I don't know how to use the drones. I'm sad.

[andrickschall]

This is a dumb question – I thought of it. I could really use a hand.

I've played the heck out of this game, and I love it. However, I've never gotten the hang of how to use the drones. At all. I get confused, saddened, defeated, and I hate myself. Please help. So instead of using the drones to go out and collect stuff from the map, which I believe is what they're supposed to do, I run around and get stuff myself. No big deal, but it would be great to figure out how these gosh-darned drones work. Pardon my language.

I think you're supposed to involve a container or something, as well as the drone station. I think. I've tried to set things up, but all I can do is get the drone to grab sulfur from the container in my base and drop it off at the drone station. That don't do me any good. I'm just not sure how this works.

Could somebody, if you'd be so kind, please walk me through the steps of how you get the drones to go out and grab stuff for you? Please explain it to me like I'm in kindergarten, even though I'm a 51 year old man. Who, evidently, when it comes to using the drones, has the cognitive skills of a ferret on cr_ck.

I love the game, and I've gotten all the way to amphibians. I just wish I could get the drones figured out.

Thanks for your help. You're my only hope.

[OnlineGamer]

Hi, sorry to hear that. Yes I'll try.

So drones work together with storage containers (where you place your items in) and item generating machines like drill machines or fish egg producing equipment, or any item producing system. I'll stick only with the drill machine here for simplification reasons only.

So drones need a location (A) to pick up an item (Supply) and then a location (B) to drop it off (Demand). This will require an item producing machine like drills (Supply) and then a storage unit or other equipment where items can be placed inside (Demand).

For example if you wanted to you could have a drone deliver all or only specific items from (A) one storage container (or a ore producing drill machine) to (B) another storage container by adjusting the cog wheel icon inside storage container (A) to "Supply" (where drone will pick up an item whenever it is placed there or is created.
Then the drone will take it and drop it off inside the other storage container (B) by adjusting the cog wheel to "Demand" and this container will always receive that specific item(s) selected on the cog wheel list.

Both supply and demand options must exist for drone to do its job. If one of the item locations does not indicate if it is Demand or Supply from the the cog wheel list, then that item will not be transferred by the drone(s). Both demand and supply options must be selected. Also, the specific item(s) that is desired must be selected as well.

To summarize:
Location A = pick up item = "Supply" on cog wheel = select desired item(s).
Location B = drop off item = "Demand" on cog wheel = select desired item(s).

Also, it's best to have many drones as the pick up/drop off system will work much faster than just 1 or 2 drones. Upgrade to Drone 2 before creating many level 1 drones if possible. If not later you can disassemble them and use the parts to create level 2 drones. I'ts confusing having both level 1 and 2 drones flying around together. I don't recommend it.

Then the third option on the cog wheel is the "Priority" setting. If you have for example two containers that will get filled with certain item(s) but you want one to be filled faster or first, then you would give it a higher priority number like 5.
0 is low priority. 5 is the most urgent priority and will get all of the attention first.

I noticed that priority doesn't always work like its intended in some cases but it just might be because the game is still under development, not sure.

Also sometimes the drones won't fully fill a container completely with a selected item. Again not sure why.

Hope this helps somewhat.

[kamspokx]

Excellent explanation. Set a container to SUPPLY one or more items. Then set one or more containers to DEMAND one or more items. The Drones will do the rest, eventually.
The *Drone Station* isn't used for anything but creating drones - it needn't be set to demand or supply.

[wyldfae28]

Hi there. Love your sense of humor. Automation and drone control was the biggest and most fun challenge for me so far in this game, other than living long enough to make food. So I get you. Let me see if I can break it down.

I'm not sure all of the things you want your drones to do. But what I wanted was several things -

1) set up auto crafters and have drones keep my storage full at all times. This included minerals, fertilizers, mutagens, food, fabric, etc.
2) set up trade rockets and have drones fill them automatically with pulsar, which is all I trade at the moment
3) set up a system where the pulsar was stored temporarily in between rocket trips

So, first step, have storage available for all the things you want on hand in your base or anywhere else. Set those containers to demand whatever you want stored in them. You can decide by number how important filling that container is with 0 being the least and 5 being the most vital.

Second, build a couple of drone stations and fill them with 25 T2 drones if possible. I am running 75 drones currently and that is meeting all my needs. Other players have differing amounts.

Third, make sure you have enough ore and gas extractors to meet your needs, both with having minerals on hand and crafting anything you want to ship by rocket. You will have to tweak this as you go, as you identify bottlenecks in your system. I have 6 or 7 extractors for each rare mineral plus one for each of the commons. Your needs may differ.

