Environments

“Space is big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist’s, but that’s just peanuts to space.”

Unknown

It is without question that space is big, in fact to a human’s mind, it is infinite. As a drone operator, you never have to fight in the same arena twice if you don’t want to, though some of them still compete in the very same arena over and over again, because they fell in love with its geologic features, its architecture, its setting, its atmospheric conditions or the lack of such.

How does this affect the exploration aspect of DRONE? It means that whenever a player creates, and decides to publish a new arena, it becomes a new explorable point in the universe.

Here is an excerpt of the astronomic bodies, arenas can be built on or above:

• Earthlike Planets (or Moons)

  These offer the greatest environmental variety. Arenas can be built in different zones: deserts, forests, grasslands and marshes are just a few examples. Atmospheric and gravitational conditions can vary from our home planet but are generally within habitable limits. Weather is a very important factor on earthlike planets and has to be taken into account when deciding suitable drone builds. Temperatures can range from -70°C to +70°C.

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Among other aspects, gravitational anomalies can also occur.

• Desert Planets (or Moons)

  Water and vegetation occurrences are very limited. The surface can be completely covered with sand, bare rocks or anything between. Temperatures range from -150°C to +150°C. Implementation of a cooling/heating unit may be necessary for drone builds. Desert Planets can be counted in the family of earthlike planets in some cases.

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• Ice Planets (or Moons)

  The surface is completely covered with ice or snow. Precipitation can be extremely strong. The ice can consist of water or any other gas. A good thermal regulation unit is recommended for drone builds. Enemy spotting is very easy under such conditions when a thermal camera is used, as the thermal footprint of an operational drone is quite large when the background is ranging from -10°C to -250°C. Ice Planets can be counted in the family of earthlike planets in some cases.

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• Oceanic Planets (or Moons)

  The surface consists completely of water. Temperatures range from -10°C to +90°C.

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• Lava Planets (or Moons)

  The heat, whether it comes from volcanic activity or from proximity to its sun, is tremendous. Contact with the planet surface can harm a drone dramatically if no precautions are taken. A good cooling unit is obligatory for drone builds which are used in close or medium proximity of the surface. Temperatures range from +250° to +1500°.

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• Gas Giants (or Moons)

  No ground is anywhere to be found, view distances are extremely short within the atmosphere and gravity is extremely strong. Temperatures can range from -250°C to +250°C. A radar unit is very important to improve the ability to spot allies & enemies.

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• Asteroids

  No Atmosphere, no considerable gravity, the surface is mostly covered with craters.

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• Atmospheric conditions & weather

  The planets and moons can have different types of weather conditions based on temperatures, presence of fluids, etc. The precipitation can be snow, rain, hail and even a rain of meteorites. A rain of meteorites can cause heavy damage to the drones. To a certain degree, a drone can be protected from certain meteor sizes with heavy armor. But beyond that, the only way of preventing damage would be to take shelter inside a building. The planets and moon can have local a thunderstorm or there can be severe global thunderstorms with constant lightning.

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