Ransomer country event how to sucessfuly save the hostages?

[Foxtrot39]

Every time I get the no rescue pod transmission so what the heck is the condition to save them?

[WolfWhiteFire]

It is probably a percent chance of success and of failure, and you have just been unlucky, when I did it, went to the system, and destroyed the star base they escaped, it is probably just bad luck that each time you have tried it so far they failed in the escape attempt.

[Mansen]

Knowing Paradox it is probably a combination of skill levels of characters involved, chance and maybe specific traits.

[Haldurson]

I've failed this every time and I'm trying to figure out if there is some trick to it. I've read elsewhere someone who claimed that they succeed every time, but without context, there's no way to figure out how (assuming the guy wasn't just bragging, and 'every time' means more than once or twice).. Is there any way to prevent your fleet from attacking the base after the enemy fleet is destroyed?

[WolfWhiteFire]

Pretty sure you have to attack the base to finish the event, and it is rng whether they make it out in time.

[Madcain]

saved them 4 out of 4 times so far.

[HeLLfire]

Feels like 1/5 successes myself - not sure what influences it.

[Stormsong]

Could be complete coincidence, but the two times I've successfully completed the event my ships, which I obviously don't control during combat, destroyed the station before finishing off the actual fleet. Then the prisoners mentioned in the after dialogue about how the pirates were too distracted to halt their escape.

[Foxtrot39]

Originally posted by Stormsong the Fallen:

Could be complete coincidence, but the two times I've successfully completed the event my ships, which I obviously don't control during combat, destroyed the station before finishing off the actual fleet. Then the prisoners mentioned in the after dialogue about how the pirates were too distracted to halt their escape.

Since there is no way to command target priority directly destroying the station first seems rather hard since the fleet will always be engaged first

[Stormsong]

Originally posted by Foxtrot39:

Originally posted by Stormsong the Fallen:

Could be complete coincidence, but the two times I've successfully completed the event my ships, which I obviously don't control during combat, destroyed the station before finishing off the actual fleet. Then the prisoners mentioned in the after dialogue about how the pirates were too distracted to halt their escape.

Since there is no way to command target priority directly destroying the station first seems rather hard since the fleet will always be engaged first

I agree completely, that's why I mentioined my lack of control over the outcome. Was more observation than actual advice.

[NixBoxDone]

Had the event about 8 to 10 times, managed it only once. As to sparing the station: I found emergency FTLing out does the trick, but it won't progress the events. You need to destroy the base to trigger the communication attempt with the escapees.

It might very well depend on your admirals skill and/or traits, but if so it must be one of the less chosen traits, at least for me. Maybe it's the trickster trait, that'd make sense for that scenario.

As to destroying the station first, that's probably not too hard to do given the right target priorities. I tend to notice that some fleet compositions (mostly large weapon slots) prioritize destroying static enemies over corvettes, for example.

Until we know more however I tend to just not solve the anomaly with the "similar frequencies as our own emergency broadcasts" descriptor because there's just a much bigger chance of messing it up and making my people unhappy than there is of actually saving the escapees. As there's nothing fantastic tied up with it the risk just isn't worth it.

[Foxtrot]

Dunno, maybe this will work. Had same issue not once. Base had a cover of small fleet of 250 power or so. I attacked it. When fleet was dealt with I FTL'ed out. Then I waited for couple of months and attacked the base with another fleet. Event completed successfully.
Each time I destroyed both the fleet and base in one attack, event failed.
Could be just a coin toss still, though.
(NB: Yes, it is a 50/50. After loading and repeating process, I failed the event)

[Stryder]

According to the official wiki it's a 50/50 chance of either outcome happaning. So you just haven't been lucky iwth it.

[Armchair Civilian]

Well, it's a wiki so it MUST be right.

But in concurrence with the observations above, i've found in my experience that going in with a smaller fleet raises the chances of success (i thought it was because then i don't full wipe with first strike)
And that selecting the station as the target from outside the station (of course it helps if you attack from a direction where you reach the station first) also helps.
I strongly suspect the hand of RNGesus affects the outcome regardless though.

[Adler]

I think I've worked it out. You have to destroy the station slowly without a complete overkill 8k fleet. I just sent a single cruiser with like 500 power to destroy the pirates and the station and they managed to escape.

[LuNi]

I have always failed it. After 3 failed tries I just always skip the event completely, since I really didn't like the -10% happiness.