Cost isn't even mentioned in the update, and both designs call for new (and likely not cheap) components. So I doubt any cost difference between the two options would be so big that we'll have a significant amount more of one over the other.
...Do you realize that by choosing this you are proposing to make an expensive big target? I mean, it's one thing that destroying ALL massed cheap scouts is much harder than one, albeit flying at some altitude. They have their own ways of dealing with aerial targets one way or another and they can detect it if they are big enough, and then all it takes is one accurate sniper shot and that's it. You're out of the picture and you've lost expensive equipment.
So if you really want us to fail here you say so, because logic and common sense say that no matter how versatile, invisible and highly accurate such a scout, but since that we can observe only from ONE side, as well as the fact that in the city you can not send such a scout, because it will be shot down because it is designed for observation from a distance, and not say to come out from around the corner of the building, to check for traps or enemy soldiers.
In general you want to make an expensive toy that will drain our already few resources and that sucks for Architect.
My logic is that the bigger drones would effectively be invulnerable to small arm fire, including rifles. Meaning that unless G&K can carpet their territory with dedicated AA missiles and RADAR systems, they are effectively untouchable.
The smaller drones would be harder to hit but, as others have pointed out, Dolls are pretty good at aiming so only the G&K flesh soldiers would be unable (outside of a freak shot) to shoot them down.
So my logic was between an expensive but untouchable large drone and a slightly (to be debated) less expensive harder-to-hit small drone, I prefer the untouchable one.
And with Scarecrow mentioning that SF dont have a infinite number of drones and seem, in fact, struggling to send replacement when one is shot down, better to have a limited number of untouchable drones then a limited number of harder-to-hit ones.
EDIT: I'm not saying that small drones are useless, they are as much viable as the big ones. In a perfect world I would take them both, the small for tactical recon and larger for strategical recon but if we can only have single one, the capacity for strategical recon is, IMO, more important then tactical recon.
EDIT-EDIT: And if Sangvis Ferri loose, it certainly wont be because we chose a slightly less optimal recon drone model...
My logic is that the bigger drones would effectively be invulnerable to small arm fire, including rifles. Meaning that unless G&K can carpet their territory with dedicated AA missiles and RADAR systems, they are effectively untouchable.
The smaller drones would be harder to hit but, as others have pointed out, Dolls are pretty good at aiming so only the G&K flesh soldiers would be unable (outside of a freak shot) to shoot them down.
So my logic was between an expensive but untouchable large drone and a slightly (to be debated) less expensive harder-to-hit small drone, I prefer the untouchable one.
And with Scarecrow mentioning that SF dont have a infinite number of drones and seem, in fact, struggling to send replacement when one is shot down, better to have a limited number of untouchable drones then a limited number of harder-to-hit ones.
EDIT: I'm not saying that small drones are useless, they are as much viable as the big ones. In a perfect world I would take them both, the small for tactical recon and larger for strategical recon but if we can only have single one, the capacity for strategical recon is, IMO, more important then tactical recon.
EDIT-EDIT: And if Sangvis Ferri loose, it certainly wont be because we chose a slightly less optimal recon drone model...
Okay, I guess if the Architect itself integrates that this is indeed a drone that is designed for tactical reconnaissance, then it could be useful... in the sense that tactical reconnaissance could use the same Scouts, I suppose?
I'm just really hoping that the Architect will explain this point and say that using them for reconnaissance in narrow spaces is NOT a good idea. It's better to use something else for that. Anything.
I apologize if my words may seem aggressive, but I really think that a small and cheap scout drone is better than a big, albeit flying one.
After all, you can say that these drones are designed for a very narrow specialization, reconnaissance from the air. Any normal shelters and rough terrain in this case become an obstacle for them and they can not go down to the ground, because they are simply not designed for this.
However, as I said, if you combine them with other methods of reconnaissance it can work. I suppose so. And that's also a point that needs to be made to the rest of us, yeah.
Enjoying the quest until ch12, can anyone tell me if the rape torture and suicide crops up again? Because it came out of left field in what is otherwise an enjoyable quest and it really isn't my cup of tea. Want to know in advance before reading anymore.
Enjoying the quest until ch12, can anyone tell me if the rape torture and suicide crops up again? Because it came out of left field in what is otherwise an enjoyable quest and it really isn't my cup of tea. Want to know in advance before reading anymore.
