Hard Light Productions Forums
Hosted Projects - FS2 Required => FreeSpace Conversion => Topic started by: Mebber on June 06, 2010, 09:09:12 am
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Escort missions for escape pods are always stressful, but this one kills me.
I've played through ST:R on medium, and i succeeded in all secondary and bonus goals- except this one. Now i'm trying it again, but i've got no luck again. Or not enough skill. I just don't know how to save all of the Krios' escape pods due to these damn two leviathan cruisers. They jump in right in front of them, and open fire immediately. The first pod is gone a few seconds after the cruisers jumped in.
I've played the previous mission solo (ordered all of my wingmen to protect a far-away support ship) to ensure i begin Betrayed with all of my wingmen alive and in good condition, but that's not helping much.
I tried to use disruptor missiles and moved to their arrival point as soon as the Soyakaze jumps in to attack them the moment they arrive, but i haven't even enough time to disable these two cruisers before one of the pods explodes...
I just want to know what i'm doing wrong, how do you guys managed this mission?
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It's on my to-redo list...that mission.
Basically I assume if you do well enough at the prior mission you can put enough interference in with all of your wingmen to hold it down, basically means coming away from all the other craft with all your wingmen beforehand and hoping stuff survives long enough, in terms of 'possible to do' ......It's just so hard to tell you it's doable when I haven't done it (or at least don't remember having done it).
Seems like you have really thought this one through so I'm not sure what I can tell you really other than killing everything before the GTSC whatever it is then pulling everyone to the warp in points, limits how much you're fighting at any one time a bit.
The herc are normally what blow up the first pod for me though.
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You only need to save two escape pods (out of eight) to successfully complete this mission. I've never been able to save all eight pods myself, but I put the bonus goal there in case someone could manage to do it.
It's worth noting that this mission is similar in difficulty to the original one from the canonical Silent Threat. I've never been able to save all the pods in that one either. (Though I have heard it's possible; one very old walkthrough, which I can no longer find, explained how to do it. It involved drawing the Leviathan's fire while the pods slipped past.)
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I couldn't do it either. As Developers it's our obligation to make 100% completion virtually impossible.
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I'm pretty sure it's possible. :p
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I managed to save all escape pods once or twice in the original ST, but not in ST:R. In ST:R, I'm happy if I can complete the mission. Though it must be admitted I went through the campaign only twice, with a one-year interval between the two runs.
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Hmmm...
www.freespace2.com
:nervous:
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I'm pretty sure it's possible. :p
There's a difference between humanly possible and, well, QuantumDeltaly possible.
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There's a difference between humanly possible and, well, QuantumDeltaly possible.
QFT
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I recall retrying that mission 3 or 4 times to get most (and not all) of the escape pods alive myself.
Never could do it.
But it wasn't from Hercule fire or something like that that the pods usually dies to me,
it's more from the Leviathan's Fusion Mortars....
They even get to fire on the escape pods while they are coming out of subspace!
By the time the cruiser exited subspace, one or two of the pods were gone already.
I even tried getting so damn close to draw their fire, but that i think about it, i don't recall ever being attacked by a fusion mortar with a fighter.
Isn't something here wrong >_< ? Or is it (probably i guess :P) me ?
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I've made it in the original ST, but there it was only ONE leviathan ;)
Anyway it seems like the leviathans aren't the main problem. I considered what QuantumDelta said about the hercs- a wing of hercs are jumping in (about one click away from the pods) a few seconds after the cruisers. And they're not distractible, they just keep firing on the pods until everyone of them is gone. I haven't noticed that until now because i was fully concentrated on the cruisers... no wonder, two leviathans in front of a few escape pods are a real attention getter. :)
Well i managed to kill 2-3 hercs, but at least one of them survives long enough to blow up a pod.
Maybe some other guy will get that bonus goal some day, i give it up.
Something surprises me- the mission is quite easy to complete once you use the right tactic. The pods are set invulnerable until the Soyakaze arrives, so there is no need to protect them until the science cruiser is down. The wingmen's preset orders are to protect the pods/destroy the science cruiser, and they'll die very fast whilst they try to accomplish these orders, and the time pressure after the science cruiser is down isn't helping.
But if you order them to ignore the science cruiser/attack all enemies, the GTI fighters will drop like flies, and the own wingmen won't be scratched very much. After they're down, just order all fighters to the first thee escape pods to protect them and wait until they're in position, destroy the science cruiser solo, afterburn to the pods and wait for the cruisers and hercs. Two leviathans don't survive very long against five intact wings, especially because they're entering the combat zone so very close.
Only the hercs remain a problem, i just couldn't stop them fast enough.
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Since you're working so hard, one more tip for you;
Flail :)