Questions about capping red Paranid ships

[Bill Huntington]

I like to hunt the red Paranid ships in the early part of the Poisoned Paranid scenario. Many sell for $1 Mil, and some for $3 Mil. My usual cap goes like this:

Take down the shields of the target fast with PBE or PAC until hull is in the 90s. Switch weapons to IRE, and take the target to 86%. Somewhere in 87% is the first morale check to see if there is a bail.

Then I wait for a medium length of time, not a short one. I’ll attack again when the shields have rebuild to about 80%, though this can vary because the target can have 5 MJ shields, or 1, 2, or 3 25 MJ shields.

I’ve capped a lot of ships this way. Since some veteran pilots have checked on so many points of TC, I’d like to ask a few questions.

Exactly how long is it after the first morale check before you can have the chance to bail it?

If you leave it at 86% hull, and then meet the target later in another sector, how does the morale check work. It would seem like you could just attack it immediately and take it all the down, and have a chance at a bail at every step. But I haven’t seen that work. Any suggestions here ??

In TC combat, firing a missile (even a Wasp) at a target changes the way it acts, it seems to me. Has any pilot noticed if this has an effect on making the ship bail?

Some of the M3 targets mount the Plasma Burst Generator. This can be a handful. I found I have a chance with this method:

Take the hull down to 86% on the first pass, then run away for a while. When I come back, I make a high speed pass strafing with both A and W and firing PAC. I don’t wait to see the PBG, then it is already too late. I repeat this a few times. I don’t have the time for IREs so I get fewer morale checks, but at least I can survive the PBG and have some chance at a bail. How do other hunters do this one?

Thank you for your replies.

[deca.death]

I think you will find most of your info here:

http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=301622
Bailing info

(big spoiler section by BegHuk)

But yes, I cap more or less similar, hit them hard (below 87% even to 50%) turn around, boost away, hit seta then return again, hit them till almost dead, again run, again seta now longer then return.

I was trying same tactic on two LXes tonight but damn thing just won't bail (I do have one LX but undead, one so I don't want to RE it, not even sure if I can : )

[Alan Phipps]

My experience is also that you get the best chance just as the hull passes through the 87-89% point especially after a fast and sustained reduction of the shields and when using fast-firing low-hull-damage weapons for multiple hits (I guess a Wasp swarm counts here too).

You will then get another chance at lower hull %s on the same ship after about a minute (sometimes after a pilot comment from the target ship), and especially if you let the shields recharge a bit in the meantime (or so it seems).

I also note that small ships (M4/M5) and TS/TP seem far more likely to bail at the second and subsequent lower hull opportunities than M3/M3+/M8. Of course higher morale always means lower or no bail chances.