I got a few questions for the Devs about the new Romulan Drone Ship hangar pet.
First, I saw in the example on the dev blog that it can take fighters looks, like that tholian widow fighter, but can mimic fregates type like mesh weavers, jhas pets, bops etc? Or maybe that counts towards rarity, like only advanced and elites can do that maybe?
Second, what if there arent any small craft counter-part to mimic, it will stay in its original form or it will take any random form?
Or even better, can u gives us pls the list pool of small ships and energy types it can mimic?
from the sounds of it, what they mimic is based off of the enemy your fighting. so basically, im PvP it could be.... either a Fed, KDF or Romulan looking ship (more likely fed or kdf).
in the dominion FE series it's most likely to be a dominion ship.
I'd like to know if it comes with some sort of ignore me mechanic. Like it starts off with negative threat so that it gets in a few shots agains thte enemy before they wake up.
And in PvP, would there be something similar there, like it looks blue before it starts firing?
I'd like to know if it comes with some sort of ignore me mechanic. Like it starts off with negative threat so that it gets in a few shots agains thte enemy before they wake up.
And in PvP, would there be something similar there, like it looks blue before it starts firing?
well, it wouldnt be a very good disguise if they let you click on it and see its an enemy contact.....
First, I saw in the example on the dev blog that it can take fighters looks, like that tholian widow fighter, but can mimic fregates type like mesh weavers, jhas pets, bops etc? Or maybe that counts towards rarity, like only advanced and elites can do that maybe?
The example shows a Tholian Mesh Weaver, not the Widow.
The Tholian ship in the back ground is an Orb Weaver. The faction/alliance of the target is what the drones copy, not the specific ship being fought.
The example shows a Tholian Mesh Weaver, not the Widow.
The Tholian ship in the back ground is an Orb Weaver. The faction/alliance of the target is what the drones copy, not the specific ship being fought.
Could you provide a list of ships they "mimic" by any chance?
Here is the real question. Does the Drone Ship come with a remote Aenar pilot controlling it via telepresence? :P
if you actually read the dev blog. these are a new type of drone controlled remotely by the dreadnought crew.... much like UAV's are in the real world.
So, we won't see it morph into a Borg Cube? -- darn
(Probably morph into a Borg Probe.)
Formerly known as Armsman from June 2008 to June 20, 2012
PWE ARC Drone says: "Your STO forum community as you have known it is ended...Display names are irrelevant...Any further sense of community is irrelevant...Resistance is futile...You will be assimilated..."
if you actually read the dev blog. these are a new type of drone controlled remotely by the dreadnought crew.... much like UAV's are in the real world.
It was a joke, in reference to the drone ship episodes in Enterprise.
Originally Posted by captjamjamz View Post
Unfortunately, I don't have a list -- I didn't make the power. However, it's generally frigate-type/sized ships that it mimics.
Originally Posted by captjamjamz View Post
The example shows a Tholian Mesh Weaver, not the Widow.
The Tholian ship in the back ground is an Orb Weaver. The faction/alliance of the target is what the drones copy, not the specific ship being fought.
Thank you very much for your answers. It doesnt matter but in the example that IS a widow fighter, not a mesh weaver, i know cuz i got them aswell and the link you provide says the same :P.
Anyway it seems in PvP against a kdf enemy will mimic a bop even if the other player has a recluse or a jam'hadar dreadnaught. But at least if its frigate size will be easy to target, remains to be seen if they try to confuse you by switching colour to blue.
So, we won't see it morph into a Borg Cube? -- darn
(Probably morph into a Borg Probe.)
It certainly does morph in to a probe. Funniest thing i have ever seen. On a note... the drones once deployed take a few seconds to select a form, untill then they are a nightmare,to track visuialy
The Dilithium (advanced) versions are bought through the Special items menu, not the ship equipment/hangar menu.
