Droid Engineer Archive

I can't believe that anyone is conceding to this moronic idea by the devs and rubberstamping thedevs "guns on non-combat droids" idea...

Here is what makes sense:

Basic Probots, Assassin Droids, and Battle Droids (roger rogers) that are usuable by EVERYONE and have weak combat power.

Advanced Probots, assassin droids, battle droids, and droidekas that have much more combat power, and are only usuable by advanced combat professions through a system of certifications.

Moral of the Story: YOU DO NOT HAVE TO MAKE R2 UNITS WITH "FREAKING LASER BEAMS STRAPPED TO THEIR HEADS" (Austin Powers) TO CREATE 2 CLASSES OF COMBAT DROIDS.

Let's remember our sense of direction and purpose guys...the reason we asked for additional combat droid chassis was to AVOID the devs ruining non-combat droid chassis by strapping guns on them.

It IS possible to provide low and high level combat droids WITHOUT ruining the current non-combat droid models by creating basic and advanced models of the new chassis that are being added.

We killed the devs "guns on non-combat droids" idea once, I think it is an insult that devs have only half-assed listened to us and are now trying to sneak it back in, by just continuing to develop it and have noone tell us what is really going on (as in TH waiting to put out his droid report).

OOPS...I misspoke...don't freak out yet...

I didn't mean:

"Advanced Probots, assassin droids, battle droids, and droidekas that have much more combat power, and are only usuable by advanced combat professions through a system of certifications."

I meant:

"Advanced Probots, assassin droids, battle droids, and droidekas that have much more combat power, and are only usuable by advanced professions through a system of certifications."

Somehow got one too many "combats" in there.

Here... find my posts in these links below.

http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=droid_engineer&message.id=45775

http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=droid_engineer&message.id=45803

Also, Lonkley's post (just above mine) in the second one is exceptionally good.

I am for this, for the reasons outlined inmy post in the first link.

let me restate.. I am For the Weapon Module (blasters in non-combat droids)

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TheWoody wrote:

Here... find my posts in these links below.

http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=droid_engineer&message.id=45775

http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=droid_engineer&message.id=45803

Also, Lonkley's post (just above mine) in the second one is exceptionally good.

I am for this, for the reasons outlined inmy post in the first link.

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And I agree with Sketh's post right underneath...It just ISN'T Star Wars!

Sure R2 zapped someone in one of the movies... Did that zap do ANY damage to the person? No. It was just a tiny shock.

R2's (and all other non-combat droid models we currently have) with blasters should be out of the question.

No! I think laser guns strapped to the heads of R2's IS STAR WARS! We should have every droid like that! Forget reasons... let's just argue about feeling. As such, are you to tell me that my feelings are wrong? That how I perceive my universe is flawed and that your rule is law?

As I stated in my posts, this only serves to benefit us and make droids even more 'swiss army' than they were before. We're not out to replace anything. We're here to provide assistance to those using the droids. Modular weaponry isn't going to be some showstopping combat thing, but an assistant to those who need a little extra firepower (especially novice DEs who don't have combat skills yet). It'll also increase sales as everyone will want that extra weapon module.

As I have stated in my previous posts, we have nothing to lose and everything to gain by letting this happen. Nothing will be destroyed. Nothing will be horribly wrecked and the profession wiped from the game. If you don't want your R2 spitting blue lasers or the like then don't build the module. But don't go around actively trying to stop the first development we've seen since beta. The devs adding something isn't insulting. Attacking them and trying to bring to a halt the first good news we've had in a while is.

and we obviously didnt "kill the idea" if its going ahead.

We can rant all we want, they heard us, they obviously decided to go forward. ranting more about it is pretty useless.

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TheWoody wrote:

Here... find my posts in these links below.

http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=droid_engineer&message.id=45775

http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=droid_engineer&message.id=45803

Also, Lonkley's post (just above mine) in the second one is exceptionally good.

I am for this, for the reasons outlined inmy post in the first link.

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By the way Woody....I read those posts. I whole-heartedly disagree with the first. R2 units with tiny stun zappers that do no damage is one thing. R2 units with buzzsaws and laser rifles is not Star Wars, it is just dumb. I think someone might be watching a little too much battle bots. This is especially true considering that we will be getting new basic and advanced combat chassis, and have no need to add guns to these droids to implement a god mix of combat droids.

As to the second post, both your post and Lonkey's post have to do with the amount of time it takes to program, and being patient about changes. I wholeheartedly agree about being patient, and will wait as long as needed to get changes. As you said, "we are bent, not broken," and we can survive a little bit longer.

What I DO NOT want, is a half-assed fix to droids (like giving guns to non-combat droids) because the devs have no priority management abilities and have placed new mounts, new vehicles, and new mob difficulities into the game (all riddled with bugs) before fixing the problems that have been in the game from the start (like the droid engineer profession). It is not our fault the devs have stretched themselves too thin, and we SHOULD NOT have to deal with half-assed fixes just because they messed up.

