Droid Engineer Archive
Thread: Constructive Ideas to the DE Plan
I want combat droids.... to sell. The more we demanded combat droids I think the Devs took it to mean we wanted to be themechanical version of CH's. Now I see why a lot of people are complaining that the DE Plan didn't have any of what we would call bug fixes, but what most seem to be missing is the Plan is a list of proposed features, not a bug list. The bugs are processed by the Little Devs, not the Big Devs. The Big Devs do features.
The Problem:
I also see everything the Devsthrow to us to be a further generalization of the DE profession. We don't want generalization, we want droids that are built for specific reasons.The first key in fixing this profession is to start looking at it from the bottom up, not top down, we need the droids toembrace specialization and turn away from generalization.
Non-Combat Droids:
As I stated in "The Problem," generalization of droids and their capabilities is killing us. The only reason to build most droids is if your customer is a collector and wantstheir own R2 or C-3PO and there are precious few collectors to make that a viable excuse.
I have no problem with 'stacking' of modules, it's a viable way for lower level DE's to compete with expert or master level DE's and what they can supply. What I do have a problem is with the "General Droid Module Socket Cluster." I'm biting my tongue on this one because I've used and abused this slip in the coding myself many a time. This needs to be a priority hot fix, not a minor or a maybe or a sometime in the future fix, but a now, immediate, was done 5 minutes ago fix. Using the "cluster" as it stand we can make a MSE Basic into a super droid containing cluster on cluster of modules that end up leaving us with a droid with the equivalent of a level 6 medical, data and item storage along with a crafting station. Only 5 droids should be able to use this item, not all of them. The Cluster shouldn't even be nestable in another cluster.
Specialization in Non-Combat Droids:
Medical Droids/Medical Modules: to be fair to all DE's, especially the low end ones, medical modules should be permissable on any non-combat droid. However to gain max benifit, this should be restricted to medical module levels 1 - 4. To use the level 5 and 6 medical modules, it should be required to have them installed on the Surgical or Advanced Surgical droid. This would give a genuine reason for people to purchase a Surgical droid other than for looks.
Data Modules: Level 1-6, any droid. These are so useless to the average player that any restriction wouldn't be noticed.
Item Modules: Level 1-4 item modules on any droid. Level 5 and 6 modules need to be redesigned with capacities of 25 and 50 item storage respectively and confine them to BLL's.
Private Crafting Station Modules: Rx series and Treadwell varients only. Let's face it, until we get ships that require astro-mechs, our little Rx's will have to fall back on the tried and true grunt work of small time repairs and assembly and this is the kind of stuff that the Treadwells were designed for in the first place.
- R5/R5 Adv: Weapon/Droid/General (W/D/G)Crafting Module
- R4/R4 Adv: Food/Chem (F/C) Crafting Module
- R2/R2 Adv: Clothing/Armour (C/A)Crafting Module
- R3/R3 Adv: Structural (S)Crafting Module
- Treadwell: (W/D/G)or (F/C) Crafting Modules
- WED Treadwell Adv: (C/A) or (S) Crafting Modules
Repair Droids: I didn't suggest repair modules in the Rx's or Treadwells because this should be the big time repairs. As such, repair modules should be required to construct these droids. The Dev idea of repair charges is actually a very good idea. Move the old Artisan crafted droid repairtools to Novice DE and make them the item that is consumed by the repair module in the repair droid. In many ways they would act like power-ups. They are dumped into the repair module and it's the module that then does the repairs. Repair Modules would of course repair both damage and wounds that the droid has accumulated.
Power Droids: Now here the Devs have a really good idea in the making by allowing these to merge with exisitng harvesters and power them. I would even expand on this by allowing them to merge with all types of factories. Since the two Power droids are so similar in construction, I suggest that the only difference be the overall amount of power they can supply. Of course the potential energy supply would have to be tested and tweaked, but I suggest 30,000 units from the basic and 50,000 units of energy from the advanced model. Standard pricing for most power I encounter is 1 credit per unit so the potential energy supplied by the droids would be close in keeping with current market sales prices for them, so in the end they to shall supply 1:1. Noting that, the Advanced Power droid would be slightly more efficient in comparison to it's basic counterpart, but that goes in logical progression that the advanced model be more efficient.
It should be noted that some people have based their livelyhoods on the selling of wind, solar and radioactive power and to them some means of use should be allotted for. As such personal harvesters should not be permitted to have a Power Droid merge with them, (I just can't see a GNK fitting in one of those small harvesters,)all harvesters and factories should still be allowed to use the old styles of power and I have a feeling that player vehicles will require traditional forms of power. For future consideration I suggest that Space Vehicles, when introduced,be requires to use radioactive power units.