So, the Future™ version of a micro DJI drone, or a bigger drone that's outside of ground fire range? While I'm inclined to agree that simply not being within range of small arms is a pretty good for survivability, I'm also aware that G&K employ guided missile T-Dolls in the form of a TOW missile team, so I don't know that we'd be completely safe from them just deciding to roll out a new Stinger or Strela girl and start killing them that way. On the other hand, what'd be the cost of attrition versus the Kruggies throwing old cold war MANPADS at our drones, would that even be economical for them? Real world conflict seems to be leaning towards tiny quad copters, or in the case of the US even smaller than those, and while it'd certainly take more precise and therefore expensive machinery to produce them, less volume per drone is less material used, and therefore presumably cheaper units per each one lost, so that may also be a boon to us.
On the other hand, if we want these drones to be more useful than exclusively intelligence gathering, as again they're used for plenty in IRL conflicts, that bigger drone with the higher service ceiling might be plenty attractive!
Honestly, while I'm (probably pretty obviously) leaning one way I don't think I'm quite sure what the best option is here!
[Edit: Come to think of it, the main problem for these drones has been small arms fire, hasn't it? I was thinking "well what if they opt for a sensible hard counter" when that sort of thinking is for when you solve that problem and then they use that specific response, because they could always just not do that and shoot down our shiny new micro drones instead, hmm...]
Despite the amusement potential for a swarm of tiny drones to make Scarecrow the Doctor Bees of Sangvis Ferri, I think that altitude gain might be worth it for now, assuming no Stingers are had by the Kruggies!
Yeah, for all the complaints about the high-flying version getting shot down by being a big expensive target, nothing in the update gave me the impression that the new engines are larger. The new version should be the exact same size as before, only higher up.
Meaning a smaller target, that is also out of range of the majority of Griffin weapons. I could go on about how our opposition has significant limitations on fielded assets, and how we should be exploiting the heck out if that, but there's a much simpler fundamental rule here.
When trying to be sneaky, if you can do the exact same shit from further away, ALWAYS TAKE THE LONG RANGE OPTION. Doesn't matter if it is reconnaissance or artillery. Range is king.
A higher flying one to spot maneuvers by G&K, possibly even in their rear areas.
On the battlefield, this means we can see anyone without sufficient top cover.
It would also be physically impossible to shoot these down with small arms (assuming they fly high enough), forcing G&K to invest in some kind of AA system.
Observing G&K rear areas allows for more effective long-range fires as well as predicting their movements by observing the flow of supplies and troops.
A smaller drone would still be useful for scouting out buildings and fortifications, but dinergates can probably already do that, even if they are not very good at it.
...a higher-flying version. Ideally you'd like to have both and then some, but this one is probably a better stand-alone option. Scarecrow excuses herself to 'prepare for the test', whatever it means, and you get to work.
Retrofitting first. As you expected, the new propulsion system slots into the chassis without difficulties. Then comes rewiring, integrating, recalibrating and reprogramming both the chassis and the engine to make them actually work together. The task is more tedious than difficult, and it makes it harder for you. Before the sun goes down, you manage to assemble a working prototype and even do a couple of test flights above the workshop. All measured values match your calculations, no surprises, no pitfalls. Wow, this is quite rare now that you think about it!
Happy with the results, you decide to call it a day and go find Scarecrow, only to discover she had been recalled to her assigned deployment area.
'The enemy is on the move, all perimeter forces placed on high alert. Didn't want to distract you. Contact me when the new UAV is ready,' says her note. You quickly scan the SF network to see if anything major is happening, but it seems the situation isn't deteriorating. Apparently a sizeable G&K logistics convoy, including several petrol trucks, had managed to fight its way through the blockade that Agent had been enforcing until now, and combat activity of the enemy troops is expect to increase as a result.
Well, this doesn't concern you directly or change what you have to do. The absence of both Intruder and Scarecrow does make your base look desolated, so you retire for the night a bit earlier than planned.
Day two is all about optics. Indeed, you don't manufacture lenses, all your stock is imported from elsewhere and isn't unlimited. This is probably what Scarecrow meant when she mentioned sustainability. On the flipside, you have quite an amount stocked up and are not in immediate danger of running out.
You roughly calculate focal length and aperture, add variable zoom capability, and choose an arrangement of suitable lenses from your stock variety. Reusing the old tube turns out to be impossible, so you design and produce a new one for your needs. Alignment, calibration, dampers, sealing, stabilization, zoom mechanisms... everything here requires high degree of precision and is easy to screw up, so you take your time assembling everything together.
