Droid Engineer Archive
Thread: Merchant Droid
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Dimear
Fri Sep 30, 2005 10:56 am
#14
I really like mine. The big advantage is that it can't be ignored. You can be added to someone's ignore list, if you stand somewhere and spam. But your droid can't. Also, if you travel to another planet, the battery won't die. Just make sure that you travel using the shuttles. SOE coded a bug into spambots that make them store when you use your own ship. So if you really want to, you can set up a spambot in 1 city, then shuttle somewhere else and afk spam (though I find that spambots are effective all on their own). We used to be able to pull 3 spambots out simultaneously in different cities, but I think they changed that (I can't remember). Storing a waypoint to your vendor is another marginally helpful benefit of spambots.
Lastly, I find that people read the text more if it's slowly moving around the screen instead of standing still (like an afk spammer). So I set my spambot to patrol between 2 waypoints when he's spamming.
But in the end, ya - SOE essentially forces you to be afk while using your spambot. Occasionally I find uses for my spambot when I'm actually playing. For instance, I was looking for new residents for my city. So I set up the spambot somewhere, then went to my city to set up the city and do some crafting. As I was setting up, people saw my spambot message, and kept coming to my city to move in. It saved me a lot of back and forth - going out to recruit, then coming back to my city to set up a house for them.
But generally, spambots are most useful because they can't be ignored.
Lastly, I find that people read the text more if it's slowly moving around the screen instead of standing still (like an afk spammer). So I set my spambot to patrol between 2 waypoints when he's spamming.
But in the end, ya - SOE essentially forces you to be afk while using your spambot. Occasionally I find uses for my spambot when I'm actually playing. For instance, I was looking for new residents for my city. So I set up the spambot somewhere, then went to my city to set up the city and do some crafting. As I was setting up, people saw my spambot message, and kept coming to my city to move in. It saved me a lot of back and forth - going out to recruit, then coming back to my city to set up a house for them.
But generally, spambots are most useful because they can't be ignored.
chlaos
Fri Sep 30, 2005 3:28 pm
#15
Dimear wrote:
What's wrong with it? Mine seems to be working fine...
could just be mine, all my droids broke with that patch except my crafting droid. I dunno /shrug
chlaos
Sat Oct 01, 2005 12:50 am
#16
I used to use mine to advertise while I crafted, but its been borked since the last droid publish ( i forget the number). I just cant see buying any more until they finally get those things working right.
Sidi-
Tue Oct 04, 2005 10:07 am
#17
Im merchant ,easily able to pick up Merchant 4xxx to program the merchant barker chip.
How's it work after that? Do you guys just buy droid deeds with a barker module installed off the vendors as is and then program them?
I understand the drawbacks of the droid but aside from that....
Do you just drag the barker module over the droid to install it?
Does it have to have a module installed in the droid to accept it?
Can a programmed droid be traded to a combat toon and run it while it goes off the hunt all day?
Is there somewhere that explains all this that im not seeing?
thanks
Sidi Purple Mon Cal Girlie of Bria
Dimear
Tue Oct 04, 2005 10:37 am
#18
You buy a droid with the barker module already installed. Once you call the droid, you'll have a few more options in the droid's radial menu:
One of them is 'set waypoint'. You choose from a list of the waypoints in your datapad, and then the droid learns the waypoint and will give it to people who click 'get waypoint' on the droid's radial menu. If you have more than 50 waypoints in your datapad, there's a bug that drops off some of them. The droid can only choose from a list of up to 50 waypoints. So sometimes it can be hard to set the waypoint you need for the droid.
Another command you can select in the droid's radial menu is 'record message'. Then the next thing you say (up to 128 characters long) will be memorized by the droid. This is where the spam part is set. The last option in the droid's radial menu is 'turn barking on/off'. This makes it spam.
At this point, your droid is set and spamming, and giving a waypoint to anyone who requests it. It's a good idea to program your droid to stay, or to patrol back and forth. These droid commands are programmed just like any other droid. If you don't tell it to stay put, then it'll follow you everywhere. Not quite as handy.
You can give the droid to someone else, but they won't be able to access any of the radial menu options I described. I believe it will still keep the waypoint you set in it, but they won't be able to make it spam.
The other thing you should know about the spambots is that if you travel anywhere using Jump to Lightspeed, your droid will automatically store. This is a major bug with the droids, but they won't be fixing it any time soon. So you need to take the shuttles everywhere you go. The last bug of note is that if you do shuttle somewhere (after telling your droid to stay put somewhere), then the droid's battery won't drain. It only drains if you are near it. So you can set up your spambot and have it go until the server reset if you want. Officially, I guess it's an exploit to use a bug to your advantage like this. So I'm an exploiter. But I figure this minor exploit makes up for the major spambot bug that they refuse to fix. However, if I've learned anything about the SOE development process, it's that they're more likely to nerf merchant again than to fix a bug like this though. Fortunately, they don't read these boards.
Hope this helps...
One of them is 'set waypoint'. You choose from a list of the waypoints in your datapad, and then the droid learns the waypoint and will give it to people who click 'get waypoint' on the droid's radial menu. If you have more than 50 waypoints in your datapad, there's a bug that drops off some of them. The droid can only choose from a list of up to 50 waypoints. So sometimes it can be hard to set the waypoint you need for the droid.
Another command you can select in the droid's radial menu is 'record message'. Then the next thing you say (up to 128 characters long) will be memorized by the droid. This is where the spam part is set. The last option in the droid's radial menu is 'turn barking on/off'. This makes it spam.
