Droid Engineer Archive
Thread: Droid Update!: The situation with the DE Hybrid proposal and CL10+ droids (04/02/04)
Kaldeth wrote:
Also if you read the HOC chat, a question was asked about when new droids would be added to the game. SOE replied. "We are currently working on 2 new droid chassis that we are adding in a few weeks time." As this was a truthful answer to the question, SOE should have said "There new chassis are for the new corvette dungeon" Also the question asked about new droids being added should have included. "For the DE's to make and sell"
Malitevv wrote:
Kaldeth wrote:
Also if you read the HOC chat, a question was asked about when new droids would be added to the game. SOE replied. "We are currently working on 2 new droid chassis that we are adding in a few weeks time." As this was a truthful answer to the question, SOE should have said "There new chassis are for the new corvette dungeon" Also the question asked about new droids being added should have included. "For the DE's to make and sell"
The answer to that question in that chat, while technically truthful, was quite dishonest, because everyone knows that the question was not being askedin reference toNPC droids. I do not say this as a flame, but as a fact. One need look no futher than there to understand how and why the community gets livid with the developers sometimes. Doesn't justify hostility on the boards, but certainly explains it.
I agree with you. SOE was dishonest in their answer as we all know the question was in reference to DE droids. But SOE gave a general answer as they did with the entire "Droid Invasion" poster and patch notes.
This really proves that the Devs have a complete lack of vision when it comes to DE. They still (after how many years in development?) have no clue what DE's should be and what droids should do...
They shoot down a perfectly balanced proposal (the numbers prove it was), and give us nothing. They're working on the whole combat balance thing, why couldn't this have been a part of that?
Honestly, I'm relieved to have cancelled, this game is nothing but waiting. Waiting for the next publish, waiting for the Space Expansion, wating for DE's to get better, waiting for the GCW to actually mean something....
I got sick of waiting...
It does seem that this is SOE's way of frocing the DC on us. They did all the work and want us to embrace it. It is very sad that they once again denie the DE's combat droids which in turn destroy's us as an economical proffesion. Guess I will become a Doc and sell buff's to the dominating combat classes. 
Got to make credits some how to pay the rent.
DarthMortus wrote:
I said it before and I'll say it again: Droids were originally an integral part of the original design of the game when Starships were going to be a part of it. When they decided to drop starships, they tied up whatever loose ends they had for droids (well, more like notted up the loose ends), and released the game. After this they didn't have the guts, talent, or honor to be make things right for their customers.
Just wait until "Space Expansion" comes out. You're really goning to have some disappointments.
I agree with the latter comments, just not that they were ever a part of the game.
Remember, Koster is the one who "creatively" directed the game, and he comes from a land of fairies and elves and ogres and spells. I mean, come on - we have "guild halls" instead of corporations.
This is why there are not one but four professions dealing with hitting things with blunt/sharp objects and the majority of the enemies in the game are animals.
I think it was just a thought near the end of development that was like, "Oh, yeah...droids...mmmmm..." and they have yet to finish the thought.
The sad part is, I think *THEY* think they have finished the thought, which is what is sad.
AO
Message Edited by AudioOrgana on 04-05-2004 09:48 PM
Ya, the ole "...plausible deniability..." gig.
Well, you can sugar coat poop all you want, it still taste like sweet poop.
AudioOrgana wrote:
Remember, Koster is the one who "creatively" directed the game, and he comes from a land of fairies and elves and ogres and spells. I mean, come on - we have "guild halls" instead of corporations.
This is why there are not one but four professions dealing with hitting things with blunt/sharp objects and the majority of the enemies in the game are animals.
I think it was just a thought near the end of development that was like, "Oh, yeah...droids...mmmmm..." and they have yet to finish the thought.
The sad part is, I think *THEY* think they have finished the thought, which is what is sad.
AO
I wholeheartedly agree! Probably the best summary of this situation I have seen.
According to retailers, this means that DE will not get true marketablecombat droids until after the already delayed October 15th release date of the Space Expansion.
I do think that DEs will have something to do with the Space Expansion, but it looks like at least Christmas until DE becomes a combat supporting craftingprofession.
See ya next Christmas!
AudioOrgana wrote:
DarthMortus wrote:
I said it before and I'll say it again: Droids were originally an integral part of the original design of the game when Starships were going to be a part of it. When they decided to drop starships, they tied up whatever loose ends they had for droids (well, more like notted up the loose ends), and released the game. After this they didn't have the guts, talent, or honor to be make things right for their customers.
Just wait until "Space Expansion" comes out. You're really goning to have some disappointments.
I agree with the latter comments, just not that they were ever a part of the game. Remember, Koster is the one who "creatively" directed the game, and he comes from a land of fairies and elves and ogres and spells. I mean, come on - we have "guild halls" instead of corporations. This is why there are not one but four professions dealing with hitting things with blunt/sharp objects and the majority of the enemies in the game are animals. I think it was just a thought near the end of development that was like, "Oh, yeah...droids...mmmmm..." and they have yet to finish the thought. The sad part is, I think *THEY* think they have finished the thought, which is what is sad.
