How can I get hired TL's to use their jumpdrive to go further/faster?

[EternalSpace]

^Topic

[Nanook]

Short answer, you can't. It's one of the main reasons players sooner or later invest in their own TL's.

[StarSword]

Sadly, without mods you're stuck. For the most part, NPC ships don't use their jumpdrives even if they're equipped with them (which most aren't).

[EternalSpace]

Even TS's, wow! Now I know why some stations generally have a lot of transporters registered with them.

Oh another question, do the NPC TL's respawn if killed/captured? Because I think I might just capture one instead of investing in one.

[A5PECT]

Yes, the TL's will respawn when killed/captured.

[EternalSpace]

Can I capture a TL without a boarding pod and just with some marines? Because I don't have the money right now to buy a ship capable of using boarding pods, doesn't it have to be at least a TM/M6?

[Snafu_X3]

Can I capture a TL without a boarding pod and just with some marines?

Yes. But it's still not easy. Take a fast TP filled with marines (ie 10) & expect some losses. Scan your victim first; if he's got any sort of internal defences go & find another.

[Catra]

Steal the M7M to steal the TL =P the Minotaur is easily the best one to go after, as it has no defensive lasers, so once you outlast its missile supply you can take your time capping it. Recommend usin 2 - 3 TPs of marines for max chance to cap it.

To cap a TL without pods, you need to put a lot of extra time and credits into their mech training to get through the hull, plus its not guaranteed they'll all get there at once. So, Yea its possible, but really very iffy.

[EternalSpace]

I have yet to see an M7M actually, or do they use the same ID as an M7.

[VincentTH]

I have yet to see an M7M actually, or do they use the same ID as an M7.

Yes, and you can recongnize them by their name:

Argon: Minotaur
Boron: Kraken
Split: Cobra
Paranid: Ares
Teladi: Gannet

[Lelouch]

Steal the M7M to steal the TL =P the Minotaur is easily the best one to go after, as it has no defensive lasers, [...]

Same as Boron Kraken and Paranid Ares.

I'd suggest the Kraken because it has the largest cargo hold and the highest maximum speed of these three.

[glenmcd]

Before you have your own TL, and even when you already do, whenever you see a hireable TL, hire it and tell it to move to the nearest shipyard. It will stay there until you need it - if ever. By the time you have enough credits to afford a factory, you will likely have a pre-hired TL ready to load your factory into immediately, possibly at a shipyard close to where you want to build. Once you have quarter of a million or more in credits, whenever you're in a sector with hireable TL docked in SY, look for build missions within current sector. In the space of a minute or two you'll make yourself some quick credits, a good rep boost, additional factories spawning missions, more places to trade with, more customers for your wares, more suppliers of needed resources, more places to dock at, more places to save at and more likelihood that pirates will attack stations other than yours (before the local military finally take them out).

After the build is done, don't forget to rehire the TL and command him back to the shipyard. This part takes much longer, so probably best to move onto something else meanwhile.

Hiring a TL for a build mission in sector where factory was purchased is effectively a free hire as no gates passed. Until you have sufficient credits to have your own TL you might consider building your own factories in or next to, sectors with shipyards. Once you have a TL with jumpdrive, move on to more distant sectors.

A TL's place is in the shipyard!

[VincentTH]

Hiring a TL for a build mission in sector where factory was purchased is effectively a free hire as no gates passed. Until you have sufficient credits to have your own TL you might consider building your own factories in or next to, sectors with shipyards. Once you have a TL with jumpdrive, move on to more distant sectors.

A TL's place is in the shipyard!

Actually it is not a free hire, because you are charged with the gate fee as soon as the TL is hired

[builder680]

A TL's place is in the shipyard!

I sometimes do this myself, but I think the AI also hires TL's.

If they're all tied up, I think that makes it harder for them to build factories, since I don't think other TL's spawn to replace the ones you hired (and parked). There are only so many in the game at once...

I'm not absolutely positive about this though.

[Carlo the Curious]

I sometimes do this myself, but I think the AI also hires TL's.

If they're all tied up, I think that makes it harder for them to build factories, since I don't think other TL's spawn to replace the ones you hired (and parked). There are only so many in the game at once...

I'm not sure about TC, but that was the case for AI factories in X3R (docks are different).

[VincentTH]

In my game, unless I have max rep for every race, I would always hire any TL that I can hire. That would accomplish 2 things:

- I have a TL to do build missions that helps me improve the rep, any where, any time. I do this regardless of whether I have my own TL or not, whether I would lose CR or not (the idea is to improve rep in order to have more M7 Return Ship missions available).
- Without the NPC being able to hire the TL (yes they do), the GOD engine will make more build missions available to me.

[deca.death]

i recommend buying or stealing if you are capable but if not just BUY damn thing (elephant is cheapest and fastest and decently armed/equipped). it's an essential ship and it would return investment in no time.

you could pick unarmed TL like hospital ship or arena (OL often has several of those with only few warships, mamooth is easily best TL) and with 10 2-3 star marines in TP and some M6 (mount 4 IonD s just in case of internal lasers and similar eq.) for shield control and few save/loads you'll have TL for free.

[builder680]

In my game, unless I have max rep for every race, I would always hire any TL that I can hire. That would accomplish 2 things:

- I have a TL to do build missions that helps me improve the rep, any where, any time. I do this regardless of whether I have my own TL or not, whether I would lose CR or not (the idea is to improve rep in order to have more M7 Return Ship missions available).
- Without the NPC being able to hire the TL (yes they do), the GOD engine will make more build missions available to me.

I can definitely see the appeal in that approach. For me personally, it's a little too much reinforcement that the game universe revolves around *me.*



I try to find things that lessen that impression wherever possible.

[cj-spartacus]

10 marines will take a Casino, Arena or Hospital TL without losses as long as they have a high enough fighting rank. Those ships are virtually void of any defensive capability.

Also if you want to acquire a M7M for free you can continue to accept claim ship missions until you are given one to claim a M7M and then just hide it at a EQ dock or Shipyard until you've dealt with the police who come looking for the stolen ship. A little rep loss but nothing drastic. If you have done the Goner plot already then you can use the UFJD and leave the police dawdling in dark space for all eternity with negligible rep loss if any at all.

[deca.death]

10 marines will take a Casino, Arena or Hospital TL without losses as long as they have a high enough fighting rank. Those ships are virtually void of any defensive capability.

now, i'm not entirely positive about this but i boarded several TLs in a last few days as part of my xenon training program and i believe, that even hospital/arena/casino vessel type now have standard boarding defenses, no marines though. it was probably changed in some patch.