.com.unity Forums
  The Official e-Store of Shrapnel Games

This Month's Specials

BCT Commander- Save $6.00
World Supremacy- Save $10.00

   







Go Back   .com.unity Forums > Shrapnel Community > Space Empires: IV & V

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old September 12th, 2002, 04:00 AM
TerranC's Avatar

TerranC TerranC is offline
Brigadier General
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Posts: 1,859
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
TerranC is on a distinguished road
Default Re: Drones Are Useless

Or just don't use drones at all...
__________________
A* E* Se++ GdQ $ Fr! C Csc Sf+ Ai- M Mp* S++ Ss- R! Pw Fq Nd Rp+ G++ Mm+ Bb++ Tcp+ L Au

Download Sev Today! --- Download BOB and SOCk today too! --- Thanks to Fyron and Trooper for hosting.

Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old September 12th, 2002, 11:00 AM

Orthogonal Orthogonal is offline
Private
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 4
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Orthogonal is on a distinguished road
Default Re: Drones Are Useless

Hmmmm... I don't see how anyone can say drones are useless. Is it against humans they are useless? Because against the AI they can be exceptionally effective in many ways... if you are willing to manage the problem of ordering them around in large bunches.

This isn't the only thread around here that has mentioned "drones are useless", but I don't get it... take on a telekenetic race with subverters and telekentics on massive mounts on weap plats and you'll kiss your drones all night and build them by the hundreds, delivered in cloaked dread carriers scores at a time.

Orthogonal
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old September 12th, 2002, 12:46 PM

Atraikius Atraikius is offline
Second Lieutenant
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Elk River, MN, USA
Posts: 472
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Atraikius is on a distinguished road
Default Re: Drones Are Useless

A medium or large transport with 2-4 drone launchers and stealth armor is great for hiding in an enemy system and using drones to pick off colony ships, transports, individual carriers, and small planets.

Drones work pretty well (even later in the game) when used in fleets together with large numbers of CSM's and fighters - one drone seems to be as effective as a couple of Groups of fighters, or several missiles in overwhelming the enemy's defenses.

Also, drones work fairly well defending planets when used fairly large numbers, and in support of fighters. If planet storage is an issue, build some transports with 2-4 drone launchers and as many cargo bays as possible, only adding one engine (and maybe solar panels) in case you need to move them some.

Those moon shipyards mentioned in another thread work good for building your supply of drones, use a few 'drone barges' for storage, and possibly suffling to near by planets since the moon doesn't have enough room to store them all.

When used independently against fleets, or against better defended planets; they don't have much use, but when used for combined arms tactics, or for picking off straglers, they are definitely worthwhile. (A transport full of drones is noticably more cost effective at that then a few destroyers or light cruisers)
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old September 13th, 2002, 01:30 AM

tesco samoa tesco samoa is offline
General
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Canada
Posts: 4,603
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
tesco samoa is on a distinguished road
Default Re: Drones Are Useless

I could see drones have use in a limited resouce game....
__________________
RRRRRRRRRRAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHH
old avatar = http://www.shrapnelgames.com/cgi-bin...1051567998.jpg

Hey GUTB where did you go...???

He is still driving his mighty armada at 3 miles per month along the interstellar highway bypass and will be arriving shortly
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old September 13th, 2002, 01:30 AM

tesco samoa tesco samoa is offline
General
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Canada
Posts: 4,603
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
tesco samoa is on a distinguished road
Default Re: Drones Are Useless

I could see drones have use in a limited resouce game....
__________________
RRRRRRRRRRAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHH
old avatar = http://www.shrapnelgames.com/cgi-bin...1051567998.jpg

Hey GUTB where did you go...???

He is still driving his mighty armada at 3 miles per month along the interstellar highway bypass and will be arriving shortly
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old September 13th, 2002, 01:31 AM
Q's Avatar

Q Q is offline
Colonel
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,661
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Q is on a distinguished road
Default Re: Drones Are Useless

I don't think drones are useless, especially not for human players and psychic races.
However IMHO they are simply too expensive in the unmodded game. A typical drone costs as much as a destroyer or even a light cruiser. Therefore it takes too long to build them. And the other point that restricts greatly their use is the lack of the "move to" order, as I said already some 1000 times .
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old September 12th, 2002, 04:00 PM
Crazy_Dog's Avatar

Crazy_Dog Crazy_Dog is offline
Corporal
 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Porto Portugal
Posts: 163
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Crazy_Dog is on a distinguished road
Default Re: Drones Are Useless

One use for drones is build a base with lots of cargo and several drone launchers (optional a shipyard to build the drones); add stealth armor/cloack.
Equip it with anti-ship drones and is a system defense.
Equip it with anti-planet drones and in case the near systems are from the enemy......
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 11:01 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.1
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©1999 - 2025, Shrapnel Games, Inc. - All Rights Reserved.