Drone Carrier Software 2 (DCS2) v2.07a

[DrBullwinkle]

OK, thank you for the clarification.

I think that is related to the production stalling. I will figure it out and post an update later.

[Echofinder]

It's a bit tricky to command fighters when they don't have Fighter Command Software 1/2 or Navigation Command Software. Could you add them to the starting wares? If it's possible to make it cost more as well.

[DrBullwinkle]

All Drones do come equipped with Fight Command Software 1&2, Special Command Software, Explorer Command Software, and Patrol Command Software. I have added Navigation Command Software to the next version.

I will add a cost factor to the language file so that you can adjust base costs. In my tests, operating a DCS2 carrier was quite expensive. However, I did, intentionally, make the drones cost less than equivalent fighters. I will allow you to adjust that up to vanilla prices (or higher) if you desire.

[joelR]

DrBullwinkle do you ever sleep?

Another amazing and immersive script! Keep up the good work!

[Echofinder]

Hm, is there a way to specify which drones will be created? X Heavy, X light, X bombers, etc. I seem to waste a lot of drones since drones don't distinguish between larger targets. "Terran" drones (the ones with 5X1MJ shields and EMPCs) and the "Teladi" drones (With EBCs and 5MJ shields) will target the same ship.

[DrBullwinkle]

Hm, is there a way to specify which drones will be created?

Currently, the drone types are selected randomly; with more bomber drones being created when there are enemy capital ships nearby.

AP's drone haulers are very light so they do tend to die frequently. The Argon and Split drone haulers are closer to M5 strength than M4.

I compensate for weak drone haulers by giving a discount on manufacturing cost. By default, you get a fully-equipped interceptor for 100k-200k credits -- that is less than that cost of a single EMPC on a Terran drone. So do not fear "wasting" drones... they are cheap.

• (Discounted prices are also why the drones have AntiTheft devices; so that pie-rats will not be tempted to try to steal equipment.)

Really, the balancing on the drone haulers is kind of whacked, so I worked with it the best that I could.

If I get a lot of player reports that the drone haulers are useless, then I may consider adding M4+ fighters to the mix, which is what players commonly use on their carriers anyway. Solanos and Asps are very much stronger than drone haulers. (They would have to cost more, of course.)

As for which drone type attacks which enemy, that would require more sophisticated target selection and Rules of Engagement (RoE). It is possible; although I want to see how the simple, random, approach works before I consider adding extra layers of complexity.

[DrBullwinkle]

Update

Drone Carrier Software 2 (DCS2)
[ external image ]

Drone Carrier Software 2.01

I think I fixed the problem with production sometimes stalling, and made a couple of other small improvements.

Drones now have Navigation Command Software installed, and I added Price Options to the language file in case you want to experiment with different settings.

History
-------
v2.01 (2013-06-08 )
- Bug Fix: Production stalled sometimes.
- Added Navigation Command Software to all drones.
- Added a check for invalid drone types (to handle ship mods such as XRM).
- Added Price Options to t file: drone base cost, bomber multiplier, IS multiplier.
- Simplified drone task while docked at its own carrier.
- Improved event timing, especially for bomber build time.
- Improved Turbo Booster.

v2.00 Final (2013-06-07)
- Initial Public release

[Marvin Martian]

produce and sending drones works fine now, thanks a lot
---
i got a new "problem"
i'd like to use it on an OWP and if a capital ship spawns close to the DC, it jumps to the other side of the sector and the drones follows, because enemy is out of range
i set the option "Carrier Retreats..." already off

and the OWP can't fly back in position, so i have the problem this chicken-livered deserter hides behind a asteroid for the whole War

[Echofinder]

produce and sending drones works fine now, thanks a lot
---
i got a new "problem"
i'd like to use it on an OWP and if a capital ship spawns close to the DC, it jumps to the other side of the sector and the drones follows, because enemy is out of range
i set the option "Carrier Retreats..." already off

and the OWP can't fly back in position, so i have the problem this chicken-livered deserter hides behind a asteroid for the whole War

Remove its jumpdrive? Alternatively, set the drones to have longer range.

[DrBullwinkle]

produce and sending drones works fine now, thanks a lot

Good. Thank you for your reports, Marvin.

i got a new "problem"
i'd like to use it on an OWP and if a capital ship spawns close to the DC, it jumps to the other side of the sector ...
the OWP can't fly back in position, so i have the problem this chicken-livered deserter hides behind a asteroid for the whole War

LOL. Some of your reports really crack me up (like your brave little M7C's trying to kill an enemy fleet without its fighters).

I will make sure that OWP's do not try to evade in the future. (And I will double-check why they evade even with "Retreat" turned Off).

