Droid Engineer Archive
Thread: Droids Rebuilt and why we won't carry them
new modules as well as a new type of (expendable) droid. Unfortunately, virtually all of these
modules are completely useless. Many of the modules require extremely rare resources (resources
that are also eagerly sought by Armorsmiths, driving up the price).
as to just what these new modules can do. We at Noid Mechanicals feel the best customer is an
informed customer, so we will provide a detailed explanation here.
modules if you want more detail than is provided here:
http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=droid_engineer&message.id=80124
Here are the new Droids Rebuilt modules:
Merchant Barker:This module does nothing a /say macro doesn't do other
than allow customers to pull a waypoint from the droid (i.e., saves them from actually having to type
/way XXX XXX, but does require them to target the droid and access the radial menu).You must
remain in the same area as the droid for it to work -- you can't leave it running. Finally, it requires
Advertising IV to use at all. Our Evaluation: Absolutely worthless. Save your money and simply use
a macro for your advertising -- you'll be able to use /shout instead of /say and will reach more customers.
It's also a waste of skill points to get Advertising IV just for this droid.
Creature Harvester: This module will allow you to harvest in combat, but that's the only advantage
(and you will doubtless have more important things to worry about in combat). It still requires you to
target the dead beast and issue the droid a command. This also counts as your turn to harvest -- you
cannot harvest the beast after the droid has done it. Also, it requires Novice Scout to use, so there is
is really no purpose to this module at all. Our Evaluation: Absolutely worthless.
It reduces the effectiveness of the traps it is loaded with.The trap launch still goes in your combat queue,
so why bother?It requires Novice Scout to use, so there is no purpose to this module at all.
Our Evaluation: Absolutely worthless.
Detonation Module:This module mounts in any droid, but the droid is destroyed upon activation.
Unfortunately, you need multiuple modules to do any real damage, so you still have to purchase an
expensive droid (that will only be used once). With six modules (the maximum) it can give up to a
single 1500-damage area effect.Droid announces to all a 3 second countdown and will be disarmed
if it is incapped in this time.This module requires Novice Smuggler or Novice Bouty Hunter to use. Since
it does less damage than a single special attack from either of these professions, there really isn't much
point. Don't waste your money. Our Evaluation: ALMOST worthless.
Entertainer Modules (both types):If the few non-holo grinding entertainers want 'em, DEs can custom
make 'em.They aren't useful enough to keep in stock. It requires Novice Entertainer to use.
Our Evaluation: <Shrug> Ask an Entertainer if they want one.
Auto-Repair Module:This module repairs all droids (including itself) every 10 seconds.The maximum
(6 modules) is about 120 damage/10 secs.This is not enough to keep a probot alive, and is about 1/10
the healing of a droid repair kit, but might be useful if several are grouped (remember, you can only have
one droid out at a time -- so you effectively cannot fight if you have this droid out).The only advantage
is that it requires no command or skill to use, but it burns through batteries in half the time as a normal
droid (30 minutes instead of an hour).The Level 3 module (the highest) requires rare resources and so is
incredibly expensive to make. Our Evaluation: Limited usefulness, and overall not worth the cost.
Stimpack Dispenser:This module can be loaded with Stimpack-A's (not A+'s) and can heal anyone who
targets the droid and issues the command. The Stim-As which must be loaded by a medic with
Pharmaceuticals IV.A Stim-A will heal up to about 85 damage for a really good one. A dedicated healer droid
can be experimented to either hold 500 stims and issue one every 10 seconds or holds about 150 stims and issue
one every 2 seconds or so. It requires no other skills to use. Our Evaluation: Moderately useful. If you have
Novice Medic, you can use Stim-Bs that will heal up to 600 damage every 10 seconds. In this case, the droid
will be of no use to you. In a big fight, 85 damage isn't going to help you a whole lot -- get a combat droid
instead.
Interplanetary Survey Droid:This is NOT a droid module, it is a single-use droid, like Bounty Hunter tracking
droids.It returns an email with the names (not concentrations or stats) of all of the resources of a given type
(mineral, chemical, gas, wind, etc.) on a single planet.It requires the use of the appropriate survey tool from
your inventory, which is deleted by the droid.In other words, to get the names of all the resources on all the
planets you need some 40 of these and 40 survey tools.You would do much better to simply go to SWGCraft
(http://SWGcraft.com) to get the full stats and listing for free. These droids are very, very expensive to make
and require a rare resource that is also in demand by Armorsmiths. You will have to buy these by the crate, and
have crates of survey tools as well. They require Novice Artisan to use. Our Evaluation: Somewhat useful, but
nowhere near worth the huge cost -- just check on the web for stats.
So that's it. The great "Droids Rebuilt" patch. As you can see, they are all essentially worthless and those that
aren't totally worthless are so expensive to make that I can't charge enough to make a profit on them. I know I
am giving up sales here -- I could simply sell the droids and let the users discover that they are worthless. But
Noid Mechanicals has built its reputation on fair and honest service to the Galaxy. I hope you will join us in
boycotting these droids and letting the Devs know that they don't have a clue as to what the players want or need.
Master Droid Engineer
Kettemoor
I have no idea who this "we" Rorrlanca is speaking for is. If he thinks he represents the DE community, he is sadly mistaken. By and large most DE's and our customers are quite happy with their new droids and pleased with PUBLISH 8 (not 7- I count real good up to 10).
