Droid Engineer Archive
Thread: DE's I need two things from you please
1) I think Sintrosi's State of the Profession is a bit over-negative, but essentially accurate. I agree that you (SOE) should fix bugs and patch holes as the first priority. Healing (repair) for droids and fixing "X module doesn't work" bugs top of the list. Then add function and models.
2) The Official Plan moves in the right direction almost, but it's not really a plan so much as a test balloon, now, is it? Disagreement points:
a) combat modules are fine but COMBAT FRAMES are needed. nobody wants to see C3PO try to be the terminator. The combat AI suggestions are great.
b) combat droids should levelled like CH creatures, and be certed to other classes, commando, squad leader and bounty hunter leap to mind, maybe rangers and smugglers too. Let DE use the 'anybody' level droids, but make some kick-butt droids that are controllable only with this advanced training. I don't wanna see a bunch of combat monsters moving in on my space just to get fighting skills. Let them master uber combat classes instead.
c) mouse bombs? I saw the dirty harry movie, but really...
Oh other things to add (sorry!)
-Only master DE's should be able to call out more than one droid (max 2 i think, only one combat droid). If everyone can call out 2 droids, the majority of them will be a combt droid and like a power droid with a repair module.Make it so only medic type people can call out a surgical droid.
-***IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ THIS ONE*** - To stop the pet wars, and make sure creatures arent replaced with droids, the certifications for different strengths of droids is a great idea. BUT, that wont possibly stop the pet wars. So maybe combat droids should have their own encumberance, like mind encumberance. It must take some mind power to operate a droid and work your pistol/carbine/vibroblade. The encumberance should be at a value where the strongest of the combat professions, if wearing full armor, may not be able to take the extra encumberance cost, but the cost would be more worth it for lesser combat classes and crafting classes who don't have the good combat skills anyways and a droid would be very good to supplement them.
The pet wars in SWG is unlike any other MMORPG ive played, and I think we would all enjoy pvp more if this was done on a much lesser scale.
I wasextremely pleased with "The Plan". It was very wel written, and organized. Before we start with the exploding MSEs though, I'd like better/working modules first... Droids aren't here for combat, really... that's the Creature's job. Droids should be in the game to provide new, and more efficient abilities to the owners. Yes, combat is an ability, but it's just one of many... stronger Probots would take care of that.
Droids = make life easier
Pets = make combat easier
1. In general, yes, especially about fixing the bugs first as a top priority versus fixing the profession.
2. Sorta, since the plan has several pts to it.
The main problem I have with the DE plan is the combat modules. Please make
these useable by all. DE's are DE's to be crafters first, fighters second.
Also, don't just make combat modules that turns droids into creature pets.
Make modules that are more technology oriented, such as shield generators,
auto targetting functions, just to name a few.
Thunderheart wrote:
1. I need to know if you agree or disagree with Sintrosi's Plan
That should read "Sintrosi's State of the Profession" .. people are getting confused and think you mean the DE plan I posted.. no no no 
Yeah .. still around for another hour or so ...
1. Assuming, as seems to be the general opinion, that you mean Sintrosi's State of the Profession post, I agree whole-heartedly. Give a quick scan through the repsonses to that threadand you'll see it has overwhelming support. Not, that I'd call it a plan; it was a statement of the situation. The only idea to carry forward as a plan would be to address existing, long standing bugs before adding new stuff. This should include both clear bugs (I push the button and the wrong thing happens) and explanations for areas where it seems like there must be a bug because the item or option has no use (memory modules, binary load lifters, etc).
2. The DE Plan was indeed labeled a plan... not, that I'd call it a plan either. With the addition of Sintrosi's request to fix existing bugs first, I largely concur with the outline of the top issues. But none of the vague, maybe-we-coulds sound like solid solutions to address the stated concerns. I would like to see a plan akin to the one put forth for CH. We plan to do X, we plan to implement Y, we plan to change Z and here's how those changes will solve the existing problems.
Changes I'd make:
Fix the bugs first (as Sintrosi indicated), provide uses for the exisitng craftable items (make memory modules do something more than store schematics, make Binary Load lifters do more than lumber around and block my view). Add some logic to the choice of chasis and intended use, a mouse droid shouldn't be able to do everything an R5 can do.
