Droid Engineer Archive
Thread: How about a droid buff?
I think slicing droids is a good idea too or at least slicing the combat modules, but I thought that would be a little too permanent of a boost and an "imbalancer" as it has been said about boosting our current droids. The thing I likeabout the buffs is that you get some variability with how you want you droid to work. So if you are doing the tanking you can boost your droid for ranged attack and if you want your droid to last a little longer in battle then you can boost it for melee defense. Other mods would be nice too, but all in all it has to be abusive to the droid enough that you wouldnt do it very often, unless you had the money to keep replacing droids. I mean if you can overcharge your CDEF why not a droid.
Prin
Well I agree wholeheartedly that armor should be reinstated. If anything could have good armor, especially against certain attacks, it should be droids. And I also agree buffing is more biological in nature, and is not a good term to use. I was mainly approaching this from the perspective that our armor is not going to be fixed (not that we should lie down and take this, but it may be a reality), that the current combat droids are still not, and may never be, up to par with BE CL10 pets, and that the DEVs would not like "permanent" enhancements for droids such as slicing. However, I think slicing is right in line where something like this should be either as a temporary enhancement or a fixed component. Even a permament slice to a droid to give it +10 melee defense would not be imbalancing to combat, because it would still lack any range modifiers. It just seems that temporary enhancements are not seen as game imbalancers because we have buffs, foods, slices, and power-ups. I mean a Rifleman with a krayt enhanced T21, some foods and spice, and a good set of buffs is pretty much a killer of all. Add melee mods to that template and you have sheer powerhouse. Not that they are going to make droids powerhouses, but adding a temporary benefit that taxes the droid provides balance in the long run in that, I gain high power now at the cost of the durability of my droid. If you put droid durability under these effects somewhere near the life of a gun or armor, you wont have a problem selling these things. Lets face it, people will pay millions for that uber gun or armor only to watch it decay in a few weeks. We're selling combat droids in the range of 40k to 75k on most servers. Those that can afford to be abusive to their droidswill have no problem forking out 60k for another droid every 2 weeks or so.
Prin Eckbo
Master DE, Shadowfire
Redondo wrote:
Well I agree wholeheartedly that armor should be reinstