Architect Archive
Thread: Top Issues
darmokVtS
Mon Mar 22, 2004 11:25 am
#53
BabyRancor wrote:Having a command that spawns a creature or creature lair at a given waypoint, with the ability to pick and choose said creature type from the spawn table for the current area, would make rangers an invaluable addition to hunting groups.
Agreed on that. Right now it is merely a pain to hunt where we should be hunting and be good at it, in the /real/ wilderness, away from the masses that need to use missionterminals.
My personal priorities list:
1) Massive harvestincrease (JBmat's proposal as a base, to give something to the non-dabblers. A harvestincrease based only on the trackingtree is nothing that helps the "Ranger" profession), the 'harvest multiple ressources' is something I don't need really badly.
2) /track so that finally be efficient hunters in 'non-crowded' areas, the areas where we are supposed to be 'home' in. The system for random spawning creatures right now makes it (a shame) kind of inefficient to hunt in those areas.
3) Traps: change traps so that they do not draw aggro the second they are used, this is at least the main reason for me not to use even the scouttraps that have nice effects (right now they negate the 'concealmentchance' from my combatprofession :/). For those that use traps for pulling a creature from a group, introduce a trap specifically designed for that.
4) camps worth using, modular camps as stated in the outdoorsman proposal
Enbow
Mon Mar 22, 2004 11:33 am
#54
The points I believe in are simply placed in a "More than Scouting v2.0" lockbox.
1) Traps should be SUBSTANTIALLY more powerful. When in a fight, a master ranger should have no 2nd thought what trap to use. It should be one from the ranger trapping line.
2) Harvesting. More. Better Quality. Multiple.
3) Camps. Make them useful. Add in a higher HAM regeneration rate. Make them WORTH putting up. There's much more to be elaborated, but this is the quick fix I'd like for now.
4) Creature to-hit bonuses. They've been largely ignored by the community, I think... but we ARE master hunters. We KNOW the sweet spots to shoot for a kill.
Thats what I think, anyway
Maximum_Overload
Mon Mar 22, 2004 12:16 pm
#55
I haven't abandoned my thoughts of Ranger, although I'm focusing on other areas right now. What I need to see in Ranger:
Bigger Harvest Bonus. A big issue as it's the core function of Rangers. I think it would mean less if Anything else in the profession worked.
Track. Make a tracking ability that spawns critters and lairs. I'd like to be able to find Rancors without grouping an AT-ST, or slant drilling.
Creature Combat Bonuses. Not just to-hit bonuses. I can already hit them. I need to be the unrivaled master of creaure monkey stomping or better combat templates will still laugh at me when harvesting because they kill so much faster and easier than I do. Oh, and make them work for melee this time.
Traps, again. Think baby CM vs Creatures only.
Bigger Harvest Bonus. A big issue as it's the core function of Rangers. I think it would mean less if Anything else in the profession worked.
Track. Make a tracking ability that spawns critters and lairs. I'd like to be able to find Rancors without grouping an AT-ST, or slant drilling.
Creature Combat Bonuses. Not just to-hit bonuses. I can already hit them. I need to be the unrivaled master of creaure monkey stomping or better combat templates will still laugh at me when harvesting because they kill so much faster and easier than I do. Oh, and make them work for melee this time.
Traps, again. Think baby CM vs Creatures only.
SkevStarmu
Mon Mar 22, 2004 12:19 pm
#56
I just want to expand a little on these 5 Issues:
Calculus_Entropy wrote:
We all know the Ranger community is in turmoil right now. I would like this thread to focus on what our top issues are. As I see it, the following items (in no particular order) have been hotly debated lately:
- Harvesting - We need a greater % over scouts and we want multiple harvests.
- Camps - Not much (but some) use as of late.
- Traps - Not much "meat" to the trapping line.
- Camo - Is it worth the effort?
- Tracking - The known bugs.
Please elaborate on which topics you feel strongly about, add any of your own topics, and rank them according to importance. I will use this feedback in my discussion with the devs. Happy venting guys.
Harvesting - This should be hands down Our No. 1 Issue. As of right now a master scout can use their excess skill points to make them a better hunter by maxing out in combat. this way they will yeild more kills than a ranger that can't spend as much on combat andthus negate the 30% difference.
If they can't give us a higher % then they should give us better combat bonuses Vs creatures. And I absolutly agree we should get more then 1 reasourse type. Lets not forget that our livelyhood depends on being able to get organic reasourses for sale/trade.
Tracking - I would say this is the No. 2 Issue. Although Areatrack in its day was somewhat useful. With Speeders and mounts the 500m radius is too small besides many of the high ticket creatures this ability was used for are staticly findable.
