Is there an actual way of saving Manatus?

[Stony Rock]

In one of missions, you are acting as an escort for cargo ships convoy. One of those cargo ships is Manatus. As soon as mission starts, a 5-6 small frigates come and start wrecking cargo ships, and they always start from killing Manatus first. And I simply cannot save it. Before mission, I can configure my ship's weaponry/systems, but even if I pick Energy Shells (only 2 available) and go lasers all way, I simply lack firepower to kill enemies fast enough to save cargo ships. With me, there is 1 more escort ship - a small frigate "Chrome", equipped with 2 Energy Shells too. I figured that if I combine my firepower with his, we can take down ships faster. It actually works, I just need to attack same ship it attacks. However, Chrome always starts attacking those ships that are not attacking Manatus... And on my own I simply lack firepower to kill those fast enough.

Is that actually possible to save Manatus and just complete secondary mission objective (which says "All cargo ships survive", implying that actual win is possible).

[DrewUniverse]

I believe it is possible. As far as I know the Fat Lady will always be left behind however. Ideally if this game was developed more recently, it would probably do something like give you control fo the Chrome, or give you the firepower to deal with the raptors.

I can't recall if all other ships truly can be saved. Many guides just recommend going with energy shells and gatling guns to pound down the group near the Chrome as fast as possible; as, on harder difficulty settings your ship will get wrecked if you don't take some out while the Chrome is still alive. However, that leaves little room to disable the second group of ships. I never looked into saving every ship for this particular mission, so I'm sorry I can't provide more info directly. There may be a specific guide floating around online.

Edit: If memory serves, the Fat Lady being left behind automatically (by game script), will auto-fail that secondary objective. If so, that makes sense as there's another mission where the secondary objective auto-fails - where the Northstar station is destroyed even if you stop all the inbound missiles. It's normal, and I think it was an attempt by the developers to make gamers realize it's not about a 100% victory, that sometimes you have to move on with a partial failure of some kind and "swallow" that loss for added depth.

[Sargoth]

It is actually possible. The only ship you can't save is the Fat Lady

[DrewUniverse]

Does that actually protect the secondary objective, though?

[Stony Rock]

Originally posted by DrewUniverse:

I believe it is possible. As far as I know the Fat Lady will always be left behind however. Ideally if this game was developed more recently, it would probably do something like give you control fo the Chrome, or give you the firepower to deal with the raptors.

I can't recall if all other ships truly can be saved. Many guides just recommend going with energy shells and gatling guns to pound down the group near the Chrome as fast as possible; as, on harder difficulty settings your ship will get wrecked if you don't take some out while the Chrome is still alive. However, that leaves little room to disable the second group of ships. I never looked into saving every ship for this particular mission, so I'm sorry I can't provide more info directly. There may be a specific guide floating around online.

Edit: If memory serves, the Fat Lady being left behind automatically (by game script), will auto-fail that secondary objective. If so, that makes sense as there's another mission where the secondary objective auto-fails - where the Northstar station is destroyed even if you stop all the inbound missiles. It's normal, and I think it was an attempt by the developers to make gamers realize it's not about a 100% victory, that sometimes you have to move on with a partial failure of some kind and "swallow" that loss for added depth.

Amazing... Thanks anyway/

[Reteo]

The one way I've found is to coordinate with the Chrome. Simply center the camera on the Chrome, and when it starts firing, pause the game, and tell the Angelwing to attack what Chrome is attacking. Yes, there's a chance that Chrome's first target is not firing on Manatus, but you can't directly control that. However, once that target's gone, Chrome will be more likely to target one of Manatus's assailants. And more importantly, if you both are concentrating on the same ships (preferably with weapons at 200%), there's less chance of losing Chrome, and more chance of attritioning the enemy before Manatus suffers the ultimate price. If you and Chrome are fast enough, you will get through with all ships intact. Well, with the scripted exception, at least. To maximize your speed, make sure you pause the game the moment the enemy ships evacuate in order to reorient; unpause only long enough to see what Chrome fires at next.

Also, the secondary objective is not affected by the scripted Fat Lady event; I've gotten the green check before.

[Avalanche]

It is refreshing having a game that has objectives that you can't complete successfully all the time, its how it should be, instead of games where you can complete EVERYTHING successfully, though i do like and demand happy endings, i mean real life has enough sadness and pain and heartache as it is, happiness is vital for a good sense of achievement.

[GeoModder]

On Beginner difficulty level, I have managed to save all the freighters except the one that's scripted to be captured by the Raptors. 3 eshells on Angelwing in combination with the Chrome's eshells will bring down a target's shield fast. It also helps to deploy your fighters at the start of the mission to guard the first transport in the convoy. They're away from the Raptor's flak devices there and help shoot down the Raptor gunboats once they attack the first transport.

[usane]

Yes it is very possyble, but you have to cooperate with Chrome. 2 Energy Shell an 2 silver gatling gun and no problem even on the heaviest difficulty level. I did it multiple times.

[Gummiel]

Originally posted by Cat:

but even if I pick Energy Shells (only 2 available)

You can get as many as you got slots for of any equipment on the Angelwing, you may ahve to swap back and forth between tabs to refresh it, since the anglewing basically can emulate any equipment put on it infintately many times, so pretty sure you can equip up to a 5-6 or so (long since I played the game so dont remember how many weapons you can equip on it at once). And ofc you want some hull dmg weapons as well, though for that mission specailly but also in generaly if you go for destuction (as opposied to lasers for subsystem disabling) you want to have more weapons for shields than hull

[Sylderan]

Is there really a way to equip 3 energy shells in this mission? Because then I'm doing something wrong. There is just 2 energy shells available for me when I start the mission.
I am playing on Medium level and is awefully challenging. I have tried to save the Mannatus 6 times now, and it always ended with the Mannatus destroyed right when there is just 1 small frigate attacking me. Once I destroy that ship the other 3 that left attacking the cargo ships turn to kill me, so the cargo ships remain safe. But I just can make it in time!

[Gummiel]

Originally posted by Sylderan:

Is there really a way to equip 3 energy shells in this mission? Because then I'm doing something wrong. There is just 2 energy shells available for me when I start the mission.
I am playing on Medium level and is awefully challenging. I have tried to save the Mannatus 6 times now, and it always ended with the Mannatus destroyed right when there is just 1 small frigate attacking me. Once I destroy that ship the other 3 that left attacking the cargo ships turn to kill me, so the cargo ships remain safe. But I just can make it in time!

You could read the reply I posted several months ago RIGHT ABOVE your own post...

[Sylderan]

I did, no need to be rude. Won't ask you again, chill it.