Artisan Archive

I completely agree with the "factioned Bazaar" idea. This is a key concept for all the other ideas to work!

For artisans to retain their value as non-combatants, they need some way to be able to contribute to the GCW without having to actually travel to battle zones. A factional bazaar solves that problem.

Example: an entry-level Artisan is able to build certain low-level parts for various factional devices and structures. When he "sells" these on the factional bazaar, he receives some small number of faction points. Later, a more advanced Artisan spends faction points to buy low-level components that she uses to create a powerful device or structure, which she can then sell back to the faction bazaar for more faction points. And the Master Artisan should be able to build the most advanced faction items, as well as repair and enhance such objects.

This seems like a great idea to me. The only question I can see is this: should factioned components, devices, and structures be limited to skills in the Artisan profession only? Or should every crafting profession have some faction items it can create? (The point being whether the Artisan "class" needs additional value to encourage players to focus on it, rather than just using bits of it as a steppingstone to "better" professions.)

--Flatfingers

Bonuses for slicing as an artisan. Very appropriate.

(I hear that bounty hunters can hack, but shouldn't Artisans be even better at it?)

That's something I complai-- er, commented on a few weeks ago.

I don't mind BHs being able to slice electronics systems (to open containers, for example). But I believe that only those who've learned some crafting skills -- and possibly even mastered a crafting profession -- should be able to repair or enhance armor and weapons. The only exception that makes sense would be a Combat Engineer, so hopefully we'll see that profession soon.

Engineers, once mounts come into play, should be the coveted piloting support class.

"They told me they fixed it! It's not my fault!"

--Flatfingers

Of course we're talking about Smugglers & Slicing. BHs aren't THAT uber :lol:

"(Is there any need for anti-faction-slicing?)"

You miss my meaning. I'm thinking more along the lines of, Your teams artisan makes it into the enemy base, gets to their maintenance console, and suddenly all the enemies turrets start firing on them instead... There'd be balancing issues.. but still, it would make artisans more valuable in a battle.

Robotic pets should be hackable =) I mean, all the jawas needed was a control bolt.

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Vansu wrote:

"...I hear that bounty hunters can hack, but shouldn't Artisans be even better at it?..."

Thoughts?

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Hey! I didn't think of it before, but that comment caused me to ponder this:

There are professions that allow people to Hack/Slice/etc... equipment. That's all well and good

BUT

IRL, noone can defeat the protections placed on a system better/faster then the architect of the system.

If you want to pick a lock, you can talk to a thief or a locksmith... The locksmith will be better 90% of the time

So, how about adding slicing to the artisan tree? (Is there any need for anti-faction-slicing?)

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Vaedross wrote:
Of course we're talking about Smugglers & Slicing. BHs aren't THAT uber :lol:

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Er... of course. *blush*

--Flatfingers

Okay. This might be a little far fetched, but... Expanding on the comment from earlier about Battlefield 1942 and repairing/piloting armor. (Cool thought. Repairing AT-ATs in the field.)

What if when mounts become available there are some craft that can only be used someone with artisan skills. (Maybe level IV or higher in artisan and any level in elite crafter classes) Say a special "tank" craft that gets bonus damage against buildings. Or a minelayer/minesweeper craft for laying or removing mine fields.(Just thinking back to Hobart's Funnies the combat engineers used on D-Day in WW2)

And now for something different... I seem to recall that there will be faction based buildings. How are these created? Just by trading in faction points? Seems like an obvious schematic for architects if they don't work that way already. And I suppose expanding on that. Aren't there other things that can be bought with faction perks that would make more sense to be made by crafters? Furniture and clothing?

How about if AT-STs would need to be crafted by say Droid Engineers using components from Weaponsmiths and Armorsmiths? Maybe lower the number of faction points needed to get them since you only get the schematic. Once have the schematic then there is the whole thing of gathering the resources and crafting it. Oh. And what if the weapons and armor could vary. The schematic might just call for a type of weapon. So you could have an AT-ST with say a flamethrower & composite armor or a laser-rifle type weapon & chitin armor. There would be perks and minuses depending on the combination chosen. That could lead to some interesting strategy for both side. (It would make sense I would think for rebels to have things like this too. Though since they are rebels and scraping to get by they would instead have a whole bunch of little nuisance attacking "pets")

Well enough rambling for now. Thanks for your attention.

