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Drones - use em like ammo?
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Kaivar Lancer
Doomheim
#1 - 2013-03-07 01:51:12 UTC
I haven't done much mission running since last year and I understand that drones got nerfed since the AI now target them. I recently went back to mission running to grind standing and it seems to me that the best way of using drones is to stick to T1s and let the AI pop them? Since drone boats have huge drone bays, just keep a stock of T1s of your preference and launch waves of new drones whenever they get popped. It's kinda like ammo, in that your stock is gradually depleting during the course of the mission. Am I doing it right?

The only alternative tactic that I know is to withdraw drones back to your drone bay whenever they get aggro, but I find this a huge PITA.
Caleidascope
Republic Military School
Minmatar Republic
#2 - 2013-03-07 03:40:34 UTC
Plan A: switch to missiles.

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Eat dessert first!
Nad'x Hapax
Hapaxa
#3 - 2013-03-07 11:42:50 UTC  |  Edited by: Nad'x Hapax
Caleidascope wrote:
Plan A: switch to missiles.



Just no. Drones are fine. In fact they are better than fine. The plan A would be to switch to Sentries, not missiles.

1) Use sentries (5-6 gardes + 5-6 long range sentries)
2) bring a set of lights + a couple of spares.
3) Get aggro and start sniping frigs.
4) If frigs pass 20km just kill something else while u w8 for them to settle in orbit. Then u send some lights.

I havent lost a drone in ages. I also clear missions way way faster than any navy raven. Because u use sentries u will be stationary so avoid blitzing. Just clear the hell out of those missions
Tsukino Stareine
Garoun Investment Bank
Gallente Federation
#4 - 2013-03-07 14:00:49 UTC
regular drones arent that useful but sentries still rock

Art of Explosions
Holgrak Blacksmith
Prophets of Motav
#5 - 2013-03-07 17:44:50 UTC
Basically, take no notice of the propaganda you'll find here. There are plenty of AFK loving scrotal sacks that just want to AFK again.

I moved into angel space recently and started training a Rattlesnake, I made the move just after the drone changes. I've only lost 2 sentry drones in all of this time, and that was because I acidentally slowboated away from my drones one time.

I don't run missions, only anomalies. I find that my drones are VERY rarely targeted and that you can always pull them back before they get into armor.
Caleidascope
Republic Military School
Minmatar Republic
#6 - 2013-03-07 19:17:12 UTC
Holgrak Blacksmith wrote:
Basically, take no notice of the propaganda you'll find here. There are plenty of AFK loving scrotal sacks that just want to AFK again.

I moved into angel space recently and started training a Rattlesnake, I made the move just after the drone changes. I've only lost 2 sentry drones in all of this time, and that was because I acidentally slowboated away from my drones one time.

I don't run missions, only anomalies. I find that my drones are VERY rarely targeted and that you can always pull them back before they get into armor.

Good point about anomalies vs missions.

I run missions, with the AI changes, I find drones a lot less useful. I carried a set of medium and light scouts before the AI change, now I barely use them. I switched to sentries, but my 80km range for drones is just short enough to make their use aggravating in missions because I am usually further out than the 80km and the rats seem to be doing a lot of targeting (blinking yellow caret) which does not activate my drones, I have rats moving from 80 to 20km while doing yellow blinking and my drones just sit there doing nothing. I will continue carrying a set of light and sentry drones, but I will not use them in every engagement since I usually don't need them, and they require my attention that I can spend better on other things.

Life is short and dinner time is chancy

Eat dessert first!
Hakaimono
Native Freshfood
Minmatar Republic
#7 - 2013-03-07 20:08:40 UTC
Nad'x Hapax wrote:
Caleidascope wrote:
Plan A: switch to missiles.



Just no. Drones are fine. In fact they are better than fine. The plan A would be to switch to Sentries, not missiles.

1) Use sentries (5-6 gardes + 5-6 long range sentries)
2) bring a set of lights + a couple of spares.
3) Get aggro and start sniping frigs.
4) If frigs pass 20km just kill something else while u w8 for them to settle in orbit. Then u send some lights.

I havent lost a drone in ages. I also clear missions way way faster than any navy raven. Because u use sentries u will be stationary so avoid blitzing. Just clear the hell out of those missions

This is basically what I'm going to do once I get back into L4s. Except I'm going to use a navy geddon so the sentries wouldn't be my primary source of firepower. Just to pick off frigs while I take out the bigger rats.
Paikis
Vapour Holdings
#8 - 2013-03-07 22:06:17 UTC
If you are losing drones in missions, you need to stop being bad.
Vincent Athena
Photosynth
#9 - 2013-03-07 23:45:41 UTC
Nad'x Hapax wrote:
Caleidascope wrote:
Plan A: switch to missiles.



