Even if in a post WW3 world, drones would still have their use.
Even if in a post WW3 world, drones would still have their use.
Like eyebots
It depends on if you can keep the supply chain going. Drones are highly complex machines that require a lot of special parts (both mechanical and computer). So you need enough people with the resources, talent, and machinery to produce them. Then you have to have people who are skilled in using them. Then you have to have an organization large enough and rich enough to buy them.
Would a random raider group love to get their hands on a drone? Sure, absolutely. But most don't have anywhere near the resource or talent pool to make them.
The Institute might have the resources and knowledge, but they're already creating synths quite successfully. They have no need for drones. (Isn't there a conspiracy that the birds in the Commonwealth are Institute synths? Can't remember if that's confirmed or not).
Caesar's Legion might have need for drones, but I doubt they have the technical knowledge to produce them.
The BOS might have the knowledge and resources, but they seem to have a pretty small population spread throughout the country. I don't know if they have a large enough manufacturing base to pull it off. Besides, they seem pretty locked in on power armor.
The Enclave might make sense. I haven't played 3 yet.
Excluding the Enclave, the only faction that might have the resources, knowledge, manufacturing base, and need for drones is the NCR. I'm sure their soldiers would love to use those against Caesar's Legion. But in NV, we see that the NCR's supply lines are very precarious. Maybe they can do more in the heartland, but they can barely keep their frontline soldiers supplied with basic food, ammo, or medical supplies, much less high tech drones.
Ok thanks AnomanderRake13 which I guess those IRL drones (with loitering munitions) be useful for only specific group u mentioned.
^^ Yes, most of the birds in the Commonwealth are synths creates by the Institute.
https://fallout.fandom.com/wiki/Watcher_Initiative
Well…uh…
Maybe they’d be the same amount of “effective” except it’ll only happen 1 time for them since no one can practically retrieve them anyway, right? Because it’s too risky?
I guess I got a list.
Enclave=Kill everyone, so using advanced drones to do so isn't far off they want to bomb people from the sky.
Insitute=Kill everyone, replace everyone, or outlive everyone. But using something like that might be out of their mindset. Judging by the fact their advanced tech seems more on the lines of highly advanced artificial sense plus espionage. Less on the mechanized side.
BoS=Distances themselves from interactions with locals mostly. Doesn't mean they won't have a use later. BoS just are mixed with objectives. Once they got to an all out open warfare with the Enclave, the next they are in shambles after being crippled by the NCR in the Mojave, then they are fighting a regional war for dominance over the Commonwealth. States a part, different Elders, different goals.
NCR=They might be the slowest but the more liberal in a sense of they have the advantage of freedom of growth with various skillsets such as engineers, politics, medicine, and technology and other trades like electricians, carpenters, welders. Without the threat of execution, or being tortured, or a militaristic lead the entire time being the only drive.
I kind of feel like Fallout teeters between post apocalyptic hell scape to future dystopian world with the shells of the "old world" lingering and is always present.
I came in here to say pretty much what @AnomanderRake13 said. Drones require a tech base just to exist that I'm not sure exists in the Fallout world anymore. First of all, one of the points of divergence between the game world and our consensus reality is the invention of the transistor -- in the game world, it either wasn't invented, or was invented much later. Then there's the whole question of batteries.
So I think Eyebots are the drones of that world, and as others have mentioned, the Institute has synth birds that act as drones for them.
As far as Peter and Mary Raider? Nah, they're not going to have usable drones. Most of them have difficulty with green raster terminals for text, and even the Rust Devils, who specialize in tech, don't really understand it.
And actually, I think even groups who have a tame eyebot generally won't be using it to full capacity. Witness Peepers at the Atom Cats garage, who is almost impossible to keep alive in the Gunner ambush, and doesn't really warn anyone that it's coming.
What do you think?