Development Cycle Archive

Two things for me:

1) Why do you need pop-up ads on the message boards? Do we not already pay enough just to be on the boards? Pop-up ads are the devil.

2) I would like a player-organizable inventory. The current computer system of "organization" is terrible. I have even taken the time to drop my items into my house, then picking them up in a certain order, only to have it reorganize itself the next time I shuttle.

There aren't any pop-ups on the message board....

=========================================================

The timetable was changed because the Droid Engineers were very clear in telling me they wanted Droid Engineering and Droid Handling as two seperate professions.

=========================================================

Maybe a few DEs want the DH, but try asking the rest of the playerbase:

<a href="http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=droid_engineer&message.id=52116">http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=droid_engineer&message.id=52116</a>

---

TheWhaleShark wrote:

3. It DOES NOT make sense to give said skill to DE's as there is no in-game precedent for this. If BE's can't control the pets they make, DE's shouldn't be able to handle the awesome droids THEY make. Besides, knowing how to make something and knowing how to use that same thing are NOT the same thing. They're related, yes, but one does not imply the other. I can make a computer, but I don't know how to code. That's the difference.

---

What about medics and scoutswho make and are the only ones that use their own creations and CHs who tame, train, pets for others to use and more powerful versions for themselves to use. I agree that BE isn't a precedent, but there are other examples.

Examples of both exist in the game. There are several 100% crafting classes and several 100% not crafting classes, plus classes that fall somewhere in between.

ThunderHeart, are any of theseDE ideasacceptable?

http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=droid_engineer&message.id=54270

http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=droid_engineer&message.id=53933

http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=droid_engineer&message.id=53337

---

HairyMoose wrote:

Two things for me:

1) Why do you need pop-up ads on the message boards? Do we not already pay enough just to be on the boards? Pop-up ads are the devil.

---

There ARE no pope up ads on the message boards. If you are seeing them while browsing the message boards, then they are coming from somewhere else. If it's the only web page you have open and you are still seeing them, then you may want to investigate whether you have third party ad-ware installed on your system. Pop-ups are nothing compared to what that evil software will doif it is hiding onyour system..... **shudder**

Oh goodie! Combat droids are coming to town, FOR ELITE COMBAT PROFESSIONS. Excellent, nowyou replace Creature handlers! Why have a animal when you can have a droid... WITH WEAPONS. The 100+ orso skill points to master CH ( counting prereq )will be pointless when you could just do a advanced combat profession and get a "uber combat droid". At least I could call a good droid out (going for master pistoleer ) AND my rancor?? Its not really unbalancing my rancor is near death after a *laugh* Naboo pickit mission.... not to mention geting Knocked down and killed very quickly by master tka. ( 5 ft 150 pounds vs 40 ft 2000 pounds )

How about making non combat use for droids... im not talking wound modifiers and stuff... im talking about REAL uses... for example.. in your players guide it says something like "droids were created to do the stuff that most people never really bothered to learn how to do ) IE Moving stuff (Theres your packanimal), fixing broken equipment (turrets, AT ST ect. ) among other things which im sure the community can think of.

Implementing combat droids (which are outlawed by the empire by the way, EU wise) is a sheer attempt atgiving CH like pets to combat professions (Which you SAID you DID NOT WANT... I am also under the feeling that they will BE BETTER than CH pets.. after all who wouldkill who first at20meters? a hunk of strong, durable alloy metal equipped with laser targeting systems... or a tamed animal who fights with tooth and nail?

Get real! The attempt to make droid combat pets is a complete SMACK IN THE FACE to us master CH.

The one thing that was nice about CH was that we were the only professionthat were really involved with pets. Why did all of us go CH? To get pets. We liked controlling an artifical intellgence being to do our dirty work. Now you talk about combat droids and possible "uber combat droids" for elite professions?!?! Add another reason why NOT to become CH...

Please TH... use your brain, you have one, I KNOW YOU DO!!!! Giving good droids even certified droids to combat professions makes people say "Why go CH andJUST get pets? I could go Master Rifleman,get wonderfulcombat skills ( you, theplayer ) AND get really good pets AT THE SAME TIME.

What does that spell for us (Master) CH?

O-B-S-O-L-E-T-E

Now, if you made droids to be acombat SUPPORT.. and not a metallic version of a rancor.... then it would be ok. But please for the love of SWG and all that is good DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT make droids that replace creatures.

In my very humble opinion, combat droids IF implemented should ONLY be CL 10-25 MAX even that seems a bit high. CH should remain AS IS... a profession DEDICATED to pets.

Does anyone else see it from my prespective? I dont have time to read every single post in this lengthy thread, so please forgive me If i have aroused any past arguments. All you creature handlers out there, speak your mind, our professions viablity is at stake!

