Drones

[steveh11]

OK, I got Gold, so now I'm thinking:

"What possible use are Drones?"

Given what it costs to make them, aren't you better off with ships?

Is it that they don't require maintenance?

As far as I can see they're hellishly expensive missiles with a long range. Anyone got anything good to say about them?

Steve.

[dogscoff]

Well, like you say, they're better than ships because they require no maintenance. You can build up a huge store of them in peacetime, ready for when the fighting starts.

They're better than missiles because they can be launched outside of combat.

They're better than fighters because they use "grown up" weapons and components instead of those poxy miniaturised fighter ones.

They're better than sats because they move.

(Of course, when I say "they're better than...", I mean "the advantage they have is..." - I'm not suggesting than ships, sats, missiles and fighters are now obselete.)

[PDF]

I don't much like drones... in peace time mothballed ships doesn't cost much in maintenance neither and are more versatile.
Fighters have mini weapons, ok, but you have MANY fighters for the cost of 1 drone, and they don't have maintenance either...

[dogscoff]

in peace time mothballed ships doesn't cost much in maintenance neither and are more versatile

True, but your allies can see your fleet of mothballed ships in orbit above your planet. Your drones are hidden=-)

Drones have also given modders a new toy to play with=-)

[capnq]

If your opponent has you outclassed in other techs, drones can kill ships that could otherwise rip through your main fleet.

I've got one solo game where my drones have destroyed more than twice their own tonnage lost.

[steveh11]

Fine & dandy all, but is half-a-dozen 100kT Drones better than a 600kT Battlecruiser? Your BC is going to be more versatile, and can be refitted.

I can see the maintenance aspect; but I confess that in most games I play I have an overabundance of material until I start atmosphere conVersions.

At that point I'll normally have a high-speed fleet with a warp-point creator - and a closer - available. Max reaction time: 2-3 moves to any part of the empire, and I'll have closed off some warp points in order to create choke-points.

So I still maintain a surplus. I guess I'll have to play around with Drones to find out if they're worthwhile: I suspect however that if you're down to reliance on Drones defensively you've already got problems.

Mind you, I said I thought Drones were just big, expensive missiles: when they hit they're big, expensive, effective missiles Those special warheads look nasty !