[Foil]

I haven't played my copy of Freespace/Silent Threat in years (although I've been back in the Descent 3 community for a while now), and recently started re-playing the main FS1 campaign.

Near the beginning of the mission "The Hammer and the Anvil", a weakened ship appears in the far distance, asking to be rescued.  The mission script seems to be designed so the ship is destoyed soon thereafter, while the player sticks to his/her assigned escort duty (or if the player decides to attempt a rescue, they're too far away).

However, if at the beginning of the level, the player takes off for the area where this ship will appear, it's possible to reach it before it gets destroyed.  But every time I've tried this, the ship is destroyed anyway, despite everything I try.

I seem to remember being able to keep the ship from being destroyed once, many years ago (probably playing on "Easy" at the time)... but it doesn't seem to be possible on the harder difficulties I'm playing on now.

Is it possible, and if so, what's the best way to do it?  Also, is there any reward for this at the end of the mission?

[NGTM-1R]

Command chews you out at the end of the mission if it survives, I think.

I HAVE saved it (I went for it when it entered, no less), but there's no real reward for it.

[StratComm]

I could have sworn that it self-destructed anyway.  You don't really have much to dent the Shivans at that point anyway, so it's a bit of a moot point.

[Nuclear1]

1) Charge at where you know the freighter will jump in.
2) Lock onto one of the Manticores with Interceptors. Start firing randomly at another, and ram the other.
3) Waste all three very pissed Mantis.

End of sequence.

[FireCrack]

The HOL had manticores?

[Goober5000]

Originally posted by nuclear1
1) Charge at where you know the freighter will jump in.
2) Lock onto one of the Manticores with Interceptors. Start firing randomly at another, and ram the other.
3) Waste all three very pissed Mantis.

End of sequence.

Wrong mission.  The one he's talking about is when you escort the shield prototypes.

I saved the Andromeda on Easy once, a long time ago, and then was very surprised when Command said nothing about it.  Basically, put it there to emphasize that you have to stick to your orders no matter what else happens.

[Kosh]

I noticed that once in a while the HOL ships will actually stop attacking that convoy before all of the ships were destroyed. Then they would sit around for a while, then jump out.

[Cobra]

Originally posted by StratComm
I could have sworn that it self-destructed anyway.

nope. it just goes the installation and stops.

at least you get more points for destroying the HoL fighters.

BTW, foil?

Power up photon beam cannons... FIRE!