Droid Engineer Archive
Thread: Droideka... A Trade Confederation Perk
I wonder, however, if the Trade Federation even still exists in the same form during this time period. They are, after all, at the heart of the Separatist movement. Palapatine used the Trade Federation as a catalyst to build his own power. It seems only natural that after he successfully becomes Emperor, it will be necessary to sweep away the Trade Federation and their Separatist allies as a demonstration of his power to bring unity to the new Empire.
MstrArtsn wrote:
2. Fine. I wasn't suggesting you were - but your thought process certainly doesn't address the issue a majority ofDEs seem to have (read the board to validate) which is: fair and equity with other competing Elites (esp. CH)
3. Good for you. I am shockedhowever that youwould be willing to spendstill additional hours working up faction pts for a droideka schematic. I certainly wouldn't be, especially if I wanted faction in the two main adversarial pvp factions: Imp and Rebel.
4. Meaningful eh? ok - let's debate this then:
1. Problem 1 with TF faction: There is no evidence that some 30 years after the Clone Wars ended that the TF is still in existence. The timeline for this Star Wars Galaxiesgame is after Ep IV - A New Hope. There is not only no evidence the TF exist but other aligned groups shown in EpI and EpII are nowhere to be seen either - including the Commerce Guild, Corporate Alliance or the Techno Guild - there is no mention of these factions in EpIV - VI and no representative body/member or specific species of creature representing that group is even seen let alone referred to.
2. Currently no other Elite crafting profession in-game is forced to gain faction in order to gain schematics to build a complete entity (gun, armor, clothing, building, droid etc.), what you are proposing would make DE the only Elite which would be forced to gain faction to be able to build something which should be granted withing the existing DE skilltree. No player is currently forced into a choice of faction in order to be rewarded for a craftable schematic. (yes, you could choose not to do TF faction - but really without the ability to buid a Droideka you would not be able to compete with other DEs). This would be unfair and hurt many DEs who are casual gamers (have a life and fulltime jobs) and barely have enough time to grind to master let alone time to gain faction.
You see this as an interesting and fun in-game challenge to make the profession and the crafting of high level items more challenging and interesting. Personally I disagree completely and look at this as more work to get what I and other DEs should have gotten on game release - a fully functional profession, fully functional modules, fully functional droids and usefull droids. I suggest if you want to add more challenge to your life as a DE then branch out into another profession instead of making our profession that much more difficult to attain a usefull, functioning mastery of.
I'd be happier if the Devs fixed what was broken already before giving us a Droideka or other droid to craft. (Which I'm excited about getting - don't get me wrong) - I just think that fixing what is broken and adding more usefull modules to existing droids is something to focus on first.
I am concerned that the Devs may consider the Droideka a way to "fob off" DE complaints and delay the response and fixes to the other serious and pressing problems our profession and droids have.
2) I sure hope everyone doesn't see the addition of the Droideka as the "great balancing and equality" move for DE's. Droids are so much more then just combat droids. There are many other issues that need to be fixed. For that matter, the whole design of how droids work and what you can put in them should be overhauled. It is frankly rediculous that I can put the very same items in a mouse droid the size of a house cat that I can put in an R2, Surgical or other droid. Droids should have had a module level attached to them or a variety of module levels attached to them. Regular mice should have level one mods in them tops. Adv mice level 2, and so on.
3) Have you done any faction work with the other factions in the game? You might find that they aren't as difficult as you think. You might also find out that you don't have to have a lot of combat skill either. Anyways, just because others disagree with my concept, that doesn't make it invalid. I think some, and note I say some, want it real real easy to make the new Droideka. They want to crank them out like scout pistols and see this as some great credit sign in the sky. If they are allowed to do that. If the Developers actually make it too easy, and these droids as good as some think they should be, and everyone that can use one ends up with one, what do you think the end result will be? I can tell you what I think will happen. They will end up nerfing the new Droideka shortly after they put it in. You need checks and balances to keep the flow of powerful items reasonable. I feel that the more restricted the access to the Droideka is, the more powerfull the designers will be willing to allow one to be. If everyone on almost every street corner can have one, they will end up watered down. And, yes, I know they are suppose to add a certification system. Trouble is that we have no idea what the exact parameters of that are going tobe.
4) Great. This post from you has meaningful discussion. That is what I was looking for.
1) SWG clearly shows that the Trade Federation is in existance. They are a faction and there are many npc mobs on the surface of Naboo that are part of the Federation. However, I will agree that we have no idea exactly in what form they are now. How much is left of them and their former powerbase is still uncertain. I would not read too much into episodesIV, V, and VI. Since Lucas wrote and produced these first, it is very possible that the concept for many of the other races we haveseen in I and II we not thought up till he finally got around to writing those episodes. It's the trouble with not producing a series in the historical order. And, btw, even if the Trade Federation is not nearly as powerfull, they can still perform the function I have outlined for them. Provide the schematics and key parts to supporters. Perhaps, they are just more like smugglers now then regular trade merchants.
2) I believe our differences in opinion here have to do with the issue of "entitlement." From what you have written, you are supporting the concept that every droid item that exists should be able to be made by a Master Droid Engineer. That they simply have access to everything. My view is that Master Droid Engineers have access to everything that is in the basic market. All of the items that contain shared technology. But, that they do not have access to schematics to items that only certain groups or factions used. So, from where I sit, I see the Droideka as an extra and not a mainline droid. I have also stated that there are many other combat droids, and not having Droideka would therefore not leave you out of the combat droid market. Besides, if the developers are doing their job, only certain people are going to be able to have Droideka's anyways.
One other thing, I do not see the combat droid as the sum total of the droids we can make. If they don't correct the class to the point were most of the other droids are as usefull as they should be, then it will hardly matter that they add a combat droid or two. I do not see the addition of the Droideka as the solution to the DE woes. Regardless of how it is added. Also, don't be surprised if it ends up as part of one of those elite-elite classes. Some sort of Combat Droid Engineer.