Architect Archive

Thread: Getting to know you and your profession

Zhundult
Mon Sep 13, 2004 6:04 am
#66
Well, I'm a new master architect, so may not be able to offer as much insight as many people here. In fact, reading this thread has sort of explained some things to me, why there seems to be very little business.


Some of the suggestions I like:


1. Custom colors for furniture. Shouldn't be too hard. I have a large palette as an ID, so why not for architects too.

2. Make some of the maintenance for structures go to the architect who made it. Doesn't need to be a huge % and maybe base it off the quality of the structure (i.e. a BER 9 harvester returns more than a BER 8).

3. Storage. We need so much raw materials, I don't have room to store any of the 'fun' stuff in the game. And I'm just getting going really in architect.


I was very excited when I finally mastered the profession, and don't plan to sell it back, but after reading this depressing thread, I'm likely going to have to master another crafting profession to make some money to support my architect.




Binossi

Master Architect

Master Artisan

Master Entertainer (for now)



Soawav
Palimor
Mon Sep 13, 2004 6:31 am
#67




Tiggs wrote:



Since I am the new kid on the block I would like to take a little survey to see what "you" feel is the most pressing issue with your profession right now. Wait! Don't post just yet, seriously think about this for a moment and then post what "you" feel is important, not what you think the overall class feels is important. (Flamers, trolls need not reply).


There are no promises being made that you will see immediate changes implemented. This is simply to gauge what you feel is important so that I can discuss this further with the team. I am going through a few professions at a time so if you don't see this post in another forum you participate in, do not worry. I will get to the other forums in time





Hi Tiggs,


Storage and Crating - This hasto be the most annoying items for Architects. Mining units not crating and other items that have a very low crate count cause serious issues for serious Architects. I used most of my lots for Factories and houses needed for storageand needed a 2nd account to run the Harvs.


Decay - Many posts refer to this and I'm not sure how to deal with it, but effectively, once a deed is purchased, as long as you keep maintenance in your structure, you will never need that item again.


Special Use Harvs - To get that high concentration of resource on the top of a mountain.


Good Luck







-----------------
Palimor
-----------------
"Imperials aren't people to me, they are just NPC's with weird AI chips installed." - Criminalus

bitfade
Mon Sep 13, 2004 10:42 am
#68
Hello,


My comments will echo what many others have said in this thread already, but from my experiences as a master architect, I see the following issues as important (in order):


1) Decay generating repeat business. I don't support forced decay on houses and most furniture. People spend a pile of time on placing and decorating their houses and implementing forced decay one these items would only serve to annoy them. Ido support forced decay on harvesters and to a lesser extent factories, largely because these items are primarily used astools to support the various professions in the game, people already expect to movetheir harvestersfrom time to time, and if you think about it, no matter how much maintenance you pay, something with lots of moving parts will eventually wear out and break. There have been suggestions on how to do this but my personal view is that harvesters should have aexperimentable durability (number of days of actual use in the field) based on the size of the harvester and the quality of the materials used. Possible ranges might be from 15 to 30 days for personal units, 31 to 45 for mediums, and 46 to 60 for heavies. Just a thought.


2) Customers have repeatedly asked me if furniture comes in different colours. Some people have suggested making colorisation determined during the crafting process. However, we all have limited vendor space now and having multiple pieces of furniture in each colour scheme would eat up that space fast for those of us who are trying to keep "fully stocked" vendors. I feel that having an architect craftable furniturecolour customization kit would be the best way to go.


3) Lighting ... as noted previously,doesn't appear to work quite right. I like the previous suggestion about having wicks or some type of architect craftable lighting fuel so that people don't have to reposition their lights all the time.


4) Ore mining units. In factory crates, please.


5) Item limits in large houses and guild halls. Previously mentioned, but I'ld like to say that most people can't decorate their entire large house / guildhall because they hit the maximum item count in no time flat. Raising item limits in these structures could, at least temporarily, increase furniture sales.


6) Special buildings / More Paintings. Perhaps the previously mentioned post office, apartment building, or salon. Perhaps some more paintings. Schematics could be limited use, lootable items keeping them rare and therefore actually something we could make a decent profit on.


7) Structure maintenance being paid to architects. I don't support this as I think it would ultimately be bad for the game economy.


Anyhow, this would be my $.02, butas one person mentioned previous ... just do something ... anything.


Lotahn, M.Arch

Tombstone, Tatooine, Kauri.

