Droid Engineer Archive
Thread: Sintrosi and Thunderheart...Try these ideas out...
Sintrosi and Thunderheart,
Try these ideas out...I believe they fix a lot of the problems with both the Droid-Engineer Profession and the non-CH Pet Nerf (NOTE: Yes this post is mostly about droids, I just add some general pet ideas to show you the relation of the whole pet scheme---the forest, not just the trees).
(1) All players start by being limited to one droid/creature (as proposed by you).
(2) Add Droidekas to the game - STOP...don't move on yet...hear me out.
There are three major problems with droids now...(1) No function differences between droids, (2) droids need more functions--they aren't useful for combat, and merely serve as movable med centers/crafting stations, and (3) they never wear out, thereby killing the future demand.
Now, in the "Creature Nerf Pt. 3" Thread, you mentioned that you are considering bumping probots' stats a little to compensate a bit for the creature nerf. This is a bad idea. Why? Everyone already buys ONLY one droid...a probot. Why? Probots do everything that every other droids can do because they take the same modules as the others. You are simply reinforcing players tendency to buy ONLY probots, and those probots to be the ONLY droid the player ever buys.
You also mentioned making DE only combat droids. This is also a bad idea. Most Droid Engineers have posted in response to this saying that they are crafters, and want combat droids to sell to OTHERS to preserve a market, not just to use themselves. They have continually asked for combat droids to sell to others, not to become another CH class.
Instead, do this: Put Droidekas into the game as craftable droids (as Droid engineers have been asking for). Give them slots for ONLY 2 modules (1) an armor module; (2) a weapon type module. Give them a low vitality (25-50) so they wear out somewhat quickly. Make 8 different types of weapon modules, each with a different damage type (acid, energy, stun, etc). Give Droidekas 1000 HAM, light armor, and whatever resistances bestowed by the armor module. Make them usable by all players.
Now, if you look at the above proposal you will notice several things: (1) It encourages people to buy multiple droids--a droideka for combat situations, another for crafting and healing--because droidekas can have ONLY combat functions; (2) the droideka is not any more unbalancing than the probot--it has only slightly more ham, and it wears out quickly; (3) droidekas can have substantial weakness--the player chooses a damage type that might be highly resisted by the mob; and (4) it starts on the path of droid specialization--one of the things DEs have been asking for.
(3) Give certain classes the ability to call a second Droid. DE's should get to call a second droid of any type. Doctors and Combat Medics should get the ability to call an extra droid with a medical module. Weaponsmiths, Armorsmiths, Chefs, etc. should get the ability to call an extra droid with a crafting station module.
Alternatively, you could limit certain professions to droid types...ex: artisans can only call a second droid if it is an R2 or treadwell; Doctors can only call a second surgical droid. This would keep the classes from calling a second combat droid with a medical/crafting module and abusing the system.
NOTE: All the the classes I have listed are elite professions...the second droid should ONLY be given to elite professions.
(4) Implement the functionality ideas you listed in your first droid post.
(5) For Faction pets, every player starts with the ability to call ZERO faction pets. There are 15-16 ranks that players can advance through. IN ADDITION TO the 1 creature/droid all players can call, give players the ability to call an extra 1 faction solder after 5 ranks, 2 faction solders after 10 ranks, and 3 faction soldiers at Colonel (highest rank for both rebal and imp). AT-ST's might be limited to one per player at Colonel, but I am not suggesting any limits.
(6) For creatures, creature handlers get to control 1 to 2 extra creatures (ONLY, not droids or faction pets) based on their advancement.
(7) NO MATTER WHAT, no player can EVER control more than 3 pets (as in droids, creatures, OR faction pets) at a time. All of the previous numbers are modified by this standard.
Now, I believe this comprehensive plan addresses all problems possible with droids and pets.
Players don't want to be limited to ONLY one pet. They aren't, but have to earn the right to have more than one.
Players don't like that the game has arguably turned into poke*** with all the creatures, but love droids and have asked for more droid usefulness. They get it.
Devs want some limits on pet use to prevent unbalancing. Players are limited to one droid/creature, with exceptions in certain classes. Further limits could be used to limit players to only one combat droid (limits on droid types). Faction pets (already nerfed to only be useful against factional targets) have to be earned, and are further limited by the 3 pet max rule.
