Dogs Of War Vu

Sim/Strategy/War => Games Discussion => Topic started by: Asid on July 20, 2026, 04:39:30 PM

Title: Drone Sector : futuristic gunship game
Post by: Asid on July 20, 2026, 04:39:30 PM
(https://shared.fastly.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/3279440/9417319f909f2fabe957cb66b8ad5bb1f8372401/header.jpg)

Drone Sector is a futuristic gunship game. Provide close air support by firing variety of weapons at the enemies and guide your allied troops via commands. Keep your troops alive, complete objectives, collect resources and recruit engineers. Research better weaponry for the gunship and the troops.


Home page  (https://icosphere.dev/drone-sector)
Steam  (https://store.steampowered.com/app/3279440/Drone_Sector/)
Single Player



Drone Sector - Demo Trailer 2026



About

(https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/665e3841c8172827df38a1d0/b4f96765-485c-417b-aedc-7cf79e866c8f/Steam_Combat.webp?format=750w)

Futuristic Drone Gunship
Drone Sector fuses the gunship close air support role with the drone's observation and mission command. Inspired by the real-life AC-130 gunship and MQ-9 Reaper drone, it merges these powerful roles in a futuristic setting, where advanced technology and heavier firepower enable you to take on more complex and dangerous missions. While not a pure military simulator, the focus remains on tactical planning and execution, with greater flexibility in mission design and weaponry.

(https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/665e3841c8172827df38a1d0/89a3cc3b-23ea-4692-8eba-eb20f07a8b3c/Steam_Maps_Slow.webp?format=750w)

Mission Control
Guide your squads as they advance through hostile environments to achieve mission objectives. Command with precision, helping them avoid traps and eliminating high-priority threats with your overwhelming firepower. Outnumbered by enemy forces, you'll need to maximize your technological superiority to turn the tide.

(https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/665e3841c8172827df38a1d0/636ed4a7-7e1d-4f6a-be70-267d60d7aff2/Steam_Command.webp?format=750w)

Mission-to-Mission Progression
During each mission, you'll need to make strategic decisions about resource gathering. Send your ground squads into buildings or key areas to collect vital resources and research documents—but this comes with risk. Stay too long, and you may lose your squad to overwhelming enemy forces. Decide when to extract and when to push your luck for valuable rewards.

Between missions back at base, upgrade your gunship, squads, and weapons. Manage your ammo production and research new technologies to improve your chances in the field.

(https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/665e3841c8172827df38a1d0/88bca257-c4cb-4ffd-b52b-8c2a4d5b8016/Steam_Explode.webp?format=750w)

(https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/665e3841c8172827df38a1d0/8d8f8a1e-1eb7-4ecd-ae37-a9bc2b1645f1/Steam_Squad.webp?format=750w)

(https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/665e3841c8172827df38a1d0/22226c0c-6154-4adb-971b-a160b8cb7973/Steam_Base.webp?format=750w)


Key Features

AI Generated Content Disclosure
The developers describe how their game uses AI Generated Content like this:

No AI-generated content during gameplay. Non-English text localizations are AI-translated placeholders.


Mature Content Description
The developers describe the content like this:

Military combat involving firearms and explosions, resulting in enemy casualties. There is no depiction of blood, gore, or sexual content. Players engage in tactical missions where combat is between military forces. The game does not include depictions of drug or alcohol abuse, sexual assault, or self-harm.
Title: Re: Drone Sector : futuristic gunship game
Post by: Asid on July 20, 2026, 04:40:14 PM
(https://shared.fastly.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/3279440/63000c2742e7a99c8f7654ad386306f9ecc210c9/ss_63000c2742e7a99c8f7654ad386306f9ecc210c9.1920x1080.jpg)

(https://shared.fastly.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/3279440/6a2a95ee4a270c43452c665ce186b389cb7c2e95/ss_6a2a95ee4a270c43452c665ce186b389cb7c2e95.1920x1080.jpg)

(https://shared.fastly.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/3279440/ed14d763d737300a0c3090b40086eb219a614b5b/ss_ed14d763d737300a0c3090b40086eb219a614b5b.1920x1080.jpg)

(https://shared.fastly.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/3279440/c20dbfc93165619ff190071f8bb393ca3aa80782/ss_c20dbfc93165619ff190071f8bb393ca3aa80782.1920x1080.jpg)