I would lobby for a few changes that can help with this. First I would increase Area tracking range to 1000 m. Alsoallow Area tracking to work while mounted, but only creature mounts. This among other things will give creature mounts more destictionfrom speeders and will make Areatrack less combersome. Also we should get a true Track ability where we can enter a creature name and be directed to a spawned lair. as we go up in skilllevel the Creature should.
Camo - origanally was given to us that could conceal ourselves and others from all NPCs and creatures.We've been told by the devs that they only intended camo to work on creatures. Also with vehicals the need to avoid argos in route to where you where going diminished. making masked scent the better moreconvieniant choice.
I've thought a lot about this. The best Idea I have is to make camo much like the current Warcry. all creatures if they fail their checkin the area will not attack unless they are being attacked. this means even if the creature group argos only the one being attacked will attack the person/persons camo'd.
Camps - As we know are now pointless.
I like the modular camp concept from the outdoorsman perposal. I definatly feel that camps should not disband with combat at a ranger lvl.
Traps - We don't get enough on the Ranger tree. The ones we have aren't any better then Scout traps.
this is important but the least important to me since we can use scout traps and they work some what. Also there were good ideas for these in the outdoorsmen proposal.
my 2 cents
SkevStarmu
Mon Mar 22, 2004 12:46 pm
#57
You may be right on the range increase. tracking while mounted can still be good though. The reason I said tracking would go to lairs actually negates the uber rare creatures because they aren't useually from lairs in my expirence.
The range-increase is somewhat pointless outside of already 'crowded' areas, creatures get spawned with presence of someone in that area, in those areas where we should be at home we will hardly find a creature outside of that 500m radius ...
/track is needed, the rangeincrease on areatrack is of no use for a Ranger being where he is supposed to be (I personally do disagree on the idea that /track should be able to spawn highlevel creatures like Krayts, there should be a limit to it, cap it at maybe cl100 for a master ranger to still allow us to get a spawn on ancient bull rancors but prevent ppl from spawning 'rare' creatures like a peko peko albatross or even the gorax, those creatures are supposed to be rare)
darmokVtS
Mon Mar 22, 2004 12:54 pm
#58
SkevStarmu wrote:
tracking while mounted can still be good though. The reason I said tracking would go to lairs actually negates the uber rare creatures because they aren't useually from lairs in my expirence.
Yes and yes (I overlooked the mentioning of the lairs :-)).
JuCat
Mon Mar 22, 2004 2:20 pm
#59
Calculus_Entropy wrote:
We all know the Ranger community is in turmoil right now. I would like this thread to focus on what our top issues are. As I see it, the following items (in no particular order) have been hotly debated lately:
- Harvesting - We need a greater % over scouts and we want multiple harvests.
- Camps - Not much (but some) use as of late.
- Traps - Not much "meat" to the trapping line.
- Camo - Is it worth the effort?
- Tracking - The known bugs.
- Outdoorsman - What's the status?
Please elaborate on which topics you feel strongly about, add any of your own topics, and rank them according to importance. I will use this feedback in my discussion with the devs. Happy venting guys.
Message Edited by Calculus_Entropy on 03-22-2004 11:02 AM
#1 issue: small pass to make Rangers somewhat usefull until a final decision can be made as to the future of the Ranger profession, including 2,3,4,&5.
#2 issue: dramatically increased harvesting rates
#3 issue: camps---> repel aggro's and allow BF healing in Field Bases!!!! why force hunters to enter the lag zones, plus it would give macrotainers another avenue for income.
#4 issue: /areatrack just slows you down.
#5 issue: What's in store for Rangers, where are you taking us Devs?
Fred_Skinner
Mon Mar 22, 2004 2:31 pm
#60
wickedHangover wrote:
...snip...
Area Track:
I'm tired of area track only pointing out creatures from where I came from. I'm also tired of area track telling me there are no krayt dragons around when i'm looking at one 40m ahead of me.
Area track, to me, would work best like surveying for resources. A little window pops up (re-use the survey window, I'm a programmer and all for "code re-use") and on the right lists all the creatures and when you click on them, it shows on the mini map where they are. The higher up you go, the more range you get. Scrap getting each part of the track, just have it so that at novice you can track 64m radius and each level up you increase it until at master you are tracking 1000m radius. Seems like an easy fix, but the creature spawns need to be addressed. I understand that random spawns and a static areaTrack are not really compatible. So having it so that you can "survey" for specific animals and have the function throw a waypoint in your datapad would be cool and a million times more useful than the current system.
Area track players/NPC - get rid of it, if our traps don't affect NPC's or players then why should we be able to track them? We're rangers, not bounty hunters. This seems to be a job for driods and people that smell the sweat on a mark from 200m away, not a ranger that can tell the rancor tracks on the ground are fresh, that it is a very healthy creature and its within 100m of their position.