Fourth, build auto crafters to make the stuff you want to fill your storage with. I have a science center at my primary base. On top, I built a clear dome with 10 auto crafters in the middle and some silk makers and storage around them. I had to make sure the crafters could access the raw materials to build each thing. So I have a lot of basic storage right below them and farms on the sides of the center. Whatever they can't reach, such as algae, I have droned in to storage containers they can reach. You can set the algae and water makers in your lakes to supply both these things and the drones will fetch them to storage containers you set for demand. The crafters are set to "supply" my storage containers demanding the final product.

An example - to keep my rockets filled with pulsar - I have a grid set up in the zeolite mine. On it, are two auto crafters set to make and "supply" pulsar. Around them are storage containers for each of the minerals used in pulsar creation. Each one is set to "demand" that mineral. (as the crafters just pull from what they can reach) Also around the crafters are 6 methane extractors that the crafters will pull from. My drones go to the mines, take the minerals each extractor is set to "supply", bring them to the storage containers that are set to "demand" around the pulsar crafters. The crafters automatically pull from those storage containers, make the pulsar, and since they are set to "supply" the pulsar, my drones pick it up from them and take it to my rockets, which are set to "demand" pulsar. If the rockets are away, I have a container also set to demand pulsar at a lower priority setting. It stores the pulsar and when I wander by and it's full, I set it to supply and it empties out into the rockets. My pulsar production also went up considerably when I set up a production booster for the methane extractors, but that's just a bonus.

So you will have to tweak your systems until they meet your needs. Like if you check your storage and one mineral isn't keeping up with the rest, you need another extractor. etc. Also, you can set the water life extractors in the lakes to supply you with certain fish eggs by setting them to "supply" all forms of phytoplankton plus whatever native eggs that area makes. Build storage for all the phytoplanktons (set to demand) and storage for certain types of fish eggs (also set to demand) Build a couple of shredders set to demand the planktons as well on a lower setting. So when the storage fills up with planktons, your egg production doesn't stop. The excess plankton goes to the shredders and the eggs keep coming until your containers are full. This works with honey and bee larvae as well.

To simplify, just keep in mind which things you want to receive stuff and which things you want to supply stuff and it comes together. :) I hope any of this helps.

(Looks like many of us wanted to help. Lol. Now you have several explanations in the time it took me to type this. )

[andrickschall]

Hey! That worked! Thank you everybody!

I got the basics down. I had a T2 ore extractor in the super alloy cave; I set it to supply. I had a container back at home base, that I stored supper alloys in, and I set it to demand. The drone took over; worked just fine. It took a minute, as at this point I only have a single level 1 drone.

OnlineGamer's instructions were perfect; I appreciate it; thank you for taking the time. It makes sense. I'll experiment with creating a few more drones, level 2. I'll see if I can adjust the priority settings to my advantage.

Clarity has conquered confusion. Thanks again everyone. I'm glad to finally have that aspect of the game under control.

Appreciate it!

[andrickschall]

Wyldfafe28: You have got the system figured out! Dang! I'm not at your level yet, but I'll keep referring to your example.

[wyldfae28]

Początkowo opublikowane przez andrickschall:

Hey! That worked! Thank you everybody!

I got the basics down. I had a T2 ore extractor in the super alloy cave; I set it to supply. I had a container back at home base, that I stored supper alloys in, and I set it to demand. The drone took over; worked just fine. It took a minute, as at this point I only have a single level 1 drone.

OnlineGamer's instructions were perfect; I appreciate it; thank you for taking the time. It makes sense. I'll experiment with creating a few more drones, level 2. I'll see if I can adjust the priority settings to my advantage.

Clarity has conquered confusion. Thanks again everyone. I'm glad to finally have that aspect of the game under control.

Appreciate it!

Glad you got it under control now. :) Just wait til you have an army of drones. I can't take anything out of my storage containers and then change my mind and put it back before a drone wisks by and fills the space.

[Tirandys]

Glad every one helped. Just a couple of things I did not see mentioned.

If you hold control you can click multiple items for demand or supply. You cannot set demand and supply on the same container. Last I checked you could not set supply to algae, but it is automatic so you should not need to.

[richtex]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Tirandys:

Last I checked you could not set supply to algae, but it is automatic so you should not need to.

Yes, algae and vegetables are automaticially collected if there is demand. No need to define supply.