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AlayneLeung
Lyran Alliance
Staff Sergeant
Joined: 03-Jan-2015 18:40
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Location: United States
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 Posted: 09-Jan-2015 17:36 Post subject: ?s about Tactical Operation's rules for drone units |
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a drone unit has 10% of it's total tonnage used for drone equipment, but i can't find any rules that explain what this drone equipment does; and said drone unit has 0.5 tons of it for drone sensors that are in addition to the unit's standard sensors, but i can't find any rules that explain what these additional drone sensors do. so what does a drone unit's equipment that masses 10% of its total tonnage do, and what do these 0.5 tons additional drone sensors do? does the 10% drone equipment for a 'Mech drone unit consume any critical slot(s), and if so, then how many per location(s), and which location(s)? does the 0.5 tons additional drone sensors for a drone 'Mech unit consume any critical slots,and if so, then how many per location(s), and which location(s)? allow for one person to control piloting/driving of drone while other personnel operate its weapon(s)/equipment. how about rules for giving drones orders to move/attack/use equipment one or more turns before the drones implement those orders. and, since a drone unit has a +1 piloting penalty and a +1 gunnery penalty, then how about having a drone unit be a negative design quirk AToW trait point of -2 points?
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Rudel Gurken
Allisters Light Thunder
Major
Joined: 15-Jun-2005 00:00
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Location: Germany
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| Posted: 13-Jan-2015 14:45 Post subject: ?s about Tactical Operation's rules for drone units |
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Tactical Operations calls the additional 0.5t sensors as "reflecting the drone's communication interface". In my opinion it would occupy one critical slot in a Mech-drone but i found no written rule about that.
The 10% weight is described as "drone operating systems", i think in "reality" that would be a bit heavy for some computers and servos but drone-capability should come for a price. TO sets it at 1 critical slot for Mechs regardless of mass. I didn`t find where to put it but i would say head or maybe center torso.
The operator has direct control over the drone and no delay exists between the "order" and the execution of this "order" just like your remote controlled toy car.
The penalties are a disadvantage of the drone system itself. It is "countered" by the ability to operate without a pilot. If you treat that as a negative design quirk it would have an additional advantage for what it does.
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Reality is where the Pizza-man comes from!'Gucken, petzen, verpissen!' (Look at it, squeal it, get the hell away from it!) – Motto of the recon troops'Artillery doesn´t know friend or foe! They only know worthwhile targets!‘ – Kuritan Infantrist
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AlayneLeung
Lyran Alliance
Staff Sergeant
Joined: 03-Jan-2015 18:40
Posts: 133
Location: United States
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| Posted: 16-Jan-2015 17:35 Post subject: ?s about Tactical Operation's rules for drone units |
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that's what i thought about the 0.5 tons and 10% tonnage rules, Rudel, thank you. this is weird because my copy of TO doesn't mention that information about the 0.5t sensors and 10% of total tonnage that you posted. i wonder if i got a misprinted copy or if i don't have a copy of the updated TO rulebook, but that's not important now (i'll just get updated version of TO). life support for drone units could be removed because no person(s) in drone = no need for life support.
now, about the penalties for a -2 trait point, a drone's electronic communications can be jammed by opposing ECM(s), and i presume a substantial portion of the drone's 10% (if not all of that 10%) of total tonnage is used for laser communications in case the radio communications are stopped by ECM(s). i think the reason why rules for laser communications weren't included is because they're so complex (a drone would require several laser communications beams on its front, left, right, rear and turret(s) locations to communicate with the unit/structure controlling it so that if one or more communications lasers get destroyed, others could be used), and laser communication LOS can be blocked. construction of a bunch of drones and the unit controlling them would require two vehicles, and the destruction of the controlling unit would negate all of said drones from having any effects whatsoever.
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"Okay friendlies, you're not paid to be exclusively a 'MechWarrior', vehicle/spacecraft crewer, fighter pilot, or infantry trooper. You're just paid to follow my orders!" So says me to my personnel.
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Rudel Gurken
Allisters Light Thunder
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Joined: 15-Jun-2005 00:00
Posts: 1470
Location: Germany
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| Posted: 17-Jan-2015 06:35 Post subject: ?s about Tactical Operation's rules for drone units |
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I think the drone rules where originally written with only vehicles in mind. Later somebody just but a BM on the "Available to" section and the Equipment table. So dropping life support would make sense, but it is no written rule.
And by the way: ECM blocks communication with drone units regardless of which communication system is used. And i don`t see what that has to do with trait points.