Mavev Ohi
Novice Chef
Ahazi - Corellia - Kor Vella

There are several areas where Artisans can be useful and involved. Most of the previous suggestions regarding faction ideas are a good start. Many classes, with the appropriate crafting tool, can make items on their own. While this is good, there are examples of items with advanced add on slots. The idea is to create add-ons to items craftable by other professions. This way an Artisan can create subcomponents desirable
by other crafters. For example, Scouts can fabricate traps. Like standard grenades, have power ups that improve their effectiveness. Range boosters, area effect enhancers, accuracy enhancers to name a few. These could all be optional slots that would allow for a market for Artisans to fill. Medic add-ons could include enhanced stimpak packaging for improved effectiveness. Combat Medic - see Scout add-ons. At this time, there are in each Master rank, certain items/abilities that Only a Master can make/do. This can be expanded on so that the Elite professions can also have add-ons craftable Only by a Master Artisan. The crafting stations are a good example of this. Some option components can Only be created by a Master Artisan. Droid Engineer have only a few modules that they can add to a droid. The Probot droid, for example, has a fixed weapon that the Droid Engineer cannot change. Add a new optional module slot for -mounted weapon-. This weapon would have to come from a Weapon Smith. S/He would use a -weapon mount- in the optional slot for a weapon changing it from a PC usable weapon into a droid weapon. The combinations can be extensive and expensive. The same could be done for shields. The idea for a tool to monitor harvesters is good. To make it more playable, include the tool for this as an option in a house. A Master Artisan makes the add-on and the Architect adds it in the design. The add-on then allows a new entry in the radial menu -Harvester Management-. Any house can have this and therefore will not limit housing choices, just the expense of getting that part added. A new droid module to consider is -Harvester Management-. While all harvesters have to be placed by a person, why not allow a droid to go Get the contents of the hopper. The mechanics would have to be worked out, but, for a fee, you could have a droid that could go to all the hoppers to have waypoints for in your data pad (the ones put there upon placement) and retrieve the contents of the hopper. The droid would then return to either a: a fixed point in the nearest city or b: your house. You could then remove the contents. This module would, of course, require parts from a Master Artisan that the Droid Engineer would use to create the -Enhanced Guidance- module. These are some ideas for adding to the usefulness of Artisans. Additional add-ons for crafting stations,(to increase efficiency, success rates, output results[2 or 3 instead of 1 per crafting]) would also make being a Master Artisan more desirable. The Artisan profession IS a support profession. We (and the Elites from it) build the toys everyone else uses. Lets add a few more toys

Perelay (Formerly of EQ Enchanter Fame)
Spryte Dreamweaver[Haven] - Scylla - Corellia
Master Artisan - Architect [Installation Designer]

In the current PvP system, Artisans have no role. PvP fights/battles do not last long enough nor do they provide opportunities for "real time" crafting support to make any difference. So, for PvP, I'd tag Artisan as "no role".

For GCW, our role should be helping our faction with our crafting abilities. Currently, crafting missions suck - travel 10,000m into the boonies for a 400cr/no FPreward. The designers do realize that most crafters will not have formal combat training? At a 400cr reward, you and your escort would split 200cr - it's very lame and no amount of "Starwarsiness" can redeem the waste of time that characterizes all crafting missions.

I remember my first crafting mission to deliver a top secret widget from Bela Vistal to the mountains NW of Kor Vella. I got the mission from a rebel camp in the mountain surrounding Bela Vistal. I didn't even check the reward, I just did it as a good rebel soldier. The reward was a measly 462cr and I think 5FP or maybe no FP. For the travel time and the "importance" of this mission, I believe a 3000cr reward and 200FP reward would have been far more appropriate. I haven't done a crafting mission sincebecause there's no sense of accomplishment - the chintzy reward negates any "Starwarsiness" that might have existed.

I believe that well-thought, integrated crafting quests/missions that provided progressively higher credit and faction rewards would be large step towards immersing Artisans in the GCW. Not mindless fedex, mind you, but entertaining, immersive stories that appropriately rewards crafters for choosing to support the community through crafting.

Logistics has always been the Achilles heal of warfare. This is a fantastic idea!