Newbie Drone Questions

Phoenix-D · #1 December 7th, 2001, 08:43 PM

Well, all the space seems taken up by the *other* components, for one.

But 3 movement with two ion engines doesn't work for ships in normal SE4. You only get 2 move. I wonder if drones get bonus movement?

Phoenix-D

bearclaw · #2 December 7th, 2001, 09:59 PM

This would make sense. Drones would have some sort of advantage over say, an escort. And faster would be my first choice. It could be rationallized in that without a fragile pilot or lifesupport equipment, the drone can be pushed to higher speeds using existing technology. An intelligent missle, which is exactly the idea.

dmm · #3 December 8th, 2001, 01:25 AM

But they have to have some sort of limitation too, or else there's no point in having ships.

DocShane · #4 December 8th, 2001, 04:29 AM

Another use of drones might be in mine defense. Yes, you read it right, mine defense.

Imagine a group of mine sweepers crossing a warp point to clear a known mine field to only be surprised by a group of drones armed with PPBs.

They also would serve to eliminate the satellite problem with planetary defenses. In SEIV satellites are deployed in spot on the map. Replace them with drones, and you have a mobile satellite network. Better yet, you can move these pseudo-satellites from planet to planet quite easily as the need arises.

Excellent suggestion by dmm. That is a mod in and of itself. How about it, suicide?

ZeroAdunn · #5 December 8th, 2001, 05:20 AM

You also must consider that drones:

1. Have limited size
2. Can have point-defense used on them. (correct right? i cannot be sure but I thought this was the plan)

It will be just another aspect of the game to consider when building your empire.

Baron Munchausen · #6 December 8th, 2001, 06:43 AM

quote:
Originally posted by ZeroAdunn:
You also must consider that drones:

1. Have limited size
2. Can have point-defense used on them. (correct right? i cannot be sure but I thought this was the plan)

It will be just another aspect of the game to consider when building your empire.

More importantly, drones have a limitation that has been discussed for fighters but not (yet) implemented. They use supplies each turn no matter what. Even if they don't move, they use supplies and that means their deployment life-time is limited. And remember they cannot be recovered. So, you don't want to just sprinkle them on a warp point in the general expectation that someone might eventually attack. You only want to put them there when you know attack is imminent. Or, you have to put a ship/base on the site with cargo space and launchers. Now, if only the same thing were done with fighters, so you couldn't just leave THEM lying around.

[ 08 December 2001: Message edited by: Baron Munchausen ]

Q · #7 December 8th, 2001, 08:38 AM

From what I see and read drones might be very useful and I can imagine quite a few things I would to with them. My only concern is that drones might be very diffucult to handle for the AI. Already now the AI makes only limited use of the units: I never saw AI lay sats on warp points (has anybody seen the use of satellite layers by the AI??), never saw mines around a colony, never saw fighters move on their own through a system and don't think the AI moves weapon platforms from secure colonies to new colonies, that are threatend by the enemy.
The drones seem to be much more complicated, because you have to chose the right moment to launch them.
Any experience from the beta-testers?? Or is this confidential???