The ultimate drone R&D thread

[EricBlank]

Missiles can take enormous chunks out of internal systems. It's just getting the big one in there.

Say, a siege missile array which fired multiple tightly-packed, smaller missiles immediately ahead of the one with the greatest damage would probably have better luck getting that final high-yield nuke under the skin. If the target isn't moving/rotating quickly enough. But penetration is the key now with armor, and missiles detonate on contact, on the outside.

While the enemy's AMS turrets are up and you haven't blasted a hole through the armor layers, I think cannons are going to be causing the most damage internally. Cannons/beams can be used to quickly and accurately dig into those AMS turrets, though, and once removed missiles' radius and alpha damage will be useful if you can get one under the armor, into soft internals.



I'm personally designing a few unslaved cannon drones. Normal rate of fire and a couple hundred damage for a small one. The Raptor frigate hull is coming along nicely. The drones I've designed for use with it employ cannons and are supported by an AMS turret on the top. It's a carrier and LRM support craft, though, not a brawler, so the frigate itself isn't designed for single combat and fitted for drone warfare won't last very long... Although it is also a pretty versatile platform; I can just slap whatever on it, the hull is built for that.
I've got to get actual pictures/stats. I just keep messing with it.

 

[Tunk]

So the stumpy has been refitted, 1.1:1 thrust, 10k shields and lasers over cannons.
Damn thing still has a power surplus.

Quite happy with it now though and it proved little drones can deliver large output quite happily.
Next on the list is the box cutter ion drone.

 

[Lecic]

Missiles can tear a hole in the enemy's hull, allowing you easy access to their systems for other weapons or additional missiles to do massive internal damage.

 

[BrotherLazarus]

Missiles can tear a hole in the enemy's hull, allowing you easy access to their systems for other weapons or additional missiles to do massive internal damage.

That's why I like them on everything. Like bacon. Bacon and missiles make everything better.

 

[BrotherLazarus]

I generally avoid double-posting but the thread has been silent and I just came up with a question that needs answering.

Has anyone tried mounting a jammer in drones for a more... obnoxious drone?

I just finished building the Loki intel corvette (complete with 3 crew stations, one of which does literally NOTHING!) and realized I could cram at least 2 drone racks on it while keeping the jammer active with the power generation it's got (though I -need- to start testing the jump engines). It's more useful as an RP craft than a dedicated infowar craft--pitch black hull so it's -really- hard to visually spot from more'n 20 meters away, and the jammer works quite well (it's less than 200 mass and it's a decently large vessel with an aesthetic interior)... and I'm considering the pros and cons of making a set of disposable racks for it that carry several jammer-equipped turret-basher drones--not for heavy combat, but as a delaying/sneak tactic--possibly even building a jump inhibitor into a Loki hull loadout for use as a harrying vessel.

But all that hinges on the knowledge that so many player ships use AI turrets, and then subsequently needing to know if a drone can be equipped with a jammer (possibly logic-enabled since I recall either Kep or Loadout mentioning that they can't use non-weapon gear?).

I'm thinking that I can build a variant of the Loki scout corvette that has light interdictor carrier capabilities as a Fleet Forward element with (at the current power generation and capacity capabilities) the ability to carry at least 12 drones on external racks. It's actually got a rather large amount of interior unused space, the aesthetic components are in a very small pair of rooms (flight deck and "server" deck with entry hatch) and the empty space in the hull kept the mass down fairly well, I can modify the existing hull (and plan to) for a patrol variant, escort variant, possibly even light carrier variant (adding better shielding and weapons for the latter 3).

Buuuuuut all that hinges on whether or not one -can- create a jammer-equipped drone (even if it requires logic to activate)

Spoiler: The Loki in question

As you can see, the infowar hull is very small and streamlined (though incomplete). The patrol and interdictor variants will have weapon nacelles to the left and right side about 3/4s of the way back, and the light stealth carrier variant could easily mount a rack to either side at the fore and aft, or on the later variant nacelles. The stock hull is clearly not a direct combat craft.

