Drones Are Useless

[Atrocities]

In the game that I am playing now when I have time, I am trying to use Drones. What I have found is that you have to keep repeating orders to them each turn. That can get a bit teadous espcially when you have 100's of them out bound.

[Tezzezar]

Not sure about the orders thing but I haven't found too much use for drones either.

I'd love to be able to equip drones with minesweepers. I'm sick to death of my friends mining every planet in their empire on top of the warp points.

T-

[Baron Munchausen]

You have to repeat their orders if they run into a target enroute and go into combat. This can be a problem, yes. I think that a decent number of people complaining to MM and asking that drones remember their original orders when forced into 'intervening' combat situations might get us some results.

[ September 13, 2002, 18:31: Message edited by: Baron Munchausen ]

[TerranC]

Or just don't use drones at all...

[Orthogonal]

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

[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)