Droid Engineer Archive

Ok, just a suggestion to throw in to help our sales. It requires SOE to fix the little bug of being able to fix your vehicles via the auto-store code (pretty sure that's where the bug is).

Give us one other consumable droid to sell:
Pit droids - each with a # of uses, will fully repair a vehicle (even disabled) in 1 use. Consumed after all charges expended. They even aleady have the built-in ability to "Store" themselves - pop it on the nose.
They even already have sounds, 3-D computer models, everything you need.

That would be one thing besides BH droids to sell that would have repeat sales.

Evil suggestion: When a vehicle gets disabled, subtract permanently 1-10 HP from the maximum.

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OrionsByte wrote:

Here's the thing: if a droid module gives a profession enough of a "bonus" that it basically invalidates anyone else in that profession that does not have a droid, that's not going to happen... that's what he was talking about here, and that's what Kilarny and I were discussing in the post that TH responded to.

I know this is an unpopular opinion, but just sit back and think about it for a sec, and it really does make sense.

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OrionsByte wrote:

In the examples you give, the enhancements benefit only the person using the enhancement and no one else. A smuggling enhancement would not effect the smuggler at all, it would effect the product he/she is selling. By definition that means that the products sliced without a droid are less valuable.

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Sadness

The more I read the droid revamp the more I'm feeling sad.

At first we where Noobs and we had some efficient probots, nice medical droids, working data storage and item storage with plenty spacing.

When I read about combat droids I think about Zap my "PreNerf" probot 3k HAM 120-130 damage 12% armor... Really I can tell you he sucks lol! He is pretty useless on the mobs that I usually hunt. So in my mind the new droids far lower than my old Zap could only help starting characters who won't even be able to afford one, so funny

There where plenty very good ideas about combat droids : weapons modules, shields generators, specials damages... the result is none of above... ok ok I know wait publish 8. But I'm pretty confident the result will be as expected...

Now about the utility droids, there where even more ideas on thoses but finally SOE is throwing us a bone.

I'm of the few ones to have 5 droids with me : Zap+a crafting station+ 3 mouse storage. This patch won't change anything to me. As most players no DE will see me anymore in his shop to buy his wonderfull utility/combat droid wich he won't have.

Because YOU SOE are doing wrong! You could easily give players nice combat droids and a new Droid Handler profession with like 2 trees only. You could easily create new utility droids for smuggling, haversting, healing... And all this without breaking the economy nor nerfing existant profession.

It would had added diversity and more starwars feeling to the game. But you choosed to keep us hunting Janta primates with axes and bones armors in deep and wet caves. If I really wantedo hunt with a bone armor and an axe and loot hide I would have choosen to play some other MMORPG, and the loot would even be better, don't you think so?

Deewe

If the Devs are worried about "end result quality" then there are plenty of ways around this.

Medical droids don't increase the effectiveness of buffs, but do increase the effectiveness of healing. This is considered acceptable.

Harvesting-enhanced food that allows you to harvest more hides/bones/etc is considered acceptable because the quality of the harvest remains the same, you just get to harvest more of it, correct? Fine. Consider a droid module that allows you to harvest more hides/bone/etc.

Slicing for better results via a droid is considered unacceptable. Fine. Allow a droid module that increases the lower end of the slice rather than the higher (so if you slice without a droid, maybe your range is 10-20% effectiveness. If you slice with a droid, your range is 15%-20% effective). Have the droid be the molecular clamps, so instead of having to purchase more clamps, you can purchase another droid battery instead.

Have droids decrease the rate of critical failures and increase the rate of critical successes (for anything). Have droids translate languages. Have droids fix things that are broke (um, hello, astromechs?). Have droids deliver things to other players. Have droids that fetch things for you. Have droids perform routine maintence functions on harvestors, bikes, clothes, furniture, weapons, armor, other droids. Have droids that decode things.

In other words, have droids that actually DO something. Combat droids? No thank you. I can pretty much tear up my foes by myself or with my friends. I don't need my CL10 Protocol droid to tank for me.

Acceptable Utility Droid Summary
================================

I noticed an increased frustration in the tone of everyone in this thread lately. To that end here's something a little more constructive. I've narrowed down the exhaustive list I published a few weeks ago with everything that I had seen posted before to just a list of droids that should be acceptable to the "no extra checkers" rule.

Utility droids could be able to do the following kinds of things:

Existing Profession Abilities
* Survey/Mine:
* Easy Implementation: Provide rudimentary survey ability. This basically gives someone the ability to survey (but not gather resources) without needing Novice Artisan.
* Medium Implementation: Survey droid that automatically find resources. Similar to survey + automatic tasks. Possibly make 4 different versions.
* Hard Implementation. Mine resources. Mining droids are mobile harvesters with additional features, like options to mine the most minerals (for grind materials based off the current highest percentage), the best minerals (based on the OQ), or just a particular specified type (so if it changes from iron A to iron B the droid keeps going). Possible drawbacks -- they could consume lots, might have smaller containers than fixed harvesters, might only function while you're online, and/or are limited by droid slots. Note that this provides survey ability as in Easy, so there's no reason not to do that as a first step.
* Harvest/Loot automatically.
* Easy Implementation: Require scout to use -- this just automates something the character can't make a macro for (harvesting/looting in a group).
* Forage (both medical and normal). Could forage for particular items (such as bait).
* Easy Implementation: Require appropriate skill of character needed to tend it -- action would not be consumed. [Not that useable.]
* Provide basic area track facilities. They could hunt down animals for your explore missions.
* Easy Implementation:
* Unlock maglocks and locked containers.
* Easy Implementation: Provide slicers with reduced costs to perform slicing actions or increased slicing XP.
* Play Music/Dance as background characters (possibly trained by musicians/dancers)
* On the list for publish 8: Provide special effects
* Medium Implementation: To limit animations, reduce to a small set of legal droids (protocol/astromechs).

