CUEmu - Thread Posts

Leki

Wed Mar 17, 2004 2:09 pm

I think it can be universally aggreed upon that the lastest Publish is a far cry from what everyone was expecting in the form of a "Droid invasion". Droids that are class 10 or lower, R2 droids that can do better combat damage than probots, and the overall difficulty in making droids seem to have left most people a little dismayed. I know the first time I read through the forums trying to get a handle on the currentchanges I was left with a sagging feeling of "What the &%#$?"

Anyway, all is not lost and I think I have come up with a solution to this problem. In SWG, the Devs attempted to answer the droid issues with this latest Publish, but they were not farsighted enough in their solution. I think that when they were shooting ideas across the table, no one really wanted to turn the Droid Engineer into a combat profession. Since it's skill tree is based off of artisan, this is understandable. They tried to increase the creativity while still maintaining the noncombat role that they invisioned for this profession originally. Now here is the problem. How do we turn a artisan skill into a combat profession? The answer is you don't. Instead, you create another profession to fulfill that role.Call it Droid Master (DM) if you will. If you think about it, we already have an example in SWG. Bio-Engineer and Creature Handler. Sure, a CH can tame advanced pets, but the BE has the potential to make bigger, stronger, and better pets.This shouldalso be for case for DM and DE. For example, since a CH can tame NPC pets, allow the DM to reprogram (tame) NPC droids. Sure this is nice, but if the DE can make the same droids only higher level, you can rest assured that the DM would be going to the DE for business. And if people cry that this will make the DM profession too powerful, what is the difference between it and CH then?

Now if we decide to do this addition, what type of changes would this encampass. Well, it is not as radical as you may think. First, just like with animals anybody should be able to use a Class 10droid or lower. However, the DM should be able to use the same level of pets that a CH of equal levelcan use.

Two, although the CH is an elite profession, I would recommend that the DM be a hybrid profession. Since it can be presumed to be a primary combat profession, marksman should be a prerequisite. But since it is dealing with droids, the Engineering branch of artisan should also be included.

Three, any droid that is currently in the game, the DE should have the ability to make or duplicate. Again, you can use Bio-engineer as an template and just carry over its learning curve into Droid Engineer.

Four, if you allow the DE to make high level combat droids, the level of weapon(s) should be left to the choice of the DE. Any weapon manufactured by a Gunsmith should be abled to be mounted on a droid. Hell, if you think about, at least half the droids in Stars Wars have hands or something close to them.

And finally five, limit the number of droids that non DM people can use to three. Allow the DM profession to increase their pets at the same ratio as CH.

That just about does it. I do have some further suggestions for improving this area, but they are not necessary to achieve the final goal. The end goal being to make the "Droid Invasion" a new an challenging part of the game.

My other suggestions...

1. Allow Master artisans to manufacture many of the components needed for droids.

2. If scouts can harvest hides, bones, and meat off of animal kills, DM and DE should be able to harvest components off of "dead" droids.

3. Go back to the previous level of battery consumption. Consider it the greatest limitation to the profession.

4. Increase capability of droids. Droids should be able to do such menial tasks as recharge other droids, check on energy and maintenance levels on harvesters, clean people's houses, and even do limited manufacturing (no experimentation of course).

In closing, if you think this is a good idea, please let SWG know and email them your opinion. It is one thing to complain about a problem, it is another to complain and offer a solution.I also would like to hear other people's thoughts on this issue. Feel free to give me your opinions and suggestions on this message. Finally, if you agree with my assessment, please give me a "bump" after you read this. That way we can keep this message on top and get it to as many people as possible.

Peace man.

-Leki

Jonathon Bodean
Kettemoor

Stratego

Wed Mar 17, 2004 2:13 pm

#2

Somebody tell me something, why can the Devs not come up with a useful and meaningful purpose for droids and DEs??? This is such an easy job. Stop being obtuse and narrowminded and realize that direct combat is only a small part droids can play.

Make droids integral and required for crafting, for mining, for navigation when traveling, along with ALL aspects of combat! The possibilities are endless! Instead of stupid clothing and armor attachments, allow droids to increase various skills for different professions. For example, a droid to increase "to hit" % for Riflemen, a droid that places a small shield to protect a brawler, a droid that creates diversions to help DEs sample an animal for DNA, a droid that improves experimentation sucesses, a droid suite that when several droids are together, they add more bonuses to crafting skills, a droid that maintains a factory and increases production rates, a droid that aids in hunting and tracking for Rangers, a droid that improves surveying range or sensitivity for miners. How about general abiliites like auto-pilot when in a vehicle? or increased speed in vehicles when the droid is riding with the user??? My gosh, the ideas and possibilities are so easy and endless. WHY ARE DROIDS RELEGATED TO STUPID, USELESS TASKS LIKE AD BARKING AND HAVING R2 DROIDS INVOLVED IN COMBAT??!?

