Creature Handler Archive

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Vertexon wrote:

The problem is that so many other things are grossly overpowered, making us look very weak by comparison. Fixing those other things is what the Combat Rebalance will address. That does place us in a difficult position until the combat rebalance actually hits (a positon we've already had to weather for many more months than originally forecast). I have been asking for things to help mitigate that, but there are finite development resources.

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I do understand how hard it is to finish the combat rebalance and how much work that really is.

But, it just seems to me that they should have thought this through on what it would do to the Creature Handler profession. Not only did they not see it, they kept nerfing us, again and again. Is this some sick joke to get back at us for being over powered? It seems to me that they could have hit us with a little nerf to get people to back off, then finish the nerf when the combat rebalance went in. What would be the harm of rolling back the nerfs? $hit roll back HALF the nerfs until the combat rebalance can be done. What would be the harm in that?

I guess one answer was them trying to fix non ch's from having powerfull pets, or people lower in the profession. But, you guys fixed that in seperate nerfs. Why do you have to do the full combat rebalance on CH until the combat rebalance goes in?

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Templar1865 wrote:

Dr. D'Monicus's to do list:

1) Finish last two CH boxes

2) Drop CH like a bad habit (and BE along with it) and wallow in l33tness for four months as one of the loved professional combos

3) Check back with you all in September

Seriously, folks. If you're at all interested in anything but being a VPO, the message is loud and clear. Take a leave of absence until the rebalance. It's going to be nothing but bitter frustration until then.

CH is the ultimate "high potential" profession. I think one of the reasons some people are sticking with it for so longis because of the great possibilities if the devs would fully realize the prof. The chance of those changes happening is months off. No amount of protest, concern, or communication is going to change that.

Now we know.

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TivoTenook wrote:

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Vertexon wrote:

Profession interdependencies (or "forced grouping") is really a much larger discussion. IMHO, requiring players to work co-operativelytogether to accomplish larger PvE goals is really the hallmark of what separates MMOs from other game genres. Which is not to say players shouldn't have plenty of things they can do on their own... but if most of the game is that way, what's the point of having it online?

The tricky issue for us, though, is how does a Creature Handler fit into a group without dominating or being dominated by it? If a Creature Handler has the power of two or more non-CH players, hands down, then most people will be Creature Handlers (because a lot of players will migrate to wherever the power is -- the folks who move to whatever the "Flavor of the Month" skill template happens to be without developing any particular attachment to the profession itself). This is kind of how SWG started out, with a lot of people becoming CHs just for the power it conferred.

From what we've been told, I do think Creature Handlers right now have about the combat strength and soloing ability that's beingaimed for in general. The problem is that so many other things are grossly overpowered, making us look very weak by comparison. Fixing those other things is what the Combat Rebalance will address. That does place us in a difficult position until the combat rebalance actually hits (a positon we've already had to weather for many more months than originally forecast). I have been asking for things to help mitigate that, but there are finite development resources.

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i dont have a problem with CH's strength and combat position in the game...all i want is for them to make all creatures under CL 70 tamable, like it was supposed to be day one. and either throw in a couple new babies as CL 70 or drop some higher level ones to CL 70 because that should truly be the master pet in my opinion. but if they make all under CL 70 tamable (and not just say they are, but we can actually verify that babies exist - for example, the frenzied graul controversy), you wont see me complaining.

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Tivo, you are such a freak. What is the friggin point in allowing us to tame more things when what we can already tame is weak. Are you really such a VPO? You are the one who made the 50 posts about babies missing. I could care less about having more things to tame. I don't even want to tame what we have. I go to a bio engineer to get all my pets because they can make a better pet. Whats sad is even what they make is weak.

What does giving us more things to tame do? Wow check that guy out he has <insert weak pets name here>. OUUUUUUUU everyone look. Ok, back to playing the game.

From what we've been told, I do think Creature Handlers right now have about the combat strength and soloing ability that's beingaimed for in general. The problem is that so many other things are grossly overpowered, making us look very weak by comparison. Fixing those other things is what the Combat Rebalance will address.

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KzinKiller wrote:

From what we've been told, I do think Creature Handlers right now have about the combat strength and soloing ability that's beingaimed for in general. The problem is that so many other things are grossly overpowered, making us look very weak by comparison. Fixing those other things is what the Combat Rebalance will address.

Ok, that's why Vert won't answer any of my questions about making "Undo Pub 5" our first, second, third, fourth and fifth Top 5 issues ... he's totally bought into the bag of magic beans that is the mythical combat balance.

Hooray, we've been crippled for five months waiting for it, we'll be crippled for at least another 3 (if not until after the SE sometime in 2005), and "our" correspondent sees that as the way of the world.

I get the message. Buy the magic beans, drink the Kool Aid, or just **edit**.

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Geez Kzin, that's a serious post? Poof and we roll back to early December? Nobody's gonna take the time to reverse all the code required when they already know they're going to change it again in two publishes.

Vert could stand naked in Macy's window at noon time in the middle of a white sale and it is not going to change this. I'm not happy with it but no sense wasting time on it.

Yeah Sio,

I agree to a point. No question we've suffered with this for more months than we should have, with at least a few more to go.

But I don't think there's anything our correspondent can do that's going to change the outcome right now. I guess, on a positive note, It's the first time I've seen an actual design schedule. Either management has changed or they've at least changed their mind about the schedule being top secret. The communication, whether I'm thrilled with what it says or not, is at least heading in the right direction.

fantoq,

The problem is that the devs are saying, today, publish 10.

Tomorrow, something will come up, they'll slip a deadline, and before you know it, they're promising publish 12.

Then it gets slipped again.

The combat rebalance should have already happened, according to the original timetable.

It has been delayed 3 months already.

These guys do NOT know how to meet a deadline.