Droid Engineer Archive

Thread: TK, a thought for armor and droids that run.

Straker_Atrella
Wed Aug 11, 2004 6:09 pm
#1
I know that AI is a rough thing to code and such, but as I was thinking about our grnade droid, I had a thought.


Currently we have numerous types of droids that are diluted I guess is a good choice of words by having to add a combat module to them. Harvestors, Stims, Auto-repair, Trappers and it would be for the grenade droid as well.


The reason we do this is because otherwise the droids will run away.


Which is honestly silly. If I program my droid to stay and fight, it will stay and fight, it isn't alive.


This causes some of our droids to be either inconvieniant to owners or function at less then their full potential. Both hurt droid sales.


Now one solution would be to make it so each of the above modules is considered "combat" like a combat module so they don't run. However, I think we have a nice easy idea.


Droid Armor.

If a Droid has armor installed, it wont run. It simply triggers the same "don't run" programming that is currently triggered if something has a combat module.


No new coding. Not much work. Simply copy that code to armor. Yea maybe not that simple, but can't be that bad.


Droids work better, droids sell better. Yay!



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Droid Vendor at Resurection near Theed on Naboo -5757 6222. Both carry a wide variety of maxed Droids, I also carry every type of Droid and Droid supply.

*Straker Atrella: Dark Jedi * Atrella's Wench: Master Droid Engineer / Artisan / Scout / Merchant * Dark Vortex: Ranger / Rifleman * Havana:Musician / Dancer / Image Design * Enigmatica : Doctor / Swordsman* CrazyEyes: Role playing BH.
Drashk
Wed Aug 11, 2004 6:29 pm
#2

Straker,




A droid owner can't have it all, which is why the Cluster Module bug was finally fixed. I don't see this as an item that would fly with the DEV team, simply because it shunes the principle of having to make choices and sacrifices dependent on certain factors. This is one of those issues of having to make choices in how your droid is built. There are two droids that have this feature isinherent in, the Probot and the DZ70. If a droid owner wants to have a droid that will not run in combat, they must either chose to sacrifice a module slot, or pick a DZ70 or Probot as the droid chassis.

Message Edited by Drashk on 08-11-2004 07:27 PM





Making SWG more Star Warsy. One droid at a time.
Straker_Atrella
Wed Aug 11, 2004 7:03 pm
#3
Why?


The DZ70, is a poor choice, pretty much useless. Why even use a Probot? I can put it in an R3 an still get 5 modules, and have 1200 more HAM.


Your argument would make sense if Stimpack, Harvesting, Auto-Repair, and Trapping droids were overpowered, they are not. Even with 6 modules, they perform ok, but not super. Clumsy interfaces, slow reaction time, and so so results scare many people off. Then you add in the fact that they run away if attacked, or if you only put in 5 modules, they don't run but they perform even worse.


You can't honestly believe that any of those droids with 6 modules installed are overpowered.


Choices are fine, but when neither choice is all that great, it may be time to make a change. Right now the chocie is between an "ok" droid that runs, and a mediocre droid that doesn't run.


I'm not suggesting that these droids armor get better, or they perform better. Simply that they wont run away. For the "Tank" droid, with the auto-repair, it would still need a combat module or be in a probot to attack, so that choice would still be there.


This is Star Wars, droids should be usefull. This little change would make them more so.





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Droid Vendor at Resurection near Theed on Naboo -5757 6222. Both carry a wide variety of maxed Droids, I also carry every type of Droid and Droid supply.

*Straker Atrella: Dark Jedi * Atrella's Wench: Master Droid Engineer / Artisan / Scout / Merchant * Dark Vortex: Ranger / Rifleman * Havana:Musician / Dancer / Image Design * Enigmatica : Doctor / Swordsman* CrazyEyes: Role playing BH.
Drashk
Wed Aug 11, 2004 7:53 pm
#4


Straker_Atrella wrote:


Why?



I highlighted the answer to this question in my previous post.


Its the same reason that we don't have droids that can hold more than ten items any more and why vendors are being changed and why we only have 250 skill points. It all comes down to limiting certain aspects of this game so that you have to make decisions.





Straker_Atrella wrote:
Why even use a Probot? I can put it in an R3 an still get 5 modules, and have 1200 more HAM.


Here is something else that needs to be pointed out. By your own statement, you are actually suggesting that all other droids be nerfed by the addition of this change. Why would anyone ever need to buy a Probot if they can get 6 modules in an R3 and still be used as a tank?


All droids at one point in time had combat ability. This was taken out of the game, yet they still could be used as tanks. This to was removed from the game shortly after. Non-combat droids are simply that....non-combat. If you wish to have a droid that can be used as a tank, then you have to make the decision on what needs to be sacrifice, since this isin essesence, iswhat a change like this comes down to.


If you want to have certain skills, you have to sacrifice others. That is the main principle of having only 250 skill points. This is one of those same choices. This may seem like a good proposal for the DE commmunity, however it is one of those things that the DEVs simply have fought against every single time someone asks for something for free.....






Making SWG more Star Warsy. One droid at a time.
Ke_la
Wed Aug 11, 2004 9:46 pm
#5
While yes droids are not "alive" they can be cowards (C3PO) or Brave (R2D2) its all in how they are wired. In the game the Combate mod wires the droid to be brave as most droids do not have any offencive capablities there are however 2 droids with Inharant Combate skills and thoughs droids are the DZ and Probot.




Ke'la Korian, Waylon Korien, Me'na Korien
Ke'la is a Master Rifleman/retireing Ranger and Waylon is an ID/DE
Me'na is the mayor of the City of Obalisic
"Have fun storming the castle". -- Miracle Max
"I knew it I am surrounded by %##@&!$# " -- Dark Helmet
"I am not Dead yet!" -- Guy from Holy Grail

Buzz1096
Wed Aug 11, 2004 10:17 pm
#6
The armor trigger is a good idea, but this issue is - I think - already halfway addressed. If you don't group with your droid, it wont run and it will perform the functions that you need (except for stims which need to be grouped). To fix this you could:


a) allow the droid to apply stims to anyone in it's master's group without having to be grouped itself.


or


b) consider a stim module to be minimum combat capable (like a probot with no combat modules) so that it wont run.


The important point that I think you missed, but is in need of discussing, is that if you DO put a combat module in these droids and they end up entering combat, they cannot dispense heals or harvest while in combat, basically rendering them useless anyway. Not sure if you can launch traps with a droid in combat tho.


I really like the 'no run' with armor idea, it makes good sense.



Drege Duece
Master Smuggler
Master Doc
Generally Stoopid for Speccing this way...
Straker_Atrella
Thu Aug 12, 2004 1:17 am
#7
Actually Drashk, that is a good point about making the probot less usefull.


I offer probot choices for Harvs and stuff, but by far the best seller is the R3.


Buzz, people still keep complaining to me that the dang droids run to much, whether they are grouped or not.



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Droid Vendor at Resurection near Theed on Naboo -5757 6222. Both carry a wide variety of maxed Droids, I also carry every type of Droid and Droid supply.

*Straker Atrella: Dark Jedi * Atrella's Wench: Master Droid Engineer / Artisan / Scout / Merchant * Dark Vortex: Ranger / Rifleman * Havana:Musician / Dancer / Image Design * Enigmatica : Doctor / Swordsman* CrazyEyes: Role playing BH.
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