FlintAH
Mon Sep 13, 2004 10:59 am
#69
Here are my thoughts on how to implement decay and keep people with designed interiors. It includes item decay and a way to counteract it without forcing the picking up of an item to "heal" it.


http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=architect&message.id=65649
Bandola
Mon Sep 13, 2004 11:10 am
#70
Hi Tiggs,


There are unfortunately many areas of the architect profession that neeed improving. To condense it a bit I believe that the overriding problem is long term playability. You know exactly what I mean I'm sure, I and many others have been at this for a year now, and when it comes right down to it we don't really have that much different to do today than we did after say month 3 of playing. It is still the same round of creating structures andfurniture that few people even now want. Sure we had a coule of new bits and pieces added, Gungan Head statues (ask ANY real architect what they think about that !), candles (this was our 'renewable income' tidbit, lol) and a couple of other things like gardens and player city structures. So here is my list:


1. Architects still have no proper renewable income items - this needs to be adressed for the long term survival of the profession. NOT decay on existing items, but renewable income on NEW items (and PLLLLEEEEEEEEEEASE don't let us get a new line of candles!)

2. A role in GCW, we make absolutely NO contribution as architects, yet the opportunity was there, WE could have crafted turrets and the like, if only somebody had used their brain. This would also have adressed point 1. as these are 'perishable'. Oh well, the chance was missed, not for the first time.

3. A few things need fixing, OMUs and Deeds that don't stack, increased stack sizes to solve storage issues (you DO know how many resources architects NEED to be able to get by, right?), structure factories taking only 1 lot, buggered up factories, (oops, read 'bugged' factories), oh there are plenty more

4. Color palletes for furniture, NOT a temporary 'colorwash' but the real McCoy.

5. Generally some new stuff that people just cannot do without.


All that and more, many others have raised the same and other things they want. This is my list, I am sure as soon as I have finished I will think of something else, but that's it for now.





__________________________________________________________
Bandola Da'Gear
-RETIRED-
((The Blue Ghost))

Anaken_Walker
Mon Sep 13, 2004 3:56 pm
#71

How about optional windows that could be added as a component? I know it's trivial but it could be interesting.I know it's been said, but warehouses would be very useful. Also how about since there is an area around your house/guild hall that is considered part of your lot, shouldn't you be able to place items on it? Who doesn't want a pink plastic kaduu in their front yard? If that's too much to ask, how about we have the ability to place items on the roof of our house. I had some really great ideas for my guild hall but I'm limited.As well, how about the ability to experiment for higheritem count limit in buildings?Additionally I think several more statues would be nice. Finally how about a trainer tent for player cities?


Oh and this probably isn't the right place, but since I've got your attention, how about the ability to rotate items /up and /down. For example take a painting and haveit horizontily lane for a skylight effect.

Message Edited by Anaken_Walker on 09-14-2004 12:21 AM

VendtDarkfell
Tue Sep 14, 2004 4:30 am
#72
I know you are going to hear a lot of pleas for structure decay. Personally, I'd much rather see a couple new structures (craftable by Arch's, obviously) which are vulnerable to attack. City/Fortress walls come to mind, although any factioned structures would do. This a) provides a more stable architect economic base and b) ties the profession into the GCW. Even giving Arch's the schematic for existing faction structures like turrets would go a long way.


Daz Darkfell (Intrepid)
walcyradiant
Tue Sep 14, 2004 5:11 am
#73
Getting to know me and my profession....least the part I deal w/ =)


Making harvesters, factories and vendors easier to deal w/ even a little bit would free up a lot of time people could spend w/ others or enjoy other facets of the game. Afterall, you don't want people getting bored w/ the tedium of the game. You want them out experiencing new things to keep them interested. =)


Short version:

I only make harvesters and find I biggest concern is TIME. I spend so much doing tedious crafting related things, I have no time to spend w/ other players and enjoying the game more w/ my profession. Hand crafting, decorating... lots of stuff. Here's the short list to improve on the time consuming 'work' I do for my profession that would allow for more actual 'play' time. Below it is the expanded explantions of each and more indepth 'getting to know me'. =)


  • fix /commands for harvesters to 'select resources' and 'retrieve contents of hoppers'.

  • create option on factory for limiting # of items to run off in a single run, seperate from schematic limit.

  • create dump option for factories, dumping output hopper into input hopper.

  • increasing stack sizes for component crates or standarizing. even crating deeds would be nice.

  • vendors more like vending machines w/ quantity of identical items (serial#) available rather than listing each

Long version:

I first started Arch back in like Feb but for some reason never got around to this forum much. Hoping to change that as it's great for info and ideas... which is why you're posting this get to know us thread. =)


My biz is a crafting one. I make things. Doing a decent sized business w/ arch kinda requires lot sharing (using other people's lots to run large numbers of harvesters) given the enormous amounts of resources needed to make harvesters and thus managing large fleets of harvesters just mining resources. I take resources and dump them into factories. I take components and dump them into factories. I pull out deeds and sell 'em.


