Sarten Defense Drone

The Sarten Defense Drone is ge-next's active Sarten patrol ship and a Droid rather than a Cybertron. It is not the same class or AI as classic GE's Cybertron-type Sarten Attack Drone. Unlike a civilian transport, this ship can select a target before it is attacked.

ge-next behavior

The stock SDDx2 has maximum Mark-6 shields, Mark-10 phasers, warp 50, a 250,000-distance-unit scanner, and a 100-point kill value. Its acceleration is comparatively low. Newly generated patrols tend to appear farther from the center in sufficiently large galaxies.

An unassigned patrol can choose a nearby player whose Sarten dislike exceeds 50, provided that player's class meets the configured minimum and another Defense Drone has not already claimed them. Depending on the Cybertron-attack setting, it can instead select an idle Cybertron. It hails nearby players, but does not need to wait to be damaged before it starts pursuing an eligible target.

The Drone uses fast travel to close large distances, drops toward impulse as it approaches, and makes close combat passes rather than simply stopping on top of a target. It can use phasers and torpedoes at suitable range, lay a mine during a very close pass, then turn away and accelerate. If the target is near mines, it may use a zipper. These attacks depend on range, visibility, stock, reload state, and neutral-zone restrictions. If the target becomes invisible, the pursuit can eventually be abandoned; jamming can disrupt its normal target handling. Its routine does not use the civilian Droid distress-call path. See ge-next NPC ship classes for full class settings.

Hails

The patrol's routine beacons identify its defensive mission, warn ships not to interfere, and invite help against Cybertrons. To a player with hostile Sarten standing, it sends accusations or warnings instead. If attacked, it responds with condemnations of the player's actions. Unlike civilian Droids, the Defense Drone does not use the distress-call path.

See also

• Droids, faction rules, Mines, and Zippers
• Sarten Civil Transport

Home · Play · Reference · Versions & history · Sysop · Development · Classic bugs