Rebel Pursuit 4

Hey guys, I'm using the TC for Nova to play EVC because I no longer have a computer capable of running the original (power supply failure), and I need some serious help.

In the mission Rebel Pursuit 4, you must disable a Weapons Transport, retrieve plans for the Particle beam, and return to whatever world is in Mater (Hodgeson's World?). During the mission, you have 3 Destroyers and 4 Cruisers trying to kill you, and because of the Cruisers, there are also 16 Mantas.
I have a Kestrel along with 2 Lightnings, 2 Hawks, 20 Missiles, 15 Torpedos, 10 Rockets, and 2 Proton turrets. Using all of those correctly, I can single-handedly destroy the entire fleet—I've done it twice. However, unlike most missions, if you destroy every ship in the fleet then continue with the mission, a new fleet is after you.

My question is this: How do you disable the Weapons Transport before it leaves the system, and how can I make sure the Rebels won't destroy it? (A few times the Rebels destroyed the Weapons Transport without me even touching it.)

Thanks a lot!

Btw, I noticed my criminal record within parts of the Rebellion raised after I destroyed the fleet in the Satori system, meaning before I entered the system they wouldn't let me land, and after I destroyed the fleet Palshife and the adjacent systems would let me land. Just saying.

This post has been edited by Captain Zaphod Beeblebrox : 06 March 2010 - 03:13 PM

So in short, you're looking for gameplay tips. Alright then.

First off, I don't normally get a Kestrel for anything: too slow. I get a Maskirovka Corvette. Slap on the engine upgrades and an afterburner, that thing can outrun anything. Period. However, you may not need that since your Kestrel apparently is capable of annihilating fleets with ease.

The fact that the Rebels are capable of destroying the freighter is strange as the freighter belongs to the Rebels, they shouldn't be able to destroy it. You sure you didn't just miss a pirate or Confed in the system? How are they killing the freighter? Are they actually attacking it or just killing it with stray shots? If it's the latter, then this strategy should work. What I do is I lure the Rebel fleet away from the freighter, kill the Mantas, and then speed around the warships to disable and board the freighter. After that, I get outta dodge.

Good luck!

Yes it is the latter.

So basically, you're saying I should flee from the fleet and destroy only the Mantas, then run back and disable/board the Freighter? Sounds like a good plan. I'll give it a shot. Thanks a lot!

EDIT: Kestrel's not fast enough for that kind of maneuver, even with upgraded speed and acceleration. However, I also don't want to give up the Kestrel for a simple Corvette, because as it is, this thing's as fast as a stock Corvette with a hell of a lot more firepower.

Maybe if I worked at it for an hour or so, I might be able to pull it off, but I just don't have that kind of time.

Are there any other ways to do this mission? Is there a way I can get a cloaking device of some sort at this point in time without cheating?

This post has been edited by Captain Zaphod Beeblebrox : 01 March 2010 - 09:24 PM

I believe the Cloaking Device is only given to you in the Rebel storyline. I could be wrong as it's been quite a while since I last blew the dust off my copy of EVC.

If your Kestrel isn't fast enough, then just lure the fleet away from the freighter so their stray shots won't kill it, kill the fleet, then get the freighter. Let us know how that works out for you.

QUOTE (darthkev @ Mar 1 2010, 07:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I believe the Cloaking Device is only given to you in the Rebel storyline. I could be wrong as it's been quite a while since I last blew the dust off my copy of EVC.

Yeah, that's what I thought, but I just wanted to be sure.
Possibilities to defect to the Rebellion, or am I stuck in the Confed storyline already?

QUOTE

If your Kestrel isn't fast enough, then just lure the fleet away from the freighter so their stray shots won't kill it, kill the fleet, then get the freighter. Let us know how that works out for you.

Freighter leaves too quickly.

The closest I ever got was disabling it when it was on the other side of the system from the fleet. I couldn't believe I had disabled it and attempted to return to the ship when a barrage of missiles met me from the Mantas.

Maybe if I capture enough pirates, I can send them to fight the Rebel fleet while I carry out the mission. Considering they'd be my escorts, the Rebels should attack them when I'm not close by. I'll tell you how that works out, but I'm just hoping the captured pirates don't die too quickly.

Well, if you can capture six pirate Kestrels, they'd have the best chance at success.

You can defect to the Rebellion, actually. Just enter a bar on any Rebellion world after joining the Confederation. It will say something along the lines of Rebel Commandoes running into the bar, picking you up, and taking you to the planet's/station's governor. He tells you to destroy a Confed frigate that's passing through the system or he'll find you and kill you. You can simply leave the system and no one will come after you, but if you go along with it, your record in Rebel Space will be reset so you can do their missions. However, I suggest you finish this mission first and get the Particle Beam and then defect. That way you get the Particle Beam as well as two more handy devices, the Tractor Beam and the cloaking device.

This post has been edited by darthkev : 02 March 2010 - 05:29 PM

I'd say, scrap the Kestrel, grab a corvette with speed upgrades, and make sure you grab a torpedo launcher (1 torpedo will disable the freighter). And don't bother to engage the enemy fleet, just shoot the 1 torpedo at the freighter to make sure it doesn't leave while you run away from the Rebels.

