Droid Engineer Archive

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Drashk wrote:

Here are my questions for eveyone -

1. 
   
   Does the above appear to be an accurate account of our current situation?
   
   
   Yes...I'd say that this sounds right. However, the word "need" (as in a player "needs" us) is a subjective one.
   
   Does a Doctor "need" a droid? No.
   
   Does the practical application of how Docs use droids in game amount to "need"? Yes...
   
   


2. 
   
   Does the above chart appear to be correct?
   
   
   Yes...I'd say so.
   
   


3. 
   
   Based upon the answers listed in the chart, which one of the Artisan based professions should our profession
   most closely emulate?* Why?
   
   
   1 part Chef, 1 part BE.
   
   


4. 
   
   What single item could be added to the Droid Engineering tree that would help it meet the goal listed in Question 3?
   
   
   I don't think there's a single tangible item that could be added to do this.
   
   What could be added to get us a TON closer to where we should be is......(yes, you know its) Decay.
   

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1. 
   
   Does the above appear to be an accurate account of our current situation? No, some things should be changed to "no" and many to "limited"
   
   
2. 
   
   Does the above chart appear to be correct? No Read Above
   
   
3. 
   
   Based upon the answers listed in the chart, which one of the Artisan based professions should our profession most closely emulate? Shipwright* Why? I believe Droids should be modular, and something all people want/need, and should be able to be easily understood by others. Plus they are something people should value a lot more. In SWG, a ship has personality, while a droid doesnt, in the movies, it was unusually the other way around (in most cases)
   
   
4. 
   
   What single item could be added to the Droid Engineering tree that would help it meet the goal listed in Question 3? The ability to customize a droid like you can a ship.

EDIT: why isnt shipwright in there?

Message Edited by BillyBobthe50th on 10-31-2004 09:31 PM

First off excellent post:

1. 
   
   Does the above appear to be an accurate account of our current situation?
   yes
   
   
   
2. 
   
   Does the above chart appear to be correct?
   yes
   
   
   
3. 
   
   Which one of the Artisan based professions shouldour profession most closely emulate? Why?
   more necessary morelike WS/AS. But maybe not exactly as needed...more in the middle of the chart ratings...
   
   
   
4. 
   
   What single item could be added to the Droid Engineering tree that would help it meet the goal listed in Question 3?
   Other then a DH for advanced combat droids a new combat chassis that could be readily recognized from the movies as a fighting droid would be great also more critical is a good guide on droids provided in game or in manuals!

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1. 
   
   Does the above appear to be an accurate account of our current situation?
   
   -Agreed.
   


2. 
   
   Does the above chart appear to be correct?
   
   -Yep
   


3. 
   
   Based upon the answers listed in the chart, which one of the Artisan based professions should our profession most closely emulate?* Why?
   
   -Ideally, a combination of everything. Droids in the Starwars setting has always been a yardstick to everything. You need one to fly your ship, you need one to administer treatment to Luke's wound back on Hoth, you need one to help Han to fix his Falcon. And of course, in KoToR, you need one to tell you stupid meatbag jokes. However, droids should not "take over" anything. Droid shouldn't fly your ship for you, you as a pilot should do that yourself, droid shouldn't heal every wound for you, you as the medic need to tell the droid what to treat, and droid sure is not going to fix everything for you, you as the mechnic should figure out what is more critical and get to that first. So based on your matrix, our droid should emulate a combination of architech and weapon smith. To enhance everyone else's ability to do their job by giving them the right assistance through a well-crafted droid.
   


4. 
   
   What single item could be added to the Droid Engineering tree that would help it meet the goal listed in Question 3?
   
   Can't pinpoint a single item, I'm gonna have to go with TK on this one, Decay.

/rambling off

*see below for clarification*

Message Edited by Drashk on 10-31-2004 04:09 AM

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1. 
   
   Does the above appear to be an accurate account of our current situation? yes
   
   
   
2. 
   
   Does the above chart appear to be correct? yes
   
   
   
3. 
   
   Which one of the Artisan based professions shouldour profession most closely emulate? Why? as stated above this is a hard question. i think we should be above architech but below wepionsmith / armorsmith. ifI had to pick I would go with cook. butI think we just need to change some of our no/limited to yes's and fill "our own spotin the list" not try and "emulate" anothers sales.
   
   
   
4. 
   
