Tractor Beam
 

 
Updated: 01.10.2023, 22:57 Uhr by Schatten EMPIRE (50) - URL: game.en.stne.net/Manual.aspx?id=126


All ships and space stations (except probes) have a built in Tractor Beam, with which other ships can be captured and towed. To activate the tractor beam, the other ship must be visible in your SRS, must not be docked and must not have its shields activated. Activating the tractor beam costs 1 energy and comsumes 1 energy with every tick change - this requires at least 20% crew efficiency. When towing ships the flight cost is calculated by adding the flight cost of the ship being towed to the normal flight cost of the towing ship. Towing also affects the flight range of the ship, this is calculated based on the new flight cost, for example if the flight cost has doubled, the flight range will be halved. A towed foreign ship must be on alarm level Green , otherwise it will resist the tractor beam costing it energy and flight range, if successful at breaking free from the tractor beam it will then raise shields. Space stations cannot be towed, however they are able to capture other ships with their tractor beam to force dock them or pull them into the hangar.

In the following example, the first ship is your own, various actions are therefore deactivated. Of course, you shouldn't attack the displayed Ferengi starbase, as the ferengi will certainly retaliate:


Deactivate the Tractor Beam:


Tractor beam energy consumption:

Activating the tractor beam costs 1 energy and uses an additional unit of energy each tick. The tractoring ship is able to have shields active. If the ship is moved the energy consumed will be the combined flight cost of both ships since the ship captured in the tractor beam is towed along. A towed ship uses neither flight range or energy.


Defense against unauthorized towing:

Docked ships can neither activate their own tractor beam nor be caught by a tractor beam. Spaceships with activated shields or ships already caught by another tractor beam cannot be taken in a tractor beam.

Neutral or enemy ships will automatically try to break free of a tractor beam if they are at [alert condition] Yellow or Red. Activating the tractor beam causes a [battle tick] which may cause other ships in the sector to fire at you.

If a foreign ship held in a tractor beam activates its shields a feedback impulse is created to try to break the tractor beam. If both ships are owned by the same person, the tractoring ship will automatically deactivate the tractor beam if they other ship raises shields. The towing ship can activate its shields at any time, even before the tractor beam is switched on.



Rescue missions:

In order for a foreign spaceship to be towed, it must switch off its shields and be temporarily set to [alert condition] Green because otherwise it will resist the tractor beam and even trigger automatic defense measures.



Bridging longer flight routes:

If you want to cover a longer range in a tick than your spaceships flight range, you can first tow it with a second ship as far as the second ships flight range will allow. Afterwards the ship can continue to fly for its entire flight range alone with full EPS and energy.
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Special case: Wreck Extraction


If you want to use a Tug, Extraction Ship or Ortygia to extract resources from a Debris Field you must first capture the debris in a tractor beam whereupon the button "Extract Resources" appears. Each unit of energy reduces the integrity of the debris field by 2, the quantity of goods extracted depends upon the build costs of the destroyed ship. When extracting over several ticks leaving the tractor beam active will prevent the debris field from deteriorating, this uses 1 energy each tick. Resources can be extracted from a debris field until it reaches 1 integrity. Then you can destroy the debris field, for which you gain +50 external reputation (as a "reward" for cleaning the universe.)

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