At this point, your droid is set and spamming, and giving a waypoint to anyone who requests it. It's a good idea to program your droid to stay, or to patrol back and forth. These droid commands are programmed just like any other droid. If you don't tell it to stay put, then it'll follow you everywhere. Not quite as handy.
You can give the droid to someone else, but they won't be able to access any of the radial menu options I described. I believe it will still keep the waypoint you set in it, but they won't be able to make it spam.
The other thing you should know about the spambots is that if you travel anywhere using Jump to Lightspeed, your droid will automatically store. This is a major bug with the droids, but they won't be fixing it any time soon. So you need to take the shuttles everywhere you go. The last bug of note is that if you do shuttle somewhere (after telling your droid to stay put somewhere), then the droid's battery won't drain. It only drains if you are near it. So you can set up your spambot and have it go until the server reset if you want. Officially, I guess it's an exploit to use a bug to your advantage like this. So I'm an exploiter. But I figure this minor exploit makes up for the major spambot bug that they refuse to fix. However, if I've learned anything about the SOE development process, it's that they're more likely to nerf merchant again than to fix a bug like this though. Fortunately, they don't read these boards.
Hope this helps...
Sidi-
Wed Oct 05, 2005 12:38 am
#19
Ok... So now i know how to get to the programminbg part...
Now i just wanna figure out how to make a droid with that capability...
Sidi
Dimear
Wed Oct 05, 2005 12:49 am
#20
I guess that's really a question for a Droid Engineer. They have to make the droid with that module installed.
I could be wrong on this, but I believe that the barker module is a component that they make, then they'd use that component when crafting the droid. But unless you're a droid engineer, buying the component won't do you any good. The droid actually has to be crafted with the component in the first place.
If you are a droid engineer, then you might ask that question on the droid engineer forum. If not, then you'll just need to buy a droid with the barker module installed. Droid engineers are usually pretty good about appropriately labelling the droids with the barker module installed. So if you go to a droid engineer's shop, and they have any spambot droids, it should be pretty apparent.
I could be wrong on this, but I believe that the barker module is a component that they make, then they'd use that component when crafting the droid. But unless you're a droid engineer, buying the component won't do you any good. The droid actually has to be crafted with the component in the first place.
If you are a droid engineer, then you might ask that question on the droid engineer forum. If not, then you'll just need to buy a droid with the barker module installed. Droid engineers are usually pretty good about appropriately labelling the droids with the barker module installed. So if you go to a droid engineer's shop, and they have any spambot droids, it should be pretty apparent.
Grogparty
Mon Oct 10, 2005 8:14 pm
#21
thank you!
Dimear wrote:
You buy a droid with the barker module already installed. Once you call the droid, you'll have a few more options in the droid's radial menu:
One of them is 'set waypoint'. You choose from a list of the waypoints in your datapad, and then the droid learns the waypoint and will give it to people who click 'get waypoint' on the droid's radial menu. If you have more than 50 waypoints in your datapad, there's a bug that drops off some of them. The droid can only choose from a list of up to 50 waypoints. So sometimes it can be hard to set the waypoint you need for the droid.
Another command you can select in the droid's radial menu is 'record message'. Then the next thing you say (up to 128 characters long) will be memorized by the droid. This is where the spam part is set. The last option in the droid's radial menu is 'turn barking on/off'. This makes it spam.
At this point, your droid is set and spamming, and giving a waypoint to anyone who requests it. It's a good idea to program your droid to stay, or to patrol back and forth. These droid commands are programmed just like any other droid. If you don't tell it to stay put, then it'll follow you everywhere. Not quite as handy.
You can give the droid to someone else, but they won't be able to access any of the radial menu options I described. I believe it will still keep the waypoint you set in it, but they won't be able to make it spam.
The other thing you should know about the spambots is that if you travel anywhere using Jump to Lightspeed, your droid will automatically store. This is a major bug with the droids, but they won't be fixing it any time soon. So you need to take the shuttles everywhere you go. The last bug of note is that if you do shuttle somewhere (after telling your droid to stay put somewhere), then the droid's battery won't drain. It only drains if you are near it. So you can set up your spambot and have it go until the server reset if you want. Officially, I guess it's an exploit to use a bug to your advantage like this. So I'm an exploiter. But I figure this minor exploit makes up for the major spambot bug that they refuse to fix. However, if I've learned anything about the SOE development process, it's that they're more likely to nerf merchant again than to fix a bug like this though. Fortunately, they don't read these boards.
Hope this helps...
Traie
Tue Oct 11, 2005 1:48 am
#22
Dimear wrote:
I guess that's really a question for a Droid Engineer. They have to make the droid with that module installed.
I could be wrong on this, but I believe that the barker module is a component that they make, then they'd use that component when crafting the droid. But unless you're a droid engineer, buying the component won't do you any good. The droid actually has to be crafted with the component in the first place.
Correct. All droid modules have to be built into the droid when the droid is built itself. Modules cannot be added/changed after the final build is complete.
And in the description part, it'll say something to the effect of "Merchant Barker Installed" to let you know the merchant module is installed.
Ylis
Tue Oct 11, 2005 5:11 am
#23
Just a quick question..
I am a master chef master tailor master merchant and I am thinking of dropping chef entirely and picking up a partial combat profession. Will my droid stay called when I die?
UPDATE
After an encounter with a Krayt at level 1 trying to get the POI badge, I can confirm that the droid stays called
I am a master chef master tailor master merchant and I am thinking of dropping chef entirely and picking up a partial combat profession. Will my droid stay called when I die?
UPDATE
After an encounter with a Krayt at level 1 trying to get the POI badge, I can confirm that the droid stays called
Message Edited by Ylis on 10-12-2005 11:14 AM
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