Here's my life in the last 8 months or so...


  • 20% time spent tending harvesters. selecting resources, /pay maint, /addpower, retrieve resources, etc

  • 5% time spent making schematics from resources for stuff to make. components/deeds

  • 60% time spent preparation for deed runs, moving resources and components to and from storage/input hopper/output hopper and calculating exact amount of resources to use. don't need excess stuff made. wasteful.

  • 15% time spent tending vendor. moving deeds onto vendor, figuring up what to sell and how many to stock and buying resources I haven't mined myself. shopping is an addiction in this game, but i don't expect a cure from devs on thas part. =)

My biggest concern is time. I seem to spend a lot of time on things, things that can't be made easier by myself unfortunately. Other parts of the game, players come up w/ nifty macros and coordinate w/ others to make game play more efficient. Spend more time playing, less time working is how I look at it. It could be argued that the time I spend 'working' in my profession is my play time, but how I see is it's taking away from interaction w/ customers and doing 1 on 1 service w/ others. Someone saw me on the street and asked for a house, I promptly made one. I rather enjoyed that personal contact in relation to my profession. Then there's decorating. Our profession has one of the widest variety of crafteable items available and geared toward decorating. Letting the imagination and creativity flow. I've seen some rather inspiring works on this forum which has brought me back time and again. This interaction w/ others and trying to make something unique via decorating goes more toward the 'play' that I have in mind rather than sitting at a harvester perusing resource lists.


20% spent tending harvesters. I've seen /commands related to harvester use that if actually worked, would cut my work down a lot more. Already I'm using nifty macro to /pay and /addpower, dropped into a hotkey I press as I approach each harvester. Now if the /commands for selecting resource to mine, and retrieving of hopper contents worked, well there's more time I could spend playing rather than working. And it's not taking away from the game, just skipping menus and using /commands, which is seen in many other professions easily. How many different combat /macros do people have?


60% spent w/ the factories. Measuring exact amounts of resources so you don't make too many of a component and waste some valueable resources and the moving of hundreds of component stacks for just partial schematic runs.Three easy things to implement that would significantly help this would be a new option on factories to limit a production run. I know schematics have option to limit amount, but how about limiting production w/in that schematic run. Maybe I can make 1000 medium mineral harvesters but doesn't mean I want them all right now. So add spot to enter value of like 50 and it'll only run off 50 deeds/components even if you dump in extra resources. This will eliminate need to calculate and split up pile after pile of resources. Besides, I've been laughed at enough by my roommate for using a calculator while playing this game. Seriously, what kind of game is it that I'm using a calculator!? Second thing for factories would be a dump option from hopper to hopper. We have things that require components that require components. Be rather nice to just dump contents of output hopper straight into the input hopper, assuming there is room. Third would be just to increase stack sizes or at least standarize it more. The mining ore component comes in singles, no crates... REALLY annoying. Others come in stacks of 5 to 100. How about increasing stack sizes by 5 times. Would cut down on crates cluttering hoppers.


15% on the vendors. How come when selecting what to sell I can't click on one, hold shift and click another to select more than 1 at a time selling each at the price indicated? Should be able to highlight multiples. This should go for inventory too so you can move more than one thing at once. Heck just the ability to highlight would fix the time spending on moving components around or the dumping of output to input hoppers. Try putting 500 items up for sale. It's tedious and boring. Couple clicks and a press of a button and I could be done. Not taking away from game me putting things on vendor quicker. Then there's the displaying of how many of identical items there are. Could make more like a vending machine... customer selects which product and enters how many of that they want w/ all info displayed of the item as is currently, just change so a quantity is available.


All the above pretty much concerns any crafting profession, but hits harder w/ architects given the shear volume of resources needed to make any harvesters in quantity and the number of items available for crafting. Making harvesters, factories and vendors easier to deal w/ even a little bit would free up a lot of time people could spend w/ others or enjoy other facets of the game instead of staring blankly at a calculator or scrap of paper w/ notes on what to build next. I'd rather have someone describe a home and me build it and decorate it. That's a real life architect isn't it? Not just building but designing the home in concert w/ the owner? Have you seen those home show designs? Dang. I wish all homes were decorated as nicely and imaginatively. Would add so much atmosphere to the game. Would be fun walking from one house to another and could actually have a real nieghborhood home show where people make theirs public and people visit for ideas. But can't make people do stuff like that, they have to both find the opportunity and take it! =)


yeah, dang long post. really should have stuck w/ short version only. =)




Walcy

Back visiting during a free trial.

Last account cancelled as of 12/1/05
Thanks for the memories.
RkTkR
Tue Sep 14, 2004 6:37 am
#74
Greetings, All


Very good thread... and very interesting ideas.