Protocol Droids: Useless from what I can see of them, but there are several good posts on the forum about turning them into specialized merchant droids that permit the owner to leave goods that can only be purchased and picked up by their designated recipients.
Combat Droids:
The module idea for Combat Droids proposed in theDE Dev Plan is a very good start and would be ideal for personalizing combat droids to suit the buyers needs. Expanding upon that idea I would suggest adding a Melee combat module and incoperate Weaponsmith crafted weapons into the construction of these modules.
- Melee Module: a crafted melee weapon would be required in the recipe of the module, builders choice as to what it is.
- Short Range Blaster Module: again a crafted weapon would be required. Limited to pistol and short ranged carbines.
- Long Range Blaster Module: crafted weapon required, long range carbines and rifles.
- NO Special or Heavy Weapons in droid combat modules. The last thing I want to see is a flame thrower toting IG-88 or Rocket Launching Droideka. That'd make even a Rancor grouped Master CH a little freaked out, granted it would be funny for everyone else but we have to play nice here.
Combat droids being limited to one active droid per person, not just DE's (see below: Certification)should not be a problem when equipped with anybase combat (Marksman or Brawler tree)profession weapon. Ideally Combat droids when partnered should do nothing more than let you play the game as if your grouped with one slightly moronic player that you have to keep an eye on so they don't kill themselves.... we've all had one of those so we know what I'm talking about.
Some combat droids should be dead easy to put into the game. The IG-88 and the Droideka are already in the game, neither are super weapons of mass destruction either.Mid level CH or mid level elite combat profession characters both report being able to take these on with little or minor difficulty so it's not like we would be building R.D.E.D.D.'s, (Rancor Destoying Engines of Death and Destruction™
) The animation is already in the game so all that's left is to cut and paste the droid control code from either the DZ-70 or the Probot and whip up a construction recipe. Limit availability, make them a Master DE schematics and toss in a few rare resources to spice up their construction, that should cut down on the number than can be crafted and jack up the price a nice ways.
Certification:
Want a certification system to handle them? Give blanket certifications
, (yes an exemption to my specialization rant.
Non-combat droid certification granted at any novice beginnerprofession.
Combat droid certification granted at novice of any Elite Combat profession or novice DE, we build 'em, we should use them. Not advocating DE's become a combat profession, but if we build them we should be able to use them in this instance. I'd even support any Elite profession, not just combat professions, to get combat droid cert.
I am primarily a crafter myself but I really enjoy going out with ahunting group from time to time, but I don't get to do it often because as a crafter I am frequently seen as a liability. As one friend put it, "By the time your an Elite Profession, your either armed to the teeth, or unable to defend yourself from a Nightspider."
These are really good ideas here. In fact, I went ahead and crumpled up my notes I was preparing. You said pretty much exactly what I was going to say. Everything is well thought out, although the certification system should be expanded upon, so I think I will 
I wasn't keen on the idea of a combat module that could turn any droid into a combat droid, but if they are limited to combat-type droids I would be all for it. Of course, that means they need to give us new droid schematics, and not just the Droideka and IG Assassin droids. Adding multiple combat droids would require a certification system to have a few more tiers than your proposal, and it would depend upon the number provided and their respective power.
I imagine the lowest tier would be any novice starting profession, most likely allowing use of the DZ70 and Probot basic model.
A second tier, possibly at the4th skill box in any column of the starting profession, would allow for the Advanced Probot. (This needs some consideration as some columns are very easily climbed and could be taken advantage of for access purposes, but then, it is only the Adv Probot).
A third tier at the Novice of ALL Elite professions. Sure, combat classes are most likely to use them. Sure, crafters don't care nor do they want to become a combat hybrid. But I wouldn't want to deny access either. I know a lot of crafters state how difficult harvester runs can potentially be due to aggressive mobs. They would appreciate being able to take along a bodyguard that would last long enough to manage their harvesters.
A fourth tier at the 4th skill box in any column of all elite professions.
A fifth tier at the Master level of all elite professions.
Which droid is offered at which tier would depend on the stats the Devs decide would be best, but they would have to be progressively more powerful than the fully loaded Advanced Probot. The idea of being able to add specific types of combat modules is great with this, but I would only allow them at the third tier and higher, as it is at that point the owner is specializing thier own weapon it would follow that they can have their droid specialized at that moment.
