This mod is currently very unbalanced. Here's why:
Take any credits sum and role and compare the two. In my attached example, I have two ships at 80K cost. One is a drone with AI module, the other a crewed ship.
Vs the crewed ship, the drone receives:
2x large rear engines and 2x medium retro thrusters vs 1x large rear engine.
9x cannons vs 6x cannons.
Additional armour.
2x anti-missile vs none.
Drone always receive the following advantages vs crewed ships in any design:
- Fire cannot spread.
- Weapons always fire at 100% fire rate, (as they cannot suffer ammo shortages or crew death).
- Modules cannot be cut off due to no walkable path.
- Modules receive instant power delivery.
- Credits saved on not having any doors.
Due to the AI Module, the only achilles heel of drones is negated. Furthermore, the range of the "Transmitter" module is so far, that any drone control ship doesn't even have to include itself in the battle - it can sit far away.
Modules need repricing to reflect the advantages that drones have over crewed ships. As it stands, any larger, (say, 200K+), design has no reason to continue using manned weapons. You only have to make up a 20K control room cost. A missile battery, for example, can consist of drone cores and auto-missile launchers at a large cost saving - even with 1 core per launcher. (33.5K for launcher, factory, crew quarters vs 15K for auto-launcher and large core).
This post factors in the future release of all weapons in an automated/drone form.
