The way the boarding party capture works is like this (as best I can tell in-game anyway):
When the ability is activated it does damage as follows to any enemy frigate or planet module:
- Level:1--35dps x 10 sec
- Level:2--40dps x 13 sec
- Level:3--45dps x 17 sec
- Level:4--50dps x 20 sec
If the boarding ability is still active when the ship "dies", then 50% of it's hull is restored and it changes ownership to the attacker.
If the ship dies and the ability is expired, well...it's dead Jim.
Weapons and ability damage on the target can help kill it--as long as the ability is still active it will still be captured.
If on autocast, the ability will start when a targeted ship has taken 350 points of damage (I think to it's hull though I may be wrong there).
The ability effects shields and hull and so may be affected by shield mitigation.
You get 50% of the captured ship's value as leveling experience and can use any abilities on it that do not require research you don't have.
Another tactic along with this is to use the demolition teams ability to board one of your own ships that's about to die and then drive it into the center of a cluster of enemy ships. It will do damage when it explodes (200, 300, 400 or 500 pts) to all enemy ships nearby.
It's quite fun to play this ship--almost like a mini-game.
Some tricky things you can do:
- Grab ships from enemies that you haven't researched or can't build.
- Steal enemy constructors & start deconstructing their planet modules.
- Grab an enemy planet turret in the middle of a battle.
- Capture enemy colonizers & steal worlds out from under them before they colonize.
- Capture enemy trade or refinery centers to disrupt their income & increase yours.
- Capture enemy labs to halt their research & boost yours.
