Do Disruptors Work?

[johnzoo]

So aside from the bolt of lightning and the crackle sound effect I have seen nothing happen....after several repeated attempts to disable fighter class ships. I peck at the target with the cheap lazers to keep the shields down. When charged I hit him with the tazer zap and nothing. Dual disruptors on a Mako.

I know it is supposed to keep the hull intact so I might not see a visible difference in the hull damage bar, but shouldn't these guys bail if their systems are fried?

(yawn) anyone else get these to work?

[Azordian]

I also pilot a mako, and also made the mistake of two disruptors. I tell you one thing - one is enough for such a weak power supply ship.

I've gotten 3 superfreighter demetors to bail one after another, it took a long time, some 15 minutes - but VERY rewarding on the 4th, was a small high-tech trader with 5x10GJ shields on board... forget capping, I got him down to 1 shield with the ION - made him drop freight - BAM!

1 mil x 3 for the superfreighters
700k x 5 for shields

Profit.

Keep at it, hunter.

[Sirus5]

I would not be without my IONS - I have a Pirate Buster which I captured in Mission 3 (The Don in Farnhams) and what a difference when I loaded up the IONs... The shields go down so much quicker with 2 IONS and that means that the hull is down below that 87% a lot quicker - thus, there is more incentive to bail...

I was never able to get Falcon Vanguards to bail with their massive shields - however, with 2 IONS zapping them, I now have 2.. Also, captured a Nova Raider!!! - again, courtesey of 2 IONS and 2 PSG.... Never thought this would be possible as normally, the rear turret eats me alive despite strafing all the time in different directions.... However, this one didn't have a HEPT in the rear and with 2 IONS, from the front I had his shields down before he was past me and was on to his hull before his rear turret could get started!

I always make the first run with both IONS and then switch one off when the shields are down. It appears to be the speed in which you can get from first contact to damaging the hull which seems to help them to exit their ship, and that second ION really helps me!!!

[shodan1138]

Ion Disruptors are great because they can do some /serious/ shield damage. (It's like blasting a stick of butter with a blowtorch.) But they don't harm the hull at all, which can be either great, or horrible, depending on what your goals are (capture vs. destruction).

Typically, I'd alternate between IonD guns and "real" guns, in order to destroy large, heavily-shielded targets.

An IonD will, however, have a large tendancy to fry any equipment on the enemy ship. If you use these weapons for capturing, you may well end up capturing a completely empty and equipment-less ship. (of course, in my own capturing experience, that's annoyingly "normal". Few of the ships I've captured, if any, have had any of their equipment or cargo left on board.)

[Azordian]

I'll tell you this much - thus far ship capturing is a VERY mysterious, and very NERFED thing.

I'll give you an example.

I was flying in the Mako again (no 5x10GJ shields this time ) and I came upon a Paranid transporter with 400 crystals on board. I figure, 400 * 1600 = good enough profit. So I tare through the shields with my aHEPTs, he drops 126 crystals, and then quickly bails.

The freight before bail (I watched as he gave me his bailing speech)
2x25MJ shields
1x5MJ shields
220 crystals

And RIGHT BEFORE MY EYES everything but 20 crystals disappears, as if the pilot took the shields and thousands of tons of freight with him. disappointing, thus my suggestion to raiders out there - make sure the expensive loot is dumped in threats before you continue to take the ship, as it'll disappear.

This is strange as well, as I played an assassin game once, and the first thing I attacked was a nova raider - the pilot ejected quickly, almost instantly with 2 HEPTs still on the nova. What happened this time? Smart pilot?

[Nanook]

I'll tell you this much - thus far ship capturing is a VERY mysterious, and very NERFED thing.

I'll give you an example.

I was flying in the Mako again (no 5x10GJ shields this time ) and I came upon a Paranid transporter with 400 crystals on board. I figure, 400 * 1600 = good enough profit. So I tare through the shields with my aHEPTs, he drops 126 crystals, and then quickly bails.

The freight before bail (I watched as he gave me his bailing speech)
2x25MJ shields
1x5MJ shields
220 crystals

And RIGHT BEFORE MY EYES everything but 20 crystals disappears, as if the pilot took the shields and thousands of tons of freight with him. disappointing, thus my suggestion to raiders out there - make sure the expensive loot is dumped in threats before you continue to take the ship, as it'll disappear.

This is strange as well, as I played an assassin game once, and the first thing I attacked was a nova raider - the pilot ejected quickly, almost instantly with 2 HEPTs still on the nova. What happened this time? Smart pilot?

This isn't 'nerfed'. It's the way it's always been, in all X games. There's a random factor to what you get after a pilot bails. But generally, the more on the ship when he bails, the better chance you have of getting something. If you destroy most of the equipment with Ion's or whatever, you stand only a miniscule chance of getting anything at all. So be happy that the gods of randomness smiled at you for a while. They may do so again.

[octessence]

I like to think of it as the pilot setting of some kind of auto distruct before bailing.

[Deleted User]

Ah... I remember well in X2 while waiting for the bail speech to end you get a quick save in and then re-load until you get what you want out of the captured ship... I wonder if it's the same in X3??

[Nanook]

Ah... I remember well in X2 while waiting for the bail speech to end you get a quick save in and then re-load until you get what you want out of the captured ship... I wonder if it's the same in X3??

Probably not. I think patch 1.4 (X2) put an end to that practice. I was never able to do it after that. Used to use it all the time to get those super pirates in mission 2. AFter 1.4, I found I had to replay each fight over and over to get the good tunings. So I doubt it's possible in X3. But you never know till you try.

[apricotslice]

The ions actually destroy equipment after the shields are down.

But the same happens without them, you usually get an empty shell.

The devs designed it that way so you dont make too much money too quickly.