Develop a system to govern how many droids I can have out at one time (it's frustrating that power and repair droids can only be used on somebody else's droids). Develop a system to govern when they can be called (if I can only have one pet period then I can't ride to a destination on my mount and then use a droid without a scout handy)
Provide useful combat droids - slapping a blaster on an R2 is silly. Arming mouse droids is funny, but not particularly useful. Provide combatmodels that can take weapon and defense modules and be dedicated to combat (examples abound). Let us sell units like these roughly the equivalent of a level 10 CH pet. Let us use more powerful version of these ourselves.
Provide modules to make droids more useful to other professions. Bio-sensors to aide Rangers in tracking, geo-scanners to aide Surveyors, sufficient autonomy that artisans can send them to restock and retrieve items from harvesters and factories (If a carrion spat eats it on the way, that's the users problem), even a light-show/special effects package to let an entertainer have a high-quality stage show in the field.
Oh, and a personal pet peeve, let us give them droid names. I want to call my droid R5-L3 or something, notGorge or Walking*Tin*Can.
Oh yeah ...
1.) Yes .. Sin can bea bit dramatic though I think .. oh wait a minute ...
2.) Generally I like theplan but I felt like it was too vague and rushed. There wasnt much detail and I would like timeframes. As for combat droids I go on record as saying yes, I would like Combat Droids onlya DEcan use. As long as we get enough combat droids OTHERS can use as well. That way the pure crafters will still be content and happy becuase they can make credits still, and those that want to craft and kill something would be happy as well.
-Agree with Sintrosi's "State of the Profession" post, wholeheartedly. It gives the issues, and relays the frustration we've been through.
-The Plan that was posted is too vague for me to agree/not agree with. Combat droids should not be DE only, there is no Combat/Combat Support Exp needed to get to DE, therefore we should not become a combat class. I do like the idea of the Surgical droids being able to heal you (as long as it is limited and doesn't put doctors out of jobs).
-Also, look at Gorantoth's current issues list. It's stickied to the DE forum. He does a wonderful job oforganizing our bugs/issues(a lot of which haven't changed since beta).
i am typical droid engineer customer...
I like the idea proposed here by Daker-Naritus. This is an EXCELLENT solution.
Snikrop wrote:
I'm so tired of the "kill progressively harder stuff" train that I bought SWG so I could become a crafter. This game _should_ balance crafting and combat in equal portions cuz there are a million hack and slashers out there and not having to level by killing things is a _HUGE_ selling point. Don't give DE's combat droids as "FIX" cuz all that does is make your Graul a droid in the long run. What I want to see is the logical extension of droids, reducing human labor. My Asimo get's the mail every morning and that's in the REAL WORLD!
Though I understand what you're saying Snikrop, I think you're overlooking something.
We as DE's *are* that crafting class. There's only so much labor to reduce. Outside of automating Harvesting, there's no other product we can sell. Especially since the majority of the people that play the game are Combats not Crafters.
As such, Adding Certs for new Combat Droids at Novice Elite and Master Elite gives us an ongoing product we can sell to a theoretically infinite market, rather than the finite crafting market.
It also goes one step further, and address the fact that for Combat Classes, a Pet is a must have to play this game. As all content must be balanced with the expectation of a CH with a Rancor approaching it, anyone without a Rancor cannot participate alone. The way to balance this is to make the Droids the everyman's pet, allowing them to participate as well.
TH,
1) I agree with Sinostri 100%.
2) The proposed changes for DE I have mixed feelings about.
2a.) I could care less about exploding MSEs and Combat Modules, I'd much rather have combat specific droids available that stand a chance in combat and if those require combat modules then that's ok. So long as these modules don't work like regular modules.
2b.) I [b]like[/b] the ideas of DEs being allowed to have more than one droid out, increased capability for the Repair function, Power Droids and Harvesters, andincreased functionality of theSurgical Droids.
However, before anyone starts talking about adding this or that we need some reassurance that the current issues are being adressed. It seems to me that is the issue most people in this profession are frustrated about.
Sintrosi's State of the Profession was painfully accurate. I agree with it completely in every aspect.
The "DE Plan" was too vague and misleading to even be considered a plan. Most of what was suggested did not appeal to me. If each aspect of the plan were explained a little more so that it could be understood I might have had a different opinion. Unfortunately, there are so many posts on our forums that request far far better changes, fixes, and direction for our profession. The Plan, in contrast, looks more like a band-aid.
1. Yes. Couldn't have said it better myself.
2. Not really. Sure, they are nice ideas, but as others have echoed over and over - we want more combat droid chasis, and we want better combat droids to sell to our customers.
Was this the "big post" we were waiting for you on? The one that you were working on for this morning?
Audio