Droid Engineer Archive

Quoting from the 'in development' post:

---------------------------------------

Droid Combat Functionality

New Combat Droid Models

Combat Module ideas and basic rules for combat modules for all droids

Things to Consider

The role of combat droids in MMO combat and

The repair of combat droids and the crafting of repair kits

Droid combat and owner's Faction modifiers

--------------------------------------

Has there been any discussion on this? I thought this thread would be it but it apparently isn't.

Before you argue what droids should have combat modules, perhaps it would be useful to argue what combat modules should BE.

Initially I'm thinking you would need at least a fewdifferent modules.

One woudl be a weapon type module. Higher rating = better weapon, various types of weapons depending on the module type - melee, blaster, flamethrower, whatever. Perhaps even the 'single use grenade' type.

One would be a tactics module. Stay at range and take pot shots, like stormtroopers are likely to do, or charge in and attack, like melee pets are likely to do? Switch weapon depending on type of combat? Again, a choice of several different modules; more advanced modules would lead to more advanced tactics.

Other modules? Armor? Sensors? Intiiative? Targeting? Specials (Like 'KD shots' modules or such)

On the point of models (Not modules): I believe it would be a good idea to incorporate the models used in movies I and II - roger's, droidekas,tech league droids. They are familiar which is good. While not as often referred to as droids, should the largest battle droids be droidekas, orthe walkerdroids of #2 as the maximum size droid? (Rancor size stuff). Throughout the EU there's combat droids of various types, one that bears special mention would be a faction droid: Dark Troopers. (They are droids.). They probably shouldn't be available as DE pets, as they are allready faction pets, but it's worth a thought. There are other models, like the IG88, and again, a number of EU ones that could be used.

Then on the things to consider part.

The role of combat droids in a MMO.

It is hard not to think of this in comparison to the role of creatures for CH's. Since we're talking combat droids, their role is of course primarily combat, but how so compared with creatures?

If you compare the design ideas of mounts vs. vehicles, you end up roughly with this:

Droids are more powerful 'out the box', but with less special moves, and no 'buff moves' on the part of the DE, also no 'burst run', 'frenzy' etc. (More powerful in the same way vehicles are faster.).

Droids are harder to repair, and easier to loose.

Droids do not take a week to manufacture/train, but takes resources as the limiting factor instead of time and/or spawn rarity.

Next up: The repair of droids and the crafting of repair kits

Droids should be harder to repair. Why? Because CH's rely on BE's (and docs?) to fix their pets. It would be hard to argue why a DE shouldn't be able to repair the droid he buiilt, so therefore, if it is to balance with the cross-class requirement of their 'competitor' it must be harder.

Either repair ktis remove wounds, or repair droids, and the other fixes damage. Possibly, no self-regeneration.

Lastly:

Droid combat and owner's faction modifiers. Not sure what is meant by the question. The whole faction schematic deal should really be updated in this regard. Possibly, make the trade federation droid schematics only purchaseable from the trade federation faction; they are on naboo if I remember correctly.

The types of combat modules they were thinking about were listed in The Official DE Plan which I think is stickied at the top of the forum, or linked in one of those posts.

Basically they were the different type of attacks players can use:

Short Range
Long Range
Melee
etc.

This Droid Invasion is In Development, so it's not In Concept anymore.

What TH said in his Announcement was that In Development means the design doc has been / is being written and they want us to help polish it.

We're out of the brainstorming phase, most of the items have already been decided.

Hopefully they paid some attention to the feedback Sintrosi and other gave them about our ideas.

LET'S WAIT AND SEE WHAT THEY POST.

iT SHOULD APPEAR IN DEVELOPMENT THIS WEEK.

THEN WE'LL KNOW WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.

(but today's already Fri.....)

Found it, thanks!

My 2 cents...

Combat droids should be NEW droids. Existing droids have specific functions (might not work right this second but some day). The Probot doesn't need to be upgraded it will remain as a Level 1 droid in my proposal.. the dz70 um... yea... Combat modules will work if implemented correctly... but no one wants to see an R2 with a kryat flamethrower using /flameshot2...

The cert. system using the number of novice and master boxes taken works but, here is what i propose...

This would make DE like a BE and then a 4 box treecalled "Droid Certification"this would compress the CH tree into 1 column...

Each box would take 1 point to achieve so most classes with that 1 or 2 points left over would not go to waste! see thoughts in last 2 paragraphs.

Each box would be based on Droid combat exp just like creature combat exp...

The only difference between a DE and a non-DE, DE's get upto a 50% bonus to earning droid combat exp... Meaning we can hunt with our droids and gain certifications faster because we have intimate knowledge about the machines we are controlling.

The other option i see is DE unlocks the Droid Certification Tree or unlocks a portion of it... still requireing DEs to engage in combat to unlock the highest levels and still requireing skill points!

Everyone should be limited to 1 droid, except Novice DE gets 1 combat droid and 1 non-combat droid. Also, box3 in the"Droid Certification" tree should allow the same ability for everyone. "Droid Certification" box 4 should allow 2 (box 3 or lower) droids to be called. This would allow a Novice DE with "Droid Certification" box 4to call 1 non-combat droid and 2 box 3 combat droids. Non-DEs only get 2 combat droids.

I envision the "Droid Certification" Tree to be listed as a starter profession and cost 100 credits to train first skill.

