I know this question was answered somewhere, but I can't find anything through the search function.

So, I know that you can use tractor beams on your own ships (or so I read), but I don't understand why you can't use tractor beams on other people's ships.

Because there's no way to retaliate against, or prevent someone from, tractoring your ships.

Of course there is. Just not go near ships with tractor beams. I mean, you also prevent other people from a/e ing you by not boarding their ships, right? Or by not landing on their planets?

Besides, tractor beams are like gravity well generators (in my opinion). You need power for them to function. Once the power runs out, well, they don't function anymore until the power comes back.

You wanted an answer, I gave you one. If you want to start a suggestion, take it to the suggestion forum.

“Of course there is. Just not go near ships with tractor beams. ”

What's stopping them to come near you? Some of our biggest ships could start a job to gather 90% of the fleet belonging to their enemies.

Tractor beam used like you suggest is a weapon. That means combat. We don't have combat. And you can't implement combat for only 1 type of weapon.

Also, with combat, the mechanics of a tractor beam need to be more complex: you will need to consider the mass of the ship you tractor, give it a chance to escape by use of engines, or by shooting back.

Good point, Riax. So, if gravity well generators are also considered a weapon (and if they currently are not implemented, which I will assume until told otherwise), then that would make sense and I shall rest my case. Because keeping your enemy at bay happens with interdictors on the same principal as like, Trilons, and as such both would be considered combat.

Question answered, thanks.

Gravity well generators work, unless they were disabled since last time I used them >.>

However, they are not an effective weapon, if you don't have other weapons. They didn't caused any damage until now, and using them as such would be an exploit, and probably treated as such.

And I am not sure I was clear in explaining how tractor beams would be best used as weapons. In comparison to gravity well generators, tractor beams can have ships docked onboard capital ship, possibly with pilots inside, and transport them wherever you want.

Tractor beams can be used to capture ships, and prevent the owner from using them, if they were not limited to your own vessels. Gravity well generators cannot be used to prevent the enemy the use of his ship, just make it inconvenient for someone trying to hyper out of their location.

There is no comparison.

Well Hal, I saw it as a matter of both system depriving a pilot of his immediate freedom to move whereever he/she/it wanted, but the question and issue has been cleared already.

As a result, this topic can be closed.