Hi folks.
After 3-4 missions, I get the Red Corsair mission and no other option. I am not ready - inexperienced pilots (2), poor equipment etc. I can't find a way out of this, playing on easy or normal difficulty. Is this a bug? How do I get out of it?
thanks,
Andrew

Check out this link for a couple of faqs.
http://www.gamefaqs.com/pc/915045-star-wolves/faqs
Hope this helps. Haven't started laying yet so I can't tell you my personal experience. Am downloading the game at the moment. Will have to wait for a day or two before its done.

Thanks - good information, and it did help.

I think every mission I've done so far has resulted in death on the first go through when I took the straight line path from A to B. But if it was super easy, where would the fun be in that?
The Red Corsair mission definitely required quite a few save slots, but the reward was worth it...
Life is getting easier now that I have four pilots and can dedicate at least one to repair and/or missile defense.

I second that. Once you start getting Corsair, Viper, & Astra, you can start having two pilots play repair pilots, and one wingmen on missile defense. The same goes with adding key systems to the mothership, and upgrading her weaponry.

One way would be to go around the map before triggering any main events. Shoot anyone there that probably doesn't have anything to do with the main mission, before triggering the main event. That's one way out for some of the difficult scenarios. Am paying it on easy though. Will replay it on hard once I finish the game first time round.

Also remember that you don't have to destroy every enemy in this mission. I just made a bee line for the portal when Corsair said he was bugging out and when my mother ship made it through she was fully repaired.

I have yet to test this tactic, but you might be able to lure the portal baddies from the portal over to the patrol station. Lots of fighters at the station that will gladly help you out.

Definately bring ECM for the craft doing so, though. And probably a repair system and an afterburner for good measure. First time I tried it, my no-extras fighter got blasted by missles.

Just send a cheap support fighter over and leave your mothership + other fighters at the patrol station.

This mission was very frustrating to me until I took a step back and realized that the enemy was only doing what was logical and sensible to do which was to respond in force when I provoked them.

You're given all the tools you need to beat this mission, but it's not easy by any means. I'll tell you what I did, if you want to know. If not, stop reading.







I led with my mothership to soak up punishment while taking out individual ships with my pilots, and then I sent my mothership at full speed into the asteroid field to hide while I took out the remaining enemy with my wing. I used missiles to thin them out.

Then I patrolled the map with my wing, seeking out individual wings of enemies and pulled them back to the mothership for ambush. Once I'd cut down the numbers enough, I hit the enemy depot, took it out, and with my fighters spread out as a screen I gathered up the immense booty.

I sent the mothership back to the asteroid field to repair while my fighters ran the enemy off by drawing them away and outrunning them.

I think I was using 1 hull repair unit for this mission, but I might have just done it iron man style. I know my mothership got close to dying a couple times.

In one of the early missions, I think the one you meet Astra in, the intro cutscene shows a corporate fighter getting ambushed and destroyed near one of the stations. While you have no plot reason to visit that station, there is a good chance that the destroyed fighter leaves some high level gear. I scored one of the prototype laser cannons that carried me through the rest of the game.

It hasn't helped me. In fact I can't follow the FAQ. It mentions buying things that aren't available and talks about using skills I can't possible have at this point in the game. For example it talks about getting a Hammerhead, which is never available to me. It also talks about picking up loot near the damaged patrol station, except I don't find anything there.

This mission shows up for me as the third mission. I have no other options and only two pilots with weak fighters.

Basically I have only my two fighters and need to take on over six enemy units at once including the mobile base station. I don't have any chance of winning this mission. I am very upset because the game is basically unplayable at this point and I am only three missions into the game.

I am desperate to know how the heck I am supposed to complete this mission.

UPDATE:
I was able to beat this level eventually. What I did was approach the pirates from left to right. I probed with my fighters and got the group of three pirate fighters to break off and attack. I pulled back to the left to make sure I didn't activate the other pirate ships. I was then able to fight the three pirates alone. After defeating them, I approached again from left to right and engaged the mobile base. I was able to defeat it since I had already dealt with the fighters. The Red Corsair will take a few shots and then escape through the portal for the second part of this mission.