Also, for the guy who asked, here's how they work:
When they enter combat, they use an ability which changes their look and their weapon types. This does not actually seem to confuse or otherwise hinder the enemy in any fashion. This effect lasts for 60 seconds, at which time it reverts back to its drone appearance; it seems to be able to immediately re-activate the ability if it's still in combat.
They also have a sensor pulse ability. This seems to work sort of like Sensor Scramble, in that the affected target will start shooting at its allies. However, it did not seem to have any effect when fighting a single target. In STFs or other scenarios with lots of enemies, it's very useful.
So far these are what I've seen the drones change into:
Versus Romulan Tal Shiar - Miranda-Class Cruisers (I'm Rom-KDF, would be interesting to see if they're different for a Fed Rom). They fire phasers.
Versus Borg - Borg Probes! Complete with plasma beams.
Most interesting though was Versus Cardassians (the Deuterium Surplus daily). They're considered to be "Dominion" as far as the buff that the drones give themselves, so I found myself commanding one JHAS and one Breen Plesh Brek frigate.
Pretty cool. I'll be trying out some more enemy configurations soon, I absolutely love these things.
I was playing Azure Nebula rescue and my drones turned into Klingon B'rel birds of prey for some reason. Thought they would turn into Tholan ships lol.
The real question we should be answering is will it cause the same amount of damage as the NPC normally gives out as it is mimicing it or will it be a smaller amount of damage. Because if I remember correctly the drone ship could pack quite a punch
NO TO ARC
Vice Admiral Volmack ISS Thundermole
Brigadier General Jokag IKS Gorkan
Centurion Kares RRW Tomalak
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
The real question we should be answering is will it cause the same amount of damage as the NPC normally gives out as it is mimicing it or will it be a smaller amount of damage. Because if I remember correctly the drone ship could pack quite a punch
It only copies the appearance of the enemy ship's faction and it's energy damage type. (Got some Tetryon accolades in CEE with them!)
As for damage, it's mix of BO, plasma torp and BFAW makes it have something for every situation, whether it's single target/lots of targets.
I dare say the advanced version beats out the advanced scorpions for damage (albeit this may just be my carrier nub-ness speaking.)
As for some more instances of 'Drone Tales;' against Elachi as I was farming up Caustic DHC's, my Drones turned into: A Bird of Prey (Klingon) and an Alien Fighter (Rom-look) in different permutations.
Against Gorn in Fleet Defense/Gorn Minefield, they turned into Klingon ships.
I'm tempted to actually go through the Undine arc to see what they mimic there...
The Dilithium (advanced) versions are bought through the Special items menu, not the ship equipment/hangar menu.
Also, for the guy who asked, here's how they work:
When they enter combat, they use an ability which changes their look and their weapon types. This does not actually seem to confuse or otherwise hinder the enemy in any fashion. This effect lasts for 60 seconds, at which time it reverts back to its drone appearance; it seems to be able to immediately re-activate the ability if it's still in combat.
They also have a sensor pulse ability. This seems to work sort of like Sensor Scramble, in that the affected target will start shooting at its allies. However, it did not seem to have any effect when fighting a single target. In STFs or other scenarios with lots of enemies, it's very useful.
The drones put out quite a bit of damage, too.
In all Honesty the Advanced Romulan Drones are what won me over with the Scimitar.
They seem to be on par with the Advanced BOP of the Vo'Quv and even though we can only have 2 of them out a time they do quite well and hold argo nicely.
I did have a couple of issues with the Drones copying Borg Probes and then firing on me while running ISE a few times but other than that I think that they are one of the best Hanger Support Crafts out there.
Oddly enough, when I was fighting Breen in the Deferi dailies, my drone ships turned into Cardassian Galors. I get that Breen = Dominion = Caradassians, but Galors? I would have expected Hidekis...
So far these are what I've seen the drones change into:
Versus Romulan Tal Shiar - Miranda-Class Cruisers (I'm Rom-KDF, would be interesting to see if they're different for a Fed Rom). They fire phasers.