New Features
* Power droids that really power other droids.
* Easy Implementation: Power droids act as battery sources (and don't need charging on their own).
* Medium Implementation: Power droids "filter" power to more efficiently power factories and harvestors (providing a +5%-10% power maintenance bonus).
* Remotely manage harvestors.
* Medium Implementation: Allow a droid to "remember" a harvestor's menu that it can always let you access remotely. ("Uplink Module")
* Carry Costumes:
* Hard Implementation: A great implementation would require a special interface. It would be half inventory, half costume layout.
* Communicate Information.
* This is already on the list for publish 8.
* Handle language translation.
* Easy Implementation: Why bother teaching languages to other people -- let the droids do translations for you. Also, NPCs should speak particular languages.
* Vendor delivery.
* Medium Implementation: Right now I have to give users access to my factory or house so they can get their goods -- why can't droids do that for me?
* Act as a vendor.
* Hard Implementation: The vendor droid could follow a route but provide standard vendor services. Would count as a vendor slot as well.
* Repair things.
* Easy Implementation: Could reduce maintenance costs by +1-+5%. (Maintenance cost gain is offset by purchase price of droid.)
* Remotely do things for you:
* Medium Implementation: Provide access to your house as if it was a container.
* Hard Implementation: The droid can visit the skill trainer, bank, or bazaar for you to do things, pick up items, etc..
* Move houses with items in it.
* Easy Implementation: Would be good thing for Binary Load Lifters to do. Also good for someone looking to rearrange a town (Politicians).
* Make things.
* Medium Implementation: Portable factory droids? Would be slower and probably hold less -- perhaps should consume a lot.
* Go faster.
* Easy Implementation: Add an enhanced droid speed module so your droid can keep up.
* Recycle things:
* Easy Implementation: Recycle items for a few credits -- not as good as a junk dealer, but still useful. Good way to get rid of those leftover resources.
* Mimic and spy:
* Easy Implementation: Droid tells you what it hears to you (spy) or repeats what it hears (mimic -- best with /tellpet).
* Visitor Logging:
* Medium Implementation: That data has to go somewhere.
* Quest Decoding Module:
* Medium Implementation: Best added with upcoming quests. Would be an optional path to solving the quest.

Combat Related
* Revive incapped players.
* Medium Implementation: Only usable by Medics. A timer makes sense for this.
* Revive players.
* Medium Implementation: Only usable by Doctors (who can't revive themselves right now). A timer makes sense for this.
* Detect covert detectors.
* On the list for publish 8.
* Feed pets.
* Medium Implementation: Should have a food storage indicator.
* Explode.
* On the list for publish 8.

Bonuses
* Reduce vehicle repair costs.
* Easy Implementation: Something for repair droids to do. Only usable at a garage.
* Provide bonuses to existing skills: +wound treatment speed, +wound treatment, +intimdation, +range defense, +survey range, +mask scent, +chef experimentation, +X experimentation, +DNA sample, opponent defense negative, +CH tame, +image design features, +slicing, +tactical options, +armor, +creature knowledge, +wound healing (music/dancing), +restraint, +advertising, +num of city specializations
* Medium Implementation: If these bonuses don't stack with skill tapes these are an either/or kind of thing. Either I buy my bonuses from a Droid Engineer or I buy it from some camping looter, but there are no more new checkers.

New Standard droid features and modules:
* Droid Knowledge Skill.
* Easy Implementation: Droid Engineer's should have the ability to examine a droid's abilities (ala Scout).
* Battery Level Indicator.
* On the list for publish 8.
* Audio Out of Battery Indicator.
* Easy Implementation: The droid should provide some indicator to its owner when it is running out of (or has run out of) power.
* Droid Reprogramming
* Medium Implementation: Droid Engineers should be able to change the modules in droids after the fact.

Other Comments:
* Droid Repair Kit.
* On the list for publish 7.
* Droid chassis should mean something.
* Mouse droids should not have storage and astromech droids should not provide advanced medical capabilities. Optionally, provide bonuses for medical droids with medical facilities, etc.
* Droid users should be able to name their own droids.
* Some current droids cannot be named. Also, memory wipes are common with droids. We should be able to give our droids new names by "wiping" their old personality.
* Droid batteries don't last long enough.
* On the list for publish 7.
* Add more droid interaction at spaceports (announcing availability of shuttle) and at garages.
* Decoration droids
* Easy Implementation: Could be a politician place feature (similar to gardens and trainers)

Bria: Erantia Prym -- Self-Proclaimed Utility Droid Advocate

Acceptable Utility Droid Summary: Nice list, I liked it.

Sums it up nicely..I agree

I like a lot of those modules, but some are going to be rejected for providing abilities that the people haven't paid skillpoints for.

Two suggestions from me to go with the above:

1: Expert Systems: Modules that can take a loot item that provides a bonus to s kill, in the same manner as skilltapes

2:Assist Modules: Reductions of the HAM costs of certain actions (Like Materials extraction, Bio-Engineer Sampling) This wouldn't take away from anyones skills, but they would make Droids far more desirable for a lot of people