AO
Although I was aware of the Koster factor from quite early on -- I followed the production of this game since before Beta -- I never really wanted to consider this angle. It seems so OUTRAGEOUSLY negligent for a Star Wars design team to be lead with a bias toward Fantasy.Whywould Lucas Arts require the game assets and timeline tobe passed up to them for "approval" and then not bother to examine the game design itself?!? This is a classic example of being penny wise and pound foolish! It's absolutely incompetent to place someone in the role of directing a Star Wars game who isn't a fanatic about Star Wars. This is why Lord of The Rings was produced so well...Peter Jackson was a crazed fanatic. How could this simple thing be such an epiphany to the corporate robots at Lucas and SOE?
My message to the producers of this game, since it has to be spelled out for you: I think the general technology framework and game assets of SWG are well done -- the game simply needs better direction. Sheeze,I've read some of the contrived articles by the SWGproductionstaff claiming what avid Star Wars fans they are. What a joke! So, fire or remove yourself from the managing staff and replace the team withactual Star Wars fans...and if your first question is "How will I know who's a real Star Wars Fan?", you should be the first to go.
AudioOrgana wrote:
DarthMortus wrote:
I said it before and I'll say it again: Droids were originally an integral part of the original design of the game when Starships were going to be a part of it. When they decided to drop starships, they tied up whatever loose ends they had for droids (well, more like notted up the loose ends), and released the game. After this they didn't have the guts, talent, or honor to be make things right for their customers.
Just wait until "Space Expansion" comes out. You're really goning to have some disappointments.
I agree with the latter comments, just not that they were ever a part of the game. Remember, Koster is the one who "creatively" directed the game, and he comes from a land of fairies and elves and ogres and spells. I mean, come on - we have "guild halls" instead of corporations. This is why there are not one but four professions dealing with hitting things with blunt/sharp objects and the majority of the enemies in the game are animals. I think it was just a thought near the end of development that was like, "Oh, yeah...droids...mmmmm..." and they have yet to finish the thought. The sad part is, I think *THEY* think they have finished the thought, which is what is sad.
AO
Although I was aware of the Koster factor from quite early on -- I followed the production of this game since before Beta -- I never really wanted to consider this angle. It seems so OUTRAGEOUSLY negligent for a Star Wars design team to be lead with a bias toward Fantasy.Whywould Lucas Arts require the game assets and timeline tobe passed up to them for "approval" and then not bother to examine the game design itself?!? This is a classic example of being penny wise and pound foolish! It's absolutely incompetent to place someone in the role of directing a Star Wars game who isn't a fanatic about Star Wars. This is why Lord of The Rings was produced so well...Peter Jackson was a crazed fanatic. How could this simple thing be such an epiphany to the corporate robots at Lucas and SOE?
My message to the producers of this game, since it has to be spelled out for you: I think the general technology framework and game assets of SWG are well done -- the game simply needs better direction. Sheeze,I've read some of the contrived articles by the SWGproductionstaff claiming what avid Star Wars fans they are. What a joke! So, fire or remove yourself from the managing staff and replace the team withactual Star Wars fans...and if your first question is "How will I know who's a real Star Wars Fan?", you should be the first to go.
I don't know if this has been suggested before, but what about a quested mechanism for controlling CL10+ droids? Make the players who want to spend the time jump thru some hoops to be awarded with droid controller software (ooooo, relavant content!)on their datapads. Maybe they could also control increasingly badass droids as the difficulty of the quests increases. The doirds themselves would still need to be crafted by droid engineers, thus creating a market for people who only desire to be pure crafters. Not enough of a market? So what, get the devs to implement more utility droids that they could incorporate into the game without disturbing this delicate "balance" they claim to now have. Those in this Droid Dealer subclass (as I like to call them, being more combat oriented myself) will I'm sure also make oodles of cash selling repair and reconstruction kits (maybe even stuff like High Voltage Droid Batteries to power these bigger droids) as these droids are thrown into combat against their masters' enemies.
Awarding the ability to control higher level droids after winning difficult quests would put them more in line with the concept of the faction pets, but would also be usable in PVE. Such quests would also give individuals or PAs something tangible to strive for. In my (limited) experience so far, decent quest and/or loot awards are somewhat lacking in SWG compared to what I'm used to in EQ. The solutions are out there. Many choices can be examined. Personally, I think lacking is the WILL to work on implementing droids in favor of things perceived among the devs like the upcoming combat balance, jedi stuff and the space expansion.
Tammerlane, Master Artisan, Master Droid Engineer and novice creature handler (cause the stupid holocron told me to)
Gorath
DarthMortus wrote:
...How could this simple thing be such an epiphany to the corporate robots at Lucas and SOE?...