[X3R] What the Heck?!

[thelebk]

I hired a Argon Mammoth to carry a bunch of factories fully 25% of my entire net worth after hundreds of hours of play. As the pathfinding of TLs so is retarded in sector as to be unplayable, I left it OOS to move from Argon Prime to Patriarch's Retreat. I am happily flying along in my Pontifus Maximus exploring sectors fighting and MORTING. all is well. I check on my hired mammoth several times, all is well.

A while later I check and cannot find the mammoth. Scrolling through my message log I see it is destroyed in Thurok's Beard. I get no warning of any kind that is under attack-- absolutely no feedback. I jump the Maximus to Thurak's Beard and there is nothing there-- as expected nothing should be able to kill a mammoth there. Of course I have no saves but autosaves all of which are after the loss. What gives?

[euclid]

Hahahah - a classic. Lost my first hired TL in a xenon sector because this stupid captain thought he can do the shortest route.

Just a tip for station/complex building: get your own TL equipped with jumpdrive. And save often - just dock somewhere, no need for salvage insurances.


Cheers Euclid

[NUKLEAR-SLUG]

Pirates perhaps. It happens.

It's not the end of the world tho, you've still got the other 75% of your funds. In future keep a better eye on where any hired TL's are going and what they're up to. Even better, if you have the funds, buy a cheap TL of your own and then you can avoid the problem altogether.

[thelebk]

I have no where near enough money to purchase my own TL-- that is not an option and will not be for a LONG time. There were no Zenon or heavy pirate sectors on the most direct route. This should not have happened.

[Timsup2nothin]

Until you have your own TL I advise staying one sector ahead of it. Fly around, MORT, maybe pick up and do quick missions without going far...and when it comes in the gate you go out the next gate on the path.

[thelebk]

Yup Tim I think I will have to do that. Annoying but I've learned my lesson!

[TTD]

Salvage insurance may not be needed,but I would advice keeping at least three instock at all times.

Once you are earning millions, the cost of SI is relatively minimal.
As soon as I can, I stock up with 1,000 and keep an eye on it.
If I run out, I usually find out when I most need it.

[zazie]

Hired TLs remain TLs of their race; obviously. Don't forget that when you are sending let's say a Boron TL through Split space.
I learnt it the hard way ...

edit: typo corrected (Boron TL, not TP)

[GCU Grey Area]

If I'm using hired TLs I generally get a cheap M5 & order it to follow the TL. Then every so often I open the map to check on it's progress & any hazards, such as pirates, in the vicinity. Often use a Discoverer for this role. They're comparatively cheap & due to M class cargo they can use Triplex Scanners. Raider variant even has the scanner pre-installed, though does cost significantly more than the basic model.

[Threesixtyci]

One other thing about Reunion and the storyline. If you have the storyline active, do not build anything inside Paranid space until you finish the plot.

[thelebk]

I put another factory on another mammoth and watched it much more carefully this time. Again everything was great until it moved into Thuroks beard. I checked the map and pre flew the route... all clear. I hop OOS and a min later the hired mammoth is destroyed. I reload an archival save and jump in sector. I follow the TL the whole way. Now keep in min there is traffic of many races going freely north south no problem. Once my mammoth reaches the center a Khaak K appears like it just decloaked from the Romulan empire and immediately attacks the mammoth, which dispite having 4 turrets, does not fire back. Now keep in mind this K ignores every other ship and transport going past it and stays "cloaked". It only uncloaks and attacks when my hired Mammoth gets there. What the heck?

Well I was there with my pontifus maximus so I vaporized the K and danced on its space dust, but this is truly bizarre AI behavior, and I did not think the Khaak had cloaking devices!

[TTD]

There is a rumour of a cloaking device, in lore, but never available to the player, afaik.

[Timsup2nothin]

Perhaps because of your activities regarding the plot the great hive mind of the Ka'ahk has decided it just doesn't like you Let's see, plot mission one...destroy some Ka'ahk. Next mission, IIRC, destroy more Ka'ahk. Etc, etc, etc. If I was a hive mind I might not like you either.

[thelebk]

I actually have not destroyed that many Khaak at this point, the other races, which the Khaak Karrier completely ignored, have killed far more. Ships are not suppose to appear like that. I had that area under both a triplex scanner and an advanced satellite and there was NOTHING there until the mammoth gets within the kylon weapon range then suddenly there is a carrier there and it is picked up by all my sensors. Crazy.

[Timsup2nothin]

I actually have not destroyed that many Khaak at this point, the other races, which the Khaak Karrier completely ignored, have killed far more. Ships are not suppose to appear like that. I had that area under both a triplex scanner and an advanced satellite and there was NOTHING there until the mammoth gets within the kylon weapon range then suddenly there is a carrier there and it is picked up by all my sensors. Crazy.

They do have some sort of weird 'jump without gates' technology. Just for curiosity if you still have the save you might see if that carrier spawns at that time in that spot even if you don't send the TL that way. You may just coincidentally be running into the regularly scheduled Ka'ahk invasion.

[thelebk]

I don't have the save anymore but that is an interesting theory. Will remember that if it happens again...