(https://shared.fastly.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/3279440/5ff05bb58a86572cb0e0dcbca7cf9e4d3dd35d87/ss_5ff05bb58a86572cb0e0dcbca7cf9e4d3dd35d87.1920x1080.jpg)

(https://shared.fastly.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/3279440/ba51d2aa8220cf55153a76bf9e9d8cbe21590f68/ss_ba51d2aa8220cf55153a76bf9e9d8cbe21590f68.1920x1080.jpg)

(https://shared.fastly.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/3279440/3e242ac47ce1248d54dfb9a749cbf9e0f5e2f39c/ss_3e242ac47ce1248d54dfb9a749cbf9e0f5e2f39c.1920x1080.jpg)

(https://shared.fastly.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/3279440/1269c2f6e7262f6e8e758bf2982369ac73ed0ea2/ss_1269c2f6e7262f6e8e758bf2982369ac73ed0ea2.1920x1080.jpg)

(https://shared.fastly.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/3279440/1924652826ac88496f9629e47975855c80d86957/ss_1924652826ac88496f9629e47975855c80d86957.1920x1080.jpg)

(https://shared.fastly.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/3279440/3507c757c06bd70ab87e6d9666e34de855f244d9/ss_3507c757c06bd70ab87e6d9666e34de855f244d9.1920x1080.jpg)
Title: Re: Drone Sector : futuristic gunship game
Post by: Asid on July 20, 2026, 04:40:48 PM
(https://shared.fastly.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/3279440/5377710792d090004072779d7e0c899d9e4d4df0/ss_5377710792d090004072779d7e0c899d9e4d4df0.1920x1080.jpg)

(https://shared.fastly.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/3279440/be45633cba4a2d74501e02cfcb2e705e2884e146/ss_be45633cba4a2d74501e02cfcb2e705e2884e146.1920x1080.jpg)

(https://shared.fastly.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/3279440/9a6f20aa34bd81e300377a02374e5cc6f317eb2b/ss_9a6f20aa34bd81e300377a02374e5cc6f317eb2b.1920x1080.jpg)

(https://shared.fastly.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/3279440/c2026a9a94aa51d1e4f01c5d05bfbd273623f0d8/ss_c2026a9a94aa51d1e4f01c5d05bfbd273623f0d8.1920x1080.jpg)

(https://shared.fastly.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/3279440/d111fc395403d2eb8b0dbaf635d9136fbdf445a7/ss_d111fc395403d2eb8b0dbaf635d9136fbdf445a7.1920x1080.jpg)

(https://shared.fastly.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/3279440/814dedf0c7653abfcf595738316691f57aacde5a/ss_814dedf0c7653abfcf595738316691f57aacde5a.1920x1080.jpg)

(https://shared.fastly.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/3279440/ff72a634a186a7903ca402293ba31662aee5bcea/ss_ff72a634a186a7903ca402293ba31662aee5bcea.1920x1080.jpg)
Title: Re: Drone Sector : futuristic gunship game
Post by: Asid on July 31, 2026, 07:32:00 PM
v0.1.4 - Pathfinding Update
Fri, July 31, 2026

(https://shared.fastly.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/3279440/63000c2742e7a99c8f7654ad386306f9ecc210c9/ss_63000c2742e7a99c8f7654ad386306f9ecc210c9.jpg)

This update reworks the tactical pathfinding and vehicle movement systems, alongside several map, balance, and UI changes.


A new previous-version branch is also available on Steam. This allows you to return to v0.1.3 if the latest update causes problems. It can be selected from: Steam - Drone Sector - Properties - Game Versions & Betas - previous-version

Added
Added a public previous-version Steam branch containing v0.1.3.

Changed
Adjusted the lighting on the Patagonia Heights map.

Added more roads to the Flatland Airbase map.

Added large rocks around the starting areas of the Dry Foothills map, providing additional early cover and concealment.

Changed the HUD toggle key from H to Numpad 0.

UI
Hid research options that have not yet been implemented.

Increased the maximum gamepad aiming sensitivity to 100x.

Smoothed the squad movement lines displayed on the HUD. These lines are intended as loose guides rather than exact representations of the paths squads will follow. Squads retain some autonomy when moving, and short sections of the line may pass through walls or buildings.

Fixed
Vehicles now slow down more cautiously before making turns.

Balance
Direct hits from the railgun now deal armor-piercing damage instead of high-explosive damage.

Increased the railgun's area-of-effect damage.

