The drones are only available after a certain tech level and require a lot of power to operate on a large scale. They have pros and cons like all the other tech. You need a balance of drones with well planned conveyer belt layouts to do really well. +1 for factorio, biggest non-baby timesink I've had in years

Create very compact base, with 3 drone towers around it, so drones will be in fly for much less time. Automate everything, up to drones. Profit. Solar power solves problem with energy. Only mining is left, which is easy to layout with drones. Most of the time after drones I'm watching or laying out solar panels and batteries just for fun, until launch.