Bio Engineer Archive
Thread: Getting to know you and your profession!
Keatsnam
Mon Oct 11, 2004 2:22 pm
#495
Oh yes, one more. The inability to call pets in a dungeon. I get why we can't call them in the cantina. But when you're at the bottom of a dungeon and your pet decides to randomly store, you're pretty much screwed.
Ko-aIri
Mon Oct 11, 2004 2:27 pm
#496
All creatures CL 70 and less (the maximum usable level for a master creature handler) should be tamable. If the "great creature balance of 2003" was successful, which we were lead to believe by the dev team, then all creatures CL 70 and under should be balanced for player use and thus should have some chance of spawning babies to be tamed by a CH. Many, many desirable creatures still do not spawn babies of any sort, even ones (like the Frenzied Graul and virtually every "lair boss") that say "Tamable: Yes" when examined by a scout.
We were balanced for the combat balance before any other profession, and left out to dry as the balance was continually pushed back, now going on a year. We need immediate attention to correct this, CH is no longer particularly viable in PvP or PvE, and as such only the most devout CHs remain. But we're not giving up the fight.
In PvP, our pets are not subject to a 75% damage reduction from other players and so are generally massacred. In PvE, our pets are strong enough generally to work only against mid-level or lesser content, and so in any "endgame" level activity, the CH has no use. Our pets need to deal more damage or take less damage or both, our specials need to work 100% of the time when commanded (unlike some of the poison/disease specials and knockdown, which do not), and our pets need to be able to be viable in many situations, not just as a meat shield. Re-balancing us for current combat conditions until the full "combat balance" would help all of these things.
Many, many other issues also, but these two are the most glaring in my opinion and would go a LONG way towards fixing our profession. See Vertexon's issues post for a good number of other problems.
Thanks for stopping by.
We were balanced for the combat balance before any other profession, and left out to dry as the balance was continually pushed back, now going on a year. We need immediate attention to correct this, CH is no longer particularly viable in PvP or PvE, and as such only the most devout CHs remain. But we're not giving up the fight.
Many, many other issues also, but these two are the most glaring in my opinion and would go a LONG way towards fixing our profession. See Vertexon's issues post for a good number of other problems.
Thanks for stopping by.
IrovMistwalker
Mon Oct 11, 2004 2:29 pm
#497
I have been playing the game only a couple months. I am not a master CH, only 3324 at the moment. I have never pvped so I cannot comment about that aspect of the game. I do have some issues that bother me in pve though.
Calling and storing pets. Why are there built in delays? Especially why can't I call a pet when in combat? If I give up offensive abilities to be a CH, then why are you preventing the calling of pets in combat. I can understand not being able to store pets in combat, but why can't I call one, especially since we have limits by sum of levels to the pets we can have available?
Why is there a delay after combat of storing pets. I am always the last in the group to get to a new location, because I had to wait for 45 seconds to store my pet.
I was fighting on dantooine against yellow con creatures and I was using my level 36 pet because he was the only creature I have that could tank the damage he was getting from these creatures, yet he was getting 40 CH experience a creature. How absurd. If it takes me 4 minutes to kill a creature and then get 40 experience. You can't base experience on levels. I have seen good bioengineered pets in the low twenties that are far better stats than anything my level 36 has and they get great experience. Except that I cannot afford pets like that with the inflated economy these godlike buffs have created.
I personally think CH skill should increase the mask scent skill, even with bio engineered clothes I still get detected on a regular basis by low level creatures. Why can't I mask scent when mounted? How about giving us some abilities from a mounted pet? We trained it, we should get some benefit from that.
Calling and storing pets. Why are there built in delays? Especially why can't I call a pet when in combat? If I give up offensive abilities to be a CH, then why are you preventing the calling of pets in combat. I can understand not being able to store pets in combat, but why can't I call one, especially since we have limits by sum of levels to the pets we can have available?
Why is there a delay after combat of storing pets. I am always the last in the group to get to a new location, because I had to wait for 45 seconds to store my pet.
