more on drones

[AMF]

Related question: I thought that in 1.91 Drones were to be able to use special attacks. For example, I would really love to launch plague drones at my enemie's planets, but when I construct the drone, the plague bomb doesn't appear as a legitimate component - only 'regular' type bomb things do. Is this intentional? Or am I missing something basic?

thanks,

Alarik

Originally posted by geoschmo:
Well, I've done some tests with a 1.91 simultaneous game and it's actually worse then I thought it was. First of all...

quote:

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Originally posted by Baron Munchausen:
Get them to the sector where the warp point is BEFORE you tell them to warp. I guess that means launching them where you plan to attack. I'm not sure about 'simultaneous' mode, but in turn based mode they never break up their 'pack' on their first movement.

...this does NOT work in simultaneous. I ran a test and tried it three different ways multi-clicing 12 drones and giving them attack orders on a warp point.

The first set of drones was within 3 spaces from the warp point. They had a speed of 6 so they could make the warp point in one turn. They reached the warp point in one turn, a few of them went on through, but only one at a time. I had a series of combats with one drone being pounced on by the defenders waiting on teh other side. The remainder of the drones didn't even try to go through on that turn, but thier orders were not cleared. They sat on the near side of teh warp point and went through on a later turn, still one at a time. Sometimes 3, sometimes more drones would go through in the same turn, but always one at a time and was alone in combat. It took three turns for the entire group of drones to clear the warp point.

The scond set of drones was ten spaces from the warp point, so it took them two turns to reach the point, but they had enough movement to all go through on the second turn. They acted the same as the first group, except one difference. On one sigular occasion, two drones crossed the warp point at once and were in combat together. I have no explanation for this abberation, except random chance. Again it took three turns to get all the drones throuhgh the warp point.

The third set of drones were loaded on a ship and launched on the warp point on the near side. THen given multi-click orders to attack the warp point. Again, they all went through one at a time. Only differece here was that 6 of them went though each turn. It only took two turns for all teh drones to go through, allthough it was still one drone at at time per combat.

This is either a bug or Malfador has purposly nerfed the drones to prevent them from being used for in-strength warp point attack. I suspect it's a bug since Baron says it works in turn-based mode.

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[geoschmo]

I think the ability to be modded was what was added with 1.91. Not the actual change in components.

[President_Elect_Shang]

In the first Version of my Mod I had a plague based warhead on one of the drones. It worked fine in every test. I think you did something wrong. Did you set the weapon type to warhead?

[AMF]

Well, I probably did something stupid then. I'll check it...thanks!

Alarik

Originally posted by President Elect Shang:
In the first Version of my Mod I had a plague based warhead on one of the drones. It worked fine in every test. I think you did something wrong. Did you set the weapon type to warhead?

[President_Elect_Shang]

I wouldn't say "stupid", maybe you could post it here or email it to me if you want to keep it quite.

[PvK]

For a warp-assault, send in ships with drones and drone launchers... and minesweepers... and some other ships.

One advantage of drones is the enemy can be surprised by the size of your force - they think they have you outnumbered, but then some of your ships launch bunches of drones.

Search old threads for other drone techniques. I've posted several in several threads.

PvK

[Fyron]

But do not drone launchers launch all drones at the enemy, thus wasting large numbers of them?