Drones are expensive!

[happyguy142]

Am I the only one that feels the drones are terribly expensive to build and maintain? I feel like it's easier to just build a conveyor system to get the resources you need. I mean you need Bauxite and Sulfur, two of the rarest materials, Bauxite being very difficult to get too, just to build the batteries needed to keep the drones going.

I personally feel it's easier to just build a conveyor system and for long distance stuff setup a train system. Sure, the initial work going into building this may be a heavier then with the drones, but I don't need an entire factory setup just to keep the trains moving. Plus with the hover pack, which is the best addition to this game EVER!...I seriously feel disgusted when I have to actually like....use my legs to move around now....., building the train track has become super easy!

Right now, I have a single drone currently traveling up to the top of a mountain to collect the Bauxite needed to make the aluminum casing needed to make the batteries that the drone uses to power itself to go get the bauxite....Maybe I'm missing the advantage of it right now, thoughts?

[Honorable_D]

Wish they were like the Drones from Dyson Sphere Program and would be charged from your power grid, the longer the flight the more energy they need to charge with before they will take off. You could adjust the charge rate speed so they don't suck so fast they trip your breakers...

[lpnlizard27]

Stop using drones for raw materials. The only exception to that, is uranium.

[Tenzek]

Everything seems expensive in this game at first. Reinforced iron plates are a major PITA at the very start. Since every resource is infinite, it's just a matter of setting up production lines and making them efficient enough that you no longer feel any pressure.

[nfgman]

Whether to use smelters or foundries for aluminum is a legitimate question. Whether to use plutonium power or just sink waste is a legitimate question. To avoid an entire logistics paradigm, that can be very efficient, because it requires some level of support is not a legitimate question. It only seems daunting at first.

[Shahadem]

Yeah it's the same ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ crap DSP has with its own batteries/powercells/containers.

The whole point of a battery/powercell is RECHARGEABILITY.

But in both games the devs screwed up by making the battiers/powercells be consumed which makes no FING sense.

[Deadly Peanut]

Shahadem a écrit :

Yeah it's the same ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ crap DSP has with its own batteries/powercells/containers.
The whole point of a battery/powercell is RECHARGEABILITY.
But in both games the devs screwed up by making the battiers/powercells be consumed which makes no FING sense.

this is a valid point... if battery/powercell need a balance swing, feedback to Dev is indicated.

please note that every game can be improved... games aren't religions or your fantasy waifu. try not to worship games as perfect in every way :)

[happyguy142]

nfgman a écrit :

Whether to use smelters or foundries for aluminum is a legitimate question. Whether to use plutonium power or just sink waste is a legitimate question. To avoid an entire logistics paradigm, that can be very efficient, because it requires some level of support is not a legitimate question. It only seems daunting at first.

Telling me my question is not a legitimate one doesn't help me. I'm looking at it from a resource usage perspective and obviously I don't understand the benefit yet and was asking for some thoughts on how best to utilize the drones. I've seen one of my trains max out at about 110 MW's and it is carrying a lot more then a drone can. Just for giggles I looked at all of the production to keep my one drone going and you need about 430 MW's. Now that production can be used to fuel a few drones I'm sure but at the end of the day, the Train is just cheaper, at least from what I can see. So why would I use a more expensive form of transportation that can't even carry as much?

[SkyKaptn]

My best use for drones is packed nitrogen. The node is on a huge pillar in the middle of nowhere with mountain ranges between my base. 430MW is nothing by the time drones are into play.
I have 3 medium distance (6 in total with pick-up and destination) drone ports that are fed from a single battery blender.

[Dragorin]

I'm now utilizing a very large portion of the whole map. Maybe I've embraced drones to much having 75+ drone ports atm. I have one location making batteries (100 p/m) that supports 6 different requesting stations with anywhere for 3 to 10 ports going out for various products to make a new product. Heck the last 4 items requested by the space elevator are all being made from production chains delivered via drone.

Trains are nice if you have multiple products all clustered in one area to pickup or deliver to. However with drones I can go to any place on the map setup a production and drop it into a drone port then it's there to pick up and deliver to anywhere on the map.

Example: This weekend I tapped the uranium ore in the cave system with the water fall(Swamp Biome). I used the resources onsite (except: Concrete Beams & Electromagnetic Control rods, these are delivered via Drone as they are made offsite) to make Uranium Fuel Rods which are put into a Drone port. These will be picked up via drone and delivered to my Nuclear Power plant all the way to the NW (Rocky Desert) where I'm building on the Ocean near the Nitrogen Gas Geyser located there. I have a train picking up Iron plate and Sulfur at the West end of Northern Forest to bring to my Nuclear power plant as well. Heaven knows I didn't want to build a train track all the way from Swamp to Rocky Desert... I'd still be building that.

[happyguy142]

Been a bit I know, but based on what I am seeing I just haven't found myself in a situation that warrants using the drones but they definitely have their uses. I also have a pretty well established train system setup already and I do find it very satisfying (see what I did there? :p ) to watch my trains do their stuff.