Creature Handler Archive

I have searched through this thread and also other posts in attempt to collect what I feel are good ideas. I feel that the CH profession is in immediate need of attention and from what I can see none of the player's ideas have made it even into concept phase much less testing phase. Players are taking their time to write and post valid suggestions on how to make this profession better which isn't even the case as most just want to fix the CH profession from when it was nerfed and from the current atmosphere. I say the current atmosphere because as one player put it in a post. Its a buffed up world. Buffs do indeed rule this game now. There needs to be less worry by DEVs, SOE, or whoever is in charge around here, about how making a change to CH might unbalance the game. I see people whipping out a light saber almost every ten feet in the city and buffed out players doing thousands of damage yet we are worried about the littlest things like increasing mount speed? If I were a Rancor I would cower in fear rather than step out of my lair in this buffed out world. And yet, as a trained rancor serving my master I charge out with a mighty roar to be cut down in two or three hits by a buffed out player. That or perhaps my master will be slain cold as the enemy ignores my attacks and without penalty as I'm trying to maul him as he targets my master. My enemy is wise as he knows the CH has spent so much points to master training me or bio engineer so he can sell pets or find something better than he would in the wild. He knows the CH weakness and yet there is nothing the CH can do about it.

The following are suggestions to improve CH. Some are my own but most are from other players who recognize the importance of making CH a competitive combat class in combat. Even if you were to consider CH to be not a combat class, his creatures should still be feared rather than laughed at and mowed down.

1. Pets need to be resistant to special attacks. Knockdown, dizzy, etc. This is not something that should be automatic but perhaps bioengineered. It would be even better if these resists were trained abilities by the CH.

2. Certain species of Mounts should move faster and none of them should slow down in combat. In history mounts were used as calvalry. If I'm about to get killed by a bunch of red dots chasing me the last thing I need is my mount to slow down. This is why I imagine almost every CH has a swoop or speeder bike in his hip pocket when he shouldn't need one at all. Other ideas might be weapons made for mounted combat. Mounts should be able to be trained so they can attack while mounted although maybe not their specials.

3. Armor. For as much as I love the idea of a Rancor wearing plate mail I don't see barding type armor realistic for all pets. I do however see barding realistic for some mounts. Speaking of armor. Natural armor on large high level species needs to be increased to deal with buffed players and put some threat back into them. I don't mean bioengineered either. Creatures such as high level Rancors and Fambaa and others in the wild that make the ground shake when they walk should have a stronger means of natural protection. If you were to check the stats of the majority of the creatures that inhabit SWG you will find it extremely rare that they have anything other than light armor if anything at all. Lets please make some of these big beasties tougher and feared more. More natural light, medium, and even heavy armor for creatures.

4. Non combat abilities for mounts. Saddlebags with carrying capacity might be nice. The addition of wagons to carry more players or goods. More cute tricks that perhaps reduce a small amount of battle fatigue while camped out in the wild or serve as entertainment.

5. I haven't admittedly done much combat PvP with a CH. Don't think an experience CH even does it anymore and hear they still go for the trainer. Add command Attack to the Death. Creatures will fight even past the expiration of their trainer forcing the oponent to have to deal with them eventually. Multiple creatures attacking an opponent should decrease his accuracy with more creatures hampering an opponent even more.

6. Higher attack speed for some pets. Again if you were to look at stats on the majority of SWG creatures you will see that they don't get very high attack speeds. I can see creatures such as Grand Wrix and Gurrecks attacking exceptionally fast. Kima too. Maybe some quick spidery things. Perhaps add attack abilities such as web to SWG creatures that slow other players attack speed or decrease buff effectiveness.

7. Remove 15 second delay in calling a creature. Creature petsshould be able to be called in combat. A rifleman gets to pull out his rifle. A pistoleer can pull out his pistol. A CH should be able to pull out the only weapon at his disposal. But keep in mind there should be something in effect to keep the quick swapping of high level pets. Suggest perhaps the existing creature must be dispatched while in combat before another can be called.

8. Trained combat abilities for pets. Dodge. Evade. Block. Forced posture changes. Trained mounted combat abilities or area affect for large creatures such as Trample that can damage more than one opponent.

9. Increase max level of pets of Master to 100. Make pets up to level 100 able to be created by a bioengineer.

10. Allow tricks of creatures to eliminate battle fatigue much like an entertainer would. At least in a campsite anyways.

11, Bring back extinct babies although keep them hard to find. Giant Peko Peko. I know you want it.

12. Stables. Two of same creature placed in a stable create a baby after a length of time. This could help bring back some extincts and rares and also make them valuable for CH to sell to other players. Something a CH can make that the bioengineer can't. This is of some importance as a CH needs to be able to make money other than just killing things. (see below on vendors also)

13. Vendors. I had to become a BE just to sell pets. How silly. CH needs their own vendors. This would be especially important in the selling of mounts.

14. The ability to tame adults of domestic type species.

15. Increased mount endurence. Mounts can run longer and rather than gallop being timed it should be pool based. Thus a mount that stops will regain its gallop pool. Its silly for a mount to still tire from gallop when he is standing still. Some mounts need to be faster. New faster mounts such as perhaps Tusk Cats.

16. Shield generators for huge tamed beasts. Why not? The gungans had them. However. We are talking mucho amounts of money here and a creature isn't going to move very quick with one of those things strapped to its back. Also. Its not gonna help you in melee.

17. Changes need to be made to the CH profession and not just bug fixes which always get top priority. Players are only going to take a suggestion forum seriously if they actually see some of the suggestions go into the testing phase in a reasonable amount of time. Not six months to a year later if at all.

Okay, this was one big Santa what I want for Christmas list. Alot of it has been repeated over and over and over. Did I mention that some of this has been repeated over and over? Admittedly we are not the only profession that has wants or things to be fixed but the CH effectiveness in PvP singles us out for some immediate attention. Heck. You could give the CH profession everything on this list and he would still get whacked by the proper combination of melee, ranged professions, equipment, and buffs. I don't even do PvP, but like many other CHs, I would just like to see the beasts in SWG lived up to the feared reputation they deserve. We need to go from a pretty picture profession where people ooh and ahh at the sight of our creatures to one where they have actuall effectiveness in the game. Stop laughing at my level 70 bull rancor! @!#&*$ I'd feel guilty not throwing in something positive. Although I'm not a high level CH, it seems that the profession does well against NPCs and NPC critters. Last but not least. We are indeed the coolest profession.