I was fighting on dantooine against yellow con creatures and I was using my level 36 pet because he was the only creature I have that could tank the damage he was getting from these creatures, yet he was getting 40 CH experience a creature. How absurd. If it takes me 4 minutes to kill a creature and then get 40 experience. You can't base experience on levels. I have seen good bioengineered pets in the low twenties that are far better stats than anything my level 36 has and they get great experience. Except that I cannot afford pets like that with the inflated economy these godlike buffs have created.
I personally think CH skill should increase the mask scent skill, even with bio engineered clothes I still get detected on a regular basis by low level creatures. Why can't I mask scent when mounted? How about giving us some abilities from a mounted pet? We trained it, we should get some benefit from that.
Panthu
Mon Oct 11, 2004 2:29 pm
#498
Electro wrote:
Pardon me but why is it we have correspondents again? Don't they summarize our top five issues on a regular basis and submit them to the development team?
I like to think that we have correspondents as an "always on" channel to the Devs for our issues. Tiggs has a kind of influence that we corrs only dream of though, so I'd hate for us to ever lose a chance at her ear. ![]()
For the record, I agree with all that has been posted so far. Keep it coming guys. ![]()
gavrie55
Mon Oct 11, 2004 2:34 pm
#499
Listen, I was a CH for a long time... A MCH for a very, very long time. I loved the proffesion. I loved my pets. I loved the job... But I left it all in the dust a long time ago cause I like cool stuff. My pets were hella cool, though all the BE ones had major flaws and all the wild ones were just generally low powered, but I couldn't do anything with my pets anymore...
Constantly running away in battle, to slow, not actually tanking everything... I didn't get MCH so I would also have to go TKM and wear composite with buffs...
Pets don't do much damage... Well, I've never seen CH as a stand alone proff anyway, its always been a support role as far as I am concerned... And I don't PvP so still no problem there...
So yeah... I can't think of much of anything my pets were good for anymore... They always took at least 20% more damage, attacked half as much, hit half as much, did half the damage per an attack...
They arn't good for show, they annoy people, they lag things...
Mounts are pretty much useless...
Takes more skill points to get...
You want to want to know what every CHer wants Tiggs? Cause seriously, you don't even have to ask what "you" feel is important. I'm pretty sure we all want the same thing. You would know that if you really cared enough to look.
CH... I, we, everyone... Wants to be useful. To have a purpose, and to be good at that. We arn't even compairable to anyone else who does anything we do.
Before those many CH nerfs and balances, and all those ideal range problems, CH was extreamly important. You could live without one, but you'd live longer with us... Hell, back then you wanted just about everyone but meele... Then again, I used to hunt kimogilas for fun, so maybe everone else wanted meele. But for me... A CH, marksmen of all kind, medics, scouts, SLs, CMs... Anything and everything...
We just want to be important. To be able to do something and do it well. That is all. Thats all we have ever really wanted. Thats all any of the proffesions want... And thats all "I" want. And thats in "my" words. Cause I want what I think everyone else wants. Even if they don't, I do feel its important, but I would be suprised if you found one post going astray from what any other post really says. So really... I don't think using the plural and talking about what the overall class wants is wrong in this case...
MistyLee
Mon Oct 11, 2004 2:40 pm
#500
I think there should be a full set of flourishes for the exotics 1&2, i'm unsure about 3&4 as i'm not master yet, but getting only 2 new unique flourishes for all that work is kind of a letdown, the broken base dances for lyrical and formal are not to bad but makes you feel stupid knowing to everyone else you're sliding around the floor.. would be interesting to have a large group doing formal/lyrical in one of the large npc theaters.
DarkY0da
Mon Oct 11, 2004 2:40 pm
#501
There are 2 top issues for me and they are very very connected.
1. The Ability to macro all the game mechanics involved in dancing. To get to Master Dancer having only copy/pasted a macro and hit a button once a day.
