Architect Archive

Combat Structures

Foxholes. Bunkers. Turrets. Heavy Repeater Emplacements. Stationary Shield Generators. I'm not suggesting That we get to make better versions of the faction buildings the way weaponsmiths make better guns and armorsmiths make better armor than the recruiters offer, that would be fair and who expects that?

What I'm saying is that we should be allowed to make placeable, temporary, no lot count buildings that would give a field bonus to combat for any player regardless of faction. They could be used both outside a no-build zone and inside a battlefield. They're like camps, in that they disband (and return to the player's inventory/datapad/wherever) if you get too far away from them.

The foxhole gives you ranged defense and cover bonuses, the bunker gives you dmg resists vs energy but not blast, the turret defends you (and fires back)? Those heavy cannons from Empire Strikes Back on Hoth fire back. Maybe a Command Post for squad leaders to get bonuses. How about a field outpost made from: a ranger's best camp kit, some wall modules, and a mk3 shield generator that will repel not only aggro creatures but NPCs and/or slow down enemy PCs? What about a sniper's nest so riflemen will finally have a chance to play their role? And you gotta have optional slots for planet-specific camo kits and biotissues.

Here where it solves our problems: since there's no lot count anyone can use them, plus they can be targeted for damage in combat, so they 'decay'. The problem with architects isn't that we don't have an important place in the economy, it's that a huge piece of that economy, military spending, never goes near us. We're optional for the majority of players. Even if we could make a few of the existing faction buildings we'd be helped greatly, as those can be targeted as well.

It will help other classes, too. All the guns that fire back will need some droid parts and weaponsmith parts. All the bunker types will need armor segments from armorsmiths. Foxholes and bivouacs require synthetic cloth. Everything needs control units, GP modules, etc. Gotta keep it limited because these items have to sell cheap, be 'helpful but disposable.' Like shield generators or weapon powerups.

All manufacturable parts (maybe even some that don't require 5-digit amounts of low-grade ore and steel to craft!), all damageable in combat. It gives us items with a very high decay rate, an opportunity to make repair tools for that class of building, and it leaves the current houses, harvs, player city constructs and furniture alone.

While I still think existing things that don't get maintenance in time should keep the damage they take, this fix would give us something the community would demand without nerfing what they already have.

Operable Furniture

A Doctor turns his house (which he also bought from you) into a hospital with his very own bacta tank. He has to buy both the tank and the refills from you, but you can't make the refills without buying items from a bioengineer AND droid engineer (gotta keep the economy rolling)

An entertainer turns her house (again, which she bought from you) into a den of sin and corruption: a full circle diaz platform for dancing, a half circle diaz for the band, functioning lights in various colors for mood, and gambling tables that she can control, all of which you manufactured.

And any person would want a Viewable Habitat. I do BE stuff on the side and they get stiffed moneywise, too. Most of my animal sales are for people who use the critters as furniture, which you can do with BE pets before you tame them, but not CH pets. So I was thinking: what if you just wanted an arachne webmaster in your house, on display? You can't use them in combat anymore, so you have two options: the CH gets a new command: Capture, where he can grab baby versions of creatures we can't use in combat, which drops that critter into his inventory as a box. Or he tames something and sells it to you, and you build the 'viewable habitat' using a ton of materials and one creature. The 'viewable habitat' is not really seen, it simply takes the creature out of the box (full size) and makes it 'furniture'. Then you can have one in your house.


Any of these things would be reasonable to implement and would contribute to our profession greatly. Otherwise the devs will be stuck rolling new classes into ours forever, the 'makes big stuff superclass' where now we make the player cities, then we make the starships, then we make the space stations and asteroid miners...hey I just had another idea!

Jaeke

sounds great lets have them now

roce

That's it? My big idea gets one guy who likes it?

As a profession we'll be better served if we take the initiative and figure out the solutions to these problems and press for the ones we think will help, rather than asking 'the devs' to 'fix stuff!' They're only human, no smarter than, say, half of us, they're not always going to come up with the right answer. If you can come up with a better one, and I think I just did, you need to post it and support it.

I want to change my vote to opposing item decay on existing structures, and supporting instead a line of combat-useful structures that can be targeted. Leave the houses alone and let the 15-year-old newbie BHs and Commandos keep us solvent.

Jake

I like the idea of combat structures, but I think that, like camps, they should be either one- or several-use only. If designed right these could be devestating vs mobs and rather nasty vs PvP and pets [AT-STs got you pinned down? Deploy trench + Heavy Blaster Repeater Nest at waypoint and good night Empire tanks!] and should not be infinite use.

Make em complicated to make and thus expensive, and yes, the youngish BH crowd will still buy them. Experimentation could augment charges and applicable bonuses.. trench = immobile concealment/defense, field shield dome = similar to PSGs but unmoveable once deployed, Gun Nests = either damage or speed [Hm, now that I think about this, make the gun itself a Weaponsmith item component].

combat structures...what a godsend those would be. Operable furniture other than chairs and couchs...o my what would I do aside from have a heart attack?

Where's Thunderheart when you need him?!?!

Very good ideas. two thumbs up. Now post a link in SWG discussion to this thread

Friends,

As a non Architech, I think this idea rocks. As a Weaponsmith, I think it rocks. As a Player in PvE I think it rocks. This is just the sort of thing that we need to have for profession interaction in the game.

Thank you for proposing it and keep it alive.

/bump

as far as operable furniture, maybe you could sell me a power cord for these lamps, and a recliner

/agree /bump

in other words, wouldnt it be nice if they let US craft faction perk items, instead of just buying the neato furniture and bases from that rebel/imp recruiter in town ?

Jaeke that's a very well thought out and original idea you have there. I'd love to see that sort of thing in-game.

Combat structures would go a long way into breathing life into the market as it relates to architecture, the secondary item market, and even helping out combat. Just think of the ramifications and depth it could bring to pvm, and chiefly pvp, which is far out of balance, imo. Battles might actually last more than the 8 seconds it takes for said 15 year old bh to spam eyeshot and gut you, if you're properly defensed with adequate cover and concealment.

You also made a good point when you brought up figuring out solutions as opposed to the usual rant/whine that so often adorns profession boards. Devs are often charged with 'fixing' something, but at the same time given no viable solutions to whatever is arguably 'broken.'

Very good idea, and post.




Raim

|Raim| Designs Architecture
-723 -4220 SW of Bestine
Corbantis

Great idea. As a master Architect on Naritus I would love to see some or all of this come to the game.

Rrowler

Master Architect/Naritus

Town of Haven on Lok