Re: Drones!!
Actually, ships need bridge, life support, and crew quarters because they have been given that requirement in the VehicleSize.txt file.
Requirement Must Have Bridge := True
Requirement Can Have Aux Con := True
Requirement Min Life Support := 1
Requirement Min Crew Quarters := 1
Requirement Uses Engines := True
Just change the Life Support/Crew Quarters requirement on your 'drones' to '0' and see if that doesn't remove the problem. Then you can just make a "drone computer core" like the one for satellites to handle the bridge requirements.
Other than that, the 'fire and forget' quality of drones is hard to recreate this way. They are meant to be given a mission and then be completely autonomous. So, you should NOT be able to change their orders after giving them a mission.
I like the missions described in the old vehiclesize file for drones. They could carry cargo, like mines, sats, WPs, or troops, and drop the cargo at a remote location then 'disappear' ('self-destruct' I guess). So, you could lay minefields or sat Groups without needing ships, and you could build up planet defenses, or possibly invade planets, without ships. You could also fill a drone with supplies and 'fire' it at one of your own ships. When the drone arrived it would transfer its supplies to the ship and then 'vanish' as usual. Remote resupply without risking unarmed 'tanker' ships in dangerous areas! Coolness! The only other uses I can think of for drones are as "cruise missile" type weapons as has been discussed. Put a plain old warhead on them, or maybe a special weapon like a plague bomb or a smart bomb, and fire at planets deep within enemy territory. If they don't get through, it's not the same loss as a ship with crew. If they do, it's a very cheap and effective way to damage the enemy.
Oops, just thought of another use. A "wild weasel" drone that has some sort of electronic device in it which makes it look like a SHIP to your enemy. Now that would be cool. You could make a flight of drones look like a fleet of battleships and it would take a direct engagement to tell the difference. You could play all sorts of defensive or offensive shell games with that.
[This message has been edited by Baron Munchausen (edited 18 September 2001).]
|