2. Respect from Players and Devs. #1 removes pretty much any and all respect for Dancers.
We have no idea what the Devs view our role in SWG. So we can't tailor our suggestions to help them. Our suggestions go ignored. Our Feedback threads get no replies. Our bugs get no answers. Our Corrs aren't allowed to tell us anything (and most of the time they don't know the answers any ways). We were forgotten for the new FS quests until we made a fuss and then they gave us freakin Wound healing in the FS skills ??? Our XP can be turned into FSxp but there are no quests we can do once there with out picking up some other class. Our new content that we have waitied forever for is the ONLY content with a XP cost to it... We have got NO word on the fabled Hutt Casino... No word on the promised macro changes. And this just from the Devs....
The players think we are all AFK spammers and bots or Alts. A lot resent having to come to the afk spam filled cantinas. Many out right despise and hate us.
What is our role in SWG ? And why as a new outlet for a "social" style of play, as a exciting and unique new addition to MMORPGs.... Why are we completely ignored ?
Tuscanspeed
Mon Oct 11, 2004 2:41 pm
#502
we need more useful damage types, disposable weapons suck.
grenades hurt me more than my target.
i REALLY want that underslung carbine (with proper specials!).
on the topic of specials, the launcher pistol needs some.
on the topic of the HAR, make it an Armor killer (heavy armor damage!) PLUS AP3. give a NEW dot, the chemical burn!. burns all three stats slowly, but for a long time.
change how it fires tho, no longer a FT clone.make ithurl acid grenades.
btw, thanks for stopping by!
nbd9k
Mon Oct 11, 2004 2:41 pm
#503
Hi Tiggs!
We're so glad you could spare us a moment of your time.If youve readthrough some of the posts on this thread, you probably have a good idea what parts of our profession give us problems (pretty much all of it). Our situation is ironic, howerver, since no matter how bad our profession gets, a sizable corps of diehard commandos always remains, usually looking on the bright side and to garvin for any info he can muster.
i would present my request in a slightly different fashion than my brethren:
I think the most pressing issue with our professions is the consistant lack of attention over such a long period of time. Youll see this issue again when you visit the smuggler page, and probably a few other professions, too.
The majority of our problems were identified within weeks of the beginning of the game, and though initially we did receive a glance or two, we have now gone for months without change (except for the occasional nerf). Many other professions had just as many problems as we did, if not more, but slowly, patch by patch, the DEVs worked to correct the majority of those issues.We commandos, however, were told our problems would be solved when they started the combat rebalance, something we began to look forward to in November of last year! This is why the frustration level is so high among the senior commandos as opposed to the newer ones. Please keep in mind- though it is somethnig we all feel, we arent driven by that negativity.
if you browse around the commando forum, you will notice a difference, at least compared to other profession forums ive visited. The majority of our posts are constructive- ideas that would improve our profession, or even the whole game. most threads run with these ideas, simplifying them, and making them plausibly codeworthy. though im sure most will never see the light of day, it makes this really one of the most interesting forums to hang around in, and we would love nothing more than to see a DEV or two wander in and comment on one idea or another.
thanks for your time.
If you can read this, you are putting in way too much effort.
spreadsheet
Mon Oct 11, 2004 2:46 pm
#504
First, Thank you for the post. I welcome you to the creature handler forum.
Next, the first post hit it on the head. We were "rebalanced" in December. We have been usless
in PvP since. We have been promised ever since that the combat rebalance was around the corner.
Nothing yet. We have other issues stickied that you have noted but "Balance" has got to be number 1.
Please if you can, get a copy of the creature handler doc that I gave to TH at FanFest. It has almost everything we have proposed for the last 6 months. Please look at our ideas in the: Issues, Corral, Mounts,
and Creature Armor threads.
And maybe most important: We want to hear from YOU. Come back and let us know whats going on.
We want to know you remember us and our working on our problems as well as the rest of the SWG community.
So please post again. It is great to get to share concerns with someone other than just ourselves.
Eltheria
Mon Oct 11, 2004 2:50 pm
#505
Hi Tiggs 
Ok...here is what I would like to see as a ch. I didn't read any of the replies above mine, only because you want to hear what I as a player want for myself. I have a feeling this will be similar to other responses, but will look after posting. Here ya go :
Seriously, The amt of creatures in this game is great and varied. I look at swg creatures and the listedamt of crittersare 804. No we can't tame all of em (tho at times I wish we could). Even going by a round number of 200 tamable (I don't know what the actual number is just rounding) that leaves us as CH a very small percentage to choose to keep for pets. I truly feel that when we need to have the amount of creatures we can have as pets be increased at least double.
