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Proposed EVE changes for Drones
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Xenvin
KARNAGE
#1 - 2014-12-15 18:14:28 UTC
I would simply like to suggest adding a more granular control over drones and their tactics.

Proposed changes:

Add a drone targeting priority menu:

- Adds ability to set drones to target targets by size. In example I could set up my drones to attack largest available targets first and work their way down. Or I could even setup a customized routine that allows taking out Mediums, then Heavies, then lights, etc.

- Add ability to attack based on rarer targets - I.E. Officers spawn - Immediate damage set to them. Same as above, but it would be nice to have this kind of granular control.

Add drone Range tactics;

- Defend in x km range, or only attack in x km range.


Add Assistive drone functionality.

-Add more granular controls to assisting similar to above. Also, make it so that one can assist drones to another party and have drones follow other drones targets that the assisted party is hitting.
Celthric Kanerian
Viziam
Amarr Empire
#2 - 2014-12-15 18:58:28 UTC
Whenever I launch my drones and make them attack the first frigate (in PVE atleast) they then focus on frigates until no more are left whereafter they attack whatever they want
Adrie Atticus
Caldari Provisions
Caldari State
#3 - 2014-12-15 18:58:29 UTC
Sure, if sentry tracking is brought down to large railgun level and below for longer ranges.
Frostys Virpio
State War Academy
Caldari State
#4 - 2014-12-15 19:19:20 UTC
Xenvin wrote:
I would simply like to suggest adding a more granular control over drones and their tactics.

Proposed changes:

Add a drone targeting priority menu:

- Adds ability to set drones to target targets by size. In example I could set up my drones to attack largest available targets first and work their way down. Or I could even setup a customized routine that allows taking out Mediums, then Heavies, then lights, etc.

- Add ability to attack based on rarer targets - I.E. Officers spawn - Immediate damage set to them. Same as above, but it would be nice to have this kind of granular control.

Add drone Range tactics;

- Defend in x km range, or only attack in x km range.


Add Assistive drone functionality.

-Add more granular controls to assisting similar to above. Also, make it so that one can assist drones to another party and have drones follow other drones targets that the assisted party is hitting.


You could always control them yourself instead of asking for a better AFKtar. If anything, they should remove the agressive settings from drones.
Alvatore DiMarco
Capricious Endeavours Ltd
#5 - 2014-12-15 20:03:52 UTC
Frostys Virpio wrote:
You could always control them yourself instead of asking for a better AFKtar. If anything, they should remove the agressive settings from drones.


Posting to confirm that I do not fly an AFKtar, manually control everything and still wish for the ability to tell my drones not to attack something that is past a certain size or beyond a specific distance from the ship.

Come on now, don't be a festering pustule. Drone control is tedious and needs a rework more than even sov. Either you set them to aggressive and the bastards fly off whichever direction to attack the completely wrong thing or you set them to passive and they've floated halfway back to the ship before your next command to kill something actually gets processed.
Frostys Virpio
State War Academy
Caldari State
#6 - 2014-12-15 20:10:01 UTC
Alvatore DiMarco wrote:
Frostys Virpio wrote:
You could always control them yourself instead of asking for a better AFKtar. If anything, they should remove the agressive settings from drones.


Posting to confirm that I do not fly an AFKtar, manually control everything and still wish for the ability to tell my drones not to attack something that is past a certain size or beyond a specific distance from the ship.

Come on now, don't be a festering pustule. Drone control is tedious and needs a rework more than even sov. Either you set them to aggressive and the bastards fly off whichever direction to attack the completely wrong thing or you set them to passive and they've floated halfway back to the ship before your next command to kill something actually gets processed.


Oddly enough, mine respond to the first "F" I send them especially in PvE situation. In PvP, it might sometime skip if too many things are happening I guess but it still respond quite well. At most they need an extra tick to change direction/engage MWD so they catch up to your new target.

If you manually control them, there is no reason at all to ask for more automation of their behavior since you already make them kill enemy in the order you wish they would.
Komi Toran
Perkone
Caldari State
#7 - 2014-12-15 21:21:57 UTC
So, basically, once you've launched your drones and set them on something, you want EWAR to affect you even less?
Frostys Virpio
State War Academy
Caldari State
#8 - 2014-12-15 21:33:41 UTC
Komi Toran wrote:
So, basically, once you've launched your drones and set them on something, you want EWAR to affect you even less?


I'm not sure if it's working as intended but my drone usually choose the ECM ships as next target if I am jammed. That's probably much better than auto-targetting missile ever will be...
Alundil
Rolled Out
#9 - 2014-12-15 21:56:24 UTC  |  Edited by: Alundil
Gross-Hyperbole Alert
Alvatore DiMarco wrote:
Drone control is tedious and needs a rework more than even sov.



