Drones!!

Lemmy · #1 September 19th, 2001, 08:54 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Baron Munchausen:
I just added drones to my VehicleSize.txt file today. The game loads fine. Haven't bothered to research the tech and build any since they can't be launched. If it were only possible to launch them...

[This message has been edited by Baron Munchausen (edited 19 September 2001).]

yes, if it were only possible, all we humans really need is a "Launch Drone" ability. But unfortunately the AI probably won't be able to work with drones

Q · #2 September 20th, 2001, 02:14 PM

quote:
Originally posted by LemmyM:
that's exactly what i'm talking about, one of my first "drones" was just a copy of the Escort but smaller. But the movement and range will be the same as any other ship, each engine will still only use 10 suplies and store 500, so you always get 50 range.

And you could refuel them, they wouldn't be destroyed after a certain time and you would have to pay maintenance for them. So even if you call them drones, they are just small ships.
Similar if you use fighters to create drones: they won't be able to warp and will not be destroyed after a certain time. So they remain fighters.
To get real drones you require hard coded changes, therefore we must wait for MM to create them for us.

mac5732 · #3 September 20th, 2001, 04:47 PM

The game states Drones, therefore, I know this is a dumb non-modder question, but in the data, txt, etc files is there a listing or catagory for drones? if so is there any type of set up for them where a little tweaking would enable their use??? I would think that if some type of file is in the set up for drones then there must be something in these files that is missing in order to get them to work. Has Richard ever said anything on the drone issue? Could we ask him to mention this to Aaron? or is the drones issue a major code addition? I'm just a dumb non-modder, But someday, when I have time I hope to start modding and then maybe i'll understand more what can and can't be done in mods. please excuse my sometimes dumb questions or ideas. I mean well...

just some ideas mac

Baron Munchausen · #4 September 20th, 2001, 08:26 PM

quote:
Originally posted by mac5732:
The game states Drones, therefore, I know this is a dumb non-modder question, but in the data, txt, etc files is there a listing or catagory for drones? if so is there any type of set up for them where a little tweaking would enable their use??? I would think that if some type of file is in the set up for drones then there must be something in these files that is missing in order to get them to work. Has Richard ever said anything on the drone issue? Could we ask him to mention this to Aaron? or is the drones issue a major code addition? I'm just a dumb non-modder, But someday, when I have time I hope to start modding and then maybe i'll understand more what can and can't be done in mods. please excuse my sometimes dumb questions or ideas. I mean well...

Yes, the controls for drones are already in the game. You could add them to the VehicleSize.txt and the Techareas.txt files, but there is no ability to launch them in the game, so even if you researched and built them nothing can put them in space for actual missions. Until MM solves some problems with the 'logic' that controls them, they will not be enabled.

Personally, I'd be very happy if they were just available as "cruise missiles" so you could fire off long-range attacks between planets or even between systems. I suppose that allowing only this would require stripping out existing code, though, and that's more work for MM, especially when the time comes to try to implement the extra functions again.

[This message has been edited by Baron Munchausen (edited 20 September 2001).]

Dracus · #5 September 21st, 2001, 12:04 AM

It is kind of like the additional planet types. ALL the pictures are there but they are not used.
There are a number of things that never got added to the game but them in the files.

ZeroAdunn · #6 September 21st, 2001, 09:11 AM

Just thought about drones. Can you make mobile mines? This would work for cruise missiles.

Lemmy · #7 September 21st, 2001, 12:46 PM

quote:
Originally posted by ZeroAdunn:
Just thought about drones. Can you make mobile mines? This would work for cruise missiles.

i think not, you can modify them so that engine can be added, but they won't get any actual movement, mines just aren't meant to move.

and the more i think about drones, the more i think they would be better as fighters than ships. If a drone is larger than a fighter, you can make specific components that can only fit on a drone, and you can have a drone weapon mount if you want fighter weapons on drones.
If drones are cheap, then you can make more in one turn if they were fighters.
You can also make drone launch bays, but i'm not sure yet what properties they would have.