Where to keep them? In our own corrals or stables. The problem is that pets right now when tamed can only be given to another person or just released "destroyed". We would not be able to put Fluffy down in his part of the stable. The code needs to be changed so pets can be placed in these special structures.
Flying mounts would be something that would be just awesome in the game. Lantern Birds, Peko Peko, etc. Those just beg to be ridden around in the skies on.
Our pets are also our weapons in combat. It doesn't take any other combat class 15 seconds or longer to change weapons, yet we are subjected to that delay. We also are subjected to not being able to call a pet during combat. That needs to be removed. Lately being involved in pvp situations this is an impediment to me and I am sure other ch pvp'ers. No time delay on either calling, or changing during combat please.
This is what is uppermost to me as a ch and thanks for taking the time to ask what we need. 
TK-132
Mon Oct 11, 2004 2:54 pm
#506
Hey there.
Hmm well pretty much everything has been said, but I guess I'll blab about what I feel is important.
Defenses- Big deal to me. We have some of the worst defenses in the game. I find myself in any faction PvP situation getting KD and dizzied and basically dying on my back. I get knocked down and dizzied by NPCs even. Also in PvP all the damage we do is useless. I think we hit for like 200 damage with the flamethrower (if we hit) and then rely on our flame DoT, even though the DoT is good most people can defeat you and remain perfectly safe. This under the assumption your opponent is buffed and wearing good composite armor which is usually the case, other wise Commandos would be pretty good. So basically we can't survive very long in combat.
Attacking- Flame DoT is nice, but really is the only useful attack ability we have. Way too many things in game with high heat resists. Due to this we have to rely on our flame Dot or use our other weapons. If you do not know most of our other weapons do not work well. They miss too much, cost too much HAM, do not do enough damage, and are expensive, especially consuambles like grenades and rocket launchers. I also find it strange these weapons are so weak. Grenades, Rocket Launchers, and other such things are in my mind some of the most deadly weapons in exsistence even in the Star Wars Universe, yet are basically weak and ineffective. The HAR needs to be fixed or replaced since it is basically a weaker version of the FT. A heavy blaster rifle of some sort would be a nice replacement. I aslo don't like the launcher pistol since it causes to much lag and basically acts like a pistol FT. It also has no specials, so either fix it up or give us a decent pistol.
These are bit off topic, but still relate to us.
Combat Revamp Docs- I really want to know what is going on. I have thought of cancelling my account over this. There has been no real response on when they are coming and that makes me angry.
(Yes this is a Long Rant of Sorts)
SBDs- Hate these things. I don't remember these being tougher then droidekas in the movies, but for some reason they are in this game. There is also the fact that an SBD can easily take down a AT-ST. I also believe it is possible for two SBDs to prove more than a match for AT-AT which is extremely non-sensible. There is no need for a MOB like this and they make adventure zones like the DWB and Corvette non-fun as they can easily kill players (like Commandos within about a minute) and even if they don't any decent group will spend two minutes pounding on the thing.
There is also some 15 or more on the Corvette at times which is relatively hard for a small group to handle. Thus it seems people are encourage to run away from everything on the Corvette to either loot or solo the missions.
Adding more does not fix anything. Removing them or limiting them too older numbers may encourage players to at least somewhat fight their way through the Corvette. I doubt anybody would complain much if SBDs were reduced in power or numbers. Nobody likes fighting them from what I can see. Yes there is a need for challenge in this game when it comes to PvE, but most anybody will agree they do not like SBDs.
I can't fight these things and either can any group I assemble. It's sad that I need a jedi friend or a bunch of FOTM templaters to help me deal with these. My only other option is too run away from them which isn't real fun.
I apologize for this rant, my only wish is that these will not be the uber monsters in the game's future and that they be scalled to a more Star Wars realistic combat ability.