If we have to wait....fine. However, power droids with laser cannons and R2s with saw blades is NOT an answer, it is an insult.

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TheWoody wrote:

No! I think laser guns strapped to the heads of R2's IS STAR WARS! We should have every droid like that! Forget reasons... let's just argue about feeling. As such, are you to tell me that my feelings are wrong? That how I perceive my universe is flawed and that your rule is law?

As I stated in my posts, this only serves to benefit us and make droids even more 'swiss army' than they were before. We're not out to replace anything. We're here to provide assistance to those using the droids. Modular weaponry isn't going to be some showstopping combat thing, but an assistant to those who need a little extra firepower (especially novice DEs who don't have combat skills yet). It'll also increase sales as everyone will want that extra weapon module.

As I have stated in my previous posts, we have nothing to lose and everything to gain by letting this happen. Nothing will be destroyed. Nothing will be horribly wrecked and the profession wiped from the game. If you don't want your R2 spitting blue lasers or the like then don't build the module. But don't go around actively trying to stop the first development we've seen since beta. The devs adding something isn't insulting. Attacking them and trying to bring to a halt the first good news we've had in a while is.

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Woody, this is just wrong...

(1) Star Wars is not how you "percieve the universe." It is how George Lucas percieves it. Georgey never put a laser on an R2, you shouldn't either. I play the game to immerse myself in the Star Wars Universe. If you want to play battle bots, playstation has a million such titles.

(2) Do you REALLY think people are going to buy R2 units for their lasers? If, as you say, droids get a "little extra firepower," but probots and real combat droids have more firepower, which do you think your customers are going to buy?

The fact is, people are going to buy whatever droid that gives them the most firepower possible in a given situation. No one is going to buy an R2 unit just because it has a "little extra firepower"...they are going to buy the probot or new combat droid to use in combat and use the R2 where it is meant to be used...healing outside of hospitals and storing stuff.

As I said, there is NO justifiable reason for the devs to diverge from well settled star wars lore just to add an unecessary function to a non-combat droid.

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Lonkley wrote:

and we obviously didnt "kill the idea" if its going ahead.

We can rant all we want, they heard us, they obviously decided to go forward. ranting more about it is pretty useless.

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I still think we killed the idea, I just think it's a combination of (1) TH doesn't have time to communicate more than basic bits and pieces of info because he is stretched too thin and (2) the devs are close-minded and don't listen anyway (see: players asked for corpse runs, devs implemented armor decay; players asked for less creatures in game because of poke***, devs nerfed droids and faction soldiers (both VERY star warsy)along with creatures. It also could have to do with the fact that the devs' proposal was at one point inserted into our general issues thread (which the devs said they all read and were following), for informational purposes, which could be mistakenly taken as approval of the original (horrible) plan, with the caveat that we want new combat models too(when really DEs were saying they wanted new droid models INSTEAD of the original dev plan).

However, I don't that it is worthless to voice our discontent. Case in point: We got new droid chasses, even though the devs originally said no, after we objected to the first DE plan.

I just hope TH gets us a new correspondent before devs spend too much time on this... Otherwise it WILL be too late...

Im sorry,

3PO with a blaster is just about as **edit** retarded as it gets and R2 with a combat module IS as retarded as it gets. Its finaly happened... SWG has merged with the cartoon network.

Enjoy...

*goes off to find a 6 year-old to sell her account to*

Respectfully, SWG is not Star Wars. It has a similar look as the Star Wars Universe, it uses the same names and in many places has the same feel. However there is too much already diverged to ever hope that this game would be an exact representation of the Star Wars universe. I find great pity in that, but there's nothing I can do on that matter short of buying up SOE and pushing this game back into development. And as I am not Bill Gates (dispite popular rumour) I don't think that'll happen.

And no, I don't think people will buy R2's because they have laser guns. I think they'll buy R2s because they are great droids. They are a crafter's dream and a medic's, can hold a amount of modules, and even provide a little of that nostalgia you are so worried about. What they will do though, is buy the droid, and throw that extra coin to get the blaster in it. No, it won't be the most effective combat droid out there, but droids were never a necessity in this game, just something that gives convenience and assistance to the players. Having ANOTHER module for them to choose from when building their droidonly strengthens the desire to have a droid, as it better fits the desires of the customer. I like to serve the people, not myself.

As said before, we have nothing to lose and everything to gain by this. It's not a replacement for the combat droids we are getting in the spring, but a suppliment. It is also one of many things that we are getting. I'll leave this thread now, with just this final message:

If you don't like it then don't use it. But don't destroy something for everyone because you don't care for it. No one will ever force you to use the weapon module, so leave it alone if it doesn't fit in with your idea of the universe (which does have a combat version of the 3PO, btw)

Show me ONE post where any dev has said R2 units were getting weapons of any sort. The only "existing droid combat" comments I've seen was the last patch. Combat animation for the Protocol Droids was added. I see nothing wrong with humanoid form droids carrying weapons.