Disabled ground-to-ground friendly fire on all difficulty levels. It remains available as an option in Sandbox Mode.


Technical
Reworked the tactical pathfinding layer. It now pre-calculates more navigation data, and the tactical navigation graph is generated automatically. This allows for faster iteration, improved consistency, and denser pathfinding data.

Reworked vehicle movement physics and AI. The new configuration provides finer and clearer control over vehicle behavior, making adjustments easier and addressing several weaknesses of the previous system.

Possible Issues
The higher-resolution tactical pathfinding data may have a greater performance cost. There are several potential ways to optimize it, but the current priority is to verify that the new system works correctly and measure its actual performance impact.


Known Issues
Infantry squad formation direction does not yet adjust to follow the shape of the path.

Vehicles may occasionally become stuck moving back and forth near trees, rocks, or other small obstacles. Issuing a new move order will usually resolve the issue. A fix is planned for the next update.
Title: Re: Drone Sector : futuristic gunship game
Post by: Asid on August 11, 2026, 02:53:51 PM
v0.1.5 - Combat Systems Update
Tue, August 11, 2026

(https://shared.fastly.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/3279440/3e242ac47ce1248d54dfb9a749cbf9e0f5e2f39c/ss_3e242ac47ce1248d54dfb9a749cbf9e0f5e2f39c.jpg)

This update reworks several of Drone Sector's underlying combat systems, including projectile damage, explosions, and weapon configuration. Explosions can now use separate near and far damage areas instead of relying on a single explosion radius, providing more control over how different weapons deal damage.

Weapon and ammo selection UI has also been expanded to expose more of this information to the player. The new combat system is easier to balance and expand, and serves as an important foundation for more advanced damage behavior and potential weapon-stat modding in the future.

Vehicle movement and pathfinding also received another significant reliability pass. Vehicles should now handle corners more carefully, collide with walls less often, and recover from problematic movement situations much more reliably.


Added


Changed


Combat


Pathfinding & Vehicle Movement


Fixed


Balance


UI


Save Compatibility


Known Issues

Technical

Title: Re: Drone Sector : futuristic gunship game
Post by: Asid on August 17, 2026, 03:45:03 PM
v0.1.6 - Anti-Air & Weapon Balance Hotfix
Mon, August 17, 2026

(https://shared.fastly.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/3279440/63000c2742e7a99c8f7654ad386306f9ecc210c9/ss_63000c2742e7a99c8f7654ad386306f9ecc210c9.jpg)

I originally planned to move straight from v0.1.5 into the larger v0.2.0 update, which is mainly focused on vehicle mounting and dismounting. However, after quite a few reports about anti-air balance over the past week, I decided to pause that work briefly and push out one more smaller update first.

v0.1.6 focuses mainly on making flak and missiles fairer and more reliable to fight against, along with a few weapon balance changes. Work on v0.2.0 will continue after this.

Changed

Fixed

Balance

Title: Re: Drone Sector : futuristic gunship game
Post by: Asid on August 25, 2026, 12:06:38 AM
v0.2.0 - Vehicle Transport
Mon, August 24, 2026

(https://clan.fastly.steamstatic.com/images/45289376/ed1e0bf114c8248739438b597d8cd677e4107af6.jpg)

This is the first update since launch a month ago that brings larger gameplay changes rather than mainly fixes and improvements.

Vehicle transport had been in my plans for a while, but player feedback pushed it to the top of my gameplay priorities. Bugs and the worst pathfinding problems still came first, but this became the main new system I wanted to get into the game.

(https://clan.fastly.steamstatic.com/images//45289376/7d402e807d5073611bd34450511c0564d6b29183.gif)

Vehicle Transport

Infantry squads can now mount friendly vehicles and use them for transport.

With an infantry squad selected, target a friendly vehicle to give a mount command. The squad will move toward it and mount once close enough. If the vehicle moves while they are approaching, the squad will continue following it.

Once mounted, the squad travels with the vehicle until ordered to dismount or until the vehicle is destroyed.

This should make infantry considerably easier to reposition, especially on larger maps. Instead of slowly walking between objectives, squads can now travel with APCs, IFVs, or other friendly vehicles and dismount where they are needed.

This does not solve every problem infantry currently has. Their combat effectiveness and survivability still need more work, but vehicle transport removes one of their bigger limitations.

Squad Commands

The vehicle transport system also required new squad commands. I ended up adding four: mount, dismount, capture objective, and destroy objective.

