Has anyone actualy completed the recon/spy mission with the malfunctioning bot full of deadly chemicls?

i must have tried 6 times today, and never been able to destroy more than 2 bots without one bumping the chemicle bot.

is there a way to complete this mission?
do you just have to be uber-skilled?

also, does anyone know if there is a prize for that mission, such as a medel, or a new gadget or something to make it worth the effort?

The key is to string them out so they aren't near each other when they explode. Backrolling simply won't do it.

It took me more than a dozen times to do it. Patience.

At this time, the prize for completing the spy/recon missions is combat xp. There are 4 mission, the 2nd and the 4th missions are dificult in the same sence. It's mostly luck of the draw when doing the Malfunctioning bot mission. You have to keep you distance, watch all the bots and try and take out the straggler. I've completed the string twice. No medal, no gadget. Maybe someday soon though.

I've finished the whole tree a few times. On one of the missions, you can pick up a collectible "Stasis Pod" cargo widget!

For the chemical bot mission, make sure the sector it takes place in doesn't normally have DenTek collectors, so that you will be able to figure out which bots are for the mission easier. I have (once) seen it take place in a WH sector - that made it much easier, as there were only the mission bots flying around for me to worry about.

[edit]
Hmm, now that I think about it, it may have been the Mind Control mission, not the malfunctioning chemical bot mission, that took place in the WH sector...
[/edit]

I should try this mission again. I had almost forgotten about it. A collectible "Stasis pod" you say? Hrmmmm...

thanks for the advice, i kind got frustrated after the last time i tried:

i was in a wormehole sector, so it was just men and the malfunctioning bots, and befor i even got within 1000m one of the bots bumped the chemicle bot, thereby poluting the entire secter. (at least i assume that's what hapened, cuz i didn't fire a shot)

After seeing this thread, I gave the missions a try. I found that the easiest way to spread out the bots (to prevent splash damage) is to turbo away. As they turbo after you, they're all on slightly different vectors, so they start to spread out.

On the waste-handling mission, damage all of the bots until they're almost dead, then turbo away (to spread them out). Then you can hit them once or twice to finish them off before the radioactive bot gets too close.

On the VIP & mind-control missions, turbo away until they're spread out, turn, fire swarms, turbo away. On the VIP mission, one volley of swarms completed the mission.

A hint: when you take the missions, take them in systems with easy bots. Check the sector that the mission prompt gives before you accept (decline it and go to the map) for bots (Dentek Collectors in the ChemBot mission) and if it's suitable, then go back and accept the mission. The sector the mission provides should be the same unless you leave the sector you are in.