Drone Sector – stylish future combat drone simulator with tactical depth

Indie developer Ingmar Trump is working on Drone Sector – a project that combines the role of an AC-130 gunship with the reconnaissance capabilities of an MQ-9 Reaper drone in a futuristic setting. The demo is already available on Steam and promises tactical depth with emphasis on mission planning and execution.

In Drone Sector players control an advanced combat drone, providing air support and coordinating ground squads through commands. The concept is straightforward – keep troops alive, complete objectives, gather resources, and recruit engineers while researching improved weaponry for the gunship and squads.

Missions demand strategic decisions about resource collection. Ground squads can be sent into buildings or key locations to extract vital materials and research documents, but this comes with risks. Linger too long and squads may be lost to overwhelming enemy forces. Deciding when to evacuate personnel and when to push for valuable rewards falls on the player.

Between missions, players can upgrade the gunship, squads, and weapons at the base. Managing ammunition production and researching new technologies increases survival chances in the field. Technological superiority becomes the key factor against a numerically superior enemy.

The game offers several camera modes – color, night vision, and thermal imaging. The developer recently improved the latter, making it even more powerful – it now sees through regular smoke grenades, just like in real life. There's also a new setting to disable enemy indicators on the HUD, significantly increasing difficulty – players must spot opponents manually.

Trump actively refines the project. Recent updates include improvements to the overall interface and in-mission HUD, work on save systems, research progression, and ammunition production. On the new map, ground troops complain too much about being under fire, which nevertheless adds realism.

Drone Sector positions itself not as a pure military simulator, but as a tactical game focused on mission planning and execution, with greater flexibility in mission design and arsenal. Handcrafted levels combine with randomized missions, creating balance between predictability and surprise.

No exact release date yet, but you can add it to your wishlist.