Droid Engineer Archive
Thread: Where do YOU want to see our profession
Same stuff ive been saying for months, so ill just quote this person for my feedback.
RottingLepha wrote:
* Where do YOU want to see the Droid Engineer profession going?
* Why do you think anyone should want to BE a Droid Engineer?
* What contribution to SWG do YOU want to see Droid Engineers making?
* What should make Droid Engineers important to SWG?
1. First of all, I'd like to see the prof make sense. Certain issues still bug me. The lack of 'power' in our combat droids is a source of contention for some. Not me. I think the combat ratings are fine, I simply wish we had appropriate droids for it. As well, the BLL is useless. These droids need purpose. Astromechs should be sold in entirety to Pilots, custom designed for spaceflight (That's what they're for!). Perhaps even including Droids in the construction and use of factories. Common sense is the rule of the day here. Oh, and um -- decay.
2. For the love of droids. Plain and simple. That's why I'm here.
3. We need to be necessary. Moreso than a component here and there for architects and pilots. As it is, most droids are nothing but accessories. Most people can't fight without armor or a weapon. Chefs, doctors and in a way BEs (through the chain of necessity) are required for high-end content. Architects would be the same if not for PAs and other crafters. We're in nearly the same boat as Tailors -- and I gotta tell ya, Tailor is fun. Moreso than DE. If not just Droids or droid components for other stuff -- cybernetics. It makes sense. Alot of sense. If we can't install, then we can craft. Bionics and droids are so similar of concepts.
4. We need a place. We need to be needed.
I would like to see additional utility added to replace that which has been lost to recent improvements. I want to help improve the quality of life and gameplay for players in other professions. I would like to see droid engineers, not required, but desired by other players to improve or ease tasks that players undertake all the time.
* Why do you think anyone should want to BE a Droid Engineer?
People should want to be a Droid Engineer if they want to help fellow players. To provide a companion in the Star Wars existance of others, not simply a tool. They should want to be a Droid Engineer because of its unique complexity as a crafting profession as well as the special relationship we often have with customers.
* What contribution to SWG do YOU want to see Droid Engineers making?
As answered in the first question, don't make reasons for people to have to come see me and/or use the droids I make. Give me ways I can improve their time in the game. Give my droids ways that they can help people in everyday tasks. It is my job to show them the benefits of the droids I make. I don't need artificial controls in place to crowbar someone into using a droid.
I would love to see smuggler modules in droids to assist in slicing. Modules intended to help Doctors and Combat Medics in their new field oriented roles. Modules that give Bio-Engineers a hand when they are in the field collecting DNA. A module that improves camp sites setup by scouts. Combat droids that are not really more powerful, but instead more versital. Modules that help people manage and maintain structures in the game. Droids that help in repairing multiplayer ships. Basicly any few of the hundreds of excellent ideas outlined in these and other forums.
* What should make Droid Engineers important to SWG?
Droid Engineers, in my view, are entrusted with one of the single most Star Wars like products for the game. Droids have been as important to Star Wars as Jedi. This and our inherent ability to HELP people with our products in a wide range of roles is what makes us important. I would say that this is what needs to be enhanced. We where there once, the droid revamp did wonders for our field. It seems only a small amount of effort is needed to build on that and actually improve where we stand from before.
Jenden wrote:
* Where do YOU want to see the Droid Engineer profession going?
Anything less than a level 6 module does not sell well, on my server at least, effect modules no longer sell well because afk buf bots don't need them or use them, Structure maintenance modules no longer do any thing that won't be done automatically any way.
That leaves us building combat droids that no one uses, and mobile crafting stations. Oh yeah, we do sell droids to those guys that sell buffs in the c-net starport, but since those professions are being nerfed in the CU, I expect that market to dry up rather quickly.
I am not terribly optimistic about the direction we are heading in now. So which way would I like to see us going, I would like droids even less than top of the line droids, to be some thing that is useful and desirable to the average player.
* Why do you think anyone should want to BE a Droid Engineer?
Cause after that cool qust we, and we alone, get to build that really cool.... Droid Head? We get a droid head? Yeah that is just as cool as RIS armor, easily, way nicer than the scythe blade...
In all seriousness, there is a lot of work to being a droid engineer, and had I known before hand how much the work load outweighs the benefits, I would have gone armor smith or weapon smith. The only reason I don't just switch is that I am a roleplayer and changing professions would be a major life changing event for my toon.
* What contribution to SWG do YOU want to see Droid Engineers making?
Some, any, more....
Seriously, droids are an option, unless they are some thing some one wants or needs, we don't sell any, so they need to be made usefull, and desirable, I won't even go so far as requireing them, but I do think using a droid should be extremely beneficial.
i.e. an entertainer should not need an effects module running to buff, but should apply better buffs for each modules he/she has running, hopefully the combat upgrade will make droids useful for combat (some one will scream uber, the devs will here exploit, and the droids will get smacked with the nerf bat again, but until then) the structure maintenance module should do some thing that is not automated, Harvest droids need to be repaired.....
