spy probes (aka probe droids)
 

a special device which can be sent to a planet.
the probe does not return home unless recalled. instead, it shows all future combat reports on that planet.

the probe is cloaked, indestructible, and does not show on any scans, but you may not include any other ships in a fleet with a probe.

Re: spy probes (aka probe droids)
 

Why trade a fleet slot for a news scan?

Re: spy probes (aka probe droids)
 

because the news scan does not show news from the last 3 ticks.
and, the probe will stay at the planet and report all combats for free. regardless of how many distorters the planet has.

Re: spy probes (aka probe droids)
 

do you realize how silly this is?

Re: spy probes (aka probe droids)
 

you say it's silly. why? is it useless, too weak, too powerful?
basically, the idea is to get (continued) intelligence on the target planet at the expense of a fleet slot.

Re: spy probes (aka probe droids)
 

So, if there is no traveltime, what you'd just do is have a slot free for 5 seconds, launch the 'probe', get the link to the "scan" and review it, immediately recall the probe fleet slot, and then use that slot to send defence or another attack or whatever?

You can get around this by having a travel time restriction (ie, it actually has to "launch" over a tick), but then its only a 1 tick advantage or so. I'm not sure it would really be worth the effort when a News scan would be available the following tick.

Also, Jammers arent so much of a problem with alliance scanners and #transcendency. :\

Re: spy probes (aka probe droids)
 

First of all, its impossible to avoid this cause its indestructible, distorters are there for a reason. Secondly, you don't have to waste your own fleet slot to do this - abuse scanners. Thirdly, news scan anyone?

Re: spy probes (aka probe droids)
 

Well if there is no way to stop such a probe, wave distorters become useless.
"For every dist whore there is an amp whole" I like this and i don't want alliance scanners to become useless after tick x when "all" ppl have finished the scan research.

Secondly if you want to get this info from someone you don't have to use your own fleetslots. You can "ask a friend" to do it for you.
It looks like a perfect door opener for support planets and multies.

So on one side it is useless, just ask for your newsie in #transcendancy
On one side it's overpowered as there is no way to stop probes and on another side it attracts cheating.

Re: spy probes (aka probe droids)
 

a probe has traveltime like any other fleet, it's just that the probe stays on the target planet instead of returning (and the fleet slot is occupied until the probe is recalled and has travelled home).

it is intended for solo players who do not rely on external sources like alliance scanners or transcendancy.

as for counter measures, i haven't thought out this yet. the planet may have a % chance each tick to detect a probe and send it back to its origin.

as for multi issues, this is not worse than it is now. if you create a support account for scanning, or a support account for probing, both is the same in terms of cheating.

Re: spy probes (aka probe droids)
 

You contradict yourself man.

Re: spy probes (aka probe droids)
 

how is that a contradiction?

Re: spy probes (aka probe droids)
 

well this percentage should work with the dists/amps of the planet who is probed/probing

to have a "reason" for that:
for a dist heavy planet the probe has to increase it's signal strength to send data to the homeworld
if the homeworld don't have many amps the probe has to increase it's signal strength to send data or else the data won't be received
and strong signals are easier to dedect

Well there is a slight difference

A scanner can feed from the ally fund for scans, build ships and send them to attack/defense for his/her ally.

A "prober" can build ships and....
well that's it as the fleetslots are used a prober can't realy do anything else so it's not efficient to have a prober in the ally if the ally size is limited.
The temptation for out of ally support planets is bigger than it is for scanners.

Even if a "prober" uses only 1 of his fleetslot for probing, then there are only 2 slots left, instead of those 3 a scanner can use

ppl who don't want to be in an ally and don't even bother to go to #transcendany and ask for a scan are usually those half active players. Due to that they are usually small so the usually attack other small half active players. If they can't scan one, they take the next one. This players don't fight alliance wars, they don't pick their target due to fact that the target is ranked 1 or 2 places above them. They just attack "good" targets.

The only real use i can see for such a probe would be on this nasty dist whore who is in the "wrong" ally or has the "wrong" rank. So it will be used by those big alliances who have reached the member limit. Here comes the temptaion for support planets again.

Re: spy probes (aka probe droids)
 

Why would you need intelligence on a single planet if you play solo? Cause you have genuine interest on that planets incoming and outgoing fleets?

Re: spy probes (aka probe droids)
 

I think the argument was that you'd attack that planet with two fleet slots; one with ships in it, the other with these probes in it - timed such taht the probes arrive at least one tick before the main fleet. Then you'll have some idea as to the fleet that may actually be at a jammer heavy planet, which you woudlnt normally be able to attack as you dont have as many amps and no access to alliance scanners.

If this suggestion had been put forward a few rounds ago, there would have been some merit to it; however, with the rise of #transencdency, i dont think it is now relevent.

Re: spy probes (aka probe droids)
 

One should keep in mind that #transcendancy is not a game feature. The channel could cease to exist at any time, after which you'll be slapping yourselves for rejecting suggestions that would've contributed to reaching the same goals as the channel strives to reach.

Re: spy probes (aka probe droids)
 

That's quite true, and a good point.