Bio Engineer Archive

How about communications issues? We haven't heard a thing from Keldarin in almost two months. For a profession that's still half broken that is way too long. I'd be happy just to get a simple status update on the clone patch. That should take all of 10 minutes if it's as complete as his last post said it was.

(/em ...doing his best Dr. Evil impersonation)Throw me a frickin bone here

Haggis

As a week-old novice in bio-engineering, I am more in the mode of learning than opining about the issues in this profession. I had heard that there were some things that were "broken" but frankly I'm amazed at how "broken" it is.

Two things that I have to add based on what little experience I've gleaned:

1. It would be terrific to boost the speed of clones. Not attack speed, moving speed. One of the big things I am hearing from people about their upcoming creature mounts is that they want to be able to get places fast (gee, imagine that...). However, far as I can tell, there is no way to improve this on a clone.


2. Interdependencies on other classes seems to be a major issue with this profession. I'm giving up ranger to do this, and as I lose my camoflauge bonuses I'm markedly noticing how much more dangerous dna sampling has become. So in addition to relying on CH's, Doctors, Tailors, Chefs and Merchants to build and hawk our wares, we also need to count on having a ranger handy to camoflauge us so we can get in close to the big beasties and make the wares in the first place.

There seems to be some dissatisfaction over the fact that the non-CH-type ridable critters (like Kaadu) can be made at the beginning levels, and that this cheapens the status of the Master Bio-Engineer. It seems that, if the experimentation were corrected so that the same creature cloned by aMaster was vastly superior to that cloned by a Novice, this would not be an issue. I find it a bit disheartening as I've played about with clone crafting that the DNA template that had decent stats yields a creature with useless stats. I thought this was a function of my experience level but it sounds like this is a typical result for all. I am left asking, what is the point of "tampering on God's domain" if you can't improve on Mother Nature?

This seems to be a tough profession to master because of the vast quantities of animal resources needed, and the fact that you need a number of specialists in elite professions to take advantage of the services you provide, both on the supply and demand ends. I sincerely hope that the hard work will pay off.

My apologies for neglecting a signature on the post above!

LT2 Kalan Wolfcourser
SpecFour Guild, Intrepid
Carbinier/Recovering Ranger/Newbie Mad Scientist

I am a Bio engineer that just got Engineering Techniques II.

So far i report that with ET II, i get 20% failure with a single experimentation point and 30% only if i use all three on same line. (speaking of DNA templates using quite high (700-800ish) resources in both overall quality and potential energy). I've 14 quality Tool and Crafting station.

with ET I, i had 30% failure with one single point and more... around 48% with both points.

I do not rember the percentuals as a Novice and i had also different tools/station.

I confirm all about the weird experimentation procedure, i noted that the percentual act bizare if you got a normal success or a good success. a Great Success will usually rise the percentual normally. Also the fall in percentual seems to happens only the first time.

Have a nice day

Volkmar Starlight, Eclipse

1.1.1.2 Bio engineer.

From the first entry:
The resource formula for clones still has UT. UT is not found on creature food or flora food.

Eh, no.
http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=TestCenter&message.id=36495
The above thread has my notes (I'll re-write them here once I'm home, if I remember, along with all relevant numbers, if I remember) on how crafting/experimentation work, and if attributes are lacked on a resource how it's handled.

From controlled experiments, on Live servers, if an attribute is missing it's dropped entirely from the weighted average, not factored in as a zero.

Example: CRDM, 8 organic, 8 inorganic, 33% PE, 66% OQ.

Organic: 8 units. X/1000 OQ, Y/1000 PE
Inorganic: 8 units, A/1000 OQ, B/1000 PE

OQ yield: .66*((X/1000+A/1000)/2)
PE yield: .33*((Y/1000+B/1000)/2)
Item yield: OQyield+PEyield, rounded up to the percentage (so .22114 rounds to .22, or 22%).

In the above, if you're using fiberplast (which has no PE), instead of A/1000 OQ, and B=0/1000 PE, it's actually dropped. (so PE yield is .33*((Y/1000)/1) instead of .33*((Y/1000+0/1000)/2).
I've got the proofs to back this up, as well as TH's query to devs that say I pinned the actual process and variables correctly.