Level 4 - 20000 cr. - xp to unlock 100000

Level3 - 10000 cr. - xp to unlock 10000

Level 2 - 1000 cr. - xp to unlock 1000

Level 1 - 100 cr. - xp to unlock 0

I see level 1 and 2 droids used by everyone... keeping costs negligible... really only the cost of the droids... it also allows new players to immediately start using combat droids as soon as they can afford one! Now costs go up for level 3 and 4 droids... the xp to unlock the droids might even need a 5x multiplier... 500k, 50k, and 5k. The only other change i see to this system would be to make the skill boxes cost 2,3,4, and 5 skill points from the 1,1,1, and 1 system i am proposing... 4 vs. 14 points you decide how much of a sacrafice using droids should cost...

This proposed system adds minimal complexity and provides a FAIR way to use combat droids. The only question which remains is what bonus a DE should get... and should these bonuses only be given to Master DEs or to Novice... or only on the top box of a column... If you give a bonus to novice you envite dabblers, if you only give to Masters you alienate those working now but reward those existing DEs...

One final note people that have earned MCH should NOT be nurfed too much when using droids... I am thinking for each level droid that is called temporally remove 2.5 points from the creature control level. NOT max lvl of creatures... This would mean a lvl 4 droid would mean only a lvl 50 pet could be out not a lvl 60. The max lvl of creatures would still be 70 so you could still call a lvl 50 and a lvl 20 and a lvl4 droid and you could still call a lvl 51 pet and a level 3 droid! But you could not call a lvl 51 pet and level 4 droid... There will need to be checks when a droid or pet is called to make sure you do voilate this rule! (e.gif you have a lvl 51+ pet out you can't call a lvl 4 droid.)

I posted this elsewhere but this seemed like a better place for it...

Here is what I am pretty sure will happen when battle droids come. Might not be all ofit, but some of it.

#1. Regarding the New battle modules. Each droid will probably be able to be equiped with one. These will probably have levels 1 through 6 just like every other module. The top modules will probably take a few components from weaponsmiths, and some rare material. I am thinking something like gemstones, iron, or intrusive ore. I am sure that modules will be able to be stacked, however I am betting the most a droid will be able to attack for is 200-250 damage.I am also betting that as per usual the quality of the item used wont make a difference in how well it works.

#2.I am sure there will be new "battle droids". These droids however will probably have the same functionality as all other droids, thierfunction is as good as thier modules. The only difference is they might have more ham, which makes them better equiped for battle.

#3. I suspect there might be other modules for fighting. Something like an defensive and offensive modules which might encompass techniques to evadeattacks (IE side step) or specialty attacks( IE health shot).

#4. If droids do get to hold weapons, it will probably only be the droids that are bi-peds. These droids will probably only be able to use basic weapons. But to me this seems like way to much work for the devs, with the chance for way to many loop holes.

#5. If droids do get to hold weapons, there might be modules for the basic fighting classes. IE brawler & rifleman

Regarding faction droids... I doubt there will be any faction droids.Think about how they would have to be implimented, take for example faction furnature and bases. Architects dont make this stuff, because there are no means to regulate the sales of it. Face it if there are going to be faction droids, they will have to be purchased using faction points. Otherwise there will be tons of new stuff that will have to be implimented, from factionschematics (in all professions)to faction bazaars and vendors.

Regardingexploding droids...this appears to besomething that will work the same as agrenade. And if the droid can be set on something further than the throw of a grenade, or has more power than a grenade then it has the potential for abuse. IE people setting bomb droids on a krayt dragon without fear of having to confront the dragon. Unless these exploding droids get a specific use (other than a grenade), they should not be implimented. It would be a waste of dev time.

Regarding Limiting the use of Droids by restricting modules... limiting what modules go into what droids doesnt make droids more versatile, it restricts them more which is the opposite of what we need. It will not increase droid sales. It will just diverse the sales of types of droids. So instead of selling 200 probots a month I will sell 100 probots, and the other 100 would go into other droids.

Regarding the Suggested Droid Handler Proffession... making a profession that allows more than one droid out at a time seems redundant to me. Mainly because thereis already a profession out there that acts like this. Creature handler, having two proffessions that act the same is a waste of dev time.

What should be implimented according to myself....

#1. More diverse results in droids from resource quality. I am sick of having probots that range from 819-827 in ham. Why bother having bad and good resources in the first place if it wont affect us.

#2. Adroids purpose is to help its owner to perform tasks. For example BH droids. They help a bounty hunter find thier mark. Examples of what could be profession specific droids

Any fighter- A target droid that helps training. Could be an orb that moves around,the character has to hit the orb to gainxp. Could put special training modules in the droid for different combat proffessions.

Ranger - a droid that generates a holo of camoflauge around the player, possible module

Creature Handler - a droid that helps lure certain creatures with special holos and calls

Musician - a droid that they can jam along with

Dancer - a droid that they can dance with

Merchant - a droid that can trackthiertotal sales and purchases

The above are just examples... i dont think they should necessarily be implimented, but it is thepurpose of droidsi am trying to get accross. Bymakinga droids purposemainly combat we are walking the same path as creature handler, and limiting our own profession. Now droids should be able to be used for combat, but this is not thiermain purpose. Droid engineer is so much more than CH, why must we compete with this profession. If anything we should try to steer clear of them.

Combat modules for Droids. Not a bad idea. While it would be nice to have the freedom to give any droid the ability to fight, there is a need for a combat class droid. Having R series, mouse droids(although using these little guys as smart bombs could be fun), protocol, and surgical droids in combat doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

Sure you could turn your average SUV into a passable combat vehicle by adding armor, more power, and weapons, but in the end it's only a passable combat vehicle still outclassed by even the lightest dedicated combat vehicle.

If the devs are going to give us combat modules to add to any droid, there should be different type of modules for the different droids. Combat droids that are designed for combat should be much more capable than a droid with an ad hoc combat module.