|
|
Post by jameskuyper on Jun 16, 2011 9:21:15 GMT -5
I decided to give Bounty Hunting a try, but I'm finding the process very confusing. How can I tell whether or not a ship I'm encountering in the right sector is the one I'm looking for? I never see any text saying "this is your target", or the equivalent. I do, however, sometimes find out that when my mission is to assassinate a target, I get a message indicating that my mission has failed, presumably because I only looted the enemy ship, I didn't destroy it. Therefore, it must have been my target - but I didn't see any thing to indicate that it was.
I'm also unclear about the BH special ability. I perform surveillance, and sometimes get a toast indicating that I've found information about my target's whereabouts. However, I never see that information. How do I make use of it?
|
|
|
|
Post by absimiliard on Jun 16, 2011 9:32:35 GMT -5
Morning James.
Bounty Hunting 101: Bounty Hunting in "X" easy steps....
Step 1. Take a contract to either destroy or capture your target.
Step 2. Fly to the target's sector.
Step 3. (Optional) If you are a bounty hunter, military officer, or own a Predator Tracking Array, surveil the sector. You must acquire information about your target twice, not once, not thrice, and four times is "Right Out".
Step 4. Find the bolded button for wherever your target it, it could mean landing in an Urban Zone, Patrolling open space, or landing in a Wild Zone. Push That Button!!!
Step 4a. If you just landed in the Wilds or an Urban Zone another button will be bolded, in the Wilds it always be Explore but in an Urban Zone it could be the Palace, the Spice Hall, or the Space Dock. Push That Button!!!
Step 5. When offered the chance to try to encounter your target or not find the button for making a "run" on the target, it's probably bolded. Push That Button!!!
Step 6. See your target's ship. Decide if you want to fight this ship. If you do, look for the Battle Stations button and (yup, you got it) Push That Button!!! If you don't want to fight this ship retreat or acknowledge them and go back to Step 3 if you surveilled the target or fail your contract if you did not.
Step 7. If you win the fight, and don't blow up the ship, you'll be given the chance to loot the ship, enslave the crew, etc. At this point a capture contract will bold the Done button and a destroy contact will bold the Destroy button. Do your looting, salvaging h-k torps, etc. Then (here we go again!) . . . .. Push That Button!!!
Step 8. If you've failed your contract, AND you surveilled enough to get tracking information, you may now proceed back to Step 3. If you didn't surveil, or couldn't (because you're not a bounty hunter, military officer, or own a Predator Tracking Array) you're done, and you've failed.
Step 9. If you succeeded in your contract sit back with a self-satisfied sigh, count your credits, swear on your mother's grave that you're going to retire and give up bounty hunting now that you're rich! If you failed your contract, curse your unlucky stars, promise eternal vengeance on those who interfered with your hunt, and swear on your mother's grave you're going to retire and be done bounty hunting.
Step 10. Go back to Step 1. (optional, but honestly, it'll happen)
Good luck my friend. Bounty hunting is, in my opinion, one of the hardest professions in the game. On the other hand it's fun as hell too.
-abs
|
|
|
|
Post by dekova on Jun 16, 2011 12:12:37 GMT -5
Crazy useful information, thank you very much.
|
|
|
|
Post by Cory Trese on Jun 16, 2011 12:18:15 GMT -5
Thanks Abs.
My answer was going to be "the button is bold" but I think you did better.
|
|
|
|
Post by jameskuyper on Jun 17, 2011 12:37:46 GMT -5
Thanks Abs. My answer was going to be "the button is bold" but I think you did better. That would not have solved my problem. The least obvious part of the whole process was the need to get two successful surveillance results. Had I understood that part, I would have had a decent chance of figuring out the rest of it by myself. |
|
|
|
Post by jameskuyper on Jun 17, 2011 12:42:40 GMT -5
Morning James. Bounty Hunting 101: Bounty Hunting in "X" easy steps.... ... Good luck my friend. Bounty hunting is, in my opinion, one of the hardest professions in the game. On the other hand it's fun as hell too. -abs Thanks! That was very helpful! |
|
|
|
Post by absimiliard on Jun 17, 2011 13:03:33 GMT -5
Glad I could help James.
I hope you enjoy the game as much as I do.
-abs
|
|
|
|
Post by Cory Trese on Jun 17, 2011 13:43:43 GMT -5
The use of surveillance results is totally optional and not required at all.
That is a way to allow two attempts instead of just one. No need to do it.
|
|
|
|
Post by absimiliard on Jun 17, 2011 13:56:03 GMT -5
It might be totally optional. (so I think I'l go back and modify my post to reflect that)
But that doesn't mean it can't also be totally awesome!
(Lord knows, bounty hunters can use all the help they can get if they're not going straight Pilot/Stealth. Spreading your points around everything except Negotiation and Explorer can make life really rough when a higher-level captain comes along.)
-abs
|
|
|
|
Post by Cory Trese on Jun 17, 2011 14:05:26 GMT -5
Stealth? I do not hide ... I get up in yo grill.
|
|
|
|
Post by absimiliard on Jun 17, 2011 14:20:54 GMT -5
I am extremely torn on stealth for a bounty hunter. But early in the game, particularly when I'm on the VV (or another starter ship) I tend to find that not upping stealth at least a little means that every fight I get into is highly unprofitable due to the repairs I need. Upping stealth tends to fix that, and make me profitable, but costs me in long-term survival.
(and doesn't Stealth help in boarding actions as well?)
Without Pilot I never catch anyone. Without Warrior and Intimidate boarding is much harder, which isn't strictly necessary in a "shoot out the engines" build, but even those will blow up a target by accident every now and then. Tactics is needed for surveillance, and because it helps in fights.
My current progression tends to be: Pilot up to 6, to catch people. Stealth to 6, to try for profitability and survivability on long journeys. After that it's usually Tactics to ~9, for target acquisition, and Warrior following that because by this point enemy captains are fighting harder. Then I buff Intimidate or just start raising Warrior/Tactics again. Once everything is up to my stats I usually start buffing DEX/STR alternately so I can raise Pilot and Warrior more, but usually I die at this point instead.
Maybe I just need to drop the Stealth entirely and focus more on constant ship-switching instead of repairing my current ship.
Some testing may be required......
(in other words, "Sure, just go ahead and make me think.")
-abs
|
|
