Development Cycle Archive
Thread: Publish 8 Mini Publish Testing Feedback: Image Designer Revamp
BAD IDEA DEVS!
Sorry, but I feel that you should fire whoever thought up the idea to remove stat migration. Why on Earth did you feel the need to take away stat migration the way it was? Was it to give the IDs more business?
Normally I don't get this emotional when I post on these boards, but this is the kind of thing that makes me want to quit and give my $15 a month to a MMO that actually listens to the players.
Stat Migration Feedback -
From an armorsmith's perspective, I find this somewhat troubling. Given that the total encumbrance of armor varies per piece and depending upon slices, being able to adjust one's own stats is very important, and sometimes takes some tinkering. Requiring an ID for this purpose will be complicated since you will have to go through another player to tweak your own stats to what you need to wear or use.
Suggestion - leave stat migration with players as it is now, over time. However, allow ID to do stat migration at faster rate, maybe instantly.
MHO
I just wanna say that I have a Master Image Designer on Bria and Corbantis... I have always been one and I always will, I started this game in September and I was an Image Designer about a month after... I have NEVER charged for ANYTHING when I Image Designed anyone... NEVER.... there are very few ID's who do the same as I do... I know its real sad... Some charge tonz! I totally disagree with them... Even though ID is my main profession usually, besides Master Dancer... I still know that more people will want to charge, the people who never did charge... but I will never... so If ya'll need something done and you happen to play Bria, send a tell to Talina, I would never dream of charging you more than a "Thank you"!!
I do agree with most of you...... butthis isn't dumb or stupid, and they weren't smoking crack, they were probably thinking in the best interest of the ID's... I know that I have had just about nothing added for ID's in forever... it's always the Fighters and Healers and all those people... Entertainers, andmostly ID's, haven't gotten much of anything. It's time we did!! Thank you guys 
Corbantis -- Tallina (Master Image Designer and Dancer)
Bria -- Talina (Master Image Designer)
SonGouki wrote:
So if only ID's can do stat migrations where does this leave new players?
A long time agoyou could migrate your stats when creating your character, then it went away (I'm not sure when). Instead you could change your stats in the starting area and they would migrate instantly (I have no idea if all this recent "New Player Experience" stuff had any effect on this). Now what option does a new player have? Tracking down an ID could prove to be quite difficult for a newbie player imo...
New Players can still insta-migrate there stats right now, right before you click the travel terminal to head to Mos Eisley you can open your stat migration panel and work your mojo.
Oh and I am all for the change, I am not an ID, I am an Explorer and PvP'er. I rarely migrate my stats (buffs make stat migration pointless, especially now we have mind buffs, which used to be the only place to migrate your stats to for a combat player.) so I won't miss the ability, and then if I do need to migrate I can turn up at the ID tent and see the local ID'ers. No big... It ain't the end of the world. Move along.
Of course who knows what the state of stats and buffs will be in after the much anticipated Combat rebalance sweeps through. But even then, I have no problem with offering this business to another profession, as long as they don't go fleecing us with inflated fees 
Gawd! What is it with you people and fear of price-gouging. You didn't pay us jack for our time before, and now you need us! I don't like the change as it stands totally, but since it's here all I can say is it's about damn time some of you got what you deserved. We ID's are not evil. I play a career ID on Sunrunner. I have 200k to my name, that I made when I was a TKA not long ago. ID's, until now, had the crappiest income in the game, including even Dancers and Musicians.
Have you not BEEN to the ID boards?! Have you not SEEN what type of people we are?! We're not loot-grabbers who charge Jedi 5 million for an important item they need. Most of us charge fair and decent prices in compensation for the time and frustration it takes to help you. And some of you could be a damn bit more considerate about it too!
I don't want to say anything but... maybe we should just GO with it. Would it honestly kill you to look for an Image Designer?!
And it's not that hard to find us... there's only a giant, stickied, well marked thread in our forum entitled **LOOKING FOR AN IMAGE DESIGNER? ID's listed by Galaxy!**
AudioOrgana wrote:
This is going to create signifigant issues for people that play during off-times or on lesser populated servers.
Part of the beauty of the migration system is that it moved so slowly - I've spent weeks working on stats trying to get them balanced exactly how I like, trying out the changes along the way.
Now I have to get another player to set them, and the dynamic feature is gone - "+200 str, -200 action...I think." Sounds like a whole lot of not-fun to me.
I understand the need to make ID's useful, but like many things in SWG I want to want something, not to need it. In other words, I want to have the desire to visit an ID occasionally because they are cool, not be forced to find one every time I buy a new suit of armor before I can wear it.