As for number of droids being called. Tough one. It makes sense that DEs should be able to call at least 2 so they can repair their own droids, and not allowing other players to do this would ensure their return for servicing. The point made in the CH nerf post about calling only one pet, be it creature, faction, or droid, was meant to limit the exponential growth of uber-tanking. I agree with the reasoning, as I also see it limiting the number of pets trapsing through town. I am glad they addressed this, but am disappointed they forgot to mention the number of droids a player can own. A DE should be able to own more than five. If anything so that we can test our own creations or show them off to customers so they are aware of what they are asking for. A Novice DE can start with owning only five, then add additional spaces as s/he climbs up the skill tree. The most sense would be to add them in the Blueprints line, as that is when you get the schematics to make them. If the devs see this as unfit to have them all in one tree, it could be spread out. By the time you reach Master I would love to be able to own 1 of each type. That comes to 13 (Advanced is just another version of the same type). How many pets can a Master CH own? (Thats an honest question, not rhetorical, I really dont know, but I thought it was 14).
Mosati, the rest of your suggestions were wonderful (I was about to say perfect, but that would imply there would beno room left for discussion 
). I like all the points you made for each of the module types, limiting the high-end levels to specific droids. The only one you mentioned changing final stats on was the Item Storage Module though. Personally I think ALL of them should be altered so that it is worthwhile to make any level 5 and 6 instead of being able to just stack 2 level 4s (or a 4 and a 3). I wasn't terribly clear on your reasoning for the seperation of crafting modules by R-unit, was that to coincide with the level we recieve the schematic?
All-in-all, I think these are great suggestions and I hope more people look this over and expand on it. And that Sintrosi can make sure it catches the eye of the right influential people
I really like your ideas.
I think that:
- Repair Droids should be able to be used not only on other droids, but also on structures that are at less than 100%.
- Medical modules should see more spread in medical rating: a level 1 medical module should be at 10%, slowly going up to the current 110% at level 6. I find too many people quite satisfied with the current 55% capability on the level 1 medical module to even want the higher-up modules.
I like your certification system Mabinogi, it's a lot like I was thinking of, but fleshed out and far more versatile. The reason why I narrowed the R series down to specific types of crafting stations for each kind was because back in early beta all the droids were specialized systems, but because there were very very few DE's in beta they switched it over to a generalization system. By going back to specialization we would have a genuine reasont to craft droid types that would not normally be crafted.
Zonnend, as much as I would like to have a droid that took care of maintenence on structures, I don't think the Devs will ever let it happen. They are really concerned with letting only a limited amount of money into the game economy to control inflation and structure maintenence is a very large drain. As for medical modules, I have no idea why anyone would be happy with a 55% rating. Basic Scout camps give a 65% medical rating. Master Ranger camps give a 100%, just like Med Centers in cities and our level 6 modules give the best of the game at 110%.
Also on Protocol Droids, Some have shuggested that they could be a "componet" for Shuttle ports.
And for Data Mods, Perhaps they would be more useful if you had more things to stuff in you datapad, I'm a DE, but I also get around, and I can say that more than half of my datapad is full waypoints, and that was after I removed most of thecity waypoints on it. I don't have good sugestions on what to put in there, but it is possible.
THe rest of this post I absoltly agree about, though I'd like my R2 to have my W/D/G mod instead of a R5
Amen, Thanks Sintrosi !! what patience and dedication you display in the face of adversity. Kudos to you.
I too like what I read above very much, in fact I love it.
Just a thought about adding in customized weaponsmith weapons - its a great idea for enabling a huge variation of droid effectiveness, but there may be one flaw in the concept as I understand it:
We know that currently once a droid is built, thats it, modules cannot be removed and new ones inserted, and thats fine with the modules we have. However, I'm thinking of weapon decay rate with use here, and it would be a shame to have a droid become useless because the weapon wore out. Add to that the existing weapon repair kits and I think we have a problem or at least an area for discussion.
Suggestion, radical though it is, make the weapon equipped in the combat module repairable (as if it were hand held) or even more radically have the combat modules removable and replaceable (whole can of worms with that one I know) Perhaps simpler just not to have the weapon decay at all, as is now in probot's case.
Just a thought as I said.
Thanks
I was thinking more along the lines of, if a weapon is built into the module, then the weapon is destroyed and the module takes on the stats of the weapon.
Removing and repairing the weapon modules would probably be too hard to code. As it stands the modules that go into a droid are destroyed upon droid construction but the droid copies the stats of the module ont itself.