_________________
Reality is where the Pizza-man comes from!'Gucken, petzen, verpissen!' (Look at it, squeal it, get the hell away from it!) – Motto of the recon troops'Artillery doesn´t know friend or foe! They only know worthwhile targets!‘ – Kuritan Infantrist
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AlayneLeung
Lyran Alliance
Staff Sergeant
Joined: 03-Jan-2015 18:40
Posts: 133
Location: United States
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| Posted: 17-Jan-2015 16:28 Post subject: ?s about Tactical Operation's rules for drone units |
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the original reason why i thought that a drone should have -2 trait points is because of the +1 piloting/driving and +1 gunnery it imposes on controlling person(s); and, like i said, ECM can render it inoperative too easily. so 10% should be for laser communications to be used when there's LOS to controlling unit(s)/structure(s) when ECM blocks signals, xor allow for -2 trait points given drone's extreme vulnerability due to signal loss(es) because of ECM.
_________________
"Okay friendlies, you're not paid to be exclusively a 'MechWarrior', vehicle/spacecraft crewer, fighter pilot, or infantry trooper. You're just paid to follow my orders!" So says me to my personnel.
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Sleeping Dragon
Draconis Combine
Tai-i
Joined: 06-Apr-2005 00:00
Posts: 4820
Location: Czech Republic
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| Posted: 18-Jan-2015 11:51 Post subject: ?s about Tactical Operation's rules for drone units |
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You can always try to include Guardian ECM suite on the drone and turn it to ECCM mode, so that you can protect yourself from being easily scrambled.
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AlayneLeung
Lyran Alliance
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Joined: 03-Jan-2015 18:40
Posts: 133
Location: United States
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| Posted: 18-Jan-2015 16:48 Post subject: ?s about Tactical Operation's rules for drone units |
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true, Sleeping Dragon, but that would just increase the Defensive BV (and also it should increase the Offensive BV) of said drone.
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Sleeping Dragon
Draconis Combine
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Location: Czech Republic
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| Posted: 19-Jan-2015 00:48 Post subject: ?s about Tactical Operation's rules for drone units |
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Everything has some positives and negatives. Plus ECM is not nearly as dangerous BV-wise as lasers.
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AlayneLeung
Lyran Alliance
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Location: United States
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| Posted: 24-Jan-2015 14:25 Post subject: ?s about Tactical Operation's rules for drone units |
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and ECM isn't nearly as dangerous as other weapons also.
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"Okay friendlies, you're not paid to be exclusively a 'MechWarrior', vehicle/spacecraft crewer, fighter pilot, or infantry trooper. You're just paid to follow my orders!" So says me to my personnel.
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Sleeping Dragon
Draconis Combine
Tai-i
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Location: Czech Republic
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| Posted: 24-Jan-2015 18:26 Post subject: ?s about Tactical Operation's rules for drone units |
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That depends on what units do you use. Apparently it can insta-kill (well, almost) your drone within 6 hexes unless you have a ECCM, so it's worth the investment if you want to rely on drones more often.
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AlayneLeung
Lyran Alliance
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Location: United States
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| Posted: 25-Jan-2015 15:50 Post subject: ?s about Tactical Operation's rules for drone units |
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yeah. usually when i use drones i use them expendablely.
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"Okay friendlies, you're not paid to be exclusively a 'MechWarrior', vehicle/spacecraft crewer, fighter pilot, or infantry trooper. You're just paid to follow my orders!" So says me to my personnel.
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Sleeping Dragon
Draconis Combine
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Location: Czech Republic
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| Posted: 26-Jan-2015 00:30 Post subject: ?s about Tactical Operation's rules for drone units |
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Remember that all don't have to be equipped with the ECM. One durable special with a pack of suicides could work just as well.
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Stinger
The Knights of Chaos
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| Posted: 27-Jan-2015 12:00 Post subject: Re: ?s about Tactical Operation's rules for drone units |
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| AlayneLeung wrote: | | yeah. usually when i use drones i use them expendablely. |
I have always had a problem with expendable units. After a while the cost outweighs thier usefulness.
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Stinger
If it's "creepy" to use the Internet, military satellites, and robot aircraft to find a house full of gorgeous young models so I can drop in on them unexpected, then FINE, I'm "creepy". Howard Wolowitz. BBT.
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Sleeping Dragon
Draconis Combine
Tai-i
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Location: Czech Republic
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| Posted: 27-Jan-2015 14:22 Post subject: Re: ?s about Tactical Operation's rules for drone units |
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I think that making ICE powered suicide hovercrafts and other such funnies could do the trick.
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