I could have looked it up, or bought one off the Split otherwise)

[JayKat]

Nanook

A fully shielded Centaur should have absolutely no problem getting through a minefield. It's actually a good way to clear mines, your 'minesweeper', if you will.

I have been killed by a Squash Mine in a ship with 3 times the shields of a Centaur, unless maybe it was a freak...startled me when it happened but I don't remember which sector it was in Tried to destroy one with a Mosquito once and all the missile did was circle the mine

Kat

Edit: Now I think about it, I remember hitting something that went bang and lowered my shields a bit in Midnight Star when I was in Maxi Paranoids yacht

[Paranoid66]

Sounds like you hit an asteroid they can really spoil your day even in a TL. Mines are mostly an annoyance once you get an m3 or bigger. They are deadly against scout ships. Sometimes mosquito missiles do hit. Frustrating when they don't though. Reminds me of the original gate mission in X2. That one drove me nuts until I gave up trying to do it in a disco and took a nova. However I am guessing you don't want to set these mines off as they will destroy your unclaimed prize? Must be a question of your approach then as stated GOODLUCK.

Have three stations in Midnight star havn't noticed this minefield yet myself. Or maybe my elephant just plowed over it.

[pjknibbs]

I have been killed by a Squash Mine in a ship with 3 times the shields of a Centaur, unless maybe it was a freak...startled me when it happened but I don't remember which sector it was in

You haven't. SQUASH mines don't pack that sort of punch. The only things that DO pack that punch are Hammerhead missiles, so somebody must have fired one at you.

[JayKat]

Paranoid66: Wasn't a roid...I know what that's like this was an explosion of some sort aaannd...when you hit a roid it usually kills at the speed I was going.

pjknibbs: After thinking obout this I was using XPF mod and was in an empty sector called Za'ian Two. The ship was a Maquis Raider.

Kat

[xTemon]

Tried an Aurora Missile on the Squash Mines near the Nova. Massive explosion Didn't effect the Squash Mines though, just my shields. I detonated it at less than 1 sec after launch within a Km of reasonable position of mines.

I suppose I might have taken out one of them though, or maybe all of them. My fighter drones kept on dissapearing on launch from that position though Didn't feel like taking the chance so I went around and brought my ships back through one at a time. Anybody else ever used a gate in a suit I wasn't sure it would be possible.

Never heard of setting your HUD to scan for hostiles. It's not in any of my Menus, unless you mean the enemy to me thing, and that's always active.

[pjknibbs]

It shouldn't be. When your scanner is scanning for targets there'll be a set of animated lines pulsing either side of the targeting reticle. If you're scanning for friendly targets those will be blue, if you're scanning for enemies (or SQUASH mines) they'll be red. I can't remember what the keyboard shortcut for that is, because I always have it configured to a joystick button for rapid "target next enemy" in a dogfight.

[Sirus5]

t is for Target..

Shift T is target nearest enemy

(at least in my game)

[xTemon]

Thanks

I looked it up in my command console last night. It worked great, with the exception of having to change position to locate next closest object. I got the Mamba after about 14 attempts. I found that destroying the SQUASH Mines was ineffective after the "opening" two; after they are removed, the remaining ones only push the ship into the one of the others, even the blasts from the Mosquitoes move the ship. Took five attempts at that before I tried other methods. Looking for windows and such. Not too hard if you discount the pirates shooting you while moving between ships, or crashing into the mines when they're coming after you. That wasted at least another four attempts.

Only problem now is the massive invasions spawning out of the Xenon sector and pirates gating into the adjacent sector. Last attempt counted 27 Xenon, including one P, seven L's, and 10 M's, plus 14 Pirate Falcon Vanguards, 4 Harriers, at least three Busters, 2 or 3 Falcons, and some Buzzards. Woooo... fun.

I'll wipe em' out this afternoon. Last night I was just getting used to the new ship

[gunman127]

I use any ship with turrets, and BHEPTs.

Any turret set to "Attack enemies" will shoot at mines without the need to target them first, just sit back and enjoy the fireworks!

[Nanook]

....
Only problem now is the massive invasions spawning out of the Xenon sector and pirates gating into the adjacent sector. Last attempt counted 27 Xenon, including one P, seven L's, and 10 M's, plus 14 Pirate Falcon Vanguards, 4 Harriers, at least three Busters, 2 or 3 Falcons, and some Buzzards. Woooo... fun.

I'll wipe em' out this afternoon. Last night I was just getting used to the new ship

That's nothing. I've had five+ pages of Xenon show up in Nopileo's Memorial. That's well over a hundred. Sounds like all you got is a large P patrol and a few pirates. Piece of cake.

I really do miss the pirate bases from X2, though. Stations in X2 held fighters, and PB's, when attacked, could stream out 30-40 pirates at you. Now that was fun!

[xTemon]

I was in a Mamba

I don't know what you're flying, but the Mamba Raider is really only capable of handling so much at once. Very effective yes, but still limited.

I was taken down by some kind of missile on that particular occaision, I actually survived the first run. I suppose I should have been carrying more than forty Mosquitoes

[Nanook]

I didn't say I actually fought them all. In fact, my first time I encountered them, I think I was in the starting Buster. I ran!

[rcn84]

i found the mamba and approached it in a centaur had no problems but took 60% shield damage and the mamba took some damage as well

[Aro]

Welcome to the forum.. will your nickname be TopicNecro? Wow, over 2 years old...

Yeah, mods don't like it when folks dig up old topics. Feel free to make a new one though.

[eladan]

Welcome to the forum.. will your nickname be TopicNecro? Wow, over 2 years old...

Quite...

Please don't dredge up old topics - they frequently contain outdated information which can cause confusion.