   What single item could be added to the Droid Engineering tree that would help it meet the goal listed in Question 3? Droid deacy
   

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Drashk wrote:

|-----------------------------|-----------|------------|-------------|---------|---------|----------|
| Does the profession | Architect| Armorsmith | Weaponsmith |Chef | Tailor|Droid|
|provide a service - | | | | | | Engineer |
|=============================|===========|============|=============|=========|=========|==========|
|Neededby other professions |Yes |Yes | Yes | YES |Limited| Limited |
|to stay competitive | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------|-----------|------------|-------------|---------|---------|----------|
|that gives a Combat| No |Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Profession a decisive| | | | | | |
|advantagein PvELevel 20 | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------|-----------|------------|-------------|---------|---------|----------|
|that gives a Combat| No |Yes | Yes| Yes |Limited|Limited |
| Profession a decisive| | | | | | |
|advantagein PvELevel 40 | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------|-----------|------------|-------------|---------|---------|----------|
|that gives a Combat| No |Yes | Yes | Yes |Limited|NO |
| Profession a decisive| | | | | | |
|advantagein PvELevel 60 | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------|-----------|------------|-------------|---------|---------|----------|
|that gives a Combat| No |Yes |Yes | Yes |Limited|Limited |
| Profession a decisive| | | | | | |
|advantagein PvP | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------|-----------|------------|-------------|---------|---------|----------|
| that has an intuituve means | Yes |Yes | Yes | Yes| Yes | No |
| of use | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------|-----------|------------|-------------|---------|---------|----------|
| that clearly shows benifical| Yes| Yes | Yes | Yes |Limited|Limited |
| results from use | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------|-----------|------------|-------------|---------|---------|----------|
|that can be used by anyone | Yes | Yes|Limited | Yes | Yes | YES |
|-----------------------------|-----------|------------|-------------|---------|---------|----------|
|that gives a crafter a|Yes|No | No |Yes |Limited|Limited|
|disticnt advantage| | | | | | |
|-----------------------------|-----------|------------|-------------|---------|---------|----------|
|that a Combat professional| Yes | No | No | No | Yes |Yes |
|can completely do without | | | | | | |
|and still stay competitive| | | | | | |
|-----------------------------|-----------|------------|-------------|---------|---------|----------|
|that a Crafting professional| No |Yes |Yes| Limited| No |Yes |
|can completely do without | | | | | | |
|and still stay competitive| | | | | | |
|-----------------------------|-----------|------------|-------------|---------|---------|----------|
|that aMedical professional |Yes |Yes |Yes| Limited| Limited | NO |
|can completely do without | | | | | | |
|and still stay competitive| | | | | | |
|-----------------------------|-----------|------------|-------------|---------|---------|----------|
|that is requiredin|Yes | No |Yes |No |No |Yes |
|order to be complete a task | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------|-----------|------------|-------------|---------|---------|----------|
|that is required bymore | Yes| No|Yes|No|No|No|
| then one profession in | | | | | | |
|order to be complete a task | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------|-----------|------------|-------------|---------|---------|----------|
|that provides a steady flow | Limited|Yes|Yes|Yes |Limited| Limited|
|of return sales | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------|-----------|------------|-------------|---------|---------|----------|
|that provides a steady flow | Limited|Yes|Yes|Yes |Limited| Limited|
|of return salesfromits| | | | | | |
|featured product| | | | | | |
|-----------------------------|-----------|------------|-------------|---------|---------|----------|

Drashk,

Great job Drashk. I like what you've done for the most part, but I've made some minor changes to the table as how I see things. As some points of explanation, at least on my server, Chef foods are highly sought after by every profession, including ours. To stay compeitive, most people supplement mind buffs from an entertainer with Chef foods to remain in combat and use specials, they also provide significant crafting bonuses. Droids provide almost no value in combat with anything above L 40, without the droids being more self healing "tank" droids than combatants. Even then, they don't last very long, so the term "decisive" is misleading. I would not think that any of our current droids provide a "decisive" advantage above L 40 or so. Droids can be used by anyone. Also, there is no way Doctors could stay compeitive without our Droids, as evidenced by the many "buff" lines in Coronet and Theed on my server on any given day. Docs need droids to stay competitive and to provide services in areas where they can and will generate business.One needs to look no further than the deserted Medical Facilites in any NPC city to seewhats happened there.You also might want to consider adding Shipwright and BE, since they both can provide benefits. Now, onto the questions

Here are my questions for eveyone -

1. 
   
   Does the above appear to be an accurate account of our current situation? Mostly...see my revisions above.


2. 
   
   Does the above chart appear to be correct? Mostly...with revisions.


3. 
   
   Based upon the answers listed in the chart, which one of the Artisan based professions should our profession most closely emulate?* Why? Can't do just one Tailor and BE. To put it bluntly, i compare us to tailor since so many people have no idea what tailors can do and what services they can provide, and they don't "need" them to head out on a mission. It's just nice to have. BE is similiar to tailor in that many people have no clue what services BE's provide other than to make them some nice bleed resist shirts. Tailors and Chefs are normally their best clients, so their customer base is quite limited. Since pets are a thing of the past, BE'd pets, while very nice, provide limited value to the community. Pets are no longer "required" and in some cases are actually discouraged. Having been the Corvette, i can tell you that pets can cause more problems than they are worth


4. 
   