I don't think I need to go on, you get the idea.
* What should make Droid Engineers important to SWG?
I may have answered that allready....
But here is a thought, roughly 16% of the schematics a Master DE has, are strictly for droid maintenance, either directly (droid reconstruction kit) or indirectly (capacitor discharge unit). No one has ever asked me to make a repair to their droid. Not that I can recall, I have been asked to change out the modules in a droid, upgrade a droid, other tasks that can not be done. but never has some one said, hey my droid is getting old and beat up, could you maybe patch it up a little bit?
Just doesn't happen, at least not to me.
Message Edited by Jenden on 04-05-2005 12:39 PM
More droid types: I would like to see some IG-88 type models, and maybe some old federation droids running around...
Protocol droids: How about some protocol droids that are useful for translating languages? Maybe some quests could be opened up or some areas that only smugglers could do business at would be accessable now that you have your droid that knows over 6 million forms of communication...
More useful astromechs: How cool would it be to use your droid to disable the minefield, jam the uplink, and hack the computers of enemy outposts? Pretty cool!
Customization kits: Not sure if these exists to change the colors, but that's only the first step. How about one that could add flames or other cool designs to your boxy powerdroid, or a buttler uniform to your protocol droid?
Personality: I thought there were different personality modules you could add to a droid, but I've never seen a droid say anything other than the barker droids. How about some combat droids with attitude, or some snooty protocol droid, or a Bender ripoff of an HK-47 calling me a meatbag and saying "bite my shiny meteal a$$"?
Interactive decorations: It's cool that droids that haven't been converted to your datapad (or are they just chassis?) can be dropped into buildings as decorations and are animated. I would like to see droids that can be set-up in a cantina and used as an interactive bartender or something along those lines. Not as a merchant, but something to add athmosphere to my player structure.
I'd like to see DE going the way of weaponsmith, but keeping the unique method of crafting that we have. While the subcomponents-in-subcomponents-in-subcomponents style of the more advanced droids means a lot more effort, it really is still enjoyable to craft the droids and I don't want to lose that. What I do want to see is a valid use for droids that makes people want to buy them for more than crafting stations.
* Why do you think anyone should want to BE a Droid Engineer?
Because it's enjoyable to craft droids, primarily. Of course, there's always those who just want to make money and will go to whatever crafting profession is likely to do that.
* What contribution to SWG do YOU want to see Droid Engineers making?
I'd like to see DEs making a valid contribution to the game, through useful droids that people feel they need.
* What should make Droid Engineers important to SWG?
This I don't know. Combat droids could possibly have a place in the CU, as a tank for the ranged professions, if the CL ratings on the upper droids were improved. If they expand on the combat droids, they could play a number of different roles as a groupmate. However, this may unbalance things, so I'm not positive what to suggest.
All professions should benifit in some way from having a special droid around. Maybe add a special attack for combat proffesions in one of the skill boxes for a droid to do, "droid intimidate" or something, a different special for each elite profession.
* Where do YOU want to see the Droid Engineer profession going?
I want the Droid Engineers to provide droids to everyone, Droids should be everywhere, providing assistance and help to everyone
* Why do you think anyone should want to BE a Droid Engineer?
To build Droids?
* What contribution to SWG do YOU want to see Droid Engineers making?
Droids?
* What should make Droid Engineers important to SWG?
Providing Droids to non DE's ?
Sorry if these answers arent exactly what you where wishing for, i'm not a native english speaker and i was never good with words ^^
My Take on Droids, outside of the Questions asked:
All Droids should have a certain major purpose, the one should be a medical droid, the next a translator, the next an astromech. The whole way droids are build now is IMHO wrong, in Star Wars a protocol droid is a protocol droid, not abomb, a crafting station, a walking backpack or whatever. And especially that almost all chassis can be remodelled to combat purposes are completely wrong! I detest combat surgical or R-series Droids!
developing into a crafting prof that is in real demand, due to functionality useful and desireable to the playerbase
* Why do you think anyone should want to BE a Droid Engineer?
"The love of droids" as another put it. Building something infinitely customizeable and personalized. A complicated and involved crafting process
* What contribution to SWG do YOU want to see Droid Engineers making?
Droids are everywhere in Star wars, doing just about every task imagineable. Droids should be a vital part of any characters life in SWG.
* What should make Droid Engineers important to SWG?
Supplying vital equipment to all players and professions, just like other crafting profs, not having a line of products which for the most part are useless, or so marginally effective that players have little to no desire to aquire a droid.
