Ship Capture Guide: X2 Version 2 (Updated for 1.4)

[EssAitch]

Are the M6's any good for capping, it doesn't seem that any of them can take the ION D's? I have 18 Mil saved up after my weekend pirate/Khaak hunting, enough for an M6... or should I rather save up for a M2? The Baron Ray looks like a good investmet as it can take ION D's on all turrets and only cost about 49 Mil...

IMNSHO you already have the best capturing platform in the game: the Nova. As well as the BHEPTs and Ions, I also have a couple of PACS that I can swap in for hull shaving.

For capturing, you need accuracy and control and you have to spend a lot of money on gunnery crews to get that kind of performance from an M6 or M2. I believe you can instruct the gunnery crew to maximise captures, but I'd never employ a gunnery crew to do a man's job

18 million cr. will buy you a Paranid Hercules which no serious ship thief should be without. Save up a little longer first so you can aford some shields and guns for it.

[Jakesnake5]

The good thing about BPSG's (specially on the Perseus) is they do massive shield damage, but not so massive hull (unless your target is a piece of paper. )

But the hull damage is proportional to the SIZE of the hull. M5's go down fast, M4's mid, and M3's slow. Fighters don't do too badly. M6's and up size, take more for the hull volume. Which is silly, but when they blow up, you see multiple sections, so each section 'hit' takes damage).

Xenon's, though, are a totally DIFFERENT can of worms. Their tougher than they look.

[JulianG]

The Split Dragon is a pretty ship I think I'll stick with my Nova for now...

EssAitch, what would I use a Paranid Hercules for? It's got plenty cargo space, trading perhaps?

[jlehtone]

EssAitch, what would I use a Paranid Hercules for? It's got plenty cargo space, trading perhaps?

Hercules is a TL. The cheapest TL of all. Shielded like a carrier. Like any TL, it can haul stations for you. Made my station building to bloom. You can use it to trade (manually); you fly it to a sector and send its TS ships to buy the cheap and to sell high. Change sector and repeat. Or you can go around mobile mining and have it carry the minerals to the market.

However, the good part of Herc for capturer is that it can carry 27 ships with it. Bring it to the sector where you capture. Tell the captured hulks to dock. When the Herc is full, you tell it to jump to shipyard and broadcast to the docked ships that they should go to the yard. Faster and safer than letting them fly at snail pace from the combat zone.

[JulianG]

I like it, I like it a lot!

I thought it would come in rather handy So that's what that "broadcast" command is for? So you can use it to send all ships in, say your Hercules, too one place... like a ship yard. Cool...

How much money does mobile mining make a person anyway?? Is it more profitable than capping?

Can the Hercules use a jumpdrive?

My concern at the moment is more... Would the Hercules be a good investment right now as it will use all the money I have? Should I rather use my 18 Mil and built more SPP's? Or just save it for a M2? I really want to see what the M2's can do...

[Al]

To be honest it depends on what you intend to make your money from. If you are planning on spending most of your time capturing then I'd recommend buying it immediately. Its a very good way of protecting your investments once they are captured. You can equip a jump drive and have your captured ships at the shipyard in next to no time.

If you dont have any factories set up then you can also use your TL for doing this. makes it far quicker than hiring NPC TLs and then ordering them around.

Remember that to make the most profits you need to use all methods. Sector traders are relatively cheap to set up and can make good profits.

HTH

Al

[JulianG]

I think I migth just get me a Hercules then

What do I need to set up a sector trader? Is that the Trade Software MK3 that cost like 500 000 credits? And define "good profit"

I recon I will cap some more ship until I have about 20 Mill and then buy the Hercules. I can dock my Nova and my Khaak M3 in it and alternate between them when capturing enemies. That would leave me with space for another 25 catured ships and with 13000 cargo space, I can load enough energy cell to jump around between sectors like mad and still have space for weapons and equipment that I take of captured ships... OK, make that space for 24 captured ships. I will more than likely need a TS (like the Baron Dolphin) on the Hercules to supply the TL with goods if needed...

