Newbie Drone Questions
 

My first post and it is a silly newbie question. I've searched the forum but maybe I missed the answer.

What exactly is a Drone and what are the strategic and tactical implications of drones? Why do people want them?

Also if PBW games are upgraded to Gold, what tech path will result in Drones? Will players who have followed that path have a sudden advantage?

Re: Newbie Drone Questions
 

Drones are a seperate tech area.

It is not clear yet whether we will be able to convert games to Godl in mid game like we have been able to with previous Versions, but if it is possible, nobody will get them automatically. All reaces will have to research them. Unless it's a high tech start I guess, then maybe everyone will get them. Not sure about that. Never tried it.

Geo

Re: Newbie Drone Questions
 

Drone is a feature not implemented in the actual Version of the game, it will be implemented in SE VI Gold. Sorry but I don't know what drones are expected to do in the game, if I remember correctly past rumors in this forum, it will be some type of unmanned and self guided vehicle launched by ships, something between a fighter and a very small ship, which can go trough warp point and has a set of preselected instructions. I don't know if the owner player will have some control on it after launch.
A place in the structure of the game is nevertheless reserved to drones since the first release of the game, you can check the bitmaps pictures in the races subdirectory, and I think the interest of many players in drone is due to that.
Hope this help you, and may be Richard or someone of the beta tester group can post some more information in the thread.
Bye, Marco.

Re: Newbie Drone Questions
 

yeah, I picture drones as a ROV- basiclly a use-once robot vehicle. Like a missle, but it can be given other orders.

It also means a Honor Harrington mod is possible, *if* we can get the AI to use them that way.

Phoenix-D

Re: Newbie Drone Questions
 

Drones could be more than just missiles though, here is a couple of ideas:

Spy/Recon Probes
Mobile Point Defense units

Re: Newbie Drone Questions
 

I believe drones will be units, but able to traverse warp points. The way I imagined them, you couldn't give them orders every turn like ships. Kind of like an interstellar Version of an ICBM, but capable of performing missions other than just carrying a warhead.

Idea: Wouldn't it be cool to have a class of drones that do nothing but imitate ships? So, beyond sensor range, it looks like you have a fleet of twenty warships, but in fact all you have is a fleet of drones? How would you write an AI to deal with stuff like that???!!!!

Re: Newbie Drone Questions
 

Possible uses:

Recon Spy platforms
Solor Killers
Planet Killers
Planet Plauge deliver platforms
Early warning
Exploration

Send a Drone through a suspect warp point to set off any enemy mines if present.

Cloak it, and send it to the star of an enemy, then blow it.

Etc. The uses are endless if one sits and thinks about it. A new tool to use in ones quest to be the ruler of all.

Re: Newbie Drone Questions
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by dmm:

Idea: Wouldn't it be cool to have a class of drones that do nothing but imitate ships? So, beyond sensor range, it looks like you have a fleet of twenty warships, but in fact all you have is a fleet of drones? How would you write an AI to deal with stuff like that???!!!!<hr></blockquote>

That would be awesome. A reall hum-dinger in a PBW game. Think of it, you send a 3 ships escorted by a horde of drones with these components on them. It would create some situations, is that a real fleet that just passed through your warp-point, or a horde of drones.

Anyone know the sizes for drones?

Re: Newbie Drone Questions
 

The small drone is 100kt. I found this out at the screenshots area.

Re: Newbie Drone Questions
 

ok,

1) I have seen the screenshot but was asking about the other drone sizes as well. I mean how big can a drone get?

2) I know they will be modable.... I was asking about the standard sizes...

Re: Newbie Drone Questions
 

Standard sizes as of now (subject to change) are 100, 140 and 180.

Re: Newbie Drone Questions
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Atrocities:
Possible uses:

Recon Spy platforms
Solor Killers
Planet Killers
Planet Plauge deliver platforms
Early warning
Exploration

Send a Drone through a suspect warp point to set off any enemy mines if present.

Cloak it, and send it to the star of an enemy, then blow it.

Etc. The uses are endless if one sits and thinks about it. A new tool to use in ones quest to be the ruler of all.<hr></blockquote>

Well, I don' know about planet killers, since those components are pretty big. Hope you can put minesweeper components on them, though.

