So who wrote the Loading screen tip that describes the history and behavior of the hive queen? An automologist, of course! (Automology - the study of automatons, also known as bots. -- Please excuse my Latin.)

Seriously, there's got to be researchers who want to study the behavior of the hive bots but don't have the skill to do it themselves. So they need a space jock to go out and collect data for them. Some ideas:

1. Scanning. Use a research-grade scanner to aquire information on the current generation of bots. Since you will be aquiring research grade data, you need to be closer to the target than with a normal scanner (within 100m). Another idea: for a clean reading, the scanner must scan for 1+ seconds and you can't get hit during that time or the reading won't be valid.

2. Tagging. To follow migrational and breeding patterns, bots need to be tagged. The "tagger" could work like the repair tool: small projectile, slow, and poor auto-aim.

3. Sample collection. Bring back "samples" of the bots (scrap metal) or their contents (cargo). There would need to be specific targets to differentiate it from a normal scrap-collecting mission (e.g. "kill an assult in Latos K-12 and bring back its sample").

To make the mission take longer, you would get a list of bot types, like the advanced combat mission. Difficulty would be set by changing the bot type. A high difficulty misson would involve researching hive queens.

I like this idea! Two thumbs up!!

A while ago I proposed a Stormchaser mission where daring scientists would take scanners into ion storms to collect samples for a research station.

I thought if the researchers had storm data they could develop ion storm radars to sell to pilots.

I like the idea of creating a network of field researchers.

Yes, excellent! I missed the Stormchaser mission suggestion, that sounds great too.

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