Droid Engineer Archive

I really don't like the idea of giving droid certification to combat professions.

One of the dev's problems is that anything positive for combat that works at high levels makes existing mobs too easy. Either they have to nerf the combat capabilities to keep them challenging, or create new harder mobs, and that distorts things. There has to be a way to keep bounty hunters and Master pistoleers from getting droids that will tank a Krate dragon long enough to be killed solo. That dragon is supposed to take a group to kill.

Making the cert tied to a elite artisan trees accomplishes that.

The other thing is making crafting characters fun. With 2 elite crafting professions, it isn't really possible to engage in combat now. Too much content is locked away (e.g. story arcs and theme parks), and you can't go out with your friends without being a drag on the group. The introduction of combat droids could be used to cure that. That little armoursmith+tailor could hold his own with a CH as an important group member in combat if he had the droid certs and had bought some good ones. Droids have terrible combat limitations now in the long run because they can't be healed, so perhaps the CH would be better in the long run for combat. But at least we could get out and see more of the world.

I'm not very awake, so if I'm reading this all wrong someone hit me please. Anyhow, here goes.

Are you saying that Bounty Hunters and such can pick up 35 or more skill points while a DE, a person who makes droids and should know FAR MORE about thier usage then anyone else, gets MAYBE 22 - 30ish? I'm sorry but we should be at the highest end of the spectrum. We make them and therefore know how they work. We should not be behind (sorry kids) some "Ub3R 1337 13 year old snot nosed BH". I support much of this system, but as people that make Droids and OFTEN INSTRUCT OTHERS IN THIER USE I feel that we should be working as the top tier of the tree. Do you really want newbs asking said BH on instructions for using thier droids? Not only would this probably turn them off the social aspect of the game it could well turn them off droids or the game as a whole.

In conclusion, we need to be at the top. This is both for our own sanity and the enjoyment of the hypothetical newb as I haven't yet met a "mean DE".

I support this system fully. A universal certification system will mean that droids will finally be the straightforward product they are supposed to be. No special handlers period.

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Virtanis wrote:
A MUCH BETTER idea than some schmuck "Droid Handler" running around on Lok whispering "Good, er... boy?" at Droidekas all day long.

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And what exactly will be able to stop a Commando or a Bounty Hunter with a top line Combat Droid?

Anything?

This idea seems to push the game more towards a pet-centric game. I thought we were trying to get away from it? In any event, as I posted on another thread, I usually hunt with my guild on lok. We hunt gurks. We use a combination of pets, buffs, armor and other skills to keep us alive and hunting. Most everyone who hunts in a master at some combat class or another. Pets tank sometimes but with the recent CH changes a lot of the aggro breaks and goes on players. I think that's fine, its just a balance issue.

Now imagine each of us having a droid on the outskirts firing in at the gurks. For the sake of argument let's say there are 8 of us and we each have CL25 pets. That's 200CL worth of pet firepower with essential no skill point deduction. That's a big margin!!

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Zonnend wrote:

I think that the original system is very well designed, however its main fault is that it's effectively making droids come "free" with abilities that folks already have. Since most people end up maxed out of their skill points, effectively everyone would carry certifications for almost top droids.

Cases in point:

Master Artisan / MDE: 20 Pts
Master Brawler / TKA: 20 Pts
Master Medic / Master Doctor: 15 Pts

I think the way to fix this is to greatly stretch the top levels of droids. For example:

Non-combat droids require 0 droid points
First level combat droids: 5 points (anyone who mastered any base profession can have one)
Second level combat droids: 15 points (anyone who mastered a base + elite profession can have one)
Third level combat droids: 25 points (only BH / Commando / Squad Leaders with some faction points can have one, or folks in high-level combat professions with faction points)
Highest level combat droids: 30 points (only folks in hybrid professions with lots of faction points can have these droids)

This can be justified (for continuity) that only factions are able to have the resources to help you smuggle high end combat droids and only if you're highly ranked in the faction.

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I really like this, in fact I think I like it better than the original system, but I have a question:

Due to what I want to be, I don't have -any- base professions mastered... I am trying to master 2 elite professions... so without having any base professions mastered, do I not get to use any combat droids, even though one of my 2 elite professions I want to master is Droid Engineer?

I'm really sceptical on the idea of a droid cert system to begin with... it's gonna have to take something -really- good for me to go along with it. After all, I am creating these droids, I should be able to use them (and weaponsmiths / armorsmiths, don't start. Droids are much different entities than armor and weapons are).

Maybe... and I'd probably be open to this:

If a Droid Engineer can craft the droid, he can use it...

Up the number of droids that you can call at once to maybe 2 (somewhere up a tier in the DE trees).

HOWEVER, a MDE, since they are not a combat class, may only call 1 combat droid at a time. So sure, they can call 2 droids, but only 1 of them can be a combat droid. The other one would have to be a utility droid.

Put some kind of cert on the combat droids (probably something simular to the original system, with certs at the level 4 skills in the tiers).

Any master elite combat class could call 2 combat droids (with a simular level maxas CH's as to not be able to call 2 droidekas plus their combat skills).

Any other master elite class could call 2 droids, 1 combat 1 utility, or2 utility.

DE's could get the 2 droid calling possibly earlier in their trees.

It's 2:30 in the morning... so I'm not 100% in the head right now, hehe, but to break it down, probably something like this:

DZ70= 10 points

Probot = 50 points

Droideka =100 points

Basic class, tier 4 skill, you get 10 droid points (so basically, anyone with a tier 4 skill can get a DZ70).

Elite class, tier 4 skill, you get another 10 points

Thus, a DZ70 could be available relatively easy, and since they aren't too powerful, everyone running around with a DZ70 is not a bad thing.

A probot would essentially need a master skill, plus another tier 4 to be accessible.

A Droideka would be relatively hard to access... needing essentially 10 tier 4 skills.

If I am thinking correctly (As I said, my brain isn't at 100% right now), this should keep it to about 1 Droideka per person, so they shouldn't be too overpowered.

The only droids that would be in over abundance would be the DZ70's, which aren't too high class anyways.

BTW, this just might essentially be the original plan... if so, then the concept of the original droid cert system just didn't catch on with me, and I just plum didn't get it.

I like the system too, and I think it is fair.

Since we posted the most likely percieved negative poll on No to DH, lets start a thread doing a poll on Drashk's Cert system. So that we can present this as counter suggestion to the DH theory before it is too late!

Leadhead!

Drashk, your system is EXCELLENT, VERY GOOD, EXCEPTIONAL!

I voteYES for your system.

What are the chances that the devs will imprement it?

The original post is perhaps the best idea Ive read for a droid cert system to date.

Good Job Guy

Drashkquit your job and go work for SOE.

Outstanding.