Droid Engineer Archive
Thread: No combat droids, please
Betatoxin wrote:
The only real looser here if you can call a simple "status" change loosing is MCH who looses their monopoly on uber PvE. Being a CH going to MCH I have no problem with that at all. CH has plenty of interest for me regardless of its relative uberness, which is why i also have carbine and not the much preferred pistol.
You are saying that giving everyone droids with a cert system destroys balance. I am saying that only by giving everyone droids, with certain restrictions as appropriate the droids will have 0 net effect in inter profession balance. Oh and giving combat droids to DE only? That is the most incredibly unbalanced approach of all, but I already posted on that.
The only other option is not to have combat droids at all and if you are in that camp who does not want any DE made combat droids, well on that we will just have to agree to disagree.
This is an astute post. However, I think Master DEs should be able to use these droids. Same thing:
Master Pistoleer beats Master Droid Engineer
Master Pistoleer + Droideka beats Master Droid Engineer + Droideka
This also takes care of the creature pet problem and returns us to high tech sch-fi Star Wars action!
Maarek_Steele wrote:
I speak this as a Master Artisan leaning towards DE until they move vehicles into their own profession, but more importantly as a Star Wars fan who doesn't want to see combat droids in the post-Clone War era....
IG-88 within the trilogy was one of a line of assassin droids.
Guri - Human Replica Droid / Assassin for Prince Xizor head of the Black Sun crime syndicate
ASP Sparring Droids - Darth Vader used ASP sparring droids programed to wield lightsabers against him with full aggression.
(The above three examples are ALL from Shadows of the Empire -between esb and rotj)
There are other examples of trilogy era droids in EU that were combat droids, even a Protocol droid called C-3PX that was a programmed assassin, storm trooper blaster and all.
The final example I have is of a Lando endeavor from the New Jedi Order serious, his YVH series of Yuuzhon Vong killer, self repairing, armed battle droids.
The fact is, NONE of this stuff is canon, it's all Expanded Universe. So is SWG, it too is Expanded Universe. Therefore your statements, thoughsupportingmaterial may have been written in one EU work, is still pure conjecture -- Others exist that easily disprove that theory.
Thunderheart wrote:
None get advantages to the actual "use" of their products.
yeah, but wouldnt you folks LIKE to have a neat aspect to the class?
Im not disgreeing with you guys...just trying to understand the reasons why
TH, why is it that Combat types can't get good (or even interesting) loot that doesn't involve crafters, because it would step on the crafters' toes, but here you guys are wanting to give a crafting profession combat skills?
DE should be able to craft and use combat droids, those that do not want them may refrain from their use for RP reasons.
The armorsmiths and weaponsmith arguments are very flawed. We aren't simply crafting a weapon or a trinket. When was the last time a weaponsmith installed a BRAIN in one of his or her weapons. Weaponsmith guns do not fire themselves, probots do, all they need is a target and a command to do their work.
As to droid eng only combat droids, I don't have much of an opinion save this: There is a reasonable argument to be made about DE having a better understanding of the droids than a layman droid user.
Why would a droid eng know more about 'using' a droid than a 'layman droid user'? You say yourself, "guns do not fire themselves, probots do, all they need is a target and a command to do their work." Is there some special technique for targeting a MOB and saying, "Attack" that a Droidsmith would know that a 'layman droid user' wouldn't be able to master?
Alanbane wrote:
I agree with Sodan.
DE should be able to craft and use combat droids, those that do not want them may refrain from their use for RP reasons.
The armorsmiths and weaponsmith arguments are very flawed. We aren't simply crafting a weapon or a trinket. When was the last time a weaponsmith installed a BRAIN in one of his or her weapons. Weaponsmith guns do not fire themselves, probots do, all they need is a target and a command to do their work.
As to droid eng only combat droids, I don't have much of an opinion save this: There is a reasonable argument to be made about DE having a better understanding of the droids than a layman droid user.
Droid-Creator wrote:
come on...ANY class in this game is trivial to master....except maybe BH....and BH because of the much loathed investigation line
You are an incredibly cheeky bloke. 
Tried pre-patch commando? (or even post patch commando with the lame melee penalty) Tried carbineer? Tried squad leader?
Standing at a crafting station grinding away at mouse clicks might be your idea of trivia (actually its mine), but dont tar everyone else with YOUR brush!
Heya,
I would like to see DE restructured to use combat droids.
One track devoted to certs for combat droids with MDE getting to use 2 droidikas.
I would love to see a battle field with lots of people, droids and a few creatures running around.
MCH brings the tank, MDE the firepower/mobility, and other professions the intelligence.
And remove the AT-ST from player control completely
Strikke wrote:
Thunderheart wrote:
None get advantages to the actual "use" of their products.
yeah, but wouldnt you folks LIKE to have a neat aspect to the class?
Im not disgreeing with you guys...just trying to understand the reasons why
TH, why is it that Combat types can't get good (or even interesting) loot that doesn't involve crafters, because it would step on the crafters' toes, but here you guys are wanting to give a crafting profession combat skills?
The above quote block is an excellent example of the problem of cross-pollinating DE to turn it into a quasi-combat profession. If DE's are self-sufficient (relatively speaking) in combat, then why shouldn't other professions enjoy that same sufficiency? Might as well just put those NPC vendors in all cities to supply everyone's needs, ala the old bounty hunter droid vendor terminals. The same goes for healing, entertainment, and all other profession interdependency.
SWG is about making choices, choices of the skills and professions you want to utilize. This means that tradeoffs are inevitable to all characters. But I guess that's why you can create new characters in different galaxies.
I know this idea was greeted with a sever lack of enthusiasm the last time it was suggested, but it does seem to be a viable compromise. The droid handler profession. Make DE fill in the same role BE is filling in for CH. You'll have a much stronger position, as droids aren't typically found in the wild, and there is that whole permadeath issue. You'll still have customers in other professions, you can still use some of the lower level combat droids, and if you want access to the really powerful ones, and want to make them yourselves, be both.
And in anticipation of the moronic argument of "The person who designed and built a robot, that does exactly what it's told, should be the best at using it", let me say this. Just because you can build something, doesn't mean that you should be allowed to do it. Thanks to the internet, I can easily find schematics for building all kinds of things, including tanks and atomic bombs. This doesn't mean that I, or most people for that matter, should be allowed to. The same applies to combat droids, as these fall under the heading of Military Hardware. And with droid armies being used only one generation ago, you're going to find a lot of people are rather loathe to let you start building a new one.
I think that DE's should be a crafter only profession. This is not for some will to hold the DE profession back, nor some fear of change, it is for the sake of balance and continuity in the game. There is nothing in the DE profession that indicates any kind of combat orientation, if a player wants combat skills and capabilities, they can pick up a combat profession, thats why we have the profession system, so your not locked into one thing. furthermore, it would divert attention away from the original intention (and primary use) of droids in star wars as utility and support. They are there to do the jobs that are too dangerous, monotonous, or difficult for people. As soon as DE's get mixed in with combat classes they will lose all of that, drifting further and further into the realm of combat as the utility function of droids is forgoten.
Jenden Morn - Master Droid Enigneer - Mos Espa, Tarquinas
Owner, Operator, and Founder of DarkStar Inc.
Looks like anything that could come of Droid Engineer will get screwed over due to more PvP bull. Gets worse all the time. Destroyer droids would be cool, but they'll be the equal to throwing melons at the NPCs when PvPers and nerf herders get through with them.
Josha Bash - Lowca