Hey,

Having played EV and EVO years ago on a friends Mac I recently bought EVN for my PC. I haven't played it yet, because it was mainly a nostalgia trip so I've been playing the EV conversion. Anyway, throughout play I've noticed that whenever I have a mission to kill something it seems to be hostile towards me rather than whoever attacked it last like it used to be in the original game. This was fine, until I got up to the alien mission. The rebel cruisers that are supposed to be escorting me have wandered off somewhere, but I remember that happening on the original game too. The problem is that even if I have escorts or someone else happens to be in the system (so far I've had both rebel and confed crusiers show up sometimes) The aliens all target me, ignoring everyone else.

I've always done this mission in a Kestrel, using primary weapons and (if I have it) a tractor beam. On this occasion I've got the tractor beam and cloaking device. But I'm finding it impossible as I can't stay out of the way of the cruisers heavy cannon 'cos the fighters buffet me about so much with theirs that I can't control where I'm going. I've tried everything, but nothing seems to distract the fighters from me. I've even cloaked and that makes them go neutral and attack others, but as soon as I uncloak they switch back to attacking me.

Has anybody else come across this? Any suggestions as to what I can do to beat it as I'm stumped and getting really fed up?

One thing I've noticed about the Alien Fighters beams is that, whoever did this conversion spiked how much those beams can push a ship around. This beam's impact is many times more powerful than it should be.

I'll go look up the data in a minute.

(Edit)
The Particle Beam has an impact of 150. In the original game, it was 256.
The Heavy Fusion Beam has an impact of 128. In the original game, it was, still, 128.
The Fusion Beam has an impact of 100. In the original game, it was 1.

These are pretty hefty considering that Nova's Ion Cannon has a grand old impact of 20.

This post has been edited by Eugene Chin : 29 December 2006 - 02:50 PM

If the mission data tells the ship to 'attack the player' then that's exactly what it will do. I don't recall it being any different in the original game.

Regarding the Rebel Cruiser escorts disappearing, that's an engine bug. Auxiliary ship information is not saved with the pilot so if you quit the game they will be lost (unless they are 'infinite').

@guy, on Dec 29 2006, 03:25 PM, said in Nova Conversion Alien Mission:

If the mission data tells the ship to 'attack the player' then that's exactly what it will do. I don't recall it being any different in the original game.

I remember this differently though. When I'd play the Alien mission, my two Rebel Cruisers would take on one of the Alien fighters. Sometimes, a pirate or another friendly ship would come over and take on another Alien fighter. If not, usually I'd have two of them hitting me with their Fusion Beams. It would be no big deal though, considering the weakness of the beam.

Also, I think the engine would interpret the "attack the player" command differently for fighters (in the original EV, at least). The Cruiser would send out its fighters to attack the player because the Cruiser has this command, but the fighters, as different ships, won't actually have this command, and therefore can be distracted. I think Nova changed this around. (I could be wrong though; I'm not actually that engine savvy.)

This post has been edited by Destroyer E : 31 December 2006 - 07:49 AM

@nihilism, on Dec 29 2006, 11:00 AM, said in Nova Conversion Alien Mission:

Hey,

Having played EV and EVO years ago on a friends Mac I recently bought EVN for my PC. I haven't played it yet, because it was mainly a nostalgia trip so I've been playing the EV conversion. Anyway, throughout play I've noticed that whenever I have a mission to kill something it seems to be hostile towards me rather than whoever attacked it last like it used to be in the original game. This was fine, until I got up to the alien mission. The rebel cruisers that are supposed to be escorting me have wandered off somewhere, but I remember that happening on the original game too. The problem is that even if I have escorts or someone else happens to be in the system (so far I've had both rebel and confed crusiers show up sometimes) The aliens all target me, ignoring everyone else.

I've always done this mission in a Kestrel, using primary weapons and (if I have it) a tractor beam. On this occasion I've got the tractor beam and cloaking device. But I'm finding it impossible as I can't stay out of the way of the cruisers heavy cannon 'cos the fighters buffet me about so much with theirs that I can't control where I'm going. I've tried everything, but nothing seems to distract the fighters from me. I've even cloaked and that makes them go neutral and attack others, but as soon as I uncloak they switch back to attacking me.

Has anybody else come across this? Any suggestions as to what I can do to beat it as I'm stumped and getting really fed up?

i found the alien mission the most fun on ev because the were a challenge (that and trying to steal back the proton beam in a hostile rebel space with literally 10 cruisers after me :))

Anyway a way i did it was if you have the tractor beam (rebel line) you just fly near the mother ship and lock the beam on to it when she is facing away from you (very important because the beam from here nose hurts like hell) then turn around and blast her (note may have to repeat because of the fighters owning you too quick and some lucky hits from the mother ship)

if you have the proton cannon thingy (confed line) DONT use it because it just blasts the mother ship away and she repairs herself plus unleashes a load of torps before you can fight her again...

Instead you have to fly around her and just unlease all your load it her.. when she turns to face you fly to her arse end...
note: you need expert flying skill because of the mother ship laser....(i dont mean to sound stuck up because ive done it this way) its slow but it does kill her.... eventually!

plus its worth the time the rebel/confed cruiser are the best ships in the game...

thats me out.... hope ive helped....?