Player Features and Ideas Discussion

If T2 is specialization and T3 is adaptability.....

T3 Drones:

Drones with an effective link to your cargo hold capable of using equippable or consumable items from your inventory for their intended purpose through high slot "pick up" modules. Allowing them to pick up different types of ammunition or other consumables and apply it based on the context of the item and target. The high slot item can be loaded and reloaded from your cargohold like a turret or launcher, and activating it recalls all active drones to return to the ship, pick up what's currently loaded and then resume their previous action if still applicable.

Their usable items would be based on racial Drone type and the new T3 high slot items will provide a bonus equal to an existing high slot Drone upgrade. As not to require the sacrifice of an additional high slot.

They would be capable of picking up ammunition based on their racial Drone type. ECM scripts if the player has the skills to use them. Mining Crystals if the player is capable of using them. Cap Booster Charges based on the player's skills. Each item would essentially change their current capabilities and would do so at an effectiveness relative to the player's current skills.

For example:

You have a new high slot item. Say a Drone Pick Up Bay or whatever you'd like to call it. It provides an increase to Drone control range as a passive bonus. But can be loaded and reloaded with items from your cargohold like a Turret/Launcher. Activating it will recall all active T3 Drones to return and pick up whatever it is you have loaded.

Let's say you're using Amarr T3 Drones. Provided you had it in your cargohold, your options would be:

- Picking up beam and pulse Frequency Crystals based on their size ( Light = Small, etc ). Doing so will change the Drone's effective range, tracking and damage type accordingly.
- Picking up ECM scripts such as Tracking Disruptor scripts, changing them to ECM Drones.
- Picking up Mining Crystals, changing them into Mining Drones.
- Picking up Cap Booster Charges, allowing them to transfer cap energy to an allied ship at a fixed rate until the total amount of the Cap Boosters used is depleted.

They cannot, however, act as rep drones or other more specialized drones. That realm will be left in the hands of more specialized T2 ships. If they're destroyed in combat, you would also lose whatever it was they had equipped in order to provide some additional risk vs reward to using T3 Drones. Though they will return whatever they have on them to your cargohold if recalled for an item swap. Obviously, they would be fairly expensive, so you would have to pay for and subsequently risk more ISK by using them.

If you wanted to take it a step further, they could even apply or deliver Nanite Paste or ammunition to allies like a portable courier service. But, point is, a system like this would provide T3 adaptability to Drones using existing game mechanics that are already familiar to players. While likewise adding additional risk in the form of both the price tag and losing any items the Drones are carrying should they be destroyed.

You can't have less than "versatility on the fly" for T3 Drones. Because you can already just redock and switch up your drone loadout easily enough. In order to be T3, it has to be more versatile than that. Otherwise you simply aren't adding enough of a reason to use them.

What you want first is irrelevant here. =p I did not post a development time table that CCP must adhere too or anything. Additionally, implimenting T3 Drones is a smaller task than implimenting new T3 ships anyhow.

T3 is suppose to be about adaptability. Swiss army knives. A T3 Cruiser "invalidates" other Cruisers. But is cost prohibative and thus more risky. T3 Drones should be likewise. Swiss army knives, but cost prohibative and looked upon as ganking prizes in PvP. Unlike normal Drones, they require additional resources to use and those resources will be lost with their destruction and depleted with their use. Additionally, specific specialized Drones, such as Sentry and Logistics, are not covered leaving those to T2 which is about specialization.

The width of Drone roles a T3 Drone can cover can be adjusted to a wider or more narrow range in the interests of gameplay balance. ECM Scripts can be left out for example. Leaving you with an adaptable combat or mining drone with some unique utility aspects such as Cap Boosters or resource distribution. One thats capable of changing its damage types, ranges, etc in the same manner as a ship to adapt to the situation. But in doing so, now uses additional resources over T1-2 Drones. You're paying for the options a T3 Drone would unlock.

I'm not diehard "CCP MUST DO THIS NAO". The specifics of the concept are malleable. I'm simply suggesting an idea for a mechanic that would allow T3 adaptability in Drone format using exsisting game mechanics players would be famliar with.

Everything you said minus T3 Battleships.