Droid Engineer Archive
Thread: DE Top issues, 2-15-05
For more modules or additional functionallity for personality modules it might be nice to be able to program conversation options like the content of a NPC. This would make droid more interactive. You could have a droid in your shop as an information system so clients could find out about droids available to then and what type of droid would best suite them. I am only a noob compared to some of the others posting here, but I often have people asking me to make them a droid (lol an R2 one) but they have no idea on what droid they want , just a droid.
Hehe it would be nice to have my droid take orders and email me (the droid could be tied to the structure like a vendor instead of the player).
You could even work in the unrogrammed memory module to get this function.
As a former Droid Engineer I would still love to see Protocol Droids actually doing what there meant to do and translate between different alien species. The players ability to learn all of the languages should be removed, and replaced with being able to learn 1-2 languages.
This would mean that when going around places like Coronet and trying to talk to other players you would need your 3PO out to translate for you.
Also another idea would be to make it so players do not all have access tothe radar but need an R2 out to scan the area.
As a Smuggler I would like it if in someway droids could aid me in sliceing.
I also think medical modules need to be restriced to the medical droid and that there should be reasons for all Doc's to have one of them.
I would also like to see reasons for players to need to keep droids out and have them follow the player around, then make it so players need to go see a DE to get them recharged/cleaned up. I would also sugest that it be made possible for droids to be able to follow you accros planets, so that when I got from Corellia to Dathomir I do not have to store the droid then pull it again.
Also players should be able to have two droids out. Say a 3PO and an R2. They could both group with me and when I get on my speeder the 3PO would sit next to me and the R2 could be loaded into a special droid slot on the speeder.
Some droids should also be able to "tune" harvestors so that they either consume less energy or produce more resources.
On PoB ships droids should be able to be loaded with repair kits and then be able to gou about and repair damaged parts of the ship.
Sorry I am kinda rambleing but the DE profession has so much potential and just sitting here I can think up loads of ideas. I loved the idea of being a Droid Engineer when I first started the game but became disapointed with it when I actually saw it in game as there was actually so very little for the profession to do. I mean I think I have listed quite a lot of things for droids to do there and that before talking about combat droids and I am sure lots of people can come up with other non-combat ideas.
One final idea I would like to see (if we ever get instanced Star Ports) woud be having a Binary Load Lifter load parts/cargo onto your ship. I still think it is ridiculas that players can move about the galaxy with 1,000,000 tons of resources in there poket, maybe certain types of things should only be able to get stored in BLL?
Swartzenegger wrote:
Here I am, on an alt, post PUblish 20, and all of a sudden, I am unable to build R2 units with any astromech qualities! Is anyone else having this problem? If not, what parts are you using to build them....maybe I am losing my mind!
Oooh, on my way to check this out .. I know pre Pub20 you could as my fiance insisted on R2 Astromechs - hehe .. not made one since the publish though ..
Message Edited by Xrystal on 07-23-2005 09:35 AM
<< edit 3 >>
Re-reads previous mail and realises I have been testing R3s not R2s - haha - and just logged out of the server. But I suspect it will be something similar with R2s.
Message Edited by Xrystal on 07-23-2005 09:48 AM
first update your post lol 2-15-05 wow!
2nd address teh mando palette problem with DE's
kthxbye
AzhureConn wrote:
Yes you can not build astromechs with the R2 standard model, only with the R2 Adv model. I do not make astromechs with the R2 standard chasis often so I can't for the life of me remember if you could do it pre publish 20 (i'm fairly sure you could). But you can not now, at the crafting stage no data modules are accepted.
R2s take a combat capable cluster and not a module. Been that way for awhile as long as I can recall. Yesterday I crafted an R2 astromech with no problems for my fiance. He hasn't informed me of it not working yet.
Lord_Dorchadas said;
"i'd like to see a customization similar to all other crafting professions +265 rather than +60ish"
I totally agree, this is Star Wars. They have Hyperspace technology and Lightsabers, surely they have all different types of paint that can be used on a droid chasis!?
