Question to CCP about Drones

Communications Center General Discussion
1

Hi,

So i’m curious:

If drones are not as effective as ordinary weapon turrets/missiles, why do drones skill requirements require the same amount of time/longer?

Please explain.

I feel that drones are 75% effective as other weapons, as obviously they have a damage cap and cannot use more than 5.

So why then are we expected to skill train so many different skills for all aspects of drone management, equivalent to weapons skills/missiles?

It’s far too much, and for new players would just wanna make them quit looking at all these repetitive skill requirements.

Skillset for drones
Skillset for Turrets
Skillset for Missiles

This needs justification which in my opinion is long overdue.

Thanks for reading.

2

Because drones are still way to OP.

Also if we talk about drone skills.

Drone specialization skills are per faction not per size and type like other weapons/launchers.
I don’t have numbers but I guess that drones actually take less time to train for “all” drones. Than specializing in for example missiles.

So, my point is: drones require much less training that any other weapon system.

3

Drones are very effective if all the various drone support skills are trained. And that does take time.

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4

So many people seem to be psychic these days…knowing what things make new players want to quit.

No one expects you, or makes you, train drone skills. If you think their are too many, don’t train them.

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5

The only thing I’d change is giving drones 5 to new characters.

A brand new char can make use of a gun or missile boat within minutes of training. But try using a tristan on a new char.

6

But aren’t level 5 (insert gun skills here) also limited for Alphas? So if their primary DPS is limited shouldn’t a Trist’s be too?

Alpha power creep worries me…

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7

lol…no words

8

They are clearly not.

9

I would say they are only as effective as ccp allows them to be, because drone aggro is a huge problem for pve players.

Even using a gila with drone durability rigs + navigation comps - drones still die.

10

Thank you for completely missing the point of my thread.

11

I’ve always looked at drones as a way to decrease workload regarding combat while increasing effectiveness elsewhere (positioning, module management, dscan)…this overall increases life expectancy which increases total damage output potential.

Drones themselves are not OP but what they allow you to do makes them extremely effective.

Interesting thread though as I honestly think it comes down to pilot…drones add a cushion for less able pilots where as a tight fit ship with a very specific range window is more for the expert.

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12

Thanks Runa. I completely agree.

I think what I was getting at is that they are not as effective as having a full set of turrets, because they are specialist like you say, helping in other areas or providing cover dps…and yet we are expected to train them just like other weapons skills, and it takes just as long if not longer.

I see the drones (standard drones, not fighters) as a weapons sub-class. Weapons sub-classes in my opinion should not require the same number/set of skill types for players to train, but should have most of these skills already automated within the main skill.

It’s just far too much to ask. It’s also unrealistic from a lore/sci fi perspective.

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13

I agree. I would say most aces know that pew-pew are best and just get better if you can manage ranges. Drones on the other hand are as good as they will be when you launch…ie a weapon system for muppets like me that can barely maintain a range +/-10K,

Personally I find the training to T2 a bit long but then when you get those bad boys you are like…wow, is this legal?

I wish we had more than 5 as that has always PO’ed me…imagine a BS with 20 T2 Hobs!..epic…

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14

:rofl:

15

Some of the most popular ratting setups at the moment are the VNI, the gila and the rattlesnake.

In pvp the tristan and the worm are very popular in FW low sec.

All are drone boats. I think most players will disagree with your statement.

Even in ships that don’t use drones as their primary weapon system, their drone bay can still provide a significant percentage of their dps.

16

All the ships you mentioned have turret slots. Not to mention the limited drone capacity.

17

The purpose of my thread is to call into question the skilling requirements of drones as a primary weapon, when they are clearly meant for support, aside from the ships you mentioned which feature drone bonuses.

18

is a two-way street.
I don’t get to have my weapons auto-aggress hostiles, nor can I ‘assign’ or have weapons automagically ‘defend’ a teammate.

Drone skills are appropriate to their overall effectiveness and value to operating in space.

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19

and almost every turret / missile ship can use drones ! i´m sure you dont say its not a turret / missile ship because it can use drones. and yes drones are still very strong otherwise the gila wouldnt be the top Cruiser for pve and still one of the best pvp Cruiser. Same with the rattlesnake as BS or the worm as a frigate. You just Need to know how a drone boat works and what you can do or cant do with a drone boat.

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20

Keep assuming such things… when my x2 geckos and x1 Augmented Ogre melt your Abaddon we can reconsider this foolish notion…
Or when my x5 Hammerhead II’s cover 120km in a flash to pop your frigate as I smile and laugh…

“…not as effective…” :smirk: ha.

1 Like