Just no. Drones are fine. In fact they are better than fine. The plan A would be to switch to Sentries, not missiles.

1) Use sentries (5-6 gardes + 5-6 long range sentries)
2) bring a set of lights + a couple of spares.
3) Get aggro and start sniping frigs.
4) If frigs pass 20km just kill something else while u w8 for them to settle in orbit. Then u send some lights.

I havent lost a drone in ages. I also clear missions way way faster than any navy raven. Because u use sentries u will be stationary so avoid blitzing. Just clear the hell out of those missions

This. It works. Also if the drones do get aggro, pull them in and a few seconds later launch them again. Other things that can help: Have a remote rep. Use it to fix those drones that do not get home fast enough and the NPC AI hates anyone using logistics. Sometimes you can get it on a sentry that's picked up aggro and "drone tank". Also consider the drone damage augmenter. It came in with the new AI, and it speeds up clearing a mission with drones more than the new AI slows it down.

The main thing that got nerfed by the new AI was slower drones, mediums and heavies.

But please do not treat your drones as cannon fodder. They are just poor little innocent engines of destruction. Think of the Drones!

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CMD Ishikawa
New Eden Public Security Section 9
#10 - 2013-03-08 04:13:38 UTC
This new npc ai brought some challenges to mission runners, specially for drone users, drone boats are not the afk beasts they used to be.

Many people decided change the weapons used for missions to replace drones, however I do not think OP's idea is the way to proceed, learn to manage the new aggro and keep enjoying your drone boat if you want.
sabre906
The Scope
Gallente Federation
#11 - 2013-03-08 21:54:20 UTC
Holgrak Blacksmith wrote:
Basically, take no notice of the propaganda you'll find here. There are plenty of AFK loving scrotal sacks that just want to AFK again.

I moved into angel space recently and started training a Rattlesnake, I made the move just after the drone changes. I've only lost 2 sentry drones in all of this time, and that was because I acidentally slowboated away from my drones one time.

I don't run missions, only anomalies. I find that my drones are VERY rarely targeted and that you can always pull them back before they get into armor.


Your last paragraph basically says to ignore your first and second paragraph. Missions and anomalies aggro differently, former has often convoluted preset aggro conditions not present in the later. It's harder to see it coming.

More importantly, rats aggro to drone size. Only elite frigs aggro light drones, most of these mission deadspace elite rat variants can only be found in missions. Cruisers and smaller rats aggro meds, and all rats aggro heavies and sentries. Heavies get butchered, as they're relatively fragile and you can't scoop them. Sentries have buffer and can be scooped. Do not bring only one flight of med/light to missions. It's not anomalies. They'll die, and then you're screwed.
Tsukino Stareine
Garoun Investment Bank
Gallente Federation
#12 - 2013-03-08 23:29:33 UTC
Caleidascope wrote:
Holgrak Blacksmith wrote:
Basically, take no notice of the propaganda you'll find here. There are plenty of AFK loving scrotal sacks that just want to AFK again.

I moved into angel space recently and started training a Rattlesnake, I made the move just after the drone changes. I've only lost 2 sentry drones in all of this time, and that was because I acidentally slowboated away from my drones one time.

I don't run missions, only anomalies. I find that my drones are VERY rarely targeted and that you can always pull them back before they get into armor.

Good point about anomalies vs missions.

I run missions, with the AI changes, I find drones a lot less useful. I carried a set of medium and light scouts before the AI change, now I barely use them. I switched to sentries, but my 80km range for drones is just short enough to make their use aggravating in missions because I am usually further out than the 80km and the rats seem to be doing a lot of targeting (blinking yellow caret) which does not activate my drones, I have rats moving from 80 to 20km while doing yellow blinking and my drones just sit there doing nothing. I will continue carrying a set of light and sentry drones, but I will not use them in every engagement since I usually don't need them, and they require my attention that I can spend better on other things.


target and press f?

Art of Explosions
Skurja Volpar
Rattini Tribe
Minmatar Fleet Alliance
#13 - 2013-03-09 09:08:40 UTC
You don't have to use T1 and just accept them as lost as soon as you deploy, they're just a little more situational.

Sentries should be hassle free for pure drone users with massive phallic extension drone bays, although heavies could be considered obsolete unless your rolling with torps.

Mediums should be saved until there's no cruisers on the field, as they're liable to be toast before recalled drones get back to you, but after that they're a nice dps supplement.

And lights are still fast enough to be back in the bay before they run out of shields, coupled with the fact that if you're only using them on frigs they wont be far away anyway.

Don't take the whiners complaints too seriously, drones are still fine, rats are still dumb.
Dazram Two
Viziam
Amarr Empire
#14 - 2013-03-09 17:25:37 UTC
Just get a missle boat or laser boat and save yourself the headache of managing drones.