Drones Are Useless

[Atraikius]

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)

[tesco samoa]

I could see drones have use in a limited resouce game....

[tesco samoa]

I could see drones have use in a limited resouce game....

[Q]

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 .

[Crazy_Dog]

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......

[Tezzezar]

Hmm. I think my only beef with drones is I'm not sure they do anything that I can't already do. There's nothing unique about them. I'd rather build other units.

To be fair I haven't played with them much. Maybe some special components that only drones can equip?

How about pods that launch multiple missiles one time only or Planet destroying bombs?

[jimbob]

Never used a drone,
can you retrofit them?