I'm sick of the "metalic" types of colour choices on most chasis (same with speeder chasis) the trim u can normally paint any colour u want, but the main chasis normally has very drab and dull colour options. Also, what the hell happened to the 3PO? Yes more colour options was great but did they have to make them so crappy? You can't even make theclassic gold now!
So I say give us the full colour pallet, and improve the 3PO colour options to include the full pallet, and then the "shiny metalic" options, if i want a white 3PO (like on Hoth in ESB) then i should be able to have one!
Message Edited by Ganner-Trask on 08-20-2005 05:33 AM
I think SWG would benefit from having a system similar to the one used in Star Wars Knights Of The Old Republic for droids.
In KOTOR you modify you droid(s) by equipping weapons, armour and modules (which provide a bonus to the droid), I believe that using a system like this would solve most of the problems with droids.
1. Repeat Business:
As it stands currently, all non-combat droids will last you forever without even so much as a tune-up from time to time. The favoured way to increase repeat business is through a decay system, though some people have expressed they would rather have another system in place of decay (no proposals on another possible system are available at this time though).
In a KOTOR based system repeat business could easily be generated:
- Droid Engineers would be able to craft different weapons which are specific to the droid, In KOTOR attachments such as flame throwers, stun rays and those cool carbonite things are looted from other droids or bought from vendors. In SWG low level components could be looted while Droid Engineers will be able to make more advanced weaponry. (This would allow for a possible droid engineer version of reverse engineering).
- Armour is currently crafted by Droid Engineers, but is only used once during the crafting process and remains with the droid for the rest of its life. A KOTOR based system would allow for armour to be upgraded to better levels by Droid Engineers (Either the DE crafts the upgraded modules and sells them and the player upgrades it themselves, or only DE's can craft and replace modules (service charge = bling bling)).
- Functional Modules are already crafted by Droid Engineers but are only added during the crafting process and remains with the droid for the rest of its life. If the Droid Engineer was able to replace function modules with other ones it would allow for better customisation of droids. Droids are supposed to be friends to the player, however currently if a droid outlives its use the owner is more likely to destroy the droid then keep it, allowing replaceable modules will mean that players can keep their faithful droid which allows continuity in role-playing.
- A decay system could be placed on all components and on the droid itself, components will decay with use whereas the droid will decay over a long period of time (maybe extra decay will be caused by the droid being incapacitated or running on low power for extended lengths of time). Repair kits can be crafted by Droid Engineers to repair partially damaged components but fully damaged ones will require the owner to purchase new components, the droids damaged chassis should be able to be repaired to a certain extent, but after a certain point of damage the outcome of such repairs are random. (Maybe the Droid Engineer could be able to retrieve modules from damaged droids using a system, similar to slicing, to deactivate core systems (cut a certain wire, cutting the wrong one will damage the droid, make too many mistakes and the droid explodes or locks the DE out, whereas cutting the correct one allows you to move onto the next system) and then repair the module to be used in another droid.
6. Droid Need/Usefulness:
This is a conglomeration of requests for new modules and requests that droids be made integral for most if not all professions. The role of droids currently is mostly as extra tools, things that may give a minor bonus to some existing skill or add some convenience. Ideally there would be some skills/abilities in game that required droids to be completed in a reasonable manner. If you look at the current crafting professions that do the most business, you'll notice that they are all required or all but required for various professions. Architects are required by crafters for their harvesters, Weaponsmiths are required by combatants for their weapons, and armorsmiths and chefs are required by combatants to be competitive/successful. Droids, on the other hand, are a convenience and possibly a small bonus, but never really a necessity.
New modules are definitely required in-game; in KOTOR the player can install modules into the droid(s) to increase the skills of the droid (E.g. Slicing, Mine Defusal (Possible GCW use), some other third thing, etc). The player in KOTOR isn't required to have the skill that they wish to use with the droid (IE, the main character can have 0 security skill but be able to use the droid to open locked doors and containers). However in KOTOR the droid itself levels up and gains it's own skills (which can be chosen by the player or automatically selected) but in a SWG implementation the droid should only learn the skills from the modules installed, this would increase the need for modules instead of having the droid learn the skills needed by levelling up.