   What single item could be added to the Droid Engineering tree that would help it meet the goal listed in Question 3? "Need". For me that is a combination of droid decay, integration with other professions and expanded utility. As I said in the last thread, I don't believe there is any "quick fix" for the profession. These items all need to work in concert to greatly enhance the value of our profession. I'm not saying they need to all be done at the same time, as I'm pretty sure that will never happen. What I am saying is that they need to be linked in some meaningful fashion so that we can get to the "next level" and become more useful to everyone. Just my 2 credits! Have fun!

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1. 
   
   Does the above appear to be an accurate account of our current situation? Yes
   
   
2. 
   
   Does the above chart appear to be correct? Yes
   
   
3. 
   
   Based upon the answers listed in the chart, which one of the Artisan based professions should our profession most closely emulate?* Why?
   
   
4. 
   
   none in the list, i would say Shipwright, in that Droids are not a necessity, they never should be, but they should offer the player an option to enhance their gaming experience, by releasing them from heavily manual tasks, intepreting, selling etc.
   
   
5. 
   
   What single item could be added to the Droid Engineering tree that would help it meet the goal listed in Question 3?


6. 
   
   What I would like to see is smthg similar to Ship Chassis'. We could sell Droid Chassis and Droid modules, and let the player pick and choose how to combine them, and re-use them as necessary. Turning an Adv R3 harvester, into a Combat droid, or crafting droid by allowing themselves to switch modules, possibly by the addition of a Droid Terminal.

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DarkRenown wrote:

Nice post, and very accurate, but what else do we expect from the legend that is Drashk!!

1. Does the above appear to be an accurate account of our current situation? Yes
2. Does the above chart appear to be correct? Yes
3. Based upon the answers listed in the chart, which one of the Artisan based professions should our profession most closely emulate?* Why?
4. none in the list, i would say Shipwright, in that Droids are not a necessity, they never should be, but they should offer the player an option to enhance their gaming experience, by releasing them from heavily manual tasks, intepreting, selling etc.
5. What single item could be added to the Droid Engineering tree that would help it meet the goal listed in Question 3?
6. What I would like to see is smthg similar to Ship Chassis'. We could sell Droid Chassis and Droid modules, and let the player pick and choose how to combine them, and re-use them as necessary. Turning an Adv R3 harvester, into a Combat droid, or crafting droid by allowing themselves to switch modules, possibly by the addition of a Droid Terminal.

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Drashk wrote:

2. Does the above chart appear to be correct?

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1. Does the above appear to be an accurate account of our current situation?
   Yes.


2. Does the above chart appear to be correct?
   Pretty much, although I'm not sure why Tailor is listed as No under 'that a Crafting professional can completely do without and still stay competitive'.


3. Based upon the answers listed in the chart, which one of the Artisan based professions should our profession most closely emulate? Why?
   This is a difficult question to answer in the way you have framed it. I'll approach it from the opposite direction and hopefully arrive at an answer that way. We should not closely emulate Architect because our sales should not be mainly high-ticket items or purely decorative items. We should not closely emulate Armoursmith or Weaponsmith because our products should not require expensive and difficult to obtain loot at the top end. Also we should not be in a situation where 90% of our products are considered worthless or only useful for a very short time whilst learning (Although I believe that should apply to Armoursmiths and Weaponsmiths too, and hopefully will with the Combat Transformation). We should not too closely emulate Chef because our products should provide longer term benefits. We should not emulate Tailor because our products should be valuable because of the service they provide, not the service they can allow for (sockets).
   
   So, having gone through that two professions I think we should be emulating are Chef (significant bonuses to many different skill sets with some turnover of product) and Tailor (bonuses to skills, i.e. BE clothing, plus being kinda cool too). Since you've asked me to narrow it down to one I'll pick Chef.
   
   To sum up where I think all the professions should be heading:
   Architect - High ticket & decorative items.
   Armoursmith - High bonus to combat skills (defense) for medium-length period.
   Weaponsmith - High bonus to combat skills (offense) for medium-length period.
   Chef - High bonus to many skills for brief period.
   Tailor - Low bonus to many skills for long period & decorative items.
   Droid Engineer - Medium bonus to many skills for medium-length period.


4. What single item could be added to the Droid Engineering tree that would help it meet the goal listed in Question 3?
   Another difficult question. Since you say you want an item I assume Droid Decay is not an allowable answer. In a similar vein, with the Combat Metamorphosis in the works, I shall not suggest Combat droids, since their usefulness should be increasing anyway (according to TH at least). I could cheat and say a Component Analysis tool like Shipwrights have, but the tool on its own would be useless without the whole reverse engineering malarky to go with it. Besides those I honestly can't think of a single item that would be anything more than a temporary band-aid for our profession. Any additional profession-specific bonuses would be great, but without decay to generate repeat sales they would just be a flash in the pan.

Message Edited by Sodan-droiddreamer on 11-03-2004 12:55 AM