Noob here, why can't I install any laser on my Boron Thresher?

[shadyJ]

HI,
I took a ship retrieval mission, and the guy who hired me offered me a measly 100,000 credits to retrieve his Thresher. Naturally, I just kept it.

I am trying to put some lasers in it, I bought some particle cannons and a plasma thrower, but when I open the "Install Laser" menu, they lasers are there but they are greyed out, and I can't select them or install them. The Laser entry in the encyclopedia says the lasers I want to install are compatible with the Thresher. The only mod I have installed is the MARS thing and that official bonus pack. Other than that I am playing a vanilla game starting with the humble merchant.

Can anyone tell me what is happening?

Also another quick question, will my ships defend themselves if some pirates attack them? Even if I am out of sector? Do I need to equip them with fight command software? Also are my ships smart enough to run if they are outnumbered and outgunned?

[StarSword]

I am trying to put some lasers in it, I bought some particle cannons and a plasma thrower, but when I open the "Install Laser" menu, they lasers are there but they are greyed out, and I can't select them or install them. The Laser entry in the encyclopedia says the lasers I want to install are compatible with the Thresher. The only mod I have installed is the MARS thing and that official bonus pack. Other than that I am playing a vanilla game starting with the humble merchant.

That's emphatically not what is supposed to happen.

Which lasers in particular are you trying to equip?

Also another quick question, will my ships defend themselves if some pirates attack them? Even if I am out of sector? Do I need to equip them with fight command software? Also are my ships smart enough to run if they are outnumbered and outgunned?

Yes, yes, and no. Yes, your ships will fight back if attacked. Yes, you should equip them with fight command software (though not to make them fight back, mind you; there's other benefits). No, they're not smart enough to run if outnumbered and outgunned.

[jlehtone]

Doesn't that "MARS thing" somehow involve turrets? I would follow [url=http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=216696][b]T[/b][b]C[/b] [b]S[/b]&M Posting [b]R[/b]ules[/url] Rule #1 and check the thread of MARS.

"Vanilla" means non-modified game, but Bonuspack is included in that. Anything else is not vanilla.

A ship that does something does react to attacks. A ship saying "none" as current command will do nothing. Ships do not count their enemies and fight continues until the target no longer exists.

Trade commands usually react to attack by fleeing.

[Automatic Jack]

The Thresher has 5 turrets, only 3 of the 5 can equip PACs and the cockpit is not one of them.

[Catra]

you really gotta look at the laser compatability chart found in the ship stat menu to see which lasers go to which set of batteries.

[pjknibbs]

The Thresher has 5 turrets, only 3 of the 5 can equip PACs and the cockpit is not one of them.

Quite why you'd want to have PACs and HEPTs as forward guns on a Thresher is an important question, too...

[EmperorJon]

Yeah, when you can have 2 charged PPC blasts to drain your energy exactly from 100% to 0% IIRC. THAT'S a strike frigate. Someone needs to tell the Split that.

[Slashman]

Yeah, when you can have 2 charged PPC blasts to drain your energy exactly from 100% to 0% IIRC. THAT'S a strike frigate. Someone needs to tell the Split that.

Someone did...and now that person is dead. Are you happy now??!!???

[Morkonan]

..Someone did...and now that person is dead. Are you happy now??!!???

I just wanted to say, I love that smiley.

Oh, and "lol" at your reply, too.

So as to offer something material to the conversation -

I thought it was generally understood that one should probably sell any ships claimed from "Return" missions instead of trying to keep them. If kept, it's thought that those ships are more likely to be disappeared by the god-engine. But, credits will not be..

True or false? Or, is it one of those "maybeso" things?

[Catra]

theyre only removed if theyre actually returned.

and unless its been fixed, you cant RE / disassemble them at the PHQ either.

[Fulgrymm]

I seem to recall that you can RE them just fine, but you can't repair them.

[Slashman]

Actually,

I've always been curious about what happens if you don't get the ship back to the owner in time. Do you get the police coming after you? Or do you just get less/no payoff from the mission?

[Raider480]

Bad things tend to happen; the police send a wave of leveled enforcers after you but defeating them lets you keep the ship. Don't try to RE it though! A bug in the original owner stops you from an RE and possibly other interaction at the PHQ, last I heard. Definitely best to sell it - there will be others

[shadyJ]

There was another ship from a retrieval mission which I kept. All that happened was mission employer said he would report the ship as stolen, and an argon police discoverer tried to destroy the ship. I destroyed the police discoverer and lost some reputation among the Argon. If the ship is a good one, and the reward for return is small, there is no reason not to keep the ship, unless you object to killing cops or outrunning them.

As for not being able to equip the Thresher, thanks for the advice guys, I will try to equip the lasers in different turrets and let you know how it goes.

[Triaxx2]

He may just be trying to install the PAC's as point defense with PPC's in the main.

[Ripskar]

I have several ships that haven't been returned.
They don't disappear from return ship missions and repairing them works as normal.
It's the captured ships from patrols/defend station missions that disappear.

[shadyJ]

OK I can mount lasers on my Thresher, I just wasn't able to mount them on the forward turrets. Thanks for the help everyone, and I am sure that will not be my last question!

[ObadiahtheSlim]

I have several ships that haven't been returned.
They don't disappear from return ship missions and repairing them works as normal.
It's the captured ships from patrols/defend station missions that disappear.

I thought it was assassinate mission ships that disappeared on you. Retreival do not disappear although you take a rep hit for failing and another rep hit if you destroy the police units sent to "repo" your stolen craft.

[Nanook]

Bad things tend to happen; the police send a wave of leveled enforcers after you but defeating them lets you keep the ship. Don't try to RE it though! A bug in the original owner stops you from an RE and possibly other interaction at the PHQ, last I heard. Definitely best to sell it - there will be others

It's only the repair function that causes that, and that's because it changes the owner from you to 'none' during the repair process. It's that change that causes the ship to time out. As long as you're the owner of the ship, it won't time out and disappear. I've had stolen ships in my fleet for long periods of time, weeks of game time, with no problems.

Reverse engineering a ship simply causes that ship to be destroyed at the time the RE starts, essentially the same thing as selling a ship. So RE'ing a stolen ship should work just fine. Just don't try to repair it in the PHQ.