Droid Engineer Archive
Thread: Combat Droids Made Easy. For your consideration Thunderheart
Fastgun,
I have a few questions regarding your proposal:
1.) I am a little unclear on how the health, action, and mind modules would work. Are they intended to boost the droid's existing HAM, or be the single determining factor for HAM values?
2.) Items d and f under #4 list armor twice. Was there meant to be another module, or is that a duplicate?
3.) Is the speed module for movement or attack speed? If for attack, would it have seperate speed values for range and melee?
4.) Please clarify the 'self-destruct' module and its purpose.
5.) It seems to me like this system would have an implicit certification system. In other words, the most powerful droids will simply cost more because of the modules installed, correct?
One aspect of this system to consider for revision - droid armor is an existing, working component to droids, and it probably needs tweaks more than a full rewrite. In other words, level 5 and 6 armor need to have the ability to push armor above 40%, allow armor to be experimented on for varying values, etc.
I look forward to the replies.
That way you could limit the combat droids to 2 or maybe 3 combat module slots, which would stop the droids from being totally overpowered and force DEs and their customers to make choices (and possibly have people buy multiple droids for different situations?). The modules would simply augment the relevant stats and make the droid a specialist in that area?
But definitely nice to see someone coming up with a really nice idea. I just hope Thunderhearts comments about people asking for things that are a lot harder than we realise doesnt extend to something like this.
Certifications etc. have more to do with the global balance of the entire game. I would rather see the Droid Engineer on both feet and running before getting bogged down in the certification nightmare. I see Combat Droids much like weapons, just like guns they slowly but surely run down with use and a new replacement is needed. As long as they don't last forever, or degrade so slowly that it practically means the same thing, the players will always be seeking new combat droids, and DE's will always have business.
Fastgun
Yeah I have to admit the Mech Warrior design system did come to mind when I was thinking this up. But it should come as no surprise really. The folks at FASA who make that game created a real world system. In essence ones ability to make a mech was limited by simple things like weight, and mass.
You could make a mech that was blistering fast by putting huge engines and speed enhancers on it but you wouldnt have much room for armor or weapons, or you could make a 100 ton tank with every concievable weapon known, but it would have the speed of a turtle and be a sitting duck. In the same way the give and take of real engineering is introduced into a profession, allowing the Droid Engineer to be innovative in designing the perfect combat droids for different folks.
Fastgun
I am not a DE, but something like this would make this master CH shelve one of his pets and use a droid.
Nice thinking here.
YesI have to agree. If self destruct modules are included then the player is making a choice to destroy his droid in the gamble that it will kill his enemy. Such a choice has to come with consequences, perhaps in some cases expensive ones. If a player never wants this to happen then he or she doesn't have to buy a droid with this capability.
Fastgun
Special attack modules would be a great addition if they adopt a system like this. Once the system becomes modular then the skys the limit on what they can add. All they have to do is balance it within the parameters of the basic system, and insure that it meets their vision of the game.
I have always felt that droids should be devices that help you do your job better, without taking the place of the character.
Fastgun
LancerDL wrote:
Although for self-destruct modules, do you intend to cause the droid to perma-die?
Why not? Self destruct would mean the droid when it explodes would create a very powerful and large radius of destruction... (everyone go see Star Trek III: The search for Spock.. how the Enterprise was sacrificed and self destructed because it was the only option to "win")
and by the way, these ideas in the original post is excellent. Not only does it give the end droid users some choices, but also makes the DE profession fun because we get to customize droids instead of just putting out cookie cutter droids.
TH still hasn't acknowledged what so far is the best idea on the board.
But he has acknowledged some of the worst....
Bump for hope.
Fastgun has a good idea here. I think it also fits well in with the thread by Sodan-droiddreamer on Consenus of combat droids. I hope TH and SIntrosi will see this too.
OA Enterprises - Tatooine - Flurry
MA / DE 0001
So do I. How do you get their attention on such matters?
Fastgun