Drone Thoughts
 

Does combat movement use any supplies for units/ships? I have an idea for a unit variant (as the base unit types are probably hard-coded), and it was going to be restricted to combat movement with it's supplies determining its "time to live."

[ May 19, 2003, 08:45: Message edited by: Xaren Hypr ]

Re: Drone Thoughts
 

I don't think it works the way you want it to http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif Maybe you could mod it in using some kind of weapon that drains supplies..?

Re: Drone Thoughts
 

I guess that I've been watching/playing a bit too much Robotech, but I was thinking of how it would be just to let loose an anime-style swarm of missles.

I was thinking of something like "mini-fighters" with only a single engine, a lot of bonus movement (combat-only for both, of course), a warhead of some type (specialty loads anyone http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif ?), and set to kamikaze attack. I wanted the supply limitation to simulate limited fuel supplies. Point defense would still rip through a stack of these of course...but since I still use tactical for some of my trickier combats, I thought it would look kinda cool to see a "missle"-ship launch a stack of 50-or so mini missles http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon6.gif .

Probably not easily do-able, but I'm going to give it a go...I mean, other than a lot of time, what have I got to lose? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Re: Drone Thoughts
 

Why not just use drones?

Design a variant hull size and let loose packs of self guided ramming mini-ships.

Re: Drone Thoughts
 

I didn't think of using drones...hmm...then a couple of side questions:

1) If I design the "mini-drone" with [Uses Engines = False], will it still be able to use the Combat Movement ability that I put on the chassis?

2) I want to design the new Launcher component (Capacity is too small for usefulness with regular drones, but just big enough for a volley of the mini ones) with the ability to manufacture more of them when outside of combat. How would I best set the SY ability to prevent, or at least try to http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...s/rolleyes.gif , using the mini-fac to build cruisers or something http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif ?

I've got bits and pieces of a mod I've been fiddling with floating around on my HDD...just another bit of flotsam to add to it, neh? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif

Re: Drone Thoughts
 

Also: Don't forget different damage types don't work on ramming warheads.

Re: Drone Thoughts
 

On 1: I think they need at least one engine for that to work.

"2) I want to design the new Launcher component (Capacity is too small for usefulness with regular drones, but just big enough for a volley of the mini ones) with the ability to manufacture more of them when outside of combat. How would I best set the SY ability to prevent, or at least try to , using the mini-fac to build cruisers or something?"

You make your mini missiles cost only, say, Minerals. Then your SY ability is given a 0 point speed for organics and radioactives; since all normal ships need those, you won't be able to build normal ships with it.

Give the drones no supply storage and they'll self-destruct after combat. Otherwise any that don't reach their target (i.e. the ones left over after it blows) will sit around the sector until their supply runs out.

Re: Drone Thoughts
 

You can always give the drone hull (in VehicleSizes.txt) the movement generation ability (or whatever it's called). Without supply storage, they won't be able to move anywhere anyway even if they do get launched.

Will the AI be smart enough not to assign ships to the drone-only SYs? Assuming one actually got built?

Re: Drone Thoughts
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">So the damage types of "Only Engines," "Only Shield Generators," etc. will only work on Mine Warheads, but not Drone Warheads? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...s/confused.gif

I kinda figured they would, since both are the same weapon type in Components.txt (Warhead)...back to the design board...

A thought though....if I put an ability (Combat to Hit Defence Plus, Armor Regenerstion, Component Repair) on a weapon, does it operate as normal..or just not at all?

Just some thoughts...

Re: Drone Thoughts
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Its not that they don't work, it is that it is impossible to assign them. For a weapon to do damage when ramming, it has to have the warhead damage type. So, it can not have any other damage type, and hence can not do only engines and such. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">They will work the same as on any other component.

[ May 19, 2003, 09:31: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]

Re: Drone Thoughts
 

They (Mine Warhead - Mine, Anti-ship Warhead - Drone) both have the same damage type..."Normal". IIRC, mines can have other damage types (P&N and Adamant both use them, if I remember the earlier Posts correctly), and there is very little difference between the to comps in the file. That's why I figured that I could create alternate payloads for my mini-drones.