[The Cuban Nightmare]

I've been having a problem with this script whereby I cannot send drones to attack a target with Anarkis Carrier Commands, just launching them causes them to self destruct. In fact, they self-destruct as soon as they leave the carrier on their own command. Any ideas?

[DrBullwinkle]

It sounds as though ADS is trying to "steal" some of the drone's equipment. The Anti-Theft system causes the drones to self-destruct.

If you can figure out which equipment is being removed, then I can fix it.

The drones will not self-destruct as long as they are in the hangar bay, so you should be able to see what is missing. They should have:

• A gun in every bay.
• Shields
• Docking Computer
• Transporter Device
• Special Command Software MK1
• Explorer Command Software
• Patrol Command Software
• Triplex Scanner
• Fight Command Software MK1
• Fight Command Software MK2

Some drones have Fight Command 1&2 and/or Triplex Scanner built in, so you may not see those on their freight lists.

[The Cuban Nightmare]

Ah, I am running XRM which removes the triplex scanner from the game. That is likely the issue. I will edit the script and let you know.

[DrBullwinkle]

You can check the log file (log08562.txt). It will tell you which equipment was stolen.

If it is the Triplex scanner, then I will remove that from the Anti-Theft list.

[The Cuban Nightmare]

I can confirm that this doesn't work with XRM due to the transporter device and the advanced scanner issue. This is because of ware changes, but I managed to fix it. There is a problem in that my drones are hyper agressive and refuse to land and stop attacking. They dock and relaunch to fight again.

[DrBullwinkle]

OK, I will remove Triplex Scanner and Transporter Device from the Anti-Theft checklist.

There is a problem in that my drones are hyper aggressive and refuse to land and stop attacking.

That is vanilla behavior. I cannot easily change that... not without rewriting the fight scripts. If a fighter is attacked while retreating, it will turn and fight. Traders do the same thing (unfortunately).

I could probably add a command to force combat docking using the Transporter Device. That could be useful if, for example, you want to recall fighters before jumping out of trouble.

An alternative is to turn DCS2 Off. When DCS2 is Offline, all drones are immediately recalled and scrapped for parts. Cost of manufacture is refunded, although it will still take time to rebuild a ship full of drones.

They dock and relaunch to fight again.

Even with "Engage Enemies" Offline? Hmm... that could be due to the fact that they are homebased to the carrier. Homebased fighters do launch automatically when a threat is nearby.

I will see if I can do something about that. Thank you for the report.

[The Cuban Nightmare]

No problem. It's a great script. I also recommend that you be permitted to pick what type of drone you want to build (race and size), that would complete this script for me. It is odd to be using boron drones on a Split M2...

[Marvin Martian]

or to simple select a "sampledrone" what will cloned - but i think, that will be a bit overpowered if you create a super-expensiv- dronesample and get this for a small price in thousands on your carriers

this could be a feature of V3: a Fab/Dock you store and deliver Material and Sampledrones for your Dronecarrier Network

BTW i see something called "Drone Bomber" and it is the Unknown Object (Sohnen M3) - seems like from a non publik Version of the script
its hard to find a good bomber in the M3 class without a modification of the ships file

[DrBullwinkle]

It's a great script.

Thanks. It has been slowly percolating in my head for over a year now. I am glad that it is working out so well.

recommend that you be permitted to pick what type of drone you want to build (race and size)...
It is odd to be using boron drones on a Split M2...

The Boron drone haulers may look odd on your Split carrier but, trust me, when it comes to combat, the Boron drone haulers are much better than a hangar bay full of Split drone haulers! The Boron drone haulers are more than five times stronger than the Split drone haulers.

I have considered using M4+ ships for the interceptors. An Asp would be a decent fighter. But wouldn't you rather have a Solano? So, again, a mix would produce better results than race-specific drones.

Allowing the player to pick *any* fighter has balance implications. It would take some thought and effort to make it "right".

or to simple select a "sampledrone" what will cloned - but i think, that will be a bit overpowered if you create a super-expensiv- dronesample and get this for a small price in thousands on your carriers

Cloning a ship does have the advantage that it would work with any modded ship, which could be cool.

However, DCS2 does quite a lot of balancing in the background. As you suggest, cloning would make it impossible for DCS2 to do the balancing; thus leaving it up to the player (which is not necessarily a bad thing).

It is a good idea, but it will take some thought (and, maybe, a *lot* of code) to do it right (not for cloning, but for balancing). I will think about it, but do not expect it anytime soon.

its hard to find a good bomber in the M3 class without a modification of the ships file

Very true, although DCS2's advanced robotics technology allows some tricks that are beyond the capability of most shipyards.

