Silly question about CommNet

[labarca123]

So i just update to 1.2.2 after a long time of not playing.. i see there is a CommNet now but idk what does it do?.. i have read that is something with unmanded ships.. but i just fly with no problems like 10 unmanded ships that i left on Ike's (Duna's moon) orbit..

[bewing]

CommNet is optional. There is a button on your Difficulty Options settings screen to turn it off.

When you upgrade from an older version, CommNet is supposed to default to "off".

CommNet adds the concept of antenna range to the game. So it makes the game harder. You need to be in range to be able to transmit experiments through an antenna. You need to have at least a tiny amount of signal in order to be able to fully control unmanned ships. If you go out of range, your control level for the ship may be decreased or eliminated (depending on your settings). So it makes a need for pilots on ships (who can always keep the ship in full control), or for relay antennas. However, setting up a relay network is complicated because you need to understand the mathematics of antenna ranges (see the wiki).