Here are the two comps for comparison:

Name := Mine Warhead I
Description := Large warhead which will explode on contact with a ship.
Pic Num := 185
Tonnage Space Taken := 5
Tonnage Structure := 5
Cost Minerals := 50
Cost Organics := 0
Cost Radioactives := 20
Vehicle Type := Mine
Supply Amount Used := 5
Restrictions := None
General Group := Weapons
Family := 2026
Roman Numeral := 1
Custom Group := 0
Number of Tech Req := 1
Tech Area Req 1 := Explosive Warheads
Tech Level Req 1 := 1
Number of Abilities := 0
Weapon Type := Warhead
Weapon Target := Ships\Planets\Ftr\Sat\Drone
Weapon Damage At Rng := 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Weapon Damage Type := Normal
Weapon Reload Rate := 0
Weapon Display Type := Torp
Weapon Display := 0
Weapon Modifier := 0
Weapon Sound := mine.wav
Weapon Family := 24

Name := Anti - Ship Warhead I
Description := Large warhead which will explode when a drone hits an enemy ship.
Pic Num := 185
Tonnage Space Taken := 20
Tonnage Structure := 50
Cost Minerals := 500
Cost Organics := 0
Cost Radioactives := 200
Vehicle Type := Drone
Supply Amount Used := 5
Restrictions := None
General Group := Weapons
Family := 4002
Roman Numeral := 1
Custom Group := 0
Number of Tech Req := 1
Tech Area Req 1 := Drones
Tech Level Req 1 := 1
Number of Abilities := 0
Weapon Type := Warhead
Weapon Target := Ships\Sat
Weapon Damage At Rng := 200 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Weapon Damage Type := Normal
Weapon Reload Rate := 0
Weapon Display Type := Torp
Weapon Display := 0
Weapon Modifier := 0
Weapon Sound := mine.wav
Weapon Family := 50

Apologies in advance if I'm ranting about nothing http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif ...I'm running tired, and I've got to head to work in a few hours...time for a nap http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Just a bit of discussion..

Re: Drone Thoughts
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Its not that they don't work, it is that it is impossible to assign them. For a weapon to do damage when ramming, it has to have the warhead damage type. So, it can not have any other damage type, and hence can not do only engines and such. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Quote:

A thought though....if I put an ability (Combat to Hit Defence Plus, Armor Regenerstion, Component Repair) on a weapon, does it operate as normal..or just not at all?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">They will work the same as on any other component.</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">As shown in the description below, I think it is indedd that the damage type is not taken into account. (I read it somewhere, and was disappointed at that time also.)

Are you sure it works on Mine? I thought the damage type doesn't work on mine as well.

I would like to have "Engine only mine" to create space cimeteries, with old ships hanging around, like in Ulysse31... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...s/rolleyes.gif

Re: Drone Thoughts
 

The problem isn't with the Warhead weapon type, but with ramming. Ramming always does standard damage, modified by the values in Settings.txt. Mine warheads can use any damage type, although some (like Skips Normal Shields and Skips All Shields) are pointless on mines.

Re: Drone Thoughts
 

Ah well..I tried http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif , thx for the help anyways... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Time for work..

Re: Drone Thoughts
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Oooo.... I like that. And then you keep some capture ships and a repair ship just a sector away....
Yeessss...
How devious....

Re: Drone Thoughts
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Oooo.... I like that. And then you keep some capture ships and a repair ship just a sector away....
Yeessss...
How devious....</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Not really an option for me right now...all of the AI's use SDDs.... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

I need to mod in a way around it, probably using the "Only Security Stations" damage type on some sort of weapon and giving the SDD comp a Security Station value of 0, or something... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

[ May 19, 2003, 22:58: Message edited by: Xaren Hypr ]

Re: Drone Thoughts
 

Another option might be to make it a seeker? They do have limited combat range.