[Script] Logain Industries Light Support Drone Carrier (LSDC) - v2 19/08/2009

[Troubleshooter11]

I have a test script which will turn any TL with Fight Command 2 installed into a Drone Carrier.

Would anyone like to test for me?

Please

Link

LA

Sure, ill give it a whirl.

Personally i hope you will decide to resurrect the Griffon. Its a unique ship whose intended role was that of a light drone carrier.
Just add it to Argon shipyards, and key your script to only work on the Griffon, add some sort of simple drone production ability and presto: one revived Griffon from the good old days.

Alright, here are my findings:

1. Scripted in a Mammoth
2. Added FCS2 to the Mammoth
3. Added 50 of each type of drone to the Mammoth cargo hold (drone, drone MKII, Keris)
4. Jumped myself to a empty unknown sector
5. Added 20 Xenon L fighters to the sector
6. Jumped in the Mammoth
7. Mammoth started deploying/jumping all 3 types of drones near the enemy fighters.
8. Drones proceeded to rip the Xenon fighters some new USB ports.
9. All surviving drones jumped back into Mammy Mammoth's cargo bay.

Enemy forces: 20 L, 5 LX
Drones: 50 drones, 50 drones MKII, 50 Keris

Surviving drones: 23 drones, 44 drones MKII, 35 Keris

[apricotslice]

I like the idea, but not the restriction on targets or limiting how many drones can be carried.

I like the idea of an M7 Drone version, designed to stand off at long distance, and yet have the drone capasity to take out any ship.

Also, this idea leads to another one - Anti-Missile Drone ship, where the ship can be set to target all missiles in a sector (hostile or not). This would offset missile spamming, where you can sit your M7 Anti-Missile Drone ship way out, and have its drones target any missile spotted within sensor coverage of any player asset.

Either mode, some of its drones would also act as a fighter screen for self protection, so it really doesnt need guns. If its number of drones drops below a certain level where it becomes vulnerable, then it should jump out and dock at its homebase and resupply. If the PHQ is making drones, then it can dock and reload and then possibly redeploy.

[Logain Abler]

I have a test script which will turn any TL with Fight Command 2 installed into a Drone Carrier.

Would anyone like to test for me?

Please

Link

LA

Sure, ill give it a whirl.

Personally i hope you will decide to resurrect the Griffon. Its a unique ship whose intended role was that of a light drone carrier.
Just add it to Argon shipyards, and key your script to only work on the Griffon, add some sort of simple drone production ability and presto: one revived Griffon from the good old days.

Alright, here are my findings:

1. Scripted in a Mammoth
2. Added FCS2 to the Mammoth
3. Added 50 of each type of drone to the Mammoth cargo hold (drone, drone MKII, Keris)
4. Jumped myself to a empty unknown sector
5. Added 20 Xenon L fighters to the sector
6. Jumped in the Mammoth
7. Mammoth started deploying/jumping all 3 types of drones near the enemy fighters.
8. Drones proceeded to rip the Xenon fighters some new USB ports.
9. All surviving drones jumped back into Mammy Mammoth's cargo bay.

Enemy forces: 20 L, 5 LX
Drones: 50 drones, 50 drones MKII, 50 Keris

Surviving drones: 23 drones, 44 drones MKII, 35 Keris

Thanks for giving it a go

Early days yet so nothing is set in stone; the TL is just for testing the script.

I have a rough idea on production but would a M7 size ship be able to carry the equipment?


LA

[Logain Abler]

I like the idea, but not the restriction on targets or limiting how many drones can be carried.

I like the idea of an M7 Drone version, designed to stand off at long distance, and yet have the drone capasity to take out any ship.

Also, this idea leads to another one - Anti-Missile Drone ship, where the ship can be set to target all missiles in a sector (hostile or not). This would offset missile spamming, where you can sit your M7 Anti-Missile Drone ship way out, and have its drones target any missile spotted within sensor coverage of any player asset.

Either mode, some of its drones would also act as a fighter screen for self protection, so it really doesnt need guns. If its number of drones drops below a certain level where it becomes vulnerable, then it should jump out and dock at its homebase and resupply. If the PHQ is making drones, then it can dock and reload and then possibly redeploy.

Cheers for your input apricotslice,

As above, its early days so nothing is set is stone; just ideas at the moment. I like the idea of anti-missile drones

LA

[Logain Abler]

I’ll probably be denounced as a heretic and burn in hell; but…….. I’m not to keen on the Griffon model! There I said it

I think it’s the engine section that really puts me off; maybe I’ll have a play with 3D Max…


LA

[apricotslice]

this is a griffon.

this is a Tern

Both of those links are classified by Kaspersky as trojans. Can you check the files have not been corrupted ?

