Bug report and a question (spoiler)

[Jens]

Hello,
first of all I want to say thanks to everyone involved in this great project.
I remember the times many years ago, when I used to play Privateer with a friend of mine. The friendship is long gone - but the fun with Privateer still is the same. Quite addictive. Thanks for bringing this back for free!

Then a thing, of which I believe is a bug (hoping I´m not just too stupid for playing):

- I noticed several times now, that some things regarding tracking simply cease to work sometime. There´s the turret for example - if I buy it, it will work fine on the next mission. However after landing and taking off again it simply refuses the work. If I order to attack the target, nothing happens. And no: It´s not damaged (or has been repaired).

I noticed the same problem while being in a campaign and bought a Hunter AW Infinity Radar or so. The additional targeting cone was working fine at first, and then after landing simply disappeared and didn´t come back again. And all possible repairs were done to the ship. W
hat´s causing this?

- I also have a problem regarding savegames. Copy them between computers doesn´t work without problems. My credits, ship and the status of the game remains the same - but all weapons are gone, after loading a savegame from a different computer.

- As I read about this discussion: I also cannot destroy asteriods.

Now my desperate question:

I´m doing a campaign now - actually I´m new to that. Never did that back in the old times. So I got the artifact from Sandoval, dealt with that woman, being betrayed by Roman Lynch and his retarded assistant and now I´m trying to gain favor of the shit library-man of Oxford.
It´s the third mission there, where I have to protect a delivery of books from Hunters. The "problem": All factions except pirates and the freaky catholics...uhm...church of man like me quite much.
So the hunters appear as friendly on my radar (although I can target them by pressing h - bug?) - and so I do not draw any fire.
Then it´s three Hunters being busy to shoot down a galaxy. And as no one is willing to fight with me, it´s in my eyes almost impossible to destroy them. They´re so fast - I can´t hit them! (They didn´t even turn hostile, when I luckily destroyed one of them with 2 or three torpedoes)

Does anyone have an idea, that helps me out of this shit? Is there some cheat? Want to go on with the campaign, before I´m getting old!

Best regards
Jens

[Dilloh]

Best thing you use a ship fully equipped with torpedos. Your friendship might be your advantage. The Demons fly straight at the drayman. Lock and fire! The Demons will attack the drayman no matter if they like you or not. You can also download a rf savegame, load that, load your old game again and buy some rf upgrades at perry, best thing would be autotracking or a broadsword ship (which contains more missile launchers than any other ship).

[micheal_andreas_stahl]

Though when the hunters do start hating you you are dead in a Broadsword.

[Dilloh]

That's true. I completed the mission four times, using a centurion, and orion, a galaxy and a demon (by using the trick above). It took me some tries, but that's the challenge. It's definitively possible.

[Solon Halwinder]

- I noticed several times now, that some things regarding tracking simply cease to work sometime. There´s the turret for example - if I buy it, it will work fine on the next mission. However after landing and taking off again it simply refuses the work. If I order to attack the target, nothing happens. And no: It´s not damaged (or has been repaired).

Not a bug. After landing and taking off, you have to turn them back on with CTRL+W or CTRL+T.

I noticed the same problem while being in a campaign and bought a Hunter AW Infinity Radar or so. The additional targeting cone was working fine at first, and then after landing simply disappeared and didn´t come back again. And all possible repairs were done to the ship. What´s causing this?

This has happened to me with various other parts before. Probably just a bug in the VegaStrike engine.

I also have a problem regarding savegames. Copy them between computers doesn´t work without problems. My credits, ship and the status of the game remains the same - but all weapons are gone, after loading a savegame from a different computer.

You also have to copy the "serialized_xml" folder; your ship equipment and such is stored there. The save files only store what ships you have.

As I read about this discussion: I also cannot destroy asteriods.

I believe that has only been implemented in the Gemini Gold version of the remake.