If the AI can ever learn to build bases on warp points, then you can always try your very own sbmhawks. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Newbie Drone Questions
 

I agree, it would be nice to see AI build at least some bases on some wormholes, in fact, it would be nice to see them build more then they do now especially over 10-25 facitlity planets. SBMHawks, like that idea,
Drones open up a whole new range of ideas...

just some ideas mac

Re: Newbie Drone Questions
 

Hmm, this is interesting.. take a look at http://www.shrapnelgames.com/malfador/images/drones.jpg

The drone has two Ion Engines (no bonus, 1 move in current SE4) but 3 movement!

Phoenix-D

Re: Newbie Drone Questions
 

Took a look, only 1 question comes to mind off hand, isn't it a little slow?? I would think it would be somewhat faster or does that happen with higher research?

mac

Re: Newbie Drone Questions
 

Well, all the space seems taken up by the *other* components, for one.

But 3 movement with two ion engines doesn't work for ships in normal SE4. You only get 2 move. I wonder if drones get bonus movement?

Phoenix-D

Re: Newbie Drone Questions
 

This would make sense. Drones would have some sort of advantage over say, an escort. And faster would be my first choice. It could be rationallized in that without a fragile pilot or lifesupport equipment, the drone can be pushed to higher speeds using existing technology. An intelligent missle, which is exactly the idea.

Re: Newbie Drone Questions
 

But they have to have some sort of limitation too, or else there's no point in having ships.

Re: Newbie Drone Questions
 

Won't the size of a drone be moddable - in vehicle sizes file?

Re: Newbie Drone Questions
 

Mark W. - Yes, the are (will be) fully moddable in the VehicleSize.txt file.

Re: Newbie Drone Questions
 

Another use of drones might be in mine defense. Yes, you read it right, mine defense.

Imagine a group of mine sweepers crossing a warp point to clear a known mine field to only be surprised by a group of drones armed with PPBs.

They also would serve to eliminate the satellite problem with planetary defenses. In SEIV satellites are deployed in spot on the map. Replace them with drones, and you have a mobile satellite network. Better yet, you can move these pseudo-satellites from planet to planet quite easily as the need arises.

Excellent suggestion by dmm. That is a mod in and of itself. How about it, suicide? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Re: Newbie Drone Questions
 

You also must consider that drones:

1. Have limited size
2. Can have point-defense used on them. (correct right? i cannot be sure but I thought this was the plan)

It will be just another aspect of the game to consider when building your empire.

Re: Newbie Drone Questions
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by ZeroAdunn:
You also must consider that drones:

1. Have limited size
2. Can have point-defense used on them. (correct right? i cannot be sure but I thought this was the plan)

It will be just another aspect of the game to consider when building your empire.<hr></blockquote>

More importantly, drones have a limitation that has been discussed for fighters but not (yet) implemented. They use supplies each turn no matter what. Even if they don't move, they use supplies and that means their deployment life-time is limited. And remember they cannot be recovered. So, you don't want to just sprinkle them on a warp point in the general expectation that someone might eventually attack. You only want to put them there when you know attack is imminent. Or, you have to put a ship/base on the site with cargo space and launchers. Now, if only the same thing were done with fighters, so you couldn't just leave THEM lying around. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

[ 08 December 2001: Message edited by: Baron Munchausen ]</p>

Re: Newbie Drone Questions
 

From what I see and read drones might be very useful and I can imagine quite a few things I would to with them. My only concern is that drones might be very diffucult to handle for the AI. Already now the AI makes only limited use of the units: I never saw AI lay sats on warp points (has anybody seen the use of satellite layers by the AI??), never saw mines around a colony, never saw fighters move on their own through a system and don't think the AI moves weapon platforms from secure colonies to new colonies, that are threatend by the enemy.
The drones seem to be much more complicated, because you have to chose the right moment to launch them.
Any experience from the beta-testers?? Or is this confidential???

Re: Newbie Drone Questions
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>
I never saw AI lay sats on warp points (has anybody seen the use of satellite layers by the AI??),
<hr></blockquote>
Yes, I see this a lot, and hav done since Version 1.00 (or whatver the frst Version was). Espcially from the Neutral AIs.

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>
My only concern is that drones might be very diffucult to handle for the AI.
<hr></blockquote>

Well, ys. This is the reason that drones weren't implementd a year ago, as I understand it. Hopefully the fact that they are now ready for release implies to me that the AI will handle drones OK.

[ 10 December 2001: Message edited by: dogscoff ]</p>