CUEmu - Thread Posts

Korbus

Wed Jan 21, 2004 4:24 pm

Ok, I don't post a lot of the SWG boards. I'm sure my post count reflects that. But today I camea cross the Droid Engineering discussion on the boards and felt like banging my head on the wall to erase what I read about a Droid Handling profession. Feel free to light me up on my ideas - heck, I come up with some pretty dumb ideas, sometimes.

My 2 cents:

Bob walks up to a Droid Engineer and buys a Combat Droid. The Droid Engineer programs the droid with the commands Bob wants to use and gives Bob the droid. Bob turns on the droid and the droid - as programmed by the Droid Engineer - recognizes Bob as its master. This is the first droid Bob has ever bought. Now, tell me, what is going to keep that droid's computer brain from executing the commands the Droid Engineer gave it just because Bob has never used a droid before? The computer, even though it recognizes Bob as its master, is going to say "oh, wait, you don't have the appropriate skill to use me, so even though I understand the commands you're giving me perfectly, I'm not going to execute them?" That goes against every concept of computer programming and computer engineering I can think of. It makes NO SENSE.

So here's my idea:

Let Combat Droids be used by everyone, but give them a condition rating like weapons. Leave utility droids alone unless you're adding extra compartments in a later patch or something. The more Bob uses his combat droid, the more the droid's condition rating decreases. If Bob wants to get his droid repaired, he can go back to the Droid Engineer and see if he can repair it. But, the Droid Engineer has the same chance of repairing it poorly / crit failing as a weaponsmith repairing a T21. Eventually, that droid's condition will decrease to the point where Bob has to get himself a new one. Just like a weapon.

This should satisfy CH's who are complaining about droid's being better than their pets because pets can be more reliably repaired with vitality packs and you don't have the risk of crit failing when you use your vitality pack and destroying the creature. Plus the creature should last a whole hell of a lot longer than the combat droid. The creature is a living thing with living cells that work to heal the creature. The droid is a big piece of metal that needs to have someone physically patch it up with their bare hands.

Why not do this?

Why go to a system that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever and begs the question "so the people of the universe are too stupid to figure out where the 'on' switch is on droids?" Because that's what the Devs are saying. We can't find the on switch, so we need to train up in Droid Handling so we can figure out where the on switch is.

A computer is a computer and if it understands what you're telling it to do it WILL execute that command. That's computer programming.

Plainand simple.

Arkane
Master Weaponsmith / Droid Engineer
Vector Industries CEO
Hrafnstadt, Naboo (2166, 3807)

ScrufylookinNerfherder

Wed Jan 21, 2004 4:26 pm

#2

**edit** RIGHT! Woot!

Mullet ~ Droid Engineer ~ Former Master Merchant ~ Master Artisan ~ Novice Rifleman ~ Corbantis ~ Shop and rare items house located in Salanar on Naboo(Merchant City)

Korbus

Wed Jan 21, 2004 4:28 pm

#3

P.S - I'm not saying make Combat Droids on the same level as high level Creatures. There's no way a Droideka should stand up to Graul Maulers or Rancors. All the Graul or the Rancor would have to do is step on the **edit** Droideka. I'm just saying create a system that makes a little more sense, guys. I'd like to think my Droid Engineer isn't so stupid he can't figure out how to turn his droid on.

Bad, bad, bad, idea.

Arkane
Master Weaponsmith / Droid Engineer
Vector Industries CEO
Hrafnstadt, Naboo (2166, 3807)

ideas

Wed Jan 21, 2004 4:32 pm

#4

Funny! I made a very similar post at the same time. Of course I agree with ya Korbus.

Droids cannot be healed during a fight, which is a big disadvantage over pets. At best maybe a DE with a special kit might be able to keep it alive a bit longer if the DE is right there. I don't think droids need to compete with creature pets, or even with elite fighters. They just need to add a little more combat oomph for people who have no other way to fight, and a little extra oomph for those who already can fight.

So, let me get this straight: To advance my character, I have to give up my current abilities?