 

[Tunk]

As far as I know cloaking/jamming requires the craft to be occupied.
Effects are possible on drones, but you would need a pit crew of players to turn them on and reactivate bobbies in a timely manner until we get logic switching on defensive effects.

 

[BrotherLazarus]

As far as I know cloaking/jamming requires the craft to be occupied.
Effects are possible on drones, but you would need a pit crew of players to turn them on and reactivate bobbies in a timely manner until we get logic switching on defensive effects.

Hmm. So I can't use a Wireless block to remotely toggle it from a mother craft then? I'd noticed that I can use buttons to toggle a lot of other stuff remotely, but that would make it somewhat difficult to enact what I'm considering. I'll build the light fleet carrier variant and pop it in here for critique when I have a bit, then.

Edit: I'd like to see that, and I'd also like to see the display block have more stuff added (like being able to have a count for variables like "sapsunIngotInteger", etc, hull/armor HP, that sorta thing--relatively simple integer string, but what's simple in C# may not be so in java, ionno)... so I could rig up a display listing the current dock blocks, and the current docked entities (or even the current docked AI entities) without having to open up the display panels in battle. Would add some more usefulness to the bridge crew in multi-person ships, give someone an engineering seat and let 'em have at a bank of displays--nevermind the ability to add carrier flight officer stations that do something more than hit a release button.

 

[Tunk]

Yeah display modules need a lot of love, which actually gives me a idea.

Since I use accumulators in my drone builds I might use a display module to display current power as fuel units or something for a bit of flavour.

 

[Lecic]

Jammers and cloakers don't work without a player in them. This was presumably due to the complete inability to decloak/dejam something before, but this has changed, so it might work to allow AI to cloak/jam now...

 

[BrotherLazarus]

Jammers and cloakers don't work without a player in them. This was presumably due to the complete inability to decloak/dejam something before, but this has changed, so it might work to allow AI to cloak/jam now...

So I should run the experiment myself to see if it works now? I can dig it. Would be nice to squish jammers into my trolleys and elevators, for one... having all of those ship cores showing up on my station kinda wrecks immersion (but it DOES tell you if the elevator is on your floor....)

I'll try to squeeze that into my schedule today, I've got to record a couple videos for my channel today too though, so I can't promise I'll have anything concrete quickly.

 

[Raisinbat]

I've been working on a magazine based dronebay for reasons. Finally got it working:
https://sendvid.com/k49u24cr

I could tidy it up and post it on the logic section if anyone's interested? It's not as practical as externally docked drones, but it looks neat

 

[BrotherLazarus]

I've been working on a magazine based dronebay for reasons. Finally got it working:
https://sendvid.com/k49u24cr

I could tidy it up and post it on the logic section if anyone's interested? It's not as practical as externally docked drones, but it looks neat

That actually looks like a very efficient use of space for something like converting one of my low-profile hull designs, pair a modified version with microdrones to make a screening corvette/destroyer class... I'd be interested in getting my grubby little mitts on it to slap into Midgard station. I think since it's a drone thing, it's appropriate to post here though?

It's pretty good, IMO... most of my designs ended up being either external racks stolen borrowed from Loadout and keptick or external racks mounted on extending loader arms in semi-universal docking bays. This has a MUCH higher drone density in a similar space than mine does, and the slower rate of launch probably cuts back on some of the obscene lag caused by tightly packed drones all popping free at once (I'm really highly inefficient!).

 

[Loadout]

Someone said my name? Sorry I haven't been here lately been knee deep in work and fooling around with some editing software.

That being said...

The next video tut for drones is up! This one deals with sizes or classes of drones and how they generally work best in my experiences.

Up next on the list is weapon combos for drones and small ships in general. Then we move onto

 

[BrotherLazarus]

Someone said my name? Sorry I haven't been here lately been knee deep in work and fooling around with some editing software.

That being said...

The next video tut for drones is up! This one deals with sizes or classes of drones and how they generally work best in my experiences.