For example, if you stock the Weapons Depot with Firestorm Torpedoes, then the DCS2 bombers will use them (even though normal M3's cannot mount Firestorms).

(Technical Note: The actual difference between a Firestorm and a Hammerhead is a small change in the firmware combined with a difference in the "caliber" of the torpedoes. A Firestorm has a factory-added "shell" that makes the torpedo physically larger than a Hammerhead, so that a Firestorm will not fit into a Hammerhead launcher. In fact, a Firestorm launcher is so large that it will not fit into most fighters.

By hacking the firmware and removing the shell, DCS2 manufacturing droids can easily convert Firestorms into Hammerheads (which can be mounted by drone bombers).

Why are Firestorms and Hammerheads like that? It is a marketing gimmick so that the manufacturer can charge the Terrans more credits for Hammerheads than they charge the Commonwealth for Firestorms. The Terrans think they have something "unique" so, in typical Terran fashion, they do not sell it to others.)

this could be a feature of V3: a Fab/Dock you store and deliver Material and Sampledrones for your Dronecarrier Network

There is already a Weapons Depot where you deliver and store torpedoes, weapons, and shields for the bombers. I could expand the materials used by the Weapons Depot, but I do not know what they "should" do game-wise. We want interceptor-class drones to be built reliably, especially when OOS, and we do not want that to be interrupted by a temporary lack of resources.

Currently, wares for the bombers affect the cost and manufacturing speed of the bombers. More wares in the Depot means faster building of bombers (and lower cost).

I am open to ideas for further expansion of the role of the Weapons Depot.

BTW i see something called "Drone Bomber" ... seems ... non publik

Right you are! You have spotted a prototype special operations (SpecOps) bomber, which is highly classified. I found the plans for it on a derelict wreck that I scanned while on a reconnaissance mission in Undefined Space. I immediately coded the specifications into DCS2's manufacturing droid AI. The SpecOps Bomber has impressive capabilities for a ship that can dock on a carrier, and DCS2 further enhances the base design of the ship by combining rare tech harvested from Paranid, Split, and Terran derelicts.

Production of SpecOps Bombers is limited due to the extreme technology and resources required to build these impressive drones. However, they are DCS2's "secret weapon" against enemy M2's. When DCS2 finds an enemy M2 on scanners, it will produce more of the SpecOps Bombers.

Here is a rare image of one, caught by a deep-space reconnaissance drone:


[ external image ]

But a still image does not tell the whole story. Wait until you see one of these beauties in action; fighting against "superior" enemy behemoths.
.

[ezza84]

Thank you very much for another great script DrBullWinkle, this along with the fixes in Marine Repairs and training promise to make fleet management so much easier. I have been spending far too many hours micromanaging instead of enjoying the game and fighting.

BUG: I setup the DCS2 on my carrier and sent carrier into enemy Xenon sector. I have turned off the feature to engage enemies and had Codea Pilots in all my drones. They attacked enemies in xenon sector and died. Carrier automatically built more drones...however these undocked from carrier and automatically engaged nearby enemies, instead of remaining onboard the carrier.

Would it please be possible to allow us to select to have nothing but M3 ships being built in our carriers, along with which race ships and ship types. Also a possible save and load configuration option, or broadcast option so can also specify weapon loadouts for the drones we want built ( at much later dates ofc, I know your incredibly busy ). I know you said there may be balance issues, but i really dont mind forking out 15 million for each Fenrir built on my Valhalla. I have stupid amounts of cash and earning it faster than I can spend it anyway. Add a penaltity if you feel like it and make it cost an extra 20-40%. I do not use M4's at all...they tend to be nothing but cannon fodder. And I use Codea so I prefer to have all my ships with pilots in them and i disable the auto launch feature...afterall, i need to train up captains and commanders for my larger ships.

With reference to allowing player specified fighter classes,

It could be possible to allow them to simply select a ship, opens a menu and they add weapons and shielding, then specify amount of the ship type to be maintained in hanger. Thus players can keep 10 Fenrir, 10 Claymore's, 10 M4's etc at a constant level in their hanger up to maximum hanger size . I have no idea about if this is simple of overly complicated to implement but jus thought to mention it.


Once again thank you so much for reducing the tediousness of this game. I am looking forward to being able to use this with more generated M3's because I know for sure the current way I am having to equip my fleets is damn freaking tedious....just getting one full patrol fleet up and running is hours of invested time....then resupplying them with fighters and M6's etc after intense fights takes more hours :/


EDIT: another reason I would prefer to use the M3 over OTAS M4's is because of the energy bolt chain guns, if I remember correctly these need ammunition and setting up resupply of ammunition to fighters seems only possible with CLS.