The objective commands are more than just different labels for move orders. Capture commands keep squad members inside the capture zone until the objective is completed. Destroy commands make squads look for a position with line of sight to the target and prioritize attacking it.

This also makes command queueing more useful. A queued capture or destroy command now remains active until that objective is completed, instead of ending as soon as the squad reaches its destination.

Commands are selected contextually based on where you aim. Aim at a destroy objective to give a destroy command, inside a capture zone to give a capture command, or at a friendly vehicle to mount it. If the selected squad is already mounted, targeting the ground gives a dismount command.

Command HUD

With more contextual commands, it also became more important to show what a click is actually going to do.

The center command icon now changes depending on what you are aiming at and which squad is selected. It can show movement, mounting, dismounting, capture and destroy commands, along with a blocked state when the selected squad cannot move to the targeted area.

What's Next

There is still quite a lot I want to improve on the ground-combat side of Drone Sector.

Vehicle transport helps with getting infantry around the battlefield, but infantry effectiveness still needs work. I want to improve the visibility and accuracy systems, especially situations where vehicles spot troops through trees too quickly and land accurate shots almost immediately.

I also want infantry to make better use of cover, making stationary or well-positioned squads harder to spot and hit while improving their effectiveness in return.

- Ingmar

Full Patch Notes

Added

s.

Changed


Fixed


Known Issues

Title: Re: Drone Sector : futuristic gunship game
Post by: Asid on September 16, 2026, 12:19:11 AM
v0.3.0 - Spotting & Accuracy
Mon, September 14, 2026

(https://clan.fastly.steamstatic.com/images/45289376/7ab51cdbbdf90091bd686d7f372e6a580b48aedc.jpg)

Spotting & Accuracy
One of the biggest issues infantry has had in Drone Sector is dying too quickly. In some situations that makes sense. They aren't super soldiers, and if a shell lands next to them, they will probably die.

The problem was broader than that, though. In infantry-to-infantry firefights, entire squads could get wiped out within seconds, even at ranges over 100 meters. A big reason was that infantry effectively always hit their shots and dealt considerable bullet damage. The system did not really account for the fact that most shots in a firefight should miss.

The new system has a few layers to it.
Before any shooting happens, units first have to spot potential targets. Previously this was mostly just a line of sight check. If an enemy was visible and within a certain distance, they were spotted almost immediately, regardless of what the target was doing or how visible it actually was.

Now line of sight is only the prerequisite. From there, visibility depends on the target itself. Moving units are easier to detect, while prone and stationary infantry are harder to spot. Large vehicles are naturally much easier to see than individual soldiers. Firing a weapon also makes a unit much easier to detect for a short time.

Spotting also depends on the observer. A stationary unit can focus more on watching its surroundings, while a unit on the move takes longer to detect targets.

This also gives me more room to differentiate units in the future. For example, troops with NVGs could spot enemies faster at night, while suppressed weapons could make firing less revealing.
Once an enemy is spotted, accuracy uses a separate but similar system. The longer a target has been observed, the easier it becomes to hit. Firing at the same target also gradually improves accuracy against that specific target. If an AT crew misses its first shot at a tank, it should have a much better chance of landing the second one.

Movement matters here too. Moving targets are harder to hit, and firing while moving reduces accuracy.

Overall, a squad holding a position should now have a real advantage over an enemy approaching it. The moving troops are easier to spot first, while the stationary squad has more stable aim and more time to observe them.

There are a lot of variables involved in these systems, so getting the balance right will take some time, testing, and player feedback.

Background Work
Besides the bug fixes, smaller feature additions, and the larger visibility changes, there has also been some less visible background work.

For example, I created my own procedural road generator. Previously I used a plugin, but it had several issues that kept bothering me. It was tedious to work with, visually quite limited, and recently started causing navigation problems around road junctions.

The new system gives me much more control, the roads look better in my opinion, and they are considerably faster to work with.

I've also spent some time looking into externally configurable unit stats.

Balancing the game takes a lot of work, and it is probably impossible to find one balance setup that feels perfect for everyone. Allowing unit stats to be modified outside the game could make it easier for players to experiment with their own balance setups, while also making it easier to test different values and provide useful feedback.

This is still experimental and there is a lot of work left before it becomes something properly usable, but I now have a much better idea of what would be required.
- Ingmar

Full Patch Notes

Added


Changed


Fixed


Technical


Known Issues