The new... telescope's capabilities are impressive. The image is crisp and bright, with only a hint of chromatic aberration at maximum magnification. You install it into the upgraded UAV and confirm everything is working together as expected. It's time to deliver the product! You hail Scarecrow the same instant.
Architect: Scarecrow, I have the package.
Scarecrow: Excellent. Can you come over? The testing ground is ready.
Scarecrow's current location is one of the closest to your workshop, and you do want to witness the debut of your creation. So you load the prototype on a train, jump in, and about half an hour later arrive at a fortified railway junction. There's a good chunk of daylight left, though dark clouds that seem to have appeared out of nowhere are closing in on the evening sun. Your customer's troops meet you and lead the way to the stronghold's heart, where you find Scarecrow in a situation room.
She turns to face you, and, to your relief, doesn't look particularly tense.
"I'm afraid I'll have to test the content first."
You beam at her and transfer a spec sheet and a brief user manual.
"Whenever you're ready!"
"Let's start then."
A big monitor in the room links up to the prototype UAV. You two watch as it soars up, rapidly gaining altitude.
"What are we going to do for the test?" you ask.
"A real recon mission. As I mentioned, there's enemy activity in my sector, but I can't come closer with my drones without risking them."
"Wow..." you manage as you try to convince yourself it's even better this way. There's no test as good as a real-world application, right?
Meanwhile the prototype accelerates and soon leaves Scarecrow's drones below... and a moment after the screen goes blank. Your heart sinks before you realize the image is still being transmitted. The drone has entered a cloud.
Scarecrow orders to continue ascend, and after what feels like too long, you're rewarded with a gorgeous view of the evening sun as the drone finally pierces the the blanket of clouds. It's beautiful, breathtaking even... almost enough to make you overlook a little problem. Almost.
With the clouds below, you can't see a thing on the ground.
You nearly miss a chair trying to sit down. How could you have forgotten about this trivial matter? The numbers... right, the standard altitude of the current model is below what's called the mid clouds type, and half of the low clouds type. Only the heaviest and rarest rainclouds are low enough to interfere. The prototype, however, is above all the low types and way into the mid types height. You try and fail to think of a solution or a workaround: your invention is bound to be weather-dependent. You shrink in anxiety of what Scarecrow is going to say now.
"I see a gap over there, and that area happens to be a secondary objective."
The drone adjusts its course and starts flying to where the clouds seem less dense. You're not sure if Scarecrow is lying to make you feel better, but you're grateful all the same. Keep calm, at least it's not going to get shot down.
The UAV arrives at the gap, and finally you see the ground below. A crisp image of a road between the trees, a group of Griffin T-Dolls who notice the drone right away and dejectedly don't even try to take a shot... it's working, everything is fine... a truck with more troops, sound of a helicopter...
...
No...
The drone's camera zooms out and rotates in the direction of the sound. A black dot closes in ineluctably, like a premonition of your failure. No, please... The drone attempts to back off, but the helicopter catches up effortlessly. No, not like that... You watch as a blond T-Doll with a red hairclip and mismatched eyes looks directly at you through the drone's camera... please... flips a bird right into your face... no!... before raising her machine gun and pulling the trigger.
No signal.
You close your eyes.
Scarecrow's request: major failure
Remaining days: 18
Breakthrough points: 2
Architect feels incompetent. All R&D actions take 2x days until a major success is achieved.
Ooph. Not sure there is a winning option. Aim-bot hax, enough kick in their weapons to hit high-altitude, low enough propulsion that it takes minutes to get in position anyway.
Yeah, this honestly feels like there isn't really a winning option rather than it being one or the other. The smaller ones would still have to deal with aim-bot hax and any t-doll spotting them being able to pop them out of the air.
[x] move on
The 2x debuff is a yikes with only 18 days though. Like, are you sure that's mechanically balanced kind of yikes.
Noooooo, my baby!
Clearly, the only reasonable thing to do is add a pylon for an optional Stinger missile or something, so our poor girl can defend herself.
Shrinking it down is honestly just going to have the same issue of T-dolls shooting it down. Ironically enough we'd likely be better off making it even bigger so that it can outrace helicopters. That or have a higher ceiling at 30k feet or more.
