Drones Are Useless

[Slick]

I did some testing. I built the following drones to test all the possible configurations in the simulator (tactical only):

A. large anti-planet drone: 6 QE-III engines, 1 Drone Computer, 1 Anti-planet warhead III
B. large anti-planet drone: 6 QE-III engines, 1 Drone Computer, 1 Anti-ship warhead III
C. large anti-ship drone: 6 QE-III engines, 1 Drone Computer, 1 Anti-planet warhead III
D. large anti-ship drone: 6 QE-III engines, 1 Drone Computer, 1 Anti-ship warhead III
E. large anti-planet drone: 6 QE-III engines, 1 Drone Computer, no warhead
F. large anti-ship drone: 6 QE-III engines, 1 Drone Computer, no warhead
G. small anti-planet drone: 6 QE-III engines, 1 Drone Computer, 1 Anti-planet warhead III
H. small anti-planet drone: 6 QE-III engines, 1 Drone Computer, 1 Anti-ship warhead III
I. small anti-ship drone: 6 QE-III engines, 1 Drone Computer, 1 Anti-planet warhead III
J. small anti-ship drone: 6 QE-III engines, 1 Drone Computer, 1 Anti-ship warhead III
K. small anti-planet drone: 6 QE-III engines, 1 Drone Computer, no warhead
L. small anti-ship drone: 6 QE-III engines, 1 Drone Computer, no warhead

Used them against a BC with all armor. Results:

1. all drones would seek and hit the target ship.
2. large & small drones with Anti-Planet warhead would do 108 damage.
3. large & small drones with no warhead would do 78 damage.
4. large & small drones with Anti-Ship warhead would do 708 damage.

Conclusions:
1. there are some bugs.
2. no matter what designation you give a drone, it will seek a ship.
3. impact damage is the sum of ramming damage plus warhead damage.
4. anti-planet warheads add 0 warhead damage, but since they have mass, they add to the ramming damage.

What I did not test:
1. if the drones launch automatically in strategic combat. I think this happens based on previous post somewhere.
2. testing of same against a planet
3. if PDC's attack drones correctly as stated in the latest patch.

Slick

[Arkcon]

Originally posted by capnq:
According to this old thread {link}, anti-planet drones only do ramming damage against ships.

Yeah, I just did a simpler test than Slick. A small drone; computer, 3 engines, supply, then either
Anti planet warhead + 1 armor 3
Anti ship warhead + 1 armor 3
All armor 3's

Target:
Light cruiser full of Armor 3

Armor 3 and anti planet took out 3 armors

Anti ship took out 16 armors.

Let me save everyone some time and call myself an idiot. If you've already called me an idiot, then the time consumed in the process is your own fault.

[Slick]

Not at all. I think most of us like learning the "nuances" *COUGHbugsCOUGH* in this game so that they can be reported and fixed. Since I never really use drones, I didn't know these issues until I read this thread and played around with them a little.

[Skulky]

Drones, i have found, work well as a kind of special mission force, unless found in large numbers. I REALLY WANT "MOVE TO" so i can get my SBM/RD2 fleets from starfire Online again . I love to keep playing my drone wars scenario. I wish they were cheaper/or had a special facility that could only construct units and was very good at it so you could get x2 or x3 instead of only building one per turn.

And finally i disagree with whoever said they were better than a destoyer or an LC. hell no, i can get one LC a turn with organics, unless im up against crystalline which would u rather fight, 50 LCs with 2-3 organic armor and 2-3 large mount organic weapons and the ability to repair and continue a long campaign? or 50 drones that will eventually die off.

Also, what happens when u put weapons on a drone? and what is a good design for "fighter killers" just wondering

---
i'm sitll a newbie, being as i can't use drones

[capnq]

what happens when u put weapons on a drone?

The drone will fire the weapons normally, until it gets close enough to its target to ram it.

[Puke]

cant you give a drone armed with weapons a strategy to shoot, and not to ram?

[Phoenix-D]

That's correct Puke. The drone won't ram then.

PHoenix-D