The uselessness or usefulness that he claims to know so much about is completely relative. Personally most of his evaluations are utter crap (the only one I even partly agree with is the Merchant Barker). Customers should find a DE on your own servers, engage them in conversation, ask them about the new droids, find out how they work, then judge for yourself if they are useful. I will gladly talk to anyone on Blodfin when I am on.
I mean this in the most respectful and tactful way possible, but...
Rorrlancca wrote:
<< Some stuff that's misrepresentative and somewhat misguided and lacks insight and proper evaluation of "value". >>
You really havehorribly mis-statedwhat we have gotten in this publish. That's your right..but I would personally be very worried about your droid business if this is your view of these options. I wish you the best of luck with your business as the other DEs on your server get rich and your business dwindles.
You need to reconsider the real value in your products if you want to sell these to customers. Sorry...that's just the way it is.
I may be the Corr. but that doesn't mean that I don't still call it like I see it.
/bow
Respectfully,
Rorrlancca wrote:
And if your customers are happy, great -- no one I have talked to is.
Then they aren't being properly educated or are simply not going to every be able to take advantage of the value that's been added here.
I respect your right to have your opinion of the additions. I just happen to believe (and know) that you're wrong. Perhaps you need to reevaluate your perspective on what's been added here. To the last, every droid I've sold of the type you've mentioned has been very highly welcomed and seriously lauded by my clients.
I think it all comes from properly educating your clientbase about where the true value in these products lay.
/bow
Respectfully,
Message Edited by TheRealTK421 on 05-01-2004 10:42 AM
psikobunny wrote:
I have no idea who this "we" Rorrlanca is speaking for is. If he thinks he represents the DE community, he is sadly mistaken. By and large most DE's and our customers are quite happy with their new droids and pleased with PUBLISH 8 (not 7- I count real good up to 10).
The uselessness or usefulness that he claims to know so much about is completely relative. Personally most of his evaluations are utter crap (the only one I even partly agree with is the Merchant Barker). Customers should find a DE on your own servers, engage them in conversation, ask them about the new droids, find out how they work, then judge for yourself if they are useful. I will gladly talk to anyone on Blodfin when I am on.
My phone has been ringing off the hook for the new droids. I'm very careful to explain the limitations of the survey droid, for example, and why I think it's still a good deal. I've made a number of combat droids, and I've got some people waiting on scout harvesting droids till I get back to them with some of the test results that are now showing up here.
I'd have to say that the interest level - and the willingness to buy - are very high with my customer base. I'm glad I made MDE in time for this.
Bah, yes, some of them aren't really useful - the trapping, playback, and stim modules (the latter once people find out you can only use a stim A, which some people have never even heard of, LOL...) could fall into the sarlacc and no one would care, but the harvesting, structure (if they fix it again), barker, and entertainer modules are selling like hot cakes.
Oh yeah...and our combat droids now have 3K,4K, and 6K (!!!!)HAM and do even higher damage than they did in Publish 7.
Sorry you haven't done well as a DE- perhaps if you told us a bit about your business we could help you find out why it is you can't find customers. They won't stop bothering most of us - I had to go to a "AFK" message that begs people to email me questions so I can answer them in order while crafting so I don't bang my keyboard against the ground over mis-tell frustrations...
DE has never been this financially viable - it may not last, but you need to get out there while it is and make your fortune. People are BEGGING to buy these droids...no joke.
AO
I am a new customer. I tried out my new survey droid last night and I was quite happy with it. I know that one of my resources is going to despawn soon and I didn't feel like making a trip to Tat to find out. I sent the droid out while I did other things. It came back and told me I didn't need to travel out to Tat just yet. I saved myself travel costs and more importantly time because of this droid.
Next I'm going to try out the harvesting droid. I only have enough skill points to get two boxes of scout. I keep changing between Hunting II and Exploration II depending on whether I need milk. I would like to use the droid to get the harvesting bonus and just keep Exp II. That to me will be worth it.
Before this patch, I never bought a single droid. Now I plan to be a repeat customer. I doubt I am the only person out there who likes the new droids and is now passing on credits to DEs.
Rorrlancca wrote:
Detonation Module:This module mounts in any droid, but the droid is destroyed upon activation.
Unfortunately, you need multiuple modules to do any real damage, so you still have to purchase an
expensive droid (that will only be used once). With six modules (the maximum) it can give up to a
single 1500-damage area effect.Droid announces to all a 3 second countdown and will be disarmed
if it is incapped in this time.This module requires Novice Smuggler or Novice Bouty Hunter to use. Since
it does less damage than a single special attack from either of these professions, there really isn't much
point. Don't waste your money. Our Evaluation: ALMOST worthless.
First of all, I would not waste my time normally replying to a post like this, but I think its important that I reply because non-DEs deserve a CORRECT and TESTED examination of the modules. you say the R3's do 1500 damage.. well guess what, they do 50,000 damage! yes it was tested by a few folks on my server and it does BLAST damage. That means these droids would absolutely kill turrets and AT-ST's. One thing is to voice your opinion and I would have respected you, but another is to give false data like you did and mis-educate the public.
All your other observations about the other modules are also screwed up, but I wont waste more of my time correcting your erroneous statements. Ive been getting tremendous amounts of "thank you's" for the droids that I have already built. People love the harvesting module for example and I sell out on survey droids.
Get your information straight and stop ruining business for the rest of us by giving false advertising. You should be ashamed to call yourself a DE.