Armorsmith Archive

Today people started finally getting to Novice Ranger on Test Center. It does not increase your Combat Level. No one was expecting it to, but no one wanted to freak out when this issue was still based on speculation.

This effects the products of Armor Smiths (post CU the amount of hides needed for armor is much higher than in live), Chefs, Bio Engineers (who will now be crafting medical supplies, supply Tailors and Chefs, and make pets), Tailors, Artisans, Smugglers, and Scouts/Rangers them selves (traps and camps).

There are no players in this game that will not be effected. Why this effect of the CU level system has far reaching implications is partially but not entirely obvious.

Nearly every player is by now aware that your Combat Level determines your maxim health in the post CU game. But it will also determine the amount of damage that a creature of a fixed level will do to you.

Without taking defenses, armor, mitigations or the damage output a player is capable of into account, a Level 10 creature will roll higher damage against a Level 9 player than it will a Level 11 player.

You can read more about the CU level system here.

Rangers are the prime harvesters of Creature Resources in this game. Ranger remains (because it needs to) the only Post CU Profession that requires the mastery of a novice profession (Scout). Thus a Master Ranger can only master one Elite Combat Profession. This will leave 4 Skill Points.

The amount harvested from a creature is based on the level of the creature and the player's Creature Harvest mod. Anyone with any amount of Ranger in their template will be in effect “nerfed” in PvE combat, because of their low combat rating. Many of the creatures that where within our grasp as unbuffed, unarmored, master elite combatants (a very common way for Rangers to hunt) will now be very difficult for us to kill at all. Not because of our limited skills, but our limited “Level.”

We as a profession are already somewhat limited in live due to the fact that our defenses and damage output are limited to a single combat mastery. In the new system we will also be inflicted with higher damage, and lower health. This exaggerates the problem to the point that it is impossible to imagine the already high price of organics not becoming even higher. We do not want this to happen.

I don't like the idea of this level system at all, but this effect is a near game breaker in my estimation. And it is far from the only problem. Why should a Chubba hit a Artisan for more damage than a TK? Isn't the TK already stronger? Have better defenses? Have more health? Can kill the creature sooner, thus taking less hits?

Who knows what implications there are that haven't even occurred to us yet?

Please don't think we believe we are the only ones headed for a bad place. We feel for all the professions that seem to be getting the short end of the stick in the CU.

The sate of the CU has become so grim that I'm not sure appealing to the Devs is worth while. Perhaps it is time for us to open communication with Sony Online, and Lucas Arts themselves.

- agent156,
Ranger, and one of the many read headed step children of the CU

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NoStyleGuy wrote:

that sounds like a legitimate problem. i Think its gonna do exactly what they want to happen though (no offense; i understand the concern) which is to make grouping, and each profession, very important to success. I think it sux that your left with only 1 elite prof, because u wont be as good in p v e as others, but u might become the new doctor! what i mean is, (as u pointed out) every craftingprofession relys on your organics, and thus u make big bux. Its not like you would charge less if u had 2elite masteries anyways, so at least this way theres some balance.

that sounded kinda mean, but it wasn't supposed to. i'm sorry if it came out that way

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Fair comment, I just hope you don't mind paying 2 million + credits for your standard Mabari Armor set in the CU (or some other armor that relates to your profession)

No it didn't sound mean at all.

The problem is, the price will be driven up by the lack of orgaincs. We might make more per unit but, there will be less. Any Ranger that is poor is only poor cause he is not trying, or dosen't want to be rich. And every thing we need is going to cost more anyway. Armor? dear god.

We don't need to make more money. We need to be able to hunt.

The Ranger Cor isn't planing on being a Ranger post CU, at least untill we get revamped.

(edited later- I miss understood, what he really is saying -

"I play on tc more than live and will have 2 rangers there so its not as if i wont be playing ranger alot.

My live guy is doing something different but its not asif he uses his ranger skills atm anyway."

-Owen-Lars,
Ranger Correspondent )

And the Scout Cor (a Ranger him self) is boycotting the CU beta test.

Things are bad, very bad. Bad for us all.

Message Edited by agent156 on 04-09-2005 05:40 PM

Message Edited by agent156 on 04-09-2005 06:04 PM

I posted this first in the Ranger forum, and got a bit of flack for it.

Tentions are running high. People are starting to snap.

While I belive in our Cors and the Cor system, I don't think this problem will be solved if we use only that system.

We must make the player base aware.

I wasn't going to 'spam' the forums with this post, but I hope to step by step spread the word. I started here since you guys would be hit the hardest.

I dont understand why Rangers arent the most proficiant hunters of "Game" in SWG. They should have elite specials that do more damage agaisnt PVE harvestable creatures than anyone. They should be able to drop off radar against NPCs and should have at least one of each weapon class melee & ranged special for them at novice & master.

Just my thoughts on what a Ranger always should have been....

Wow, when it comes to our "role"... well that's been up in the air since launch.

While I can say that every Ranger wouldn't mind our role being expanded, most don't want to lose the hunter role.

There are some that think we should be creature centric and some that don't.

As it stands we arn't going to be very good hunters.

I just feel that we all need to stick together, you guys have your own CU problems. Just don't forget to put in a word for us while you are there

We at least need to make sure that every one understands the basics of this Level system so that we can all be heard before this goes live.

I always thought of rangers as scout/riflemen - they would have no pvp ability (no pvp specials), but their ability vs. creatures would be almost equal to a rifleman. All their specials would be used against creatures only, and if you used only certain ones you would be able to harvest more from the creature (to represent the care you took while attacking).
Unfortunately, Rangers now are more hiders than fighters.

Yup.

I just saw the new BE med schems. "They've gone mad" is all I could say.