Creature Handler Archive

I posted the following on the Correspondent board... obviously no idea what, if anything, will be done, but I wanted you folks to know I'm listening :

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The sentiment on the CH forum is that many veteran handlers are upset over the transition to the new system.

Everyone's happy we have the option to use our old tames. However, people are very unhappy that they all essentially start as fresh baby tames, especially given that they probably at this point have vitality loss from being old pets. Most veteran handlers don't understand why they should be forced to essentially re-grind their entire datapad from scratch to adapt to the new system, and I can't say I blame them.

After all, a "new" handler would have been grinding their pets as they leveled, and would reach master with a mature, fleshed-out datapad. Unfortunately, the only seeming benefit to being a MCH going into Publish 21 is that you can elect to use your old pets. You still have to grind them all to give them skills, and you still have to tame new pets to get the abilities. In many cases, since an old pet has suffered vitality loss, replacing it with a fresh tame if possible would be better from a "game statistics" standpoint, if not the sentimental standpoint.

I would like to request you consider any or all of the following ideas as a method of compensating the veteran Creature Handler population:

1. Restore all datapad pets to 100/100 vitality. At least if we have to grind our pets, they're starting at full strength.

2. Give some form of "pet token" allowing the handler to select a quantity of pets in their datapad (2-5 perhaps) to instantly level to the maximum trainable level. This would help alleviate the feeling most current veterans have that they have to essentially re-grind Creature Handler simply to play with the new system.

3. Allocate some of the new pet specials to existing handlers. Perhaps 2 L3 abilities, 3 L2 abilities, and 5 L1 abilities. Allow the CH to select these from a list similar to choosing veteran rewards (ideally), or assign them at random. Again, this would help veteran handlers feel less like they're starting over.

Good Ideas Ko-a

I would vote that all creatures in datapad be restored to babies that way theyget their innate armor and can get specials too. I also agree that some specials should only be available to master creature handlers where a dabbler ch could never use a lvl 3 special.Iifthis publish is successfulI know that manyof the post CU Creature handlers will be dabblers especially the Bounty hunters that currently dabble in the combat medic tree.

I am starting to get excited about this publish and even if have to go out and find a new Bull Rancor will do it if CH is fixed.

i dont mind my pets going back to babies. What i would like is for my pets to have their innate ability. i dont want to go out and find a bull rancor again after it took me months to find. as long as my pets that are tamed are not worse than if someone tamed a new one then i dont mind my pets going back to babies...although my vote is for the 100% vitality option

I'm fine with leveling up my pets. I just want to make sure, pre-Pub21 tamed Pets are not penalized in any form. I.e. less ability slots than post-Pub21 pets, etc...

Message Edited by Thrakkar on 08-02-2005 04:23 PM

Thanks for posting this.

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Ko-aIri wrote:
I posted the following on the Correspondent board... obviously no idea what, if anything, will be done, but I wanted you folks to know I'm listening :

---

The sentiment on the CH forum is that many veteran handlers are upset over the transition to the new system.

Everyone's happy we have the option to use our old tames. However, people are very unhappy that they all essentially start as fresh baby tames, especially given that they probably at this point have vitality loss from being old pets. Most veteran handlers don't understand why they should be forced to essentially re-grind their entire datapad from scratch to adapt to the new system, and I can't say I blame them.

After all, a "new" handler would have been grinding their pets as they leveled, and would reach master with a mature, fleshed-out datapad. Unfortunately, the only seeming benefit to being a MCH going into Publish 21 is that you can elect to use your old pets. You still have to grind them all to give them skills, and you still have to tame new pets to get the abilities. In many cases, since an old pet has suffered vitality loss, replacing it with a fresh tame if possible would be better from a "game statistics" standpoint, if not the sentimental standpoint.

I would like to request you consider any or all of the following ideas as a method of compensating the veteran Creature Handler population:

1. Restore all datapad pets to 100/100 vitality. At least if we have to grind our pets, they're starting at full strength.

2. Give some form of "pet token" allowing the handler to select a quantity of pets in their datapad (2-5 perhaps) to instantly level to the maximum trainable level. This would help alleviate the feeling most current veterans have that they have to essentially re-grind Creature Handler simply to play with the new system.

3. Allocate some of the new pet specials to existing handlers. Perhaps 2 L3 abilities, 3 L2 abilities, and 5 L1 abilities. Allow the CH to select these from a list similar to choosing veteran rewards (ideally), or assign them at random. Again, this would help veteran handlers feel less like they're starting over.

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As for me perosnally

It seems that #1 should happen if we have to rrgrind any pets

Number 3 may be problematic coding wise for the devs. As opposed to what we initially thought TC is reporting that learning the abilities from babies only takes a few rounds of combat. Given that I personally would not care if I had to go out taming to get abilities. Number 2 is really my main worry. I would rather seeincreasing the number of pets tokesn in #2 andnot ask them to do #3. Going out on the hunt to find abilities will be a fun experience, The huge grind of the datapad pets won't be nearly as fun (thats why they call it grind).

Thats my opinion anyway.

I'm not particularly strong-feeling either way on this issue, but for fun I'll play devil's advocate. It seems a little unnecessary to be extremely upset that we have to "regrind" our profession. Basically, all of our old pets will still work, at the same level, with no need to do anything on our part. We're not *losing* anything, we are *gaining* access to a new system and new content. Complaining about it is roughly analagous to the devs deciding to give shipwrights more ships to build, and then having the shipwrights demand that some crafted deeds of the new ships be placed in their inventory because they "would have crafted them earlier if they had the chance".

Basically, I feel like this new specials system will give CH a much-needed boost in fun and effectiveness. From the reports that I've heard from TC, it doesn't take an astoundingly long time to level up pets, and if we just go out and have fun with our pets as normal, we'll gain access to more and more powerful abilities as we go along.

/equips flame-proof bodysuit

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We're not *losing* anything, we are *gaining* access to a new system and new content.

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As my pets were carefully selected for a variety of reasons, including their specials, I beg to differ.

Pre-CU I had intimidate, stun, crippling strike, dizzy, plague strike, and poison spray on my most active pets, and a host of others on my less used pets. Months and years of work was spent in finding and perfecting the combinations.

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Seiryuu wrote:

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We're not *losing* anything, we are *gaining* access to a new system and new content.

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As my pets were carefully selected for a variety of reasons, including their specials, I beg to differ.

Pre-CU I had intimidate, stun, crippling strike, dizzy, plague strike, and poison spray on my most active pets, and a host of others on my less used pets. Months and years of work was spent in finding and perfecting the combinations.

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I beg to differ also

My issue about one thing that we are "gaining" and that is a grind on existing pets tat we have used for a long time in combat. My data pad will be 5.7 mil pet xp plus.

Like I said above going out and finding the specials via tames and a tiny bit of xping is actually content and wound be fun.

Doing hundreds to thousands of missions to be able to apply these to our existing pets is an issue and something we "gain" from this. Now that part will not be fun or engaging. Like Ko stated above the up and coming ch will be getting their pet xp as they grind the profession. The vets "gain" a grind that is more than the current amount of CH xp required to XP the entire profession again. Thats a big loss in my eyes.