So having UT being missing as an action item may not be pertinent (unless Test Center worries that they're actually changing it so that it WILL in the future factor in a zero into the weighted average, are accurate).

Hmm...well i just wonder when we will see some of the changes.

Actually I dont mind much anymore...I have kind of cut down on this game.

I forgot one MAJOR thing for those of us Advertising 3:

We need a section for pets on the planetary map...currently I have to advertise under "weapons" or "droids" and neither make much sense.

Extremely wonderful list and very well written.

A few things...

1) The issue concerning fast double-clicking on DNA samples has been resolved in last patch.

2) Re-emphasize either REnaming DNA samples that we take OR have it say the creature it came from when you roll pointer over it (instead of pulling up "examine" to see the creature it came from)... this would not be difficult code to add.

3) Better communication to us with "invisible" nerfs. The fact that our samples seem to be capped at lvl 75 creatures now should not be something we find out by trial and error as a group. (especially with decay fromcloning going live).Many BE's had to die before we could "guesstimate"and share what we think this cap changed to.

4) Re-emphasize being able to change creature run speed.

Tyrtaeus Agiad, Master BE, Chilastra

KalWolf

Quick response to your note about needing camouflage/mask scent... we can craft materials that tailors can make that should up our mask scent. I haven't tried it yet.. but you may wish to give it a shot. Of course.. you still need a tailor But what profession is perfect? Architects need DE's and master artisans, the list goes on.

I think the real issue has been hit on the head several times, we need creatures that are better than wild tames. We are supposed to be improving nature, not hoping to make something useful out of its scraps. It would also be nice to see the sampled creature's specials find their way into the finished product. IE, if I use spined recluse DNA to make a khamurra, at some point there should be a chance of my khamurra having a poison attack. The end result of bio-engineering should be the ability to combine attributes to make a better creature. Think Mail Order Monsters (I know it's EA, but take a look at it anyways).

Another idea... good doctors can make Stimpack C's that require less skill to use. Good bio-engineers should be able to make creatures whose abilities stay the same but whose requirements to tame/control are lessened. I wouldn't go crazy here (no level 10 Dewbacks or level 15 rancors), but a notch down for some bigger creatures could make bio-engineers quite valuable.

Lastly.. like the architect skill.. like housing in Ultima Online.. SOE has overlooked the need for decay. When UO was made it was not believed that many players would have 1 million gold ever. 6 years later.. well, it's commonplace. Everyone could own a castle if the real estate provided. The reality is that everyone will eventually be rich and able to afford the creature of their dreams.. and then there will be a bunch of old bio-engineers waiting for new players to join in so they can fight over who will sell them their big critters. Creatures and structures need to decay in a relatively moderately paced and very permanent way. As do crafting tools and everything else in the game... except raw materials and items that are used up in regular use (molecular clamps). The need to keep refreshing livestock will keep the bio-engineer in business and in the game longer.

um why not a lvl 10 dewback? after all they are only lvl 18... I agree with the 15 rancor... rancor shouldn't be able to drop below the lowest in the wild. THat could be an okay guide also... well except gurrecks since there are CL 15 gurrecks and no gurreck should drop to 15.

maybe they could create a new structure in the spirit of a chicken coop or barn etc. allows BE to place pets until they are full grown. can milk and harvest eggs if the pets placed are compatible. would be the equivalent of a harvester for these hard to find items, requiring maintenance and maybe even floral resources to keep the pets alive.

just a thought.

They removed the Farmer class in beta2 or early beta3, along with the Miner. We're the revamp of the Farmer. I don't think they'll revisit that kind of situation.

maybe there is a trick i'm not aware of but I'd hope one day for a patch that would enable the BE to see the CL of a creature sampled and to be able to see it from a dna sample. It's annoying to have to rely on external web sites to get the CL and to sort the samples in your house to ensure you don't mess the good ones with the bad ones.

Another thing I totally agree with is the need for Decay on pets. the vitality pack is there to save the pet but there should be some cummulative decay too (unless it'S there and i have not seen it... i never hunt so...).

I'm waiting on the day we can change the CL of a pet, this will be fun. too much is for CH in this game, it's time to give the fun back to others.