Droid Engineer Archive
Thread: thought from shug's post on space stuff today...
Message Edited by Mooko on 05-19-2004 05:15 PM
TheRealTK421 wrote:
I'm not really sure what my take on this yet...still much remains to be seen about JTL.
My initial feeling:
Droids should likely have a 'basic' ship functionality. This means that an Astromech with no special SE modules would give you the benefits currently planned (for changing how your ship behaves, etc.).
Perhaps we should consider this to be like getting a CDEF Pistol. Technically, you DO get the 'free' functionality that the droid can provide for ship controls.
However, if one were to have an R2 built with "Ship Engine Modification Module" (or whatever), it would do a better job that that function than a base model.
Result?
A working scalable droid market for 'space-specific' Astromechs.
So, if you used a non-Space droid, you'd get only basic (default) benefits and features...as allowed by one's skill tree mods.
If you had a special 'Spacey' droid made (with ship-related modules), you'd see better performance from the droid on feature X or Y.
That makes the most sense to me and really puts the choice in the pilot / shipowner's hands.
Thoughts?
/bow
Respectfully,
Thats along the same lines I was hoping things would go, I just see this as something we need to keep commenting on. I could easily see us take it for granted that something along these lines would happen then all of a sudden get stuck with an any droid does anything situation because no one thought to throw in their opinion.
You don't really think I'd let that happen, do ya?
Jenden wrote:
I could easily see us take it for granted that something along these lines would happen then all of a sudden get stuck with an any droid does anything situation because no one thought to throw in their opinion.
You know me better thanthat, Jenden.
/bow
Respectfully,
I'm sure they will be as usefull as the "Player City Shuttle" droids. 
Well ideally, it would be great if there were extra modules we coudl add. For example, a "ship repair module" or a "shield enhancement" module, this would be great, you can only fit one droid in your ship, so you need to balance what you want.
Even better is what you said before, if your Droid could actually be killed. OMG, did I just advocate the death of a droid? sad sad.
Would be funny as De's everywhere target their enemies droids, riasing droid sales everywhere!
Straker_Atrella wrote:Well ideally, it would be great if there were extra modules we coudl add. For example, a "ship repair module" or a "shield enhancement" module, this would be great, you can only fit one droid in your ship, so you need to balance what you want.
Even better is what you said before, if your Droid could actually be killed. OMG, did I just advocate the death of a droid? sad sad.
Would be funny as De's everywhere target their enemies droids, riasing droid sales everywhere!
Yep. Make the droids donated to the ship and get damage/destroyed like other ship components.
Yep. Make the droids donated to the ship and get damage/destroyed like other ship components.
I like the basic free, enhanced from DE Idea myself. I mean the Droid Brain, ADV. Brain, 2 ADV. Brains(R3) all are called Astornavigation units in there slots as such the base fuctionality of the Droid is flying around in space. Also the reason TIEs did not have a Droid is cause they did not need a "Nav. Computer" as they did not have Hyperdrives... (R-series Droids are Portable Nav Comps) however the Devs have already stated that the TIEs will have Hyperdrives. We also must remember that R2D2 was a "pretcularly well made droid" and as such was able to do things the other 4 droids on Amadala's ship could not. I think we should be able to make thoughs "particually well made Droids" I think there should be 3 mods with 2 levels each and they should only beable to be put in Astromechslvl 1 would be like a +5 over a basic Droid's ablites and the lvl 2 a +10, the 3 types are Sheald booster/repairer, Engien repair/booster, weopons repair/booster. Droids with these mods would work faster at repairs or on a sperate Experiment line Boost there specific part more effishantly (resulting in a buff of sorts) then a Standard Droid. Having the Boost/repair functions on sperate lines would make the choices a little more varried avoiding stacking to the max for every Droid part.
Exsample R3 with 6 mods could have 2 sheild mods(one maxed on repair the other on boosts for each area), 2 weopons mods, and 2 engein mods making for a balance droid boost on all parts, however a good poilte b may want to give up the help on Shields and repairs to do more damage and get more speed with something like this 3 engine mods all maxed on Boost, and 3 weopons mods all maxed on Boost. this would make the ship Fast an powerful but Far less able to take a beating.
I also like the Idea of a) Droids as copance that can take damage/be destoried(though could lead to grifing) and/or b) droids Decaying while in space(it is a harsh place don't you know)
Message Edited by Ke_la on 05-19-2004 06:32 PM
DocSavag wrote:
I think you are missing an important aspect to this. Even if the Astromech Droid doesn't have to have any special modules or other changes to be effective the space expansion will open up an entirely new market for DE's. People who have no use for a droid will get one to help with their ships. The number of droids in usewill go up rather dramatically.
I agree that there should be advantages to having specifically created astromech droids, but even if you don't get it there is opportunity in JTL for DE's to make sales.
Yes, agreed, but I really don't think it would be very much development trouble sometime in the next six months for them to add one module that enables these features.
Most people at this point have some sort of droid -even if it is just for storage or for fun -and many of these are astromechs. If all it takes is a standard astromech that is a large group we will never see in our shops.
It doesn't even have to get very complicated - even though that would be welcome as well. Just one "starship interface" module is all it would take.
AO