Droid engineeers want diversity of functions in droids. They get it.
Droid engineers want players to be able to handle multiple droids to better sales. All players now have a reason to buy multiple droids, further boosted by the fact that certain players get to call a second droid.
Droid engineers want repair/decay needs. Combat droids (Droidekas) break down and need to be replaced.
All players love droids and want more of them. Now they have a reason to buy them.
Everyone is happy, don't you think?
Don't presume to speak for MOST DEs. Show me a poll that demonstrates this. I've read all the threads pertaining to this and if anyhting, the opinion seems to lean the other way if it's not fairly evenly split.
"Give Droidekas 1000 HAM, light armor, and whatever resistances bestowed by the armor module. Make them usable by all players."
That's one of the worst ideas I've heard in a while there chief. I would much prefer a longer delay during which time the devs really considered carefully balancing the addition of the droideka before I'd take this completely gimped 1000 HAM, lightly armored Droideka that you propose. A lightly armored 1000 HAM droid tanks even less well than an 820 HAM medium armored probot. I have every condifence that we will get the Droideka in time. When it does finally arrive, we want it to a force to be reckoned with, not yet another addition to our line of laughable combat droids.
Quote:
Don't presume to speak for MOST DEs. Show me a poll that demonstrates this. I've read all the threads pertaining to this and if anyhting, the opinion seems to lean the other way if it's not fairly evenly split.
I disagree, but add the following:
When in ANY of the star wars movies did anyone every need to "handle" droids. All droids have AI and move about at their own will. They periodically follow commands from "masters" who were never droid engineers.
Look at the droid army in Episode I...a droid army that was run by officers that were droids. No handlers or engineers in sight.
Saying that you think DEs should be the CHs is dumb, and that is exactly what TH's proposal does. Noplayer has any added incentive to buy droids under his proposal. Players are limited to one pet, so they won't use droids over creatures or faction pets anyway.Pets never decay so no one never buys new ones. DEs only customers will be themselves. They become CHs who make their own pets instead of taming them. That is wrong.
If you are supporting his proposal, you are the one who is not looking out for DE interests.
Quote:
"Give Droidekas 1000 HAM, light armor, and whatever resistances bestowed by the armor module. Make them usable by all players."
That's one of the worst ideas I've heard in a while there chief. I would much prefer a longer delay during which time the devs really considered carefully balancing the addition of the droideka before I'd take this completely gimped 1000 HAM, lightly armored Droideka that you propose. A lightly armored 1000 HAM droid tanks even less well than an 820 HAM medium armored probot. I have every condifence that we will get the Droideka in time. When it does finally arrive, we want it to a force to be reckoned with, not yet another addition to our line of laughable combat droids.
You are 100% correct...I messed up. I meant for droidekas to be better than probots, but not as much as gurrecks (which devs just nerfed because they thought they were too powerful). I forgot that armor modules give medium armor...not just resistances. The error could be fixed by (1) giving the droidekas heavy armor (they did have shields in the movies after all), and/or (2) giving them 1500 ham instead of 1000.
Are you happier with those numbers?
As for the Droideka. If it were any les powerful than the pre-nerf probot (3100 HAM, 160 damage, variable armor), it would be an injustice. The problem that the devs had with the old probot was that anyone could have one and newbies were using them to tank high level mobs and power-level. If the droideka were certed near or at the top of the DE skill tree, the problem would be solved. Anyone who would sacrifice that many skill points just to use it and not partake of the crafting aspects of the profession is clearly a moron.
Isaac,
I 100% percent agree with everything you just said. 
Except..."working the high level certs into the DE skill tree (top-loaded to thwart the dabblers)."
My thought is that droids are VERY Star Warsy and should be able to be enjoyed by everyone. Although having different kinds of combat droids (some for non-DEs, some for DEs) kinda shoots a hole in my argument that DE only certs. hurts the class, I still don't see any reason for DE-only certs. If non-DEs get combat droids, 50% of DE problems will be solved (the other 50% consists of lack of functionality).
I also think the simplest solution is best. Devs are not going to do any more work than they absolutely have to. At most, we are probably going to get only one more droid model, if any. The droid model will either be (1) available to all players, or available to DEs only. #1 helps the class, #2 does nothing for the class. I went with #1.