Thanks for the advise AL. jlehtone and EssAitch. Hecules it is.

[EssAitch]

So that's what that "broadcast" command is for? So you can use it to send all ships in, say your Hercules, too one place... like a ship yard. Cool...

Careful with that bit If you broadcast to all docked ships that will include your own ships (and you don't want to sell that KM3 before you've finished playing with it). I think you can specify which class, like "Broadcast to all docked TS/TP", but when it gets more complicated you'll need to command them individually. Still pretty easy if you target the shipyard first and use "Dock at my target" on each one (key sequence 'c', '1', '1')

[JulianG]

I have not even started playing with that KM3 It's fine though... More than likely easier just sent all 27 ship to a ship yard and then just call back my Nova and KM3 before they get there...

[jlehtone]

Careful with that bit If you broadcast to all docked ships that will include your own ships (and you don't want to sell that KM3 before you've finished playing with it).

That is true, but they will only dock at yard. You still have to sell them one by one, and that is where you must be careful. Then simply tell one of the non-sold to broadcast to all to dock back to Hercules. A bit inconvenient. Like having a Shark with its own Dolphins, and a dozen or two of fresh Caimans that should get the Advanced Trading Software.

Still pretty easy if you target the shipyard first and use "Dock at my target" on each one (key sequence 'c', '1', '1')

Easy if you are there. I do not fly a TL, nor like to hang in the same sector either. Imagine a scenario, where you fly in Khaak sector, capturing ships, and the Hercules hauls them to safety. You would not like to break off capturing just to oversee some docking.


The requirements for the sector trader are mentioned in the ReadMe of the BonusPack.

[mystikmind2005]

Great guide, although i still don't fully understand the benefit of using ion disruptors? It all comes down to using your time efficiently, in other words is it better to spend time to hang around dogging the same pirates with ion disruptors trying to persuade them to surrender or is it more efficient to simply kill stuff taking whatever captures you can, getting the reward money and jumping to the next group of pirates. then there is always going to be a period of time before intercepting the next group of pirates which you can use to carry out economic maintenance or whatever. but if you stick around and use disruptors, that will occupy all your attention and you will be unable to carry out economic maintenance during that time.

[andman]

Do you have to take the shielding down or can you just use mass drivers?

[Jakesnake5]

Can't cap if they have full shields, and MD's don't touch shields.

The IOD's are usefull sometimes, not always. I've never had much luck with them in X2. But supposedly, you do 13% damage to the target, then hit them with the IOD's, and they bail.

I had better luck with the 'Nid M3 with 3 PSG's.

Course, I sometimes used a cap'd Kha'ak fighter with 3 bKyons. With them humming on their ships, they'd eject so fast they'd hit the windscreen on the way out.

[SH3rules]

I’ve been capturing with PSGs, but I hardly get any equipment. Do PSGs destroy equipment like IDs do?

[pjknibbs]

No, but you rarely get equipment with a capture whatever you do. The real reason for this is that it would be far too easy to make money if every ship you captured came with shields, guns etc. If you want an in-game reason, you can assume that the ship's pilot sabotages most of the equipment before bailing out.

[novacatt]

Hey Peeps,
Wot Ship Is Generally the best 4 a noobie to use 4 "capping" in X2 1.4?
IE: M3/M4... Min/Max. Wep./Shield Load Out, etc........
BTW I've never done "capping" b4 so thought i would give it a go

Any Specific race? i can only buy from these races: "Moron/Boron" (:twisted: ), Argon & Teladi @ the mo........

My Normal Fleet, so far, consists of:
1 Maxed Out* Disco - 2xGIRE/3x1mw (Kept Same Ship From Start Of Game )
1 Maxed Out* Mercury,1xGIRE/1x25mw-2x5mw (Gained From TerraCorp, I Added The Shields, Etc)
1 Maxed Out* Dolphin - Bought "L" Version Straight From Shipyard [minus GIRE,added later]
1 Maxed Out* Vulture - Bought "S" Version Straight From Shipyard [added all of the above] {:!:}
1 Maxed Out* Buster - Bought "L" Version Straight From Shipyard {:!:}
Around 1 - 2mil cash in hand.........

