drones riles !! plus some bug in strategies.

[PvK]

Where did you get that idea, though, Fryon? Seems to me that by allowing all strategies and weapon components on drones, the intention is pretty clearly to allow them to be designed to do other things besides crash (or shoot just before crashing).

Oleg, I don't really remember the details of my drone strategy settings, though I have some old turn files somewhere and if I remember and have time when I'm near that computer, I'll try to look it up.

PvK

[Fyron]

The game manual? Seems like a pretty authoritative source to me.

Drones are large computer-controlled missiles. They are designed much like small ships and can carry engines, shields, weapons, and most especially, warheads. Drones are usually equipped with a large warhead used to damage ships or planets. Drones are launched from ships or planets and seek out an enemy target. Once the drone encounters the target, it will ram the target and do as much damage as possible. Most drones are constructed with special materials giving them an increase in their speed.

[PvK]

Laugh!

Still, I tend to think that was the manual-writer's understanding, rather than the design. Moreover, I still think removing the ability to set their strategies would be less interesting and a blow to a system that doesn't need to be any harder to use effectively!

PvK

[Fyron]

That was from the in-game manual, not the hard copy. Wasn't that written by Aaron? If not, he at least had to have read through it before saying it was ready to go.

[PvK]

Oh ok. I suppose the doc files were most likely written by Aaron, but so were the data files. I guess my concept of what drones are supposed to do comes mainly from the beta forum discussions, and from having used them with the ability to do things besides ram. Drones with weapons are generally inefficient to the point of silliness if they have kamikaze programming.

PvK

[geoschmo]

The manual is not clear. It does allow for differing interpretations.

If you read only this sentance, "Once the drone encounters the target, it will ram the target and do as much damage as possible." then it does indeed seem to support the idea of drones as kamikazee only weapons.

If however you read the sentance in context of the rest of the sentances before it and after it, it becomes apparent that the manual is discussing only possible uses for drones, not a firm set of rules for their use.

The key is the phrase "are usually equipped" in the first sentance. The second and third sentances are merely describing the operation of a drone equipped in the manner described by the first sentance.

If the intention of the programmer was to restrict drones to such operation then he would have probably not allowed them to have non-warhead weapons, which he did not do. At the very least he would have required that all drones have at least a warhead in addition to whatever other weapons the player wished to add, but he didn't do that either.

[ December 22, 2003, 17:15: Message edited by: geoschmo ]

[Fyron]

I hardly read only one sentence Geo, and did not take anything out of context. I simply bold faced the sentences that explicitly define what a drone does mechanically. If you want to take the rest of the section on drones into account, you get even more supporting the ICBM aspect:

Once launched, the drone will automatically pick a target from those available in combat and seek it out (to ram and destroy it).

The other sentences do not discuss weaponry or combat use at all, just launching and targetting, and supply issues (plus other random stuff).

Your interpretation is not really supported by the in-game manual, especially since it directly states that drones are large, computer controlled missiles. I have never heard of a missile that doesn't "ram" into its target, or at the very least detonate near/above it and hit it with the shockwave/explosion. Now, how drones apparently actually work is quite different than what the in-game manual says (in the regard that they can be used other than as a "missile"). The in-game manual appears to be lacking here, and should be clarified. Sending email to Aaron.

[geoschmo]

Ok. I thought I was agreeing with you that the manual lacked clarity. Apparently I was mistaken?

Uh... nevermind.

[Fyron]

Umm... well... it isn't too clear, but it does stress the "missile" aspect greatly, while failing to mention that you can use them as "mini-ships" or "big fighters." Email sent to make it clear.

[ December 22, 2003, 17:47: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]