[someone else]

probably Kapersky hates that site... it is not the first time a guy with Kapersky says "it has a Troyan". http://eng.x3tc.ru/ this is the site from where they come from.
You can see the two ships easily from Models Viewer... they are fully functional in the game. (well.. not able to use XTM special abilities)

I’m not to keen on the Griffon model! There I said it

OMG WTF BURN BURN BURN HIM yeah it is not the coolest ship around.

anyways a M6 with a big cargo bay could do.... a Hydra/Heavy Hydra/Osprey/Heavy Osprey for example... yeah they don't have docking ports, but if MARS can recover drones without docking ports you can do that by scripting. (MARS has an extensive drone management)

huh... another cool thing to have: drones that sit in a formation that allows your drone ship to see all the sector and beyond. (using drone's sensors)

another thing: drones that go and tractor the crates to your ship.

[Logain Abler]

if MARS can recover drones without docking ports you can do that by scripting. (MARS has an extensive drone management)

The carrier uses the same teleport technology to deploy & recover Drones as I use in SSDN. MARS is in a league of it's own!

huh... another cool thing to have: drones that sit in a formation that allows your drone ship to see all the sector and beyond. (using drone's sensors)

I like that idea , user camera/surveillance Drones to extent coverage


LA

[apricotslice]

http://eng.x3tc.ru/ this is the site from where they come from.

That whole site is rejected by Kaspersky. Identical trojan warning to the files.

[Killjaeden]

I think a small M7 would be capabel of supporting a small fleet of drones.
It doesn't need Lasergenerators/room for laser and it doesn't need thick armor because it is a supportship...
The maximum number of drones should be limited, so you need a minimum of 2 dronecarrier to defeat a capitalship.

[someone else]

may I point out that My Elephant can kill a M2 in seconds? 1000 Keris mean death.

if the drone carrier has not some interesting features to make drones do something intelligent, people will use TLs full of drones, defying your scope.
creating a script that caps the number of launchable drones from other ships to 10-20 will probably solve the issue.

[apricotslice]

No it wont, people will just remove the script

Seriously, people should be able to use whatever they want. If they want to overkill, thats their business.

I see using the carrier as a sector defense when your just starting out building a new complex. So before you get to the point of installing fdn and ssdn in a sector, you use a carrier as the sector defense. Hence I'd want it to do the same job as ssdn does, and just as effectively. Either that, or you use it as sector defense for you heavy traffic sectors, to protect your own ships as they trade. Since it wont need to move, its a lot safer than defense ships that are prone to ramming anything solid.

[someone else]

Hence I'd want it to do the same job as ssdn does

yeah... a mobile SSDN... sounds cool!

if the drone carrier has not some interesting features to make drones do something intelligent, people will use TLs full of drones, defying your scope.

[Killjaeden]

the most useful thing this scriptidea would do is to launch the drones itself if needed (you don't notice enemies in other sectors until it's too late), collect the drones after the fight (Don't think a TL full of drones can provide something like this.)
I never would use a TL full of drones because it's lost profitzzzzz and it doesn't do the remote thing.
Maybe add a 'keep distance' routine to the carrier to move if enemies come to close so it doesn't get attacked (only if the enemy can break through)

[someone else]

I never would use a TL full of drones because it's lost profitzzzzz.

the choice of TL was not random... every TL has docking ports and if I give the drones "to all drones-protect TL" order, after all enemies are blasted, they dock. (and are transferred in cargo bay)

no lost profitsss.

launch the drones itself if needed

yeah... use some drones as scouts to see everywhere and if a enemy is located dispatch a "conterattack" force of drones. I think that was already in SSDN or not?

[Killjaeden]

Don't use SSDN (didn't like the idea of killing everything in a sector with cheap drones so you didn't need a fleet) but wasn't it a script that protects your sector with drones?
Well i want it to be mobile on a ship to use it 'on demand'

if I give the drones "to all drones-protect TL" order, after all enemies are blasted

Oh didn't know that, now that's handy^^

[Killjaeden]

edit *oops* doublepost

[Gazz]

However I’m mulling over an ability for it to deploy a mine screen in front of any inbound M7 and above class ships, a drop and run.

Have you tested the size of minefield you need to even scratch an M7's hull?


Oh and as for clearing (attacking) hostile mines - MARS goblins can do that (use a Mk2) but try it with a regular drone. Or with any fighter for that matter.

[Logain Abler]

Have you tested the size of minefield you need to even scratch an M7's hull?

Not as yet but from your post I'm betting its a little more than 2?

LA

[Logain Abler]

Don't use SSDN (didn't like the idea of killing everything in a sector with cheap drones so you didn't need a fleet) but wasn't it a script that protects your sector with drones?
Well i want it to be mobile on a ship to use it 'on demand'

if I give the drones "to all drones-protect TL" order, after all enemies are blasted

Oh didn't know that, now that's handy^^

I built SSDN as personally I thought the game was really missing in the area of sector defence (OWP & laser towers! and only one of them available without scripting). I would rather use a static defence system for my stations and other high value assets and release my fleets for offensive operations.

Granted it can make regions of space a no go area for any race you have a personal dislike for, and like any other script/mod is open to abuse.

Although not a well received as FDN I still like it

Yes, the LSDC is going to be my mobile version of SSDN aimed at both fleet escort duties and sector patrols

LA