Strategy talk: How to use drones

[DirectorTsaarx]

Originally posted by Phoenix-D:
"You could mod a small Colony Pod component that only carried 1M colonists and a drone-sized ship hull that it barely fits into"

You can do this. However Baron is right; the colony component will not function. (tested in Gold 1.67)

Phoenix-D

Except that capnq suggested adding a SHIP hull that had the same SIZE as a drone; in which case the colony component should work.

[thorfrog]

how do you target ship's with drones? I tried simmulating tactical combat and found that once I launch drones they go on their own.

[Phoenix-D]

Well, yes; in that case though it ain't a drone any more, it's a SHIP!

As far as targetting drones in tactical: you don't. They pick a target for themselves based on whatever targeting strat you gave them.

Phoenix-D

[Lord_Shleepy]

This is an rather different issue but: Is it true that cloaked drones are invisible in combat? I have sent them against AI planets on several occasions and have not been fired upon...are the drones invisible...are the colonists "a lot of miserable, cowardly knaves"...or am I really so deadly that no one wants to put up a fight?

[geoschmo]

Well, cloaked ships will not enter combat unless ther is a ship or unit in that sector that can see them. Either one of your own that is not cloaked, or an enemy with sensors capable of beating the cloak. This is true as well with cloaked ships. You have to uncloak to attack. However, IIRC somone was saying that with drones you can't cloak/uncloak. That the cloak is always on. If this is the case, you aren't going to be able to have combat unless you have another drone/ship/fighter along for the ride that is visible to the enemy.

Geoschmo

[Lord_Shleepy]

Hmm...that is what I would have expected...and yet...the race that I was attacking was extremely primitive (certainly with no scanning ability) and my drones arrived unescorted. I cloaked them (in theory...i pressed the button at least) when launching them from a planet a system or two away. They attacked without resistance from weapons platforms and splatted into the planets in magnificent fireballs. Could it be that they can still RAM while cloaked but not, say, fire weapons? I don't know...it seems very strange.

[geoschmo]

Ok, I must hve misunderstood what you were saying. You mean they did do what they were supposed to, but the enemy did nothing to defend itself? If that's the case a stupid question would be "Are you sure the enemy had any weapon platforms?"