How do you use Drones?

[thorfrog]

I was curious how others use drones. I use them as stealth probes and missile launchers. I played one game with a fleet of 4 drone carriers. Each carrier had 15 drone launchers. Each drone contained 3 capital missles. So at one time over 180 missles were released. Can we say total carnage.

[Slick]

I haven't had much experience with them although I have used them with a little success as you mentioned as missile launchers. I think in general there are some fatal flaws with them in the unmodded game. They are too expensive, too slow, they can't use solar sails, they can't be recovered and they go thru a warp point one at a time so they can't be used to overwhelm warp point defenses. The Last 2 items can't be modded, unfortunately.

Slick.

[Raging Deadstar]

Usually I use them for Homeworld Defence. One Large cargo station filled to the brim with drones, any enemy ship enters the system or attacks the planet they get swarmed, it's great when combined with fighters/weapons platforms or missiles as the drones distract and waste the enemy's fire. It's usually good for one shot, which is all you should really need if you keep your homeworld defended

[Colonel]

The only main time I used them was once when I annilated a home world with upwards of 180 drones. ---I tried to capture it an failed so I got mad so I unleashed the true Power of my Empire to show that no AI would ever defeat me.

[dmm]

Colonel,
I'm not certain, but I think that we are supposed to refrain from inflammatory political commentary. Your tag line seems to fall into that Category. (Plus, you are not making your side seem very well-informed since both attempts at "candidate" fall woefully short. Sure, we don't necessarily worry much about spelling on-line -- but in a tag line??)

[narf poit chez BOOM]

We've had a lot worse things said than that. These are pretty relaxed Boards.

Best Boards I've ever been on.

[Alneyan]

Drones cannot be put in fleets, so that makes them more vulnerable in battles as well. The "shift-click" thing did not work Last time I tried.

Drones may be controlled once they are launched, with the "attack" order; this allows drones to travel through wormholes, or to attack a specific target, but no more than that.

I would use drones in specific games, such as games with a ship limit of 200, high-tech games (drones make the best scouts then), or a game with mines disabled, or perhaps even to help a wormhole blockade along with fighters and the like. Are drones refueled by resupply depots? Hmm...

[Rasorow]

Only use I have had for drones is as planet killers. If I didnt want to waste my time on a system due to poor quality, my fleet would bypass it and my planets would launch planet killers to take out the planet. Works pretty well but drones ought to be more useful then that.

Rasorow

[Hugh Manatee]

I remember a theory put forward on another forum, an escort with maxed out evasion stats, through ecm, those armors and training, and a drone launcher could wack a battle or base ship. It uses the Ramming warhead and the biggest drone yuo got. Assuming the ship isn't religious it should be able to pull up close, launch and kaboom. I haven't test bedded it yet, but I think it would work. I don't know the exact cost ratio of the drone loaded escort/Baseship.

EDIT: I forgot, you need a few PD Cruisers to wack any misssiles launched, butthose get built anyway.

[douglas]

Too bad that's only possible in mods.