Problems Using Tractor Beam

[cynic2005]

I have installed a tractor beam onto a Mercury Super Freighter. The tractor beam will not fire upon anything regardless of how close I am to an object. I've tried moving my own station, but nothing happens. Is there something that I may be doing wrong?

[Deadbeat_Spinn]

The TB is mounted on the Mercury's turret, you have to be operating it personally to fire the TB. Provided you haven't done this already. Another thing may be that the ship's weapons generator isn't powerful enough to use a TB despite being able to equip it. According to others several ships suffer from this problem, as to which ones though, no clue.



This doesn't seem to strike me as a tech question though.

[Nanook]

Tractor beams are really designed to be used by M6's, TL's and larger ships. The fact that they fit on a Mercury is probably due to the fact that all 'special weapons' are lumped together - tractor beam, repair laser, mobile drilling system (mining laser). If it can mount one, it can mount them all. The repair laser doesn't exist in the game as a separate item, so that's a non-issue. Most likely, that Mercury was designed to mount a MDS, so it can also mount, but not use, the TB. In short, get an M6.

[graham_hawkins]

Tractor beams are really designed to be used by M6's, TL's and larger ships.

Well, not TLs evidently. Runs out after ~30seconds on the rear turret of my Elephant. What's that all about? I thought TLs were for moving large stuff around.

[Deadbeat_Spinn]

Tractor beams are really designed to be used by M6's, TL's and larger ships.

Well, not TLs evidently. Runs out after ~30seconds on the rear turret of my Elephant. What's that all about? I thought TLs were for moving large stuff around.

Once the beam locks on to the station you can release the trigger and haul the station around.
It was rather fun dragging an SSP XL through an asteroid field. Think of a dragster with its chute deployed, thats how I was pulling the station and thankfully it shrugged off the collisions since the station was for a mission and if it was lost I wouldn't be getting my 110+mil reward.

[bravoman]

Tractor beams are really designed to be used by M6's, TL's and larger ships.

Well, not TLs evidently. Runs out after ~30seconds on the rear turret of my Elephant. What's that all about? I thought TLs were for moving large stuff around.

TL's can use the TB but they simply don't have the weapon generator necesasry to keep firing it.

Plus, you don't need to fire it that long. 1 pulse is more than enough to establish the TB.

[maphys]

What's that all about? I thought TLs were for moving large stuff around.

In their hold! You don't use a supertanker as a tug, you use a specially designed ship. And since it is the only use I have found for an M6 I rechristen them "Utility Craft: Tug"!


M

[pjknibbs]

Well, not TLs evidently. Runs out after ~30seconds on the rear turret of my Elephant. What's that all about? I thought TLs were for moving large stuff around.

Why are you firing the tractor beam for more than 30 seconds anyway? As soon as you get a lock (e.g. the green tractor beam appears) you can stop firing it--it doesn't take any laser energy at all to maintain the normal lock. If you're losing the lock after 30 seconds then either you've modded your game or there's some other reason (e.g. if you're towing a mine, it's rotated so that the beam attachment point is too far from your ship--that happens a lot).

[EmperorJon]

I thought that first time. I looked at the energy consumption and then at the energy recharge and thought, wait, I can only fire it for 20 seconds!? Then I tried and understood!

[graham_hawkins]

Tractor beams are really designed to be used by M6's, TL's and larger ships.

Well, not TLs evidently. Runs out after ~30seconds on the rear turret of my Elephant. What's that all about? I thought TLs were for moving large stuff around.

Once the beam locks on to the station you can release the trigger and haul the station around.
It was rather fun dragging an SSP XL through an asteroid field. Think of a dragster with its chute deployed, thats how I was pulling the station and thankfully it shrugged off the collisions since the station was for a mission and if it was lost I wouldn't be getting my 110+mil reward.

Oh yeah - that works. Thanks. Doh...