Up next on the list is weapon combos for drones and small ships in general. Then we move onto

First comment I've got is more of a question. How do you have your mic set up? There's some echo in this video that probably wouldn't bother most folks, but drops your voice into the pitch where I've got hearing loss a few times. Other than that, your pacing remains pretty good and it's another solid video.

 

[EricBlank]

Love the cliffhanger there. Waiting to hear about what we move onto next. :P

I also desperately need to learn how that cartridge-fed drone launcher works. It's very impressive.

 

[kiraen]

First comment I've got is more of a question. How do you have your mic set up? There's some echo in this video that probably wouldn't bother most folks, but drops your voice into the pitch where I've got hearing loss a few times.

While this looks fascinating and a really wanted to watch it, I just couldn't understand anything. (and I don't have hearing problems) I tried auto-subtitles to help. While these are notoriously bad, this was beyond ridiculous . It reads like an unofficial freshman orientation at a slacker college. I almost fell off my chair laughing. :p I am 100% certain this isn't a tutorial on how to get drugs and girls on the German campus.

Anyway, please clean up the audio. Looking forward to it.

 

[Tunk]

Ouch, yeah that audio is pretty horrible.
Sounds like you recorded it on your laptop mic?

 

[Loadout]

The echoing I believe is the software turning on the noise cancel, anything below a certain volume gets muted so you don't hear things like my dog licking himself, or my air-conditioner humming in the background.

It's actually a turtle beach headset, problem is I can't afford another mic of decent quality for a while yet. Too many bills and things at this point.

The reason the sound is so low is most likely that the headset is literally in pieces. Each earphone is hanging by a single tiny wire and the mic itself got chewed to hell and back by my dog.

I've been trying to boost the sound on this video for almost a week now and haven't had any luck. As for the goofy photos, that was just me messing around with the editor so you weren't staring at the same 3 images for 12 minutes.

I'll try to up the sound or maybe add captions. I've got another mic I can use, but it's a bluetooth and I have to practically shout for this recording software to pick it up.

Pre-Edit: Found a way to boost the sound considerably just now, so I'll be re-uploading whenever my internet stabilizes. Currently it's dropping in and out, so it may be a while. I'll let you all know once it's finished.

 

[Tunk]

Finally got around to putting together the box cutter, didn't turn out as expected but mostly still up to the spec I wanted.

Spoiler: I really wanted to make it look like a box cutter...

The box cutter is a 16x7x15 drone of 70 mass total, could probably compact those dimensions down but its late.
Its primary weapon is a 80k damage 15 second recharge ion laser, giving it about 5300 dps vs shields.
Topped off by 10.7k shields.

 

[BrotherLazarus]

The echoing I believe is the software turning on the noise cancel, anything below a certain volume gets muted so you don't hear things like my dog licking himself, or my air-conditioner humming in the background.

It's actually a turtle beach headset, problem is I can't afford another mic of decent quality for a while yet. Too many bills and things at this point.

The reason the sound is so low is most likely that the headset is literally in pieces. Each earphone is hanging by a single tiny wire and the mic itself got chewed to hell and back by my dog.

I've been trying to boost the sound on this video for almost a week now and haven't had any luck. As for the goofy photos, that was just me messing around with the editor so you weren't staring at the same 3 images for 12 minutes.

I'll try to up the sound or maybe add captions. I've got another mic I can use, but it's a bluetooth and I have to practically shout for this recording software to pick it up.

Pre-Edit: Found a way to boost the sound considerably just now, so I'll be re-uploading whenever my internet stabilizes. Currently it's dropping in and out, so it may be a while. I'll let you all know once it's finished.

If you leaf around Newegg (damn, missed the chance at a pun there), they've got pretty decent condenser mics for less than $50 (which, having been utterly dominated by bills, I know isn't "cheap" sometimes)--I've got one I'm ordering this month, if you'd like I can let you know if the "entry level studio mic" is worth the buy-in or not. The Logitech headset I was using prior to the borrowed mic had some funky wiring, when the right speaker went out the right channel of the -mic- went out too.