Since, in your original post, you stated that your purpose was to get to know the individuals AND the profession, allow me take the opportunity to chime in. This will bemy first "non-lurker" forray.. so be gentle...


I think I pretty much agree with all of the suggestions andobservations made here.


When I first began this adventure, I had little idea of what I was getting into. As an architect in RL... (I swear to all that's holy this is true... does having a license to practice professionally in six states qualify me as a Master?), ... the LAST thing I wanted to do was play a character as one in a fantasy RP game, but what the heck...the holo said do it... so...


At the end of that, over one year of play, and five months of grinding step-by-step... no macros for this idiot, ...I can say that I'm glad I did it. The rewards have been satisfying for the most part, however, the comparisons that I can make to RL experience is often startling to me.


On the downside:

.... unrelenting client demands for low-cost buildings.

.... unrelenting client demands for unrealistic timetables for deliverables.

.... Saturation of the market driving costs down.

.... zoning limitations (dang pesky hillside ordinances and the inability to request a bulldozer deed from a Droid Engineer)

.... frustration from the fact that there are enormous limitations to one's creativity.


On the upside:

.... getting to know some fascinating characters, and getting to maintain those ongoing relationships.

.... having a respected place in the community, once earned.

.... realization that the perks aren't immediate, one must be at the craft for some time before the most satisfying aspects kick in.

(however, this is one in serious jepoardy from the Jedi xp conversion matrix)


I respond specifically to "Flatfingers'" post because it mirrors most my feelings. The observations and advice youpresented are the most intelligent and unbiased recommendations I've ever had the pleasure to read. Modules...Outstanding!


Good job to allof encapsulating the issues! With your insights and those of the profession who have understood the liablilities of FS crafting, I can only hope it is taken seriously enough to make a change that could benefit everyone.


I cannot add anymore to what is already, collectively,a masterful summary.


rKtKr


(Jorma Kaukonnen, Master Architect and Mayor

Rori, Chilastra)
Saratoga
Tue Sep 14, 2004 7:26 am
#75
1. Large amount of furniture is uncraftable

2. colors of furniture

3. design harvesters so that the parts inside them decay. Not the harvester themselves. We need some type of decay that doesnt make people resent us, but keeps them coming back. Having parts wear out in harvesters will achieve this. Also will decrease cross server swaps. I know that is an objective of the DEVs.

4. bring architects into the GCW. Make all bases and turrets craftable. Will bring more of a star wars feel to the game.

5. CSR support with respect to lost structures. I recently lost 2 factories of which one I know had maintenance. CSRs say too bad. Not good support. I was within milimeters away from quitting. If there would have been a good substitute like WoW I would have. I have stopped crafting and no longer have vendors because of this. I log on maybe 2-6 hours a week now. This has really ruined my appetite for this game.


Even though it can be exploited by a few i would say the majority of players in this position are legitimate. If I report I lost something it should be replaced. Flag me and If I keep doing on a regular basis then you know I am exploiting the system. In the last month I lost 2 factories and 2 of my friends have lost a total of 8 factories. something is seriously wrong.

6. need a warehouse type structure.

7. lot sizes need to be equal.

8. city decorations are way too expensive. Would see better cities if they were cheaper

9. for me I want to see cantinas placed by smugglers and capable of being placed outside cities. I have been to plenty of cantinas outside of cities so I know they exist




Triston Jedi Fugitive (retired)
Nagamitsu 12 point WS/AS + arch (retired)
Jengi wookiee ranger (retired)
Medreka Doctor/musician (retired)
Caillech MBH (soon to be retired)
Sohile
Tue Sep 14, 2004 10:18 am
#76
The ability to be more creative.


I am actually feeling rather limited (aka bored) in our ability to decorate and make new items. I would positively love and feel energized with some new furniture or new colors for furniture. Even if we could just start making some of the items that appear in the game right now but are currently not player made (e.g. the different styles of plants) that would be fun. Or the ability to color the furniture.


Barring that, a simple increase to the item limits in a house would make it easier to be more creative in our decorating.
Tiggs
Tue Sep 14, 2004 11:19 am
#77
Thank you everyone for taking the time out to provide feedback to this thread. I understand you have gone over this many times before but it really does help me get a feel for what you are going through. Thank you for being understanding


RedDragon133
Tue Sep 14, 2004 11:39 am
#78
The new aurilian plant is a great idea. I love the idea of taking care of this little virtual plant. Sort of a Tamagochi. It would have been great to have a farmer proffesion to grow most of the ingritents a chef needs.
Also some sort of smith for aluminium, steel, etc. would have been very nice, since those cannot be found as pure ore in the nature, but needs refing.
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