That it is all... before you blow me off and start saying how stupid or biased i might be, think about what I wrote, and how I had to grind 3 hours EVERY day for a month to get worthwhile pets.

Thank you,

Ps. Sorry if I offended and devs or DE or anyone with the use of my seemingly angry words. I am just trying to get my point across.. clear and simple. Thank you, and have a nice day!

---

Hillslayer wrote:

ThunderHeart, are any of theseDE ideasacceptable?

http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=droid_engineer&message.id=54270

http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=droid_engineer&message.id=53933

http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=droid_engineer&message.id=53337

---

One thing I do want to say is that tensions are running high, but they dont need to. I read the boards and listen to you guys and pass that information on the to the devs. The nervousness on the boards is simply from misinterpretation, people reacting strongly and expressing themselves negatively instead of positively and a smidge of conspiracy theory.

I read the links you posted and here is how it breaks down:

With the first one, "The two newest ideas and a way to combine them into a potentially awesome system." What he is describing isn't going to be acceptable by the devs because the amount of points suggested isn't enough to pay for the amount of combat ability you get from a droid.

For instance, the suggestion of 5 points for a level 15 droid is the same as getting another player at a novice level, which is considerable amount of points and it makes no reference to the amount of experience points needed. Way more than 5 points (the thing to consider isn't so much the skill points as the addition of the necessary experience points in each box). Also, I suggested the certifications-per-profession idea and the team told me that it would require too much coding and development time when compared to the relative payoff. (That means we just need to find a better solution). Although at the core, it should be said that the ideea of a "mini professions" is whats being suggested. It could be called Droid Handler or whatever. The key is that its a mini profession based on handling powerful combat droids. Keep in mind that its similar to CH and would require a skill point expenditure of the same amount.

The second one proposes something similar. It basically suggests one of the choices that is open (Runesabre will cover this in his upcoming post). It proposes something that is in between adding a new mini profession and adding a droid handling tree to the existing profession. It just further defines the basic needs that either a new profession needs to be added to handle high powered droids or that a droid handling tree should be added to the existing profession.

The third proposal is still a derivative of the basic approaches on the table.

No matter what, with the way the system is designed, it boils down to certs, a new profession, beefing up the DE profession or something we havent seen yet.

For those that want to keep at it, the important thing to remember is that any proposal has to include the following design criteria if they are going to be considered by the devs:fficeffice" />

• Any player can handle any pet or droid as long as its CL 10 or below.


• Any pet/droid above level 10 has to have a significant skill point/experience point expenditure.




• Reference CH's and the fact they have to spend points for an entire profession to get those benefits.


• Factions pets (which could be some droids) will be added at a later date.

TH, please reread that last suggestion. What he's saying and what you think he's saying are two completely different things. He's suggesting that the droid levels, and not the character controling him. I just want to make sure you're not getting peoples hopes up by saying that this guys suggestion may be a possibility when it most likely isn't. Please reread it and adjust your post accordingly.

Thanks

I read it. The math breaks down the same.

Droid levels are experience points/skill points. In any situation, there has to be an equitable amount of XP and skill points spent for ability. The ability here is the ability of the droid level. That will equate to a creature level.

As far as the droid progressing, its not a bad idea, but it would mean a lot of code and it would mean that either you get zip this time around (which is not an option) or you guys choose one of the existing paths with the hope of having that added somewhere down the lines.

For the droid to progress the even that moved it up a level would have to be skill and experience points spent by the player. With any droid-level-progression, you'd be asking for something brand new which doesnt exist and that means it goes to the end of the development line.

I will bring it up tomorrow though.

[quote]In response, Runsabre will be posting a big overview on the design challenges this afternoon. It's trickier than it seems. [/quote]

Did this ever happen?

Ragemaster9999, I can understand that you may have mastered CH and you feel you are becoming obsolete, but what I don't understand is if you want to handle creatures, why did you ever choose to do it in Star Wars. There was no point in the original trilogy at which any character resorted to using a pet in combat. That said, I think it is a GOOD idea to make CH obsolete and phase them out of the game. They do not belong, and I personally believe that instead of putting so much effort into creating CH and DE for the original release, the development team should have not even bothered. They should have put all their efforts, and creativity into making droids USEFUL. It isn't star wars w/o droids, and even though I didn't choose to play SWG because of the SW, it still just doesn't feel right the way things are now.

Sorry if this post is unreadable, it's 11:05 and I just finished reading A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.. if you know what that is

Hah, directly substitute skill points for droid management points; or, alternatively, if you have 30 UNUSED skill points, you have +30 to Droid Management.

Voila, you must set aside skill points to use the beefcake droids.