Ok I've said more than enough. I just get frustrated about these things sometimes.
Hmm well pretty much everything has been said, but I guess I'll blab about what I feel is important.
Defenses- Big deal to me. We have some of the worst defenses in the game. I find myself in any faction PvP situation getting KD and dizzied and basically dying on my back. I get knocked down and dizzied by NPCs even. Also in PvP all the damage we do is useless. I think we hit for like 200 damage with the flamethrower (if we hit) and then rely on our flame DoT, even though the DoT is good most people can defeat you and remain perfectly safe. This under the assumption your opponent is buffed and wearing good composite armor which is usually the case, other wise Commandos would be pretty good. So basically we can't survive very long in combat.
Attacking- Flame DoT is nice, but really is the only useful attack ability we have. Way too many things in game with high heat resists. Due to this we have to rely on our flame Dot or use our other weapons. If you do not know most of our other weapons do not work well. They miss too much, cost too much HAM, do not do enough damage, and are expensive, especially consuambles like grenades and rocket launchers. I also find it strange these weapons are so weak. Grenades, Rocket Launchers, and other such things are in my mind some of the most deadly weapons in exsistence even in the Star Wars Universe, yet are basically weak and ineffective. The HAR needs to be fixed or replaced since it is basically a weaker version of the FT. A heavy blaster rifle of some sort would be a nice replacement. I aslo don't like the launcher pistol since it causes to much lag and basically acts like a pistol FT. It also has no specials, so either fix it up or give us a decent pistol.
These are bit off topic, but still relate to us.
Combat Revamp Docs- I really want to know what is going on. I have thought of cancelling my account over this. There has been no real response on when they are coming and that makes me angry.
(Yes this is a Long Rant of Sorts)
SBDs- Hate these things. I don't remember these being tougher then droidekas in the movies, but for some reason they are in this game. There is also the fact that an SBD can easily take down a AT-ST. I also believe it is possible for two SBDs to prove more than a match for AT-AT which is extremely non-sensible. There is no need for a MOB like this and they make adventure zones like the DWB and Corvette non-fun as they can easily kill players (like Commandos within about a minute) and even if they don't any decent group will spend two minutes pounding on the thing.
There is also some 15 or more on the Corvette at times which is relatively hard for a small group to handle. Thus it seems people are encourage to run away from everything on the Corvette to either loot or solo the missions.
Adding more does not fix anything. Removing them or limiting them too older numbers may encourage players to at least somewhat fight their way through the Corvette. I doubt anybody would complain much if SBDs were reduced in power or numbers. Nobody likes fighting them from what I can see. Yes there is a need for challenge in this game when it comes to PvE, but most anybody will agree they do not like SBDs.
I can't fight these things and either can any group I assemble. It's sad that I need a jedi friend or a bunch of FOTM templaters to help me deal with these. My only other option is too run away from them which isn't real fun.
I apologize for this rant, my only wish is that these will not be the uber monsters in the game's future and that they be scalled to a more Star Wars realistic combat ability.
Ok I've said more than enough. I just get frustrated about these things sometimes.
Novock
Mon Oct 11, 2004 3:04 pm
#507
1. Revamp docs most pressing issue period. 45+ days in counting since summit and still not even a post to tell us when these documents will come out.
2. Combat sucks and we need the revamp now it should have been put on priority before the Jedi revamp as it is the core syatem for combat in the game. Any further discussion on combat is kinda pointless till we see whats in these infamous docs. We are broken and whats broken has been stated over and over and over again to no avail, let's see the docs.
On a side note why did veteran players who have been big time players for 6, 7, 8 months and longer who choose not to hologrind as even the DEVs saw it as being bad for gameplay get no love in the new Jedi system. We have to wait 5 months to get through the FS system as any noob enetring the game. You want us to wait for over 18 months for properly fnuctioning combat core system then you delay it for Jedi then you tell those veteran players unless you AFK you are "poot" out-of-luck if you want a Jedi just have to wait 5 months like someone who bought the game off the shelf.
Message Edited by Novock on 10-11-2004 03:18 PM