Versus Borg - Borg Probes! Complete with plasma beams.
Most interesting though was Versus Cardassians (the Deuterium Surplus daily). They're considered to be "Dominion" as far as the buff that the drones give themselves, so I found myself commanding one JHAS and one Breen Plesh Brek frigate.
Pretty cool. I'll be trying out some more enemy configurations soon, I absolutely love these things.
I've seen
Vs Tal Shiar: Elachi Frigates. (Plasma Weapons)
Vs Federation: Miranda Class Frigates, Kumari Escort (Phasers)
Vs Borg: Probes (Tetryon Weapons)
Finished off my Caustic set of equipment and I can definitely confirm the Alien Fighter look for Elachi. Perhaps a new non-Scorpion fighter for Romulans at some point?
So which Romulan fighter is better? The Scorpion or this new Drone?
I don't have the Dil to gather scorpions to test but I wouldn't be surprised if, for the Scimitar, the Drones beat out Scorpions thanks to the blend of abilities. The Scramble Sensor-like skill they have makes them even better at AoE damage on top of BFAW.
This is also assuming same rarity comparison (IE Adv. Scorps vs. Adv. Drones, Elite Scorps vs. Elite Drones etc.) as I'm fairly certain that the Elite version would trump the Adv.
So which Romulan fighter is better? The Scorpion or this new Drone?
It's fairly close, IMO. The Adv.Drones do alot and are pretty resilient. If the Elite Scorpions are normally deployed like they could be with a 2-hangar ship, they're superior. All those fighters in PVE sending out HYT plasmas deal alot of damage. But with the Scimitar, it's only 1 hangar's worth. For the single-hangared Scimitars, I'd say the Adv.Drones are a better deal. You get far more bang for that hangar's worth.
For PVP, between the Elite Scorpions and Adv.Drones, Adv.Drones, hands down. The main draw of the E.Scorps are the HYT plasmas. But those are targetable, and a single AOE in the area can oftenly clear a whole screen's worth of those plasma torps. Outside the Plasma torps, the E.Scorps are worthless.
Comments
in the dominion FE series it's most likely to be a dominion ship.
And in PvP, would there be something similar there, like it looks blue before it starts firing?
Nouveau riche LTS member
well, it wouldnt be a very good disguise if they let you click on it and see its an enemy contact.....
The example shows a Tholian Mesh Weaver, not the Widow.
The Tholian ship in the back ground is an Orb Weaver. The faction/alliance of the target is what the drones copy, not the specific ship being fought.
Twitter! STO_JamJamz
Could you provide a list of ships they "mimic" by any chance?
The stowiki link below has a pretty good list.
http://sto.gamepedia.com/Non-playable_starship
Twitter! STO_JamJamz
if you actually read the dev blog. these are a new type of drone controlled remotely by the dreadnought crew.... much like UAV's are in the real world.
So, we won't see it morph into a Borg Cube? -- darn
(Probably morph into a Borg Probe.)
PWE ARC Drone says: "Your STO forum community as you have known it is ended...Display names are irrelevant...Any further sense of community is irrelevant...Resistance is futile...You will be assimilated..."
It was a joke, in reference to the drone ship episodes in Enterprise.
Thank you very much for your answers. It doesnt matter but in the example that IS a widow fighter, not a mesh weaver, i know cuz i got them aswell and the link you provide says the same :P.
Anyway it seems in PvP against a kdf enemy will mimic a bop even if the other player has a recluse or a jam'hadar dreadnaught. But at least if its frigate size will be easy to target, remains to be seen if they try to confuse you by switching colour to blue.
Its the dilithium store in your hud
It certainly does morph in to a probe. Funniest thing i have ever seen. On a note... the drones once deployed take a few seconds to select a form, untill then they are a nightmare,to track visuialy
That's advanced, Elite requires the Fleet store.