Flurry: Ikeya Ibye (Master Droid Engineer, Master Artisan, Master Merchant)

IKEYA Grand Mall - Naboo, Moenia - Waypoint 5000 -4000

RebelsHand

Wed Jan 21, 2004 4:40 pm

#5

The devs have stated you can't use a battle droid w/o spending skill credits and experience...

It doesn't make sense... You are creating a society of people with credits... and those w/o... those with lots of credits will be able to have the ultimate battle droid while still retaining all of their current skills... So mister M. Armorsmith who makes 71%+ composite suits, that sell for 150k burns through 2 battle droids a week... But a Master Smuggler who's credit flow is uncertain... they can't use droids because they can't afford it...

NO... droid usage MUST BE skill based...

Now the upgradeable modules, repair kits, upgradeable weapons... those are good ideas...

And your idea that droids are just computers... no they are AI, not just computers they have a "will" if you don't agree with me... then why did R2 go into the droid factory after Anakin and Padme when he was TOLD to stay with the ship?

Bloodrunner of Naritus

Soon to Be Master Shipwright & Master Armorsmith

Come visit the city of Lok-n-Load, home of the Naritus X-Wing!

Korbus

Wed Jan 21, 2004 4:44 pm

#6

That's an R2 unit. Did you ever see one of the Trade Federation Combat Droids exercise free will during the battle against the Jedis? No. They were programmed machines. Why did the combat droids that were fighting the Gungans outside of Naboo suddenly stop fighting when the Command Ship was destroyed? Because they stopped receiving commands.

As to your argument about poor people not being able to afford them, well, SWG is a market based society, and that's the way it goes. I'm sure the poorcreature handler / carbineer isn't going to be able to afford a Rancor as nice as the rich creature handler / crafter. But that's just my opinion, and that's all my post was. Feel free to argue, man. Everyone has their opinion.

Arkane
Master Weaponsmith / Droid Engineer
Vector Industries CEO
Hrafnstadt, Naboo (2166, 3807)

Lonkley

Wed Jan 21, 2004 5:05 pm

#7

Korbus wrote:

That's an R2 unit. Did you ever see one of the Trade Federation Combat Droids exercise free will during the battle against the Jedis? No. They were programmed machines. Why did the combat droids that were fighting the Gungans outside of Naboo suddenly stop fighting when the Command Ship was destroyed? Because they stopped receiving commands.

yes, but ill guarantee you it was droid or AI commanding those troops on behalf of a sentient.

I imagine if you build thousands of units its cheaper to have a central brain and the advantages/disadvantages that hold. That doesnt mean the trade fed droids could not have been designed differently.

its moot anyway.

the dev's are a one trick pony. skill points for DL. its preordained.

----------------
There is a special place in hell for necro posters

N0RAX

Wed Jan 21, 2004 5:09 pm

#8

Its a nice thought and in reality that would be the way it is. But this is a game and the Devs have stated that in order for someone to use a pet higher than CL10 they must expend skill points to use it.

So unless you want Droidekas that are the same as Probots but with differnt animation, this idea unfortunatly cannot be used.

-norax

Korbus

Wed Jan 21, 2004 8:50 pm

#9

I see that point, and I understand that, but I just wish the Devs would give us something that had more of a "Star Wars" feeling to it than this. This just feels like a cheap attempt to fix a problem we've been complaining about for all these months.

Either that or just don't make combat droids right now. Give me something that will make my Binary Load Lifters or my Protocol droids sell more, instead. I'd be just as happy if the droids I have now, you know, had more use.

/nerd on

Because I'm a nerd and know way too much about Star Wars, here's a point for the "but C3PO and R2 could think" argument.

R2 units andProtocol droids had a Heuristic Processor installed, allowing them to learn by doing, usually without instruction. The droid is able to reason through several potential solutions to tasks and formulate the best approach. A droid without a heuristic processor can't use any skills untrained.

Combat droids did not have those. They relied on orders given to them.

Taken from the Lucas Books Star Wars pen and paper RPG.

/nerd off

Arkane
Master Weaponsmith / Droid Engineer
Vector Industries CEO
Hrafnstadt, Naboo (2166, 3807)

Droid Engineer Archive

Thread: Combat Droids Hear me out, TH