EVWeb, with that strategy, he could simply shoot the freighter with one of his Kestrel's torpedoes and then kill the fleet. After that, he'd be free to board the freighter and go on his merry way. Still, good idea, EVWeb.

QUOTE (EVWeb @ Mar 2 2010, 10:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'd say, scrap the Kestrel, grab a corvette with speed upgrades, and make sure you grab a torpedo launcher (1 torpedo will disable the freighter). And don't bother to engage the enemy fleet, just shoot the 1 torpedo at the freighter to make sure it doesn't leave while you run away from the Rebels.

Oh my god, it worked! Thanks EVWeb!

And as darthkev said, it worked with the Kestrel, and as an added bonus, I quickly destroyed the Mantas after disabling the freighter for reduced interference when I was boarding the freighter. Thanks guys! Now I'm considering to try to defect the Rebellion for those other weapons, but loyalty is a big thing for me, even in a game. Does the Tractor Beam do damage, out of curiosity?

No, it doesn't. All it does is restrict the movement of the target as well as pull it/you towards you/it depending on the mass of your ship and the mass of your target. However, it worked much better in the original EVC than in the ports of EVC. In original EVC, the Tractor Beam completely removed the target's ability to turn and maybe even their ability to accelerate. It was great for starfighting since fighters don't have turrets. The Nova Engine, however, doesn't handle beams that way. Instead, Tractor Beams in the Nova Engine merely slow down a ship's turning and acceleration abilities.

That said, you can defect back to the Confederation, too, I think. I'm not entirely sure about that one, but I think it can be done. Even if it can't in stock EVC, you can easily make a plug-in to do so.

This post has been edited by darthkev : 03 March 2010 - 09:13 PM

Might still come in handy.

So, is there a specific place in the Confederation storyline that enables that Defect to Rebellion mission, or is it just available? If there's a specific spot, am I far enough in the storyline? Also, what percent chance does it have of showing up?

EDIT: Okay, forget defecting to the Rebellion, I need to know how to destroy the Aliens.

Any tips? Their shield regeneration is really high, and they also have a decent amount of shields as well. And that's just the small fighters.

The way I see it, my best shot is sheer power, exerted all at once. However, I don't really have that, so any suggestions?

This post has been edited by Captain Zaphod Beeblebrox : 03 March 2010 - 11:45 PM

The alien fighters are pretty much invincible, you can kill them, but it's hardly worth the effort. As for killing the cruiser, get a fast ship ( like a corvette, I mean you can do it in a Kestrel, but its more difficult that way ) arm it to the teeth with laser cannons (lasers are better than proton cannons) and proton turrets, and just try to stay behind the alien cruiser at point blank range while constantly pounding it with your guns.

This post has been edited by EVWeb : 04 March 2010 - 01:31 AM

You can still defect to the Rebellion, but it has to be done on a Rebel world as I said before, not on a Confederation world. The Tractor Beam is your best bet against the aliens since it makes it really hard for the Alien Cruiser to turn and face you. It won't stop it if you're using the EVC Port, but it does help. That said, EVWeb is right about barraging them with firepower. They don't have powerful shields so much as a high shield regeneration. They do have awesomely powerful shields, just not as powerful as you may think.

I have only tried on Rebel worlds, but it never pops up. Spaceport bar, correct?

So you're saying to forget about the fighters and just kill the Cruiser? Does this mean the Cruiser doesn't have high shield regeneration like its fighters? Also, you said to stay behind the Cruiser, is this because its beam is fixed, or it has a blind spot in the back?

The fighters and the cruiser have identical weapon loads with the exception of the cruiser mounting a fighter bay. Other than that, they can only attack you from their front and won't fire drones at you unless you're far away. Also, the cruiser does have a high shield regeneration as well as strong shields like the fighters. However, you only need to destroy the cruiser, the fighters are meaningless.

Just stick close to the cruiser, bombard it with everything you've got, and you should be fine. Oh, and avoid those drones, they pack a punch.

To interject some useful trivia into this, it is very possible to destroy a single alien fighter by grabbing it in a tractor beam to restrict its movement, then pummeling it with proton until it dies. You will need a minimum of 3 proton turrets to kill it, and 4 is best. It will be able to turn slowly, but in a sufficiently maneuverable ship, it's not an issue. Don't let it go, and don't stop shooting until it dies, or you will have to try again.

Also, an upgraded Rebel cruiser is easily capable of impressive dodge maneuvers. With a little practice, you can dance around missiles, torpedoes, and heavy rockets with ease. Don't try this in a Confederation Cruiser. It's a flying asteroid.

Now I just have to defect to the rebellion and it's all good. Any reasons why that mission shouldn't show up on a Rebellion world?

EDIT: I just did one Transport Weapons mission for the Rebellion (because I had already set the bits for that to appear) and the mission showed up. All I had to do was destroy one wimpy Confed Frigate. Annihilated my ratings with the Confederation, but I'm in the Rebellion now. I assume when I get all the Rebel tech I need, to get back to the Confederation I just do the Alien mission?

This post has been edited by Captain Zaphod Beeblebrox : 05 March 2010 - 12:31 AM

Pretty much. That's also the last Confed Mission, so once you're done you can do the Rebel storyline if you like and fight the aliens again.

So there's really no winner or loser in-game for the Civil War?

Nope. EVN was the first game to actually have someone win any war at all.