Ion Disruptors and damaged goods

[Uncle B]

Who finds that IDs damage more ship equipment than standard guns?

[JackScratch]

Ions are more likely to destroy a ship's systems prior to capture than other guns.

But the biggest destroyer of guns/shields is the random roll the game makes on capture. What weapon used to make the capture has no effect on this roll that I can determine (and I've done some heavy testing on it).

Assuming the system survives til the pilot bails, of course.

[Jha'dur]

IonD's certainly destroy more of your equipment when they're fired at you. shuddering at the memory of the repair-bill after my encounter with a boron dolphin with IonD

[Prosthetic Head]

it's a shame you don't get thee occasional ship with all equipment in tact.

[TerrorTrooper]

i had a nova once with just 1% hull after a severe PSG Roasting, i was gonna blow it up as it wasnt worth keeping, but i checked cargo, 3 x 25MW Shields, 2 x B-Hept and some missiles.

Ion D's sem to be severely Nerfed in 1.3 for capping.

i now use a bayamon with 4 x A-PSG or Perseus with 3 x B-PSG for capping now.

Much more effective

[Nanook]

it's a shame you don't get thee occasional ship with all equipment in tact.

You can if you don't use Ion D's. Use a Bayamon or Mandalay with Alpha PSGs and you can get a fair amount of equipment. I just captured 12 Xenon M's and 4 L's from one of the 'protect me from the xenon' missions and got several weapons and shields and a smattering of other equipment, including 10 silkworm missiles. Quite a good haul actually. I used a Super Bayamon (from mission 2) with 4 APSGs to accomplish this.

[khanis]

I just sit outside the pirate base in priest's pity in my osprey with turrets deactivated, and swarm ships as they come out with dual front BPSG's. Send the ships off to paranid prime and use my harrier to capture pilots and store them undetected in my osprey.

[b-b-q]

I am not sure if ID makes any difference. Even if you don't use them most of the equipment are destroyed based on random rolls.

[Nanook]

I am not sure if ID makes any difference. Even if you don't use them most of the equipment are destroyed based on random rolls.

It makes a big difference. If I use Ion D's, I can destroy engine tunings, weapons and shields on a target. I've stopped using them because I can make more money selling the equipment plus the damaged ship than I can just the bare shell with little damage. Use them against a ship sometime and watch the equipment disappear and the speed drop. You'll see.

[JackScratch]

Well sure, but when you factor in how much equipment survives the random roll even without Ions, you'll find you come away with equipment very very rarely. So if you didn't use ions you usually end up with a heavilly damaged hull with little to no extras. Plus there is a heavy chance of accidently killing the target with no capture at all.

Seems more reliable money to go with Ions, 100% captures, and a hardly damaged hull to me.

[Smauler]

The trouble with capturing for the sake of it is that it takes so much time... I prefer blasting away with my bhepts... If I don't capture, so be it. I can keep a licence with bhepts, don't have to worry about that. If I don't capture something in my current sortie, go someplace else. I was in Priest's Pity recently, and the pirates were out in force (I didn't touch the pirate base). I got 3 Orinocos, 3 Pirate ships, and 1 Bayamon. Ok, they did generally have bad hulls (40-60 mostly), but I spent so little time blasting away .

Admittedly it is not generally as effective as this. However, every pirate ship I see I go after with 1/2 a mind to capture. ie, waste the shields then tickle. If they drop below 40/50% hull and are still moaning I just waste them though. I find, even with bhepts I get decent results, 1 in 3 or 4 or so bail. And if I'm looking for captures, I'll just jump to another system.

Each to their own I guess .

[Nanook]

Well sure, but when you factor in how much equipment survives the random roll even without Ions, you'll find you come away with equipment very very rarely. So if you didn't use ions you usually end up with a heavilly damaged hull with little to no extras. Plus there is a heavy chance of accidently killing the target with no capture at all.

Seems more reliable money to go with Ions, 100% captures, and a hardly damaged hull to me.

I hardly ever have a minimally damaged hull since the 1.3 patch and the nerfing of the Ion D capture technique. Usually in the range 50-80% hulls, whether using Ions or not. And by not using Ions, I get shields and weapons more often. Also, when capturing the faster ships during an assassination mission, I never get extra engine tunings using Ions, whereas I can get 1 in 4 with extra tunings by using PSGs or HEPTs.

[BenKanoobie]

Has anyone ever tried using the Mass Driver as a capturing weapon?, I was thinking of trying it to see if i can get more precious 25MW shields recovered but I'd probably have to build my own ammo factory as well, so I'd like to know how anybody did trying this.

[canazza]

Mass Drivers are great capping weapons, I used to use em alot, got about 80% cap rate, but you get less of a return with all that ammo you have to buy.

and Ion D's mixed with a mass driver is enough to cap. (Ion D's to take care of any missiles, while the MD nibbles at the hull)

[3iff]

I've been attacked a few times by Orinocos with IDs - it causes me to panic...but I've noticed that these ships are very quick to surrender.

Luckiest capture so far...an Orinoco with just 7 points of hull remaining complete with 2 * 25Mw shields and a Bhept (or was it an Ahept?).

[BenKanoobie]

Where do you BUY ammo?, I've never seen any in stock:(