[eliex]

 I was watching a trailer on Youtube, and actually I never considered why the GTVA or Shivans never invented ship-to-ship grappling hooks when capital ship broadship battles.   

It could be pretty good actually, Destroyer A fires a grappling line into a breach of Destroyer B, then whoo-hoo, soldiers might swoop into Destroyer B "space marine" style and turn it into a land battle.
Transports are so fragile, and are virtually defenceless.


Anyway, what do you think?
Actually, I realize that it might be a *little* bit ridiculous come to think about it. 

[Mobius]

What about...

...the shape of ships prevents that from happening? And what's the point in risking a destroyer when you can sortie small tranports escorted by fighters and therefore protected by most anti-capship weapons?

Destroyers are important tools, that's not a good way to use them.

Your concept it's worth consideration in case of evacuation procedures and transfer of marines in a contested station...

[Stormkeeper]

Actually, I've wondered why transports seek the hatch when capturing a ship, instead of just cutting straight through to the bridge, or somewhere else instead of the airlock.

I know its the way FS2 is built, but still I wonder if its possible to make it such that the transport just attaches to the hull direct instead of having to slow and maneuver to its docking point.

[karajorma]

FS2 hulls can withstand a nuclear detonation at point blank range. What the hell were you going to cut through them with?

[Mobius]

An Elysium wasn't even able to penetrate the hull of a Cain...

If you want you can simply add more dockpoints to the ships.

[Gamma_Draconis]

Besides, even if they did tried capturing a large vessel, it'll require eliminating the fighter screen, disabling the ship, and clearing out most of its weapons. I also doubt a single troop transport can take the ship, so they'll probably have to devote 3-5 individual transport that would dock all around the ship. Then there would probably be tense combat before they can effectively take control of the ship.

It's just too much work, too risky, and a huge lost of lives.

[Mobius]

Not if you gain the space superiority.

[Stormkeeper]

FS2 hulls can withstand a nuclear detonation at point blank range. What the hell were you going to cut through them with?

Stormkeeper's Cut-Thru-It-All Beam!

Yea, I just realised the Helios is an antimatter bomb and takes a helluva long time to smash a destroyer, so you'd need like a concentrated beam of anti-matter. Or a Portal gun!

Besides, even if they did tried capturing a large vessel, it'll require eliminating the fighter screen, disabling the ship, and clearing out most of its weapons. I also doubt a single troop transport can take the ship, so they'll probably have to devote 3-5 individual transport that would dock all around the ship. Then there would probably be tense combat before they can effectively take control of the ship.

It's just too much work, too risky, and a huge lost of lives.

Do the Homeworld approach. Tractor it into the Colossus

Also, I'd just find a way to blow out their life support and let them die on their own.

[FreeSpaceFreak]

The Shivans are doing it, according to the FSRefBible. But they don't need lines.

[Blue Lion]

What happens if someone jumps while you're hooked to them?

[Droid803]

That's why you disable the ship first.

[Blue Lion]

Then why bother hooking them? Where are they going to go?

[FUBAR-BDHR]

It would also be bad to hook onto a ship only to find out that it's engines are better than yours as it's dragging you right into the path of a rear BFRed. 

[Stormkeeper]

It would also be bad to hook onto a ship only to find out that it's engines are better than yours as it's dragging you right into the path of a rear BFRed. 

Wow, that would suck.

[Blue Lion]

And a well placed beam weapon would probably cut all the ties

[Flaser]

Why not purpose build a ship, like the assault shuttles of the Thebans in Starfire?

It's a ship that actually burrows into the capship, and has several exits on its surface to insure some of them open into the target's interior.

[Blue Lion]

Because it would probably kill a large number of the crew and require lots and lots of repair?

[JGZinv]

Two words, Ion Cannon.

[eliex]

Actually I was thinking about

 Destroyer A fires a railgun bolt into a side-turret of Destroyer B. It blows up and kills anyone around, and there's fire everywhere.
 The marines crash-land into the breach with a drop-pod using one of the grappling hooks, then attempt to make a sort of "landing point." 

If the marines get driven off, Destroyer A can simply threaten Destroyer B a direct hit into its core with like 5 railguns, as the where the turret was is just an empty hole.

If the marines don't get driven off, they can rush into the destroyer's core and capture Destroyer B's reactor core. Then, Destroyer B would just have to surrender and Destroyer A gets a free ship!!
<hahahaha . . . > 

[Kie99]

If you could get man size objects into an enemy ship I'd suggest you send a Helios rather than a marine.