The Devs have shown no creativity or ingenuity with one of Star Wars' staples,droids and those who make them! I'm noteven a DE andI've been waiting patiently for droids to become the integral part they should'veplayed from the beginning. We are no closer to that than we were when this game came out. I have a bunch of freaking droid frames in my lab to "simulate" aworkshop environment where droids are present and helping with weapon crafting and maintaining thetools of thetrade. Why do I use up valuable storage spaces for items that donothing? Cause it's such an integral part of SW that aroom or environment without them is not truely "Star Wars"

It would be nice if the Devs actually made them useful and placed the importance Lucas intended them to have in the SW universe.

Mazor - Master Weaponsmith
Vinci Industries Inc. - Falcon Crest, Corellia
Weapons Division 6584, 5076

Pallida

Wed Mar 17, 2004 2:14 pm

#3

*visualizes C3P0 with a DXR6 carbine in his hands -- facing a Rancor*

/laugh

/pause 10

/rollOnFloor

/pause 10

/laugh

/pause 10

/holdSidesInPain

/pause 10

/laugh

/pause 10

/gasp

/pause 20

/cough

/pause 15

/WipeTearsFromFace

ok.. you were saying???

- Account: Master TKA (cancelled)
- Account: Master Doctor (cancelled)
- Account: Smuggler (cancelled)
- Account: Master Chef (cancelled)
- Account: Master Droid Engineer (activity suspended pending developments)
Total loss of annual revenue (SOE): ~$715US to ~$900US
- Bad press: Priceless
Should Sony and Lucas Arts be worried? (15000 users * 5 accts = ~$13MIL in potential lost gross annual revenue) If I were the CEO for either LA or SOE, I would certainly be worried.

KzinKiller

Wed Mar 17, 2004 2:17 pm

#4

Search for "Droid Handler" in previous forum posts and see the zillion-and-one arguments used against the DH, DC, DM, whatever you want to call it, proposal.

People overwhelmingly rejected a droid version of Creature Handler in those threads. I doubt opinions have changed much.

*
The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them
Albert Einstein

CU-1 ... CU-2 ... CUL8R

Leki

Wed Mar 17, 2004 2:23 pm

#5

Bump.

I wasn't aware that other people had already made similar suggestions in the past. Thanks for the heads up. Anyway, because people oppose this idea, is the very reason why we have the current situation. If this is truly the case, we are as much to blame then as the Dev team.

-Leki

Jonathon Bodean
Kettemoor

KzinKiller

Wed Mar 17, 2004 2:25 pm

#6

That's one way of looking at it ...

The other way is that fortunately, people spoke up (loudly) in time to prevent things being much worse for DE's and their customers than they are now .... hard as it may be to imagine.

*
The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them
Albert Einstein

CU-1 ... CU-2 ... CUL8R

StrayCat1212

Wed Mar 17, 2004 2:44 pm

#7

Leki wrote:

Bump.

I wasn't aware that other people had already made similar suggestions in the past. Thanks for the heads up. Anyway, because people oppose this idea, is the very reason why we have the current situation. If this is truly the case, we are as much to blame then as the Dev team.

-Leki

Someone said before, I think AudioOrgana, that even though it may look like the fault of DEs to get in this jam, our reactions at the time each piece of information was given was correct. Basically, SOE said we were gonna get higher level droids sprinkled into our profession. DEs rejected this because who would we sell these droids to and we didn't want to be the Flavor of the Month and we didn't want to be a dabbler class and so on. Cert system was suggested. SOE rejects this idea and presents the Droid Master/Handler/Commander profession. This was a straight up copy of Creature Handler minus the taming of "wild" droids and creation of mounts, etc. DEs reject this on the basis of droids are preprogrammed to do specific functions, you point and order...not train the pet. DEs then suggest concentrating on bug fixes and added utility because we were at an impasse and insists on the cert system. SOE fixes bugs, preps combat modules into the profession, and schedules utility modules...in the meantime explaining why the cert system will not work. DEs suffer nerfs and BE pet comparisons, etc.

This is prolly not entirely accurate, but close enough. Basically, every DE feels that if information as to why and how things work up front, this would have been handled totally differently. What the DEs were proposing wasn't fair to the game, but we didn't know why. SOE just kept us in the dark, ya know? Cmon SOE, help me help you....

Owee's General Store {Miratos Immortalis} - Master Droid Engineer
Naboo: +324, -4841. From any shuttle/starport on Naboo, take a shuttle to the metropolis Tal Valor. My vendor is in the -IM- Headquarters, west of the shuttleport.
Better business thru better advertising.

Leki

Wed Mar 17, 2004 6:34 pm

#8

bump

Jonathon Bodean
Kettemoor

Droid Engineer Archive

Thread: My SOLUTION to fixing the Droid Invasion