Make personal stat migration even slower than it is now - but don't eliminate it completely. The answer is to get the ID's business from people who want "instant HAM changes", not to force every casual combat player who wants to naturally and gradually alter their stats in a migration system that many people enjoyed.
That said, the rest of the ID changes sound great - but if you take away an essential function instead of simply enhancing it (by providing quicker migrationfrom an ID) you are going to create a lot of resentment and eliminate one of the truly elegant systems of SWG at the same time.
AO
People who say "its no big deal, how often do you migrate stats anyway?" either have their stats migrated innefficiently, or have decided that they are gonna stay the profession they are now forever and will never need to migrate again.
Anybody who has really spent some time with the stat migration system will tell you that it is a process of fine tuning taking many attempts to get it right, and these conditions can change at any time forcing you to rethink your entire stat balance.
That comment of course only applies to people who actually Play the game to experience its full potential and dont just mess around occasionallyor stick to one niche. You may noticethat this encompasses quite a large range of players as a good 90% of the comments i have read about this newsystem are against it.
Not against giving IDs something useful mind you. I dont think anybody is against that. I'm against taking anything away from ALL professions (i.e. NERF) in order to do so.
I agree with Increasing the time for normal stat migrationas an alternative, it makes sense.
Listen as an outsider to the image designer fourm, I need to put in my two words...
Lossing stat migration though not done offten is still done a lot by players. I understand ID's need some very need love, but forcing an entire Player Base to search out for the very rare Long Time ID's and not Hologrinders just so they can get thier stats migrated to what they want is in the end a BAD IDEA!
This will prevent seasoned Players who decide to start anew character on a diffrent server from being able to make their stats what they want, in order to fit their playing style. This will prevent people from being able to squease that last few points for regen reasons.
Most of alla smart player will stat migrate to what they want in secondaries now and never touch them again and once again have no need for your profession.
This is a Bad Change for all... It will place the very few ID's who actully want to play one into TELL HELL as people who need adjustments to their stats. Think of it this way... Imagine your the only DR in the Dantooine Miningcolony and its peak time. You have a line of 50 people needing your services and more arriving every 10 mins.And then you start getting the Tells "BUFF ME NOW I TIP WELL" or "You Buff, I already Tipped you 20mins ago!!!"
Thats just a sample of what can and will happen when people find out that they are removing the ability to stat migrate for free...
Listen you need your time in the spot light, but now is not the time for them to begin messing with the HAM system with out at least giving the Player base some information and Ideas on how they are going to change the system to fit the combat rebalance.
let me say it one last time THIS IS A VERY BAD IDEA!!!! Leave the Stat Migration System alone!!!
1. The current patch, as it is, will prolly spawn alot of MID's out there. The rarer the MID's are, the more the service will cost. The more profitable the service is, the more MID's will come - fast! So keeping it this way I'd say you dont have to worry about availability really.
2. Changing the mechanics so that everybody can change their stats as it is now on Live, and including the option to the masses to seek out an ID to really speed the process up.
3. Add yours here..
I think the patch is cool, and Im not worried about the patch. If you have money to pay for the service, youre GREAT tip will spawn alot of other MID's
If you dont, then youre forced to be vewwy vewwy friendly to your local MID for a freebie.
I made like 3 changes on my character who is 8 months old (who came from Commando to pistoleer thru rifleman).
I really think that those changes are great, it'll make this profession much more desirable (my gf made an ID 3 weeks ago just because of the futures changes
).Keep on good work !
I am sorry, but why are the devs wasting time on this when the combat balance is needed so badly?
I really could care less about the ID profession. Its a non-issue to me. Seems to me that people grind it to get it and get on with something else.
I just do not understand the point of putting valuable programming time into this "fluff" when we need real substantive changes in the game.
Now if you make IDs have the ability to one shot kill Combat Medics at 200m thru walls and stuff, then we might have something. Otherwise this is a colassal waste of time and resources.
Oh yeah, stop trying so damn hard to engineer more social aspects into this game. Enough already. There are plenty of ways and places that people can go to chat in this game, they do not need to go to a hair salon too. What's next? A spa with shiatsu massage and mud baths? Hows about a golf course? A casino maybe? Oh duh, we havecasinos already AND NOBODY USES THEM. Hello? Can you hear me in there? Have you guys been watching "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" again? I know, lets allow players to swap homes and, along with an ID and a budget of 1000 credits, they get to redecorate each other's house. Boy, that sounds like fun.
Stop already and fix the combat issues. This ID stuff is a waste of time.