Creature Handler Archive
Thread: Return of the Elites.....
Aefex wrote:
I'd like to see them bring elites back. They should be untrainable though; they're elite, they've already finished their template. Taming an elite could be an alternative to training and customizing a regular critter.
The problem with the elites has been always that they're a cheat on the accursed, inappropriate level system. You get the same XP from killing someing level 40 normal or level 40 elite; it just takes longer with the elite. Likewise, a level 78 elite cons blue to a level 80 character, but it significantly more dangerous to fight than a level 82 non elite is. Yet it yields less XP.
And the three narglatch madness just underscored how wrong the level system as imposed by the CU is for this game. An imbalance was created intentionally only to be removed later because the devs DO NOT KNOW what they're doing on this, there is no plan, they're making it up as they go along, randoming giving things to players then taking them away when obvious imbalances that most players could detect in seconds are introduced to the game.
And apologies for the multiple posts; Lithium is very stupid, one inadvertent keystroke and it goes nuts.
Message Edited by SioBabble on 09-09-2005 08:00 AM
Ko-aIri wrote:
Keldarin flat out told us that the Elites were removed because the new pet system was designed to replace them, statistic-wise. Prior to the Combat Upgrade, Elites did not exist. They existed from the Combat Upgrade going Live to Publish 21 and now are gone. Before the new system (and post-CU), Elites were about the only way we could have a decent pet. Now, the mix/match specials system enables you to create your own Elite, given the time and investment to do so.
enigma_writer wrote:
I agree that rare creatures need to be re-instuted with the trade off being they have something unique and powerful. Trophy hunting in itself was a big part of the CH profession before the CU and at fanfest they were talking about adding tamable elite pets on Kashyyyk. Now this appears to be a complete reversal of swg and hope that in the near future elite pets will be re instated.
Get this on your list please Ko-a!!!
As far as poison and disease special.
Disease does not work anymore and not sure if its because swg wants to take disease out of the game but if that is the case they need to remove the disease from the sarlacc. Poison should be apart of pets arsenal though since we can control spiders and snakes whom should be very venomous. Come on swg put some content u took away from us back into the game.
We still have the rare, highly coveted trophy pets. This has not changed, in fact it has been enhanced by the addition of new pets for the collector. Before Publish 21, you could not tame a Stoneskin Hanadak, Blurrg Raptor or Graul Marauder, for example. Now, all three are tamable and exceedingly rare because of their method of spawning (single, solitary spawns). They join the old rares, such as the Wild Dune Boar, Great Plains Stalker, Malignant Squill, etc., that shared the same spawn method. Sure, while these pets are statistically not really any better than similar pets of their level, they are the "rare" pets and it will not be often that you see one. A true collector will prize their value and know what it means to own one, and one fully leveled and fully trained will be quite the achievement.
About the only thing I could see them adding are rare pet specials that only appear on certain types of pets and are very difficult to acquire. That might be something the dev team could be open to, but I really don't see any way they'd put pure "Elite" pets back in the same way they used to be, as it would create a grossly unbalanced game situation.
Could you imagine having 3 CL 22 7K Health Female Narglatches in the new system, fully leveled and stuck full of specials? You'd be totally and ridiculously unbalanced... that is why the Elites are gone.
I don't see any reason why we can't make a list of specials we'd like to see and work on pushing for those to be added though. I'll drop a sticky up top before I shut down my computer this evening and start collecting some feedback.
Ko, I don't think SioBabble was advocating the return of pets like the 'elite' version of the female narglatch. Looking it over, it sounds more like he is arguing for a return to variety in the creatures. In the terms of the original post, he mentions unusual toughness, as well as venomous attacks and the bull rancor's plague strike. It could also be surmised that another quality of interest could be speedy pets like lantern birds and gurrecks. Bottom line, it was the variety in the species themselves that made the pet system so much fun prior to the Combat Upgrade. Going out and taming a merek assassin simply felt vastly different from taming a ravenous roba stalker, as did taming a gleaming lantern bird. Why? Because the creatures were vastly different.
Let's drop the term, "elite pet" from the discussion, because that implies significant advantages to a single species -- and that shouldn't be the thing we're shooting for. "Variety" doesn't necessarily imply uberness. Nor does rarity. Conversely, variety doesn't imply imbalance. Another way to put it might be to note that wandering into a lair of gaping spiders shouldn't feel the same as wandering into a lair of mountain dewbacks. Make sense?
Ok, that is it for me. See you on line tomorrow.