...snip...
While I do agree that there are problems with area track, I DO NOT want a wp. Or a fancy "surveyors" window. I also don't get the part about not being able to track PCs/NPCs. If we can track critters we should be able to track peeps. Are you sure you are not a BH in disguise?
Now I would like the window improved on: tree branching for each lair and the list to fill the window and not "half". Even a "refresh" button so the window can stay up. Things like this are good. Save the "wp" for /track x. Even there I'd rather have a "track ribbon" or footprints madevisible to follow then a wp. More immersive that way and it makes me "feel" like I'm actually tracking something...
Message Edited by Fred_Skinner on 03-22-2004 04:34 PM
GTOfire
Mon Mar 22, 2004 2:52 pm
#61
I'm big on being the ultimate hunter for the Ranger profession as opposed to things like the paramilitary thing.
So that means my top issues with Ranger are, in order of most important to least:
- creature combat: As a Master Ranger/Master any combat/Dabbler combat support prof we should be The Best (not by much, but still #1) at PvCritter. combat support being stuff like CH, medic. ANY other template that does not include Ranger might be far more powerful in PvP or PvNPCs, but against a wild animal, a Master Ranger should be the best.
- creature combat support: /track command allowing you to track a specific animal indigenous to the region you're in. I don't think it should give you a waypoint, but rather more in character stuff like 'the tracks appear to lead<direction>north and are <age>very fresh'. The last part is to indicate the distance. To avoid dabblers who get a major bonus like this without the investments we masters make, I say this /track command should be available only at master Ranger. I mean come on, we don't want 0040 Rangers to be tracking Krayts like us.
Another point in this category is harvest rates. Primarily the amount, and double harvesting'd be nice too.
- camps: I suppose the healing modifier of a HTFB is nice, but it still will take ages to heal away 50 wounds that way, so using one is sort of pointless. The FB and HTFB should heal Battle Fatigue at a rate fast enough to be useful in the field. A Master Ranger should heal it faster then non-rangers for being so at home in the wild. That would provide a small use at least for the ranger camps. Holochess'd be a cool addition too, and the whole rain thing.
- traps: we already have every state effect in the book with our current traps, and I can trap Krayts at Master, so I dunno what more to ask for in the conventional system. Unconventionally, I would like to see a static lure trap. Ideally, you would put in flora if you're trying to attract a herbivore out of it's pack. To get a rancor to come your way, yuo put in some dathomir meat. If that's too much trouble, any lure trap would do for me 
- conceal should be a little more useful at master, a lot more at novice. A lot more because at low levels, maskscent is far better still, and applying it to others is pointless, they will be discovered by the first thing that comes along. A Master should be able to conceal himself from anything, perhaps with a ghillie suit requirement, but still should be incredibly potent.
DWolfe
Mon Mar 22, 2004 4:03 pm
#62
Small idea for areatrack for ya'll to tear apart..
When you areatrack, it automatically causes all lairs within range to spawn their initial spawn. It does not create creatures that wouldn't be there anyhow, it just causes lairs to spawn what will be there.
This would solve the problem of not seeing creatures that hadn't been proximity spawned yet.
Issues I see: Lag. Sending out a signal into such a wide area could cause some pretty bad lag. Maybe.
Alternative: allow lairs to be tracked. My idea betters this in concept becauselairs don't leave tracks. It's also better in that it won't locate "dead" lairs. However, the lag issue noted above may be enough to make this totally impractical.
This obviously doesn't fix any of the other problems with areatrack, but it's an idea to fix one particular problem.
RohmEnari
Mon Mar 22, 2004 4:12 pm
#63
I fully support the Outdoorsman and I hate to settle for something less just to get fixed now. I am the kind of person who will shoot for the moon though, so maybe I am not the best person to listen to on this topic.I feel that before any real work can be put into possibly modifying the Outdoorsman or even suggesting a new proposal, we should get some clarification from the devs as to where we currently stand in the grand scheme of things. Has the Outdoorsman Proposal made it into a production phase or is it still sitting on someone's desk somewhere? Are there any current plans to update ranger that we have not been made aware of? These are the things we need to know first before we start putting forth a lot of time into something that they may already be working on.
Lorell
Mon Mar 22, 2004 4:20 pm
#64
I would just like more communication with the devs and their responses to our proposals. The outdoorsman one covered pretty much everything we've been talking about for months.
Calculus_Entropy
Mon Mar 22, 2004 5:00 pm
#65
Lorell wrote:
I would just like more communication with the devs and their responses to our proposals. The outdoorsman one covered pretty much everything we've been talking about for months.
I just asked about the Outdoorsman Proposal (what its' status is), so cross your fingers.