*Maxed Out=Speed,Steering,Cargo Bay,Software Extensions
[:!:] Depending on which saved game i'm using...
My Cracked/Cheat Fleet,so far, consists of:
All Of the above + A Maxed Out* Manta with Maxed Out* Occy

PS 1st post here ever

[muadiib]

My Capping Fighter of choice is the boron M3, maxed except for steering. BHEPTS to wittle away at shields. Able to use Ions if you just want the hulls, or Apacs if your after some of the kit on the inside. With your 2 Mil if i remmeber correctly that will get you a maxed M3. For my personel style it got what i need which is speed. Plus while capping pirate transports you can take a fair whacking from the rear turret.
Plus with transporter and jump drive its also more like a personel yacht, speccially useful when trouble shooting your empire when you need to be in system to build your factories!

Dont forget Strafe Drive, Its Awesome dont leave a station without it!!!

CRS HOOD

[Sirus5]

Well,

You have looked in the right place... Al was the capture Guru in X2.. Taught many of us how to capture...

Anyhow, there is a lot of controversy about which ship to use... Depends upon your style.

I personally like the M4 - it's a more "Surgical" craft which is faster and I think can capture more easily - however, a couple of hits from some HEPT and you are a gonner (not to be confused with a Goner)...

The best in quite a lot of peoples opinion is the Pirate Buster (you can't buy it and have to capture it from the pirates).. It is quite easily cappable with an ordinary Buster, but you will have to have som PAC's fitted, and it would be best to have something to get the shields down quick (like ION DIsrupters)...

I would then max out the Pirate Buster with Speed, Jump drive etc and give it 2 IONS, 2 PSG and 4 PACS....

Then go find a lone Falcon and get behind - Give it 2 IONs and 4 PACS and then stay behind it whilst attacking.. Get the Hull below 87% as quick as possible with everything you can muster, then chip away at it...

Other people prefer an M3 - nothing like as fast (except a Mamba) but better shielded and can survive more.. But although I have tried M3's, I have always gone back to an M4 for capturing and I have captured over 500 ships in X3 Thus far and am only 3 days from the start in X-Treme mode (so I started with Water Pistols not the cannons needed to capture)...


That should get you started.


Edit.... Whoooops...

Suddenly noticed you are talking about X2 not X3....

In that case, the Pirate Bayamon... Similar loadout.

[KesinX]

I'm at Admiral or something around there, and I love those Bounty Hunter type missions. They usually reward 300k-900k and I generally cap at least one fighter (probably going to start capping more now that I've read this ). Lately it's always spawned 2 M6s and 3-5 M3s. One time the second M6 was doing such a good job dodging all my shots that by the time I'd destroyed it...all the M3s that had been following me trying to protect it had ejected because they were getting hit by all the turret shots that were missing me...so in addition to my 900k reward I sold off 3 M3s for around 400k apiece.

[Nelly]

Wonderful guide from Al,

Noticed he was not into capturing Khaak ships, and there's my problem.
I dont bother much with the M4,M5. but the M3's keep ramming me.
This seems to be deliberate. With an ID and an AIRE I can take the shields down to below 87%, chase them around in circles for 20 minutes, and then suddenly they ram into me and I hear "The argon government is grateful" screw the Argon Government, I want the ship. I tried stopping, just in case I was ramming him but that is a dangerous trick (hull repair is expensive). I dont have this problem with other races, only Khaak.
I took on 17 M3's last night 12 rammed into me, 3 I captured, 1 was fried by an Argon Centaur, who offered to do the same to me (didnt like my ID's) and after an hour of chasing the last one around for nearly an hour I lost the head, loaded 2 beta Hept, and fried him 1% hull and he still wouldn't jump.
Just wondering is it me, or am I missing something