Droid Engineer Archive
Thread: A Novice DEs First Stab at a Utility Idea
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BioIsland
Sun Apr 11, 2004 2:39 pm
#1
I know I'm running the risk that this idea has already been kicked around (and maybe out) since I'm new to the DE Forum and haven't read too many previous posts.
This Droid (or module for existing Droids) has a minor but convenient game function and a huge ambience function.
Home Maintenance Droid (Module)
To begin with this droid, or any droid with this module, once crafted as a deed cannot be used from inventory. Rather, when holding one of these deeds in first level inventory a new option appears in your house's maintenance terminal menu - Activate Home Maintenance Droid.
When this item is selected on the menu, your new droid pops into being in your home. It has a single in game function. It allows your house to draw maintenance directly from your bank account. Now it cannot reduce maintenance costs because this game needs its money sinks intact (it probably needs even more money sinks, but that is another post). In fact maybe it will increase your house maintenance by a credit or two per hour. It simply allows you the convenience of never having to check your maintenance and prevents funds from being tied up in your maintenance pool, instead just taking them from the bank as needed.
The ambience though is its primary function. The droid putters about the house. What is it doing? Who knows. It is maintaining the house. Who could say what half the droids in the background in the movies were doing. But we knew they were doing SOMETHING, going about their work, not just following their owners like puppies. Perhaps there would be a different maintenance droid path for each floor plan type. To save on the database overhead this droid, like a vendor, would only load when players walked into the room, animated furniture if you will. It wouldn't be in your datapad, it wouldn't be commandable, or storeable or retrievable or re-deedable. It could be destroyed from the houses maintenance terminal to be rid of it, and would autmatically be destroyed if it were ever re-deeded.
I'm not sure we could every have player created droids doing maintenance tasks outside on their own. It would be more complex in regards to animation and have to be loaded much more often. But in the controlled environment of a house . . . . ? Maybe.
I know I would sure want one if they were available, and all of the people I play with would as well.
~Roarcc, Gorath
Jnath
Sun Apr 11, 2004 8:13 pm
#4
Would it withdraw on a weekly basis, or monthly? You run into the problem of those who dont play as often an dont have a surplus of creds in the bank (grinders) not being able to keep up with the payments.
Glantor
Sun Apr 11, 2004 10:04 pm
#5
Hmm, this idea is really cool! I can see it working like player city income tax . . . where you get a mail and the city thanks you for paying your taxes. Now, instead of the city thanking you, Escrow will be the one thanking you saying your house maintenance has been duly paid etc.
This would work out as a monthly thing. Since small, medium, large and guild houses have standard maintenance, it isn't that difficult for the droid to recognise which one it is and deduct the appropriate weekly maintenance. Once the droid is removed, the normal maintenance goes back to the credits you plonk in.
Droids are supposed to take care of mundane tasks which are deemed as "not fun". This is a very good application of that principle.
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