Drone and Anti-Drone Tactics?

Q · #1 January 30th, 2002, 08:26 PM

Thank you Baron for your answer. That opens interesting new possibilities.
I think the vote to introduce a "explore" "move to" "warp" order for drones are unanimous. I hope MM hears us!

Puke · #2 January 31st, 2002, 06:04 AM

since drones are supposed to get only one order then stop (right?) move to and warp would be of limitied utility.

however, if you wanted to guard a location with drones, i suppose that move to and warp would be usefull. you should probably not be able to give them new orders after they have launched (even though we can do this now with cruise missiles) to be in the spirit of the design.

maybe there is a problem where if they have move-to or warp abilities, the hard code in the game will allow them to recieve multiple orders, and the only way to keep them one-shot items was to remove those commands?

Phoenix-D · #3 January 31st, 2002, 06:21 AM

"since drones are supposed to get only one order then stop (right?) move to and warp would be of limitied utility."

Not really. See, with a move-to order you could send them off to attack a location, even if there wasn't an enemy ship there (say, you couldn't see a system but wanted them to attack a enemy planet you knew was there). I'm not sure this can be done currently.

Phoenix-D

Puke · #4 January 31st, 2002, 07:37 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Phoenix-D:
(say, you couldn't see a system but wanted them to attack a enemy planet you knew was there)

that sounds almost unscrupoulous, knowing where a planet is in an unexplored system? or did you mean an explored system that you had no current telemetry from?

PvK · #5 January 31st, 2002, 08:10 AM

Yes, currently you have to be seeing an enemy colony to attack it, so you can't attack ones that you've seen in the past and could assume haven't vanished.

Also, currently, if drones destroy their first target, they can be given new attack orders on the next turn.

PvK

Suicide Junkie · #6 January 31st, 2002, 04:43 PM

How about using move-to to get your drones to the front lines without a transport ship?
If you have some launched drones, and no visible enemies, you need to be able to send them moving off somewhere else.

mac5732 · #7 January 31st, 2002, 08:12 PM

My opinion only, but I think we need to look at how the drones operate in the different settings,
ie; Stratigic combat vs, Tactical, Turn based vs Simultaneous. From reading the Posts, and I may be way off base, but it appears that drones in tactical combat can be recovered but not so in Strategic, I haven't seen anything yet on the difference between turn & simultaneous. Also that once launched they will look for additional targets if their priority target was destroyed, or they may be given fresh new orders. This sounds like a contradiction, except I took it to mean in 2 different types of combat, 2 different results. What happens if none of the above apply, are the drones then automatically destroyed? In which case?

Sj, if you were able to "move to" to front lines, if that was several systems out, wouldn't supply for a drone become a problem as far as movement over that distance? my opinion only, if drones are considered small enough to be carried like ftrs then their supply would also be limited as to distance.

just some ideas mac