Also, for the guy who asked, here's how they work:
When they enter combat, they use an ability which changes their look and their weapon types. This does not actually seem to confuse or otherwise hinder the enemy in any fashion. This effect lasts for 60 seconds, at which time it reverts back to its drone appearance; it seems to be able to immediately re-activate the ability if it's still in combat.
They also have a sensor pulse ability. This seems to work sort of like Sensor Scramble, in that the affected target will start shooting at its allies. However, it did not seem to have any effect when fighting a single target. In STFs or other scenarios with lots of enemies, it's very useful.
The drones put out quite a bit of damage, too.
Versus Romulan Tal Shiar - Miranda-Class Cruisers (I'm Rom-KDF, would be interesting to see if they're different for a Fed Rom). They fire phasers.
Versus Borg - Borg Probes! Complete with plasma beams.
Most interesting though was Versus Cardassians (the Deuterium Surplus daily). They're considered to be "Dominion" as far as the buff that the drones give themselves, so I found myself commanding one JHAS and one Breen Plesh Brek frigate.
Pretty cool. I'll be trying out some more enemy configurations soon, I absolutely love these things.
Edit: Here is a link to a list of fleet pets, including Rommie drone
Vice Admiral Volmack ISS Thundermole
Brigadier General Jokag IKS Gorkan
Centurion Kares RRW Tomalak
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
It only copies the appearance of the enemy ship's faction and it's energy damage type. (Got some Tetryon accolades in CEE with them!)
As for damage, it's mix of BO, plasma torp and BFAW makes it have something for every situation, whether it's single target/lots of targets.
I dare say the advanced version beats out the advanced scorpions for damage (albeit this may just be my carrier nub-ness speaking.)
As for some more instances of 'Drone Tales;' against Elachi as I was farming up Caustic DHC's, my Drones turned into: A Bird of Prey (Klingon) and an Alien Fighter (Rom-look) in different permutations.
Against Gorn in Fleet Defense/Gorn Minefield, they turned into Klingon ships.
I'm tempted to actually go through the Undine arc to see what they mimic there...
In all Honesty the Advanced Romulan Drones are what won me over with the Scimitar.
They seem to be on par with the Advanced BOP of the Vo'Quv and even though we can only have 2 of them out a time they do quite well and hold argo nicely.
I did have a couple of issues with the Drones copying Borg Probes and then firing on me while running ISE a few times but other than that I think that they are one of the best Hanger Support Crafts out there.
I've seen
Vs Tal Shiar: Elachi Frigates. (Plasma Weapons)
Vs Federation: Miranda Class Frigates, Kumari Escort (Phasers)
Vs Borg: Probes (Tetryon Weapons)
I don't have the Dil to gather scorpions to test but I wouldn't be surprised if, for the Scimitar, the Drones beat out Scorpions thanks to the blend of abilities. The Scramble Sensor-like skill they have makes them even better at AoE damage on top of BFAW.
This is also assuming same rarity comparison (IE Adv. Scorps vs. Adv. Drones, Elite Scorps vs. Elite Drones etc.) as I'm fairly certain that the Elite version would trump the Adv.
It's fairly close, IMO. The Adv.Drones do alot and are pretty resilient. If the Elite Scorpions are normally deployed like they could be with a 2-hangar ship, they're superior. All those fighters in PVE sending out HYT plasmas deal alot of damage. But with the Scimitar, it's only 1 hangar's worth. For the single-hangared Scimitars, I'd say the Adv.Drones are a better deal. You get far more bang for that hangar's worth.
For PVP, between the Elite Scorpions and Adv.Drones, Adv.Drones, hands down. The main draw of the E.Scorps are the HYT plasmas. But those are targetable, and a single AOE in the area can oftenly clear a whole screen's worth of those plasma torps. Outside the Plasma torps, the E.Scorps are worthless.