Droid Engineer Archive

Ok I know that every DE out there looks at the CH's pets and says. "Why not ME?!" We DE's have no real Droids to use right? Well I went to the offical Star Wars site and got a list of Droids that would not only be usefull to us but to every one as well.

http://www.starwars.com/databank/droid/

I mean REALLY! look at all the Droids they have thought up that we can't even build. There are 23 Droids there, not counting the ones we can allready make, that would be perfict for the game.

I know my post will fall on the Dev's Deaf ears, but I really can see a practical use for all the droids listed there. Aww bugger Im starting to rant.

/rant off

While we are on the topic of what we would like to see for Droid Engineers (DE), here are my thoughts. The profession is broke, we all know this, and some people almost think it is beyond repair the way it. One of the answers people keep throwing out is to allow us to make some uber droids, and be able to control a few of them. My thought on this is, that to allow us to make and control more droids than anyone else is unbalanced. You are probably reading this thinking" this person is nuts", but before you write me off, just read the rest please. If we look at Creature Handlers (CH), they can only get animals in the wild, and tame those, it gives them no ability to make their own creatures, and correct me if I am wrong, they can only tame babies of these creatures. On the other hand, Bio-Engineers (BE), can make creatures, but do not get any ability to control them beyond what anyone else gets. Now some would think this unfair, since I can MAKE these things I SHOULD be able to control them better than someone not trained in their creation. Just apply this to the star wars history, one type of droid mentioned by people is the IG-88 droid. The IG-88 droid killed those that created it, showing that a droid engineer, just by knowing how to crate a droid, does not always know how to control one. Another example would be someone who designs jet aircraft, their knowledge of aerodynamics and engineering does not impart the knowledge of how to fly a plane. That said, the DE should be the equivalent of the BE of the BE/CH mix, and a new class for commanding droids that would be roughly equal to the creature handler class, but should have some overlap, so that if someone wanted to be a DE/droid commander, they should be able to. Just as a tank commander is seperate from a tank designer, but similar to an infantry commander. Lastly, we should not get vehicles, simply put, just because you can design a robot, does not automatically impart the knowledge to design a vehicle. I also understand that some feel that we are so broken, and have been for so long, that the Dev's should give us something to make up for this, and I think that is a bad idea.

Miyaka Kanzaki

/hides

That was really thought out Cereus, but we are talking about droids you know computers on legs. Creatures have a genitic code that defines part of there behavore, and no mater how tame you think your white tiger is sometimes you get bit.(sorry Roy) But Droids are programed the user defines what the droid does, its personality, what it knows, everything and if you don't like it you can wipe the memory and start over. (thats what 3PO was worried about in The New Hope. Also if you read the history of IG-88 it was a combat droid to begin with.

Thank you.

I agree with your counterpoints. That yes as DE's we do get to program the droids and set their functions and such. But, I still think that knowing that should not, in the game atleast, result in us, unless at master level only, have the ability to command more powerful droids than anyone else. I will again point out the BE/CH tandem. The creature handler, uses pets, the bio-engineer, makes them. Here is one of my main concerns, to be a master creature handler, takes 106 skill points (43 scout, 63 creature handler), and the bare minimum to be a master droid engineer requires 92 skill points (29 artisan and 63 droid engineer), for a total of 198 points. For the sake of discussion, master droid engineer will have the ability to call two droidekas, if3 graul maulers were unbalancing before, how unbalancing will 2 graul maulers and 2 droikedas be? We are currently so far below the median value of professions right now it is frightening. With the abiltiy to make and use some high power combat droids would put is right around this hypothetical median value. But with the ability to take and master both professions, would be off the scale, and again, we could wind up having our abilities to make droids severely handicapped. This is the last thing I would like to see. I would be happiest being an integral part of the universe making droids, being able to command them would be nice as well, but definately not at the expense of being able to make them. As an engineer, the main focus should be on design and construction, not being able to use them. If on the other hand, a seperate class was made that gave you abilities in line with creature handlers, it would be impossible to master both, and if the ability to command the best droids was left for the master of this supposed alternate class, it could not be combined with creature handler, and then should be somewhat safe from having to be reviewed and changed in order to keep it in line with the other classes.

Does that make any more sense?

Miyaka Kanzaki

Interesting idea limiting the number of droids a person can handle. IMHO it is a stupid idea. The main reason everyone is limited to one droid out at a time is because the game mechanics to regulate and control the number of droids in a galaxy is broken. It could be fixed but that would require work on the part of the dev team and resources for more devs on the part of SOE. The devs did not want planets full of droids sitting around like so many trash cans and they were not competent to create a system wherein droids decade or were difficult to build so the cop out is one droid per person. Instead the devs opted for a treadmill system of grinding up leet skill trees that create only useless or moderatly usefull stuff. Afterall when a character can gather more resources with their bear hands and carry many 100k's of resources in there pockets or thier backpack thanthe most advanced mining facility can gatherit is quite obvious that the devs have given up.

Great graphics

Now they are probable focusing most of their resources on the graphics for the space expansion.You really shouldn't take the easy way out it is not artistic.

--Andrew

"I am not afraid.-- You will be. You will be. Die!"

I'd like to order 3 Homing Spider Droids please.

Gimme those and I'll wipe out a whole herd of Rancors and Gurrecks.