I´m doing a campaign now - actually I´m new to that. Never did that back in the old times. So I got the artifact from Sandoval, dealt with that woman, being betrayed by Roman Lynch and his retarded assistant and now I´m trying to gain favor of the shit library-man of Oxford.
It´s the third mission there, where I have to protect a delivery of books from Hunters. The "problem": All factions except pirates and the freaky catholics...uhm...church of man like me quite much.
So the hunters appear as friendly on my radar (although I can target them by pressing h - bug?) - and so I do not draw any fire.
Then it´s three Hunters being busy to shoot down a galaxy. And as no one is willing to fight with me, it´s in my eyes almost impossible to destroy them. They´re so fast - I can´t hit them! (They didn´t even turn hostile, when I luckily destroyed one of them with 2 or three torpedoes)

Does anyone have an idea, that helps me out of this shit? Is there some cheat? Want to go on with the campaign, before I´m getting old!

If it's a Galaxy then something's wrong; it should be a Drayman.

As for actually beating the mission...just keep at it. Oxford 3 is one of the top complaint-gatherers. Centurion or Galaxy are the ideal ships if you're playing basic PR, and I'd suggest a Sabre or Raptor if you're using the Parallel Universe mod.

[Jens]

Not a bug. After landing and taking off, you have to turn them back on with CTRL+W or CTRL+T.

Well - yeah. I did that, but didn´t work anyway.

And just again: I made myself money with editing the savegames after Oxford 1 and bought Autotrackers for all guns at Perry. And I wasn´t even back at Oxford and they ceased to work. Also part of the bug, we discussed?

If it's a Galaxy then something's wrong; it should be a Drayman.

Yeah - is a Drayman - sorry.[/quote]

[Dilloh]

No, autotrackers work only when the target is locked. I'm not sure if ITTS is also required, but a lock should do it (L key). You can also hire wingmans for Oxford 3 - Sometimes they manage to make your foes busy, but won't survive too long. Best thing you get confed wingmen (Stilettos are fast and can distract the Hunters).

[Solon Halwinder]

I believe you do need an ITTS-enabled radar.

[zeo1234]

Also helps if targeted ship is shown as enemy ship, friendlies aren't fired upon.

You might have to hit it a few times with the main guns before it shows up as enemy if the ship is part of fraction you are currently friendly with.

[Dilloh]

Or you just taunt your current friend using the "4" key several times.

[zeo1234]

Hmm, that doesn't always work. Depends on your standing with that particular faction.

If you started the mission with anywhere near 100+ then it will take awhile to tick them off enough to register as enemy. It's far quicker just to fire on them for a more immediate response.

Like one time I started the Oxford Mission and when the Merc's started attacking I had to destroy a few of their ships with main guns before the rest of the incoming started to show up as enemy ships. Just because I started the mission with their faction as 100+.

Really annoying when you're trying to protect your escort and can't immediate bring all weapons to your targets.

[Dilloh]

Then another option would be cancelling the mission and go to a system where you can hunt down mercs. KM-252 is ideal, take a look at the mission computer. When you are at -100 with hunters, go back to Oxford and take the mission again.

But the taunt key always works. I tested it when I wanted to make my relationship with the Kilrathi happier. I pursued a Confed Stiletto, but I was not fast enough to track him down, because he patroled the whole system. Because I was at +100 with the confederation, I taunted him by repeating the 4 key. It worked. Also works the other way around, if you have the patience and the skill to evade all the time.

[zeo1234]

Well my experience has been different. Perhaps its a fluke of the PU mod but the taunt does not always work for me.

In reverse either, as one time I had this one confed ship I accidently hit during a mission and it chased me all over the Oxford system and no matter how many times I tried to send peaceful messages it still kept after me even after all the other ships stopped following. Even docking and taking off again would not shake it. While docked I checked and my relation with confed was like 56+.

So can it work, yes, but always no.

Not to say you shouldn't try it, especially to avoid fights if possible since every ship you destroy puts you deeper in the red with that particular faction.

[OnyxPaladin]

Problem with that is it's required by honor that almost anyone that attacks has to die. I make exceptions only when i'm doing a job, or too damaged to put up a real fight.

[zeo1234]

Okay, no one shoot at OnyxPaladin

[micheal_andreas_stahl]

Sometimes i just get sick of fighting and will sit on my AB's in my Demon.