I fly a lot of drone boats in PvP. I have no idea what you're talking about in this regard. Set the drones to passive and control what they attack and when. /issue

I'm right behind you
SpaceSaft
Almost Dangerous
Wolves Amongst Strangers
#10 - 2014-12-15 22:32:10 UTC
You're talking about player drone AI and I just want a hotkey to launch them... priorities I guess?
Agondray
Avenger Mercenaries
VOID Intergalactic Forces
#11 - 2014-12-15 22:47:43 UTC
Xenvin wrote:
I would simply like to suggest adding a more granular control over drones and their tactics.

Proposed changes:

Add a drone targeting priority menu:

- Adds ability to set drones to target targets by size. In example I could set up my drones to attack largest available targets first and work their way down. Or I could even setup a customized routine that allows taking out Mediums, then Heavies, then lights, etc.

- Add ability to attack based on rarer targets - I.E. Officers spawn - Immediate damage set to them. Same as above, but it would be nice to have this kind of granular control.

Add drone Range tactics;

- Defend in x km range, or only attack in x km range.


Add Assistive drone functionality.

-Add more granular controls to assisting similar to above. Also, make it so that one can assist drones to another party and have drones follow other drones targets that the assisted party is hitting.


i would like priority choices as well as the distance, i hate it when my light drones go to the target thats the furthest away and its a battleship

ive had missions that rats were minding their own fn business just floating out there not even shooting anything and when i told my drones to attack a frigate orbiting me they went to a battleship that wasnt locked 50kms away....all 5 drones died horribly follow by full room aggression....that was a long mission

follow by the AI rework of rats, i cant deploy a drone with out an auto switch aggression to drones, then with the EW tweaks of rats making normal gunships more difficult to use ive gone to a marauder so i no longer use drones which has become more of a pvp weapon or incursion weapon. although other pilots dont see to have a big problem with drones, i do however despite what ccp says about the aggro mechanics.

I would also like a real aggro mechanic as ive watched rats change targets multiple times in a small time frame of 5 mins or so. CCP said if you use painters, EW and the like it would cause you to hold aggression, this has been busted as i flew a ship with about everything i could possible have in ew and damage and still no aggression hold could be done

"Sarcasm is the Recourse of a weak mind." -Dr. Smith
Alundil
Rolled Out
#12 - 2014-12-16 01:07:25 UTC  |  Edited by: Alundil
Start using ewar yourself. Lots of rays hate ewar and keep aggro on the ships using it (you) so grab a TP or a SD and see if that helps

I'm right behind you
Frostys Virpio
State War Academy
Caldari State
#13 - 2014-12-16 13:21:51 UTC
Agondray wrote:
Xenvin wrote:
I would simply like to suggest adding a more granular control over drones and their tactics.

Proposed changes:

Add a drone targeting priority menu:

- Adds ability to set drones to target targets by size. In example I could set up my drones to attack largest available targets first and work their way down. Or I could even setup a customized routine that allows taking out Mediums, then Heavies, then lights, etc.

- Add ability to attack based on rarer targets - I.E. Officers spawn - Immediate damage set to them. Same as above, but it would be nice to have this kind of granular control.

Add drone Range tactics;

- Defend in x km range, or only attack in x km range.


Add Assistive drone functionality.

-Add more granular controls to assisting similar to above. Also, make it so that one can assist drones to another party and have drones follow other drones targets that the assisted party is hitting.


i would like priority choices as well as the distance, i hate it when my light drones go to the target thats the furthest away and its a battleship

ive had missions that rats were minding their own fn business just floating out there not even shooting anything and when i told my drones to attack a frigate orbiting me they went to a battleship that wasnt locked 50kms away....all 5 drones died horribly follow by full room aggression....that was a long mission

follow by the AI rework of rats, i cant deploy a drone with out an auto switch aggression to drones, then with the EW tweaks of rats making normal gunships more difficult to use ive gone to a marauder so i no longer use drones which has become more of a pvp weapon or incursion weapon. although other pilots dont see to have a big problem with drones, i do however despite what ccp says about the aggro mechanics.

I would also like a real aggro mechanic as ive watched rats change targets multiple times in a small time frame of 5 mins or so. CCP said if you use painters, EW and the like it would cause you to hold aggression, this has been busted as i flew a ship with about everything i could possible have in ew and damage and still no aggression hold could be done


They never said E-WAR would make aggro stick to you, only that it had more chance of staying/switching to you. For some reasons, it seems some people have trouble with controlling their drones but mine follow the target I assign them every single time. I can make them dance from target to target without any issue.
Serendipity Lost
Repo Industries
#14 - 2014-12-16 14:58:47 UTC
As a pvp gal I'll say I don't want drone AI more automated. TBH if you want to improve drones... get rid of assist. There is nothing tedious about 1 R-click 'engage' to send drones on their way. If you're locking and popping stuff with your main weapon so fast that assigning drones slows you down... maybe think about not deploying them in the first place.

Too tedious?? How about we ungroup guns for a month, so you actually understand what tedius is?

To fix the 'game of drones' just get rid of drone assist. Everything else will be fine as is.