With no skill prerequisite this will allow the general population to access other professions benefits via their droid. However better results should be able to be achieved by actually having the profession.
Examples:
- A module granting the terminal slicing ability to the droid will allow the owner to program their droid with a command (In this case "Slice") so that the player will be able to target a mission terminal, /say Slice, and their droid will position itself close to the terminal and slice the terminal in a way a slicer would granting the owner (and possibly any grouped players) a bonus % to the credits earned. Smugglers should be granted a bonus to their skills allowing for better slices, whereas non-smugglers will not receive a bonus and only be able to use the droid for terminal slicing. Multiple modules should be able to stack in small increments only (two +10% modules will only increase it to 15% while a 10% and a 5% module will only increase to 12%).
- A module allowing the droid /areatrack abilities (think back to the Original Trilogy, in every movie R2-D2 used his scanner) would aid players with their missions, however the droid will only be able to tell the owner the name of the creature or npc (players won't be tracked) and the general direction that the target is in. If the owner is a ranger the droid should provide the ranger with a bonus to the /areatrack skill, such as increased tracking range.
7. Combat Droids:
Since the release of Episodes 1 and 2, combat droids have been an integral part of the Star Wars universe; however they are only present in the game as opponents. All other major icons of Star Wars (Jedi, smugglers, BHs, pilots) are available to players, and now many want droids. "Can you make me a Droideka" has always been a common question in this profession, and many DE's would like to be able to answer yes. This issue has been discussed in the past and it was determined that a droid commander/droid handler profession was the only way to get strong combat droids into the game. If nothing else the idea of higher end combat droids will have to wait until after the combat upgrade, at which point things can be re-evaluated from a better perspective.
In KOTOR, not only can droid specific weapons be added (flamethrowers etc) but also normal blaster weapons can be too. Allowing this in SWG will mean that combat droids will only be as good as the weapon equipped (maybe certain modules can be used to modify accuracy and speed). A droid commander profession would be unnecessary for most combat droids, but could probably be implemented so that the droid commander could have his/her droid execute special moves (Stopping shot, bleed shot, knockdown shot, etc).
This will open up new areas of PvP not possible before,
For Example, a Master BH, Master TK with a combat droid Vs. A Master BH, Master Droid Commander with a similar combat droid will be equally matched because the Master TK could use Leg Sweep on his target, but the Master Droid Commander could use his droids’ Oil Slick ability to knockdown his opponent (Think of EP III, were the nerfed R2-D2 defeats two SBDs using his jets and oil slick).
Certain droids should have benefits to their combat (such as LE Repair droids should be more proficient with heavy weapons than a probot, however probot droids will be able to use better ranged weapons. Also certain droids should be prevented from using weapons all together and be limited to crafting uses only *Imagines Coronet full of people being chased by MSE Droids with uber-weapons installed*.
Depending on the droid the weapon could be displayed in many ways, Androids will be able to hold the blaster weapon (Melee weapons shouldn’t be able to be used as droids aren’t able to move fast enough to handle them in combat) whereas astromechs and probots should not show themselves as having a weapon (possibly a system similar to ships where when a weapon is added it changes the appearance of the ship, in this case it changes the appearance of the droid (barrel protruding from the chest)).
10. New Chassis:
All other crafting professions in the game have received new primary items (guns, armour, clothing, structures, even creatures) except DE's. We are still stuck with all of the same droid chassis that were available to us at launch. Even if the chassis did not add any kind of new function to the game, new artwork would be much appreciated.
My good friend Kaiser Shar suggested that HRDs (Human Replica Droids) could be added to the game, they should be able to use melee weapons (Luke Skywalker struggles to beat Guri because she uses hand to hand combat (Teras Kasi) in Shadows Of The Empire). This would allow for advanced customisation using the one chassis (which should be able to be image designed instead of being stuck with the one look). Pet people already exist in the game as faction pets, so the same system could be used except Droid Engineers craft them and image designers modify the look (It’s not random every time you call).
That’s my two cents anyway (well, credits..
)