Posted - 2009.10.28 22:05:00 - [3]

 

Hmmm.... Kind of interesting... but it shouldn't just be free eyes... it needs drawbacks....

Perhaps it would report any ships that enters its grid to local.... using your name of course... That way, if you use such a thing in WH space, your name would pop up in local as it reports the ships on grid with it.....

I imagine some ratter named Johney that deploy's one on a gate.... If a Mega and a crusader enter system, and decloak with it on grid, a message in local would appear:
"[18:10:41] Johney> Sentry Drone: Megathron, crusader on grid".
Note, I worry about its potential for lag!! Perhaps it should scan every 6s, and report every 18's. If a ship warps away fast enough, or immediately cloaks, the drone might fail to report it if the scan timed right.

It would also need to use some drone bandwidth (say 25 or 50 Mbits/s), as well as be a viable target to kill. Perhaps a lucky newcomer could even kill it before it reports the ship types in local. Furthermore, it shouldn't be able to warp on its own (unless you have a fighter sized version), and you should immediately lose communications/control with it if you cloak. I'd imagine it as mobile as a sentry drone... and perhaps be very related... i.e., require Sentry Drone Operations IV to use them, and give them a name like Scout Sentries...

Posted - 2009.10.30 12:36:00 - [5]

 

i suggested proximity probes a while bk and im sure there were other similar ideas too