Droid Engineer Archive
Thread: Outsider Perspective
Hi all,
I've been toying with the DE profession lately and have to say, as a new arrival, it's a very fun profession that has a lot of potential. I've read the boards, including the current issues, response from development, and community concerns with the response from development.
Look, I'm not so sure this is going to be a very popular statement but I wanted to put it out there for consideration. I believe the whole idea of DE-only combat driods isVERY exciting and would offer a lot to the game. I think, all things considered, that adding a combat element to the profession would really open a lot of possabilities.
I know the current player-base of Droid Engineers are mostly saying this isn't a good idea, but I guess my thought is that I hope the devs would poll more then just the current player-base of DEs about it, as youselected the profession for the desire and idea that it was a crafting profession only. I think a lot of players of SWG might really take an interest in DE if this possability were opened up.
I understand it's crafting only as of now. But why does it have to be only that when you could have so much more.
Anyway, just a few thoughtsI wanted to throw in. I know it's been discussed over and over but I wasn't here and wanted to voice my 2 (maybe 3) cents.
The idea of (new chassis) DE-only combat droids is fantastic and I really hope something comes of it.
Best!
BPM
Because we don't want to become mechanical creature handlers!
Voco Ackopogo
My feelings are as follows:
1) It should be a crafting only class, otherwise it is unbalanced when compared to the other crafting classes and its closest match, Bio-Engineer. They do not get any special bonuses for what type of creatures they can have or anything, they get to make them, and that is all.
2) Because there are so few Droid Engineers around, being one makes you special in a way, and also since most droid sales are one time only, keeps the prices at a level that we can make some money.
3) Since we are a crafting class, we need to be able to sell what we make, if only other droid engineers can use what we make, then we can't sell it, and since not being useful (i.e. being able to sell things) has been one of the biggest problems we have, adding DE only droids does nothing to address this issue.
4) We have had to be brought into line before, and we went from being one of the best crafting classes to one of the worst if not the worst because of that. I know I don't want that to happen again.
5) If I wanted my own creatures to attack things for me, I would have been a creature handler. If I wanted to be a threat in combat, I would be a master combatant. I CHOSE to be a crafter, and with that choice I gave up my rights to the aforementioned.
Well, this question has been hashed and re-hashed over and over again. I personally don't like the idea of a DE droid. I get a lot more enjoyment seeing other people use the droids I make. I actually like the way it sounds the devs are headed for combat droids. Certifications are a good thing so not just everyone can use the more advanced combat droids. It really was too easy when the pre-nerf probots existed. A newbie could take that baby out and get to master in no time using it.
With certifications the elite master classes can have one type of droid, and everyone else can still run around with probots or the other mid-level droid the devs have mentioned. I just hope we don't get a combat class droid that is so powerful that it makes DE the next falvor of the month.
I have some combat-related skills, 4-0-0-0 Marksman and 0-0-4-0 Brawler. I like to go hunting every now and then to mix it up. When the combat droids are released, you bet I'll have the biggest baddest one with me too. Selling them to my hunting party will be even better than watching them blast my targets to bits!
Just my $0.02.
-Cereus- wrote:My feelings are as follows:
1) It should be a crafting only class [snip-read the whole post above]
I totally agree with the above post of Cereus.
Some people think the addition of combat droids will make us no more than mechanical creature handlers. I think that's a rather simplistic view. Droid engineering is Droid engineering, stop comparing it to Bioengineering, creature handling, weaponsmith, armorsmith or any of the other professions, it's not any of the other professions, it's an entirely different kettle of fish (and don't comparie it to chef, either, no fish are actually involved). Droids are the ultimate multipurpose crafted item in the game, capable of being used for crafting, healing, storage, repair, combat, entertainment (who doesn't find droids entertaining? get thee hence, low spirit!) and a myriad of other purposes limited more by people's imaginations and creativity than any other limiting factor. Yes, I craft with my droids, I enjoy crafting. does that mean I'm happy just to sit and craft all day? no. I use my droids in combat, both my dz70's and my probots YES, I SAID I USE MY DROIDS IN COMBAT! I know some of you now think I'm a heretic, but nonetheless, I put them to that purpose. is combat all I want to do with my droids? no. is all I want to do sell droids? no. I want to use them in as broad a spectrum as possible, because that's what they're for. If that means we get combat droids, good. if that means they enhance or add capabilities to existing designs (Bll load lifter, LE repair droid anyone?) then I say good to that too. If we get all of the above? good! quit whining about making new classes, or putting certs on everything that will leave people out in the cold. I want to be able to use EVERY droid I can make, and I want everyone else in the game to be able to enjoy my wares and get as much entertainment value out of my droids as I do. So that squarely puts me in the "no DE only droid" camp.
note: when I say I want to be able to use EVERY droid I can make, I'm excluding the seeker droids and arkayd probes. unless they're multipurposed in some fashion which would make sense for non-bounty hunters.
While I agree that we should be a crafting only class, I do believe that we should automatically be certified for all droids we might choose to make. Therefore, we should be able to use the l337 Droid of Whupa55 that we'vemanufactured...
I also believe that completely outside of combat droids we should get to have multiple droids out at once. I want to do power recharging and repair on a droid in my inventory, not to become a droid medic to others only.
This debate seems to spark up so much, and the question I always ask myself whenever I read it is, "Why can't it be both?"
There are enough skill points available for me to master DE, Artisan, and Pistoleer at once. Why can't I be both crafter and killer?
Also, I understand why people draw the obvious parallels to the CH whenever the topic come up, but why exactly MUST a DE follow either the CH pattern (CH - master of meat puppets, DE - master of metal puppets) or MUST follow the BE pattern (just a crafter, that's all). Seems artificialy limiting to me.