Jenden wrote:
Ok, I've decided to ask this question to both you guys and the devs. Need to get a good feel from you guys so K know that I'm not heading off in the wrong direction fighting for things no one cares about, and a feel from the devs so I know whats possible. So please answer these questions as simply as possible. Keep all discussions out of this thread, just state your opinion and move on.
* Where do YOU want to see the Droid Engineer profession going?
I want to see more droids that are useful. We have quite a bit of interesting utilities at our disposal, BUT we seriously need combat droids that are comparable to faction pets.
* Why do you think anyone should want to BE a Droid Engineer?
They should want to be a DE because they are a fun crafting profession, and are useful.(SHOULD be more useful than they are now)
* What contribution to SWG do YOU want to see Droid Engineers making?
Alot of potential here for droid engineers,I think a big problem lies in droid batteries. They made them last longer which is good, but who really wants to have to hunt down batteries if you are a combat profession? Droid engineers should be building droids that players feel would use and need. Crafting droids are great, but once you sell one, that customer may never need to come back. At least if you had a combat droid there would be the danger of it getting destroyed.
ANOTHER idea I had would be to allow people to donate a certain number combat droids to there faction bases as defense.
Make it so PC town garages have to have 2 repair droids donated to repair swoops, make them last a certain number of days before they expire.
Allow surgical droids to reside in PC hospitals healing player wounds, for a certain number of days till they expire.
* What should make Droid Engineers important to SWG?
The fact they should be needed. Make them find faster routes through dungeons, open doors through hacking, repair stuff, and fight. It would be great if Droids should have to repair and maintain PC mission terminals after a set amount of time, make it so they do it automatically so its still convieniant like droids should be. At the same time it allows more opportunity to see droids in action.
Message Edited by Jenden on 04-05-2005 12:39 PM
Message Edited by warrenbassist on 04-15-2005 04:25 PM
But my main gripe is the lack of range of droids and I am actually talking about cosmetics here. In fact, with the exception of tailor, architect and creature handler i'd say all professions suffer from this, but we get the rough end. The droids look boring on the combat side, they're fine on astromech side and protocol (if there was ever a need for a protocol droid except spam) But I'm sorry having seen the battle droids and of course the two bounty hunters in ESB I want more then floating metal balls and buckets. Ahh some will say what about continuity all combat droids were banned, well what about it we still have combat droids, we also have countless jedi running amok in a time when there was none. Imagine running around with a battle droid with custom colour who says, "roger,roger" when you tell him to follow.
They could also get creative making newer designs too to shake things up. This is really my final point, SOE doesn't seem to get it, we don't care if they have the same stats it's the unqiqueness that counts. I don't want the same black probot as everyone else cos the colours look terrible generally. Why does creature handler get umpteem exotic pets to control each with their own style and we get a probot?
Morris
Jenden wrote:
Ok, I've decided to ask this question to both you guys and the devs. Need to get a good feel from you guys so K know that I'm not heading off in the wrong direction fighting for things no one cares about, and a feel from the devs so I know whats possible. So please answer these questions as simply as possible. Keep all discussions out of this thread, just state your opinion and move on.
* Where do YOU want to see the Droid Engineer profession going?
I want DE's to be able to provide players with droids that make their lives easier and better, not confusing and marginally useful. Especially when changes are later made that reduce or eliminate the usefulness of droids. If someone says I want to do 'x', the response should be get a droid. The forums are full of useful forms of 'x'.
At the heart of this, you have to know who your customer base is. My experience is most of the players are some form of combat class that couldalways use an edge to keep alive ormake the grind easier. That is where the demand is in this game and fullfil those needs and there will be more player droids inthegalaxy.We will alwaysbe a second classClass until the developers realize that. This is my observation of the situation andI will strongly believe it until I am shown data otherwise.
Droids should also be easier to use and understand. This will take away some of the reasons why some people avoid or don't bother with droids.
I love droids and that is the only reason I am still a DE after all this time because otherwise the profession stinks. I have put a huge amount of work into developing my droid business,and I have not receivedmuch in return on investment.Hard work should pay offbut I currently have to rely onMaster Artisan skills and reselling cheap items in the bazaar toget ahead. I love droids but I also believe hard work should pay off.
* Why do you think anyone should want to BE a Droid Engineer?
Because droids are cool and useful and you could make a good living off of it.
* What contribution to SWG do YOU want to see Droid Engineers making?
Providing useful functions to players of all classes, including combat and jedi, that makes their lives easier.
* What should make Droid Engineers important to SWG?
Players should NEED droids for protection, slicing, buffing, getting better xp, crafting high level components, GCW, piloting, scanning, translation, tracking, surveying, healing, etc. to a much greater extent that they do now.
Message Edited by Jenden on 04-05-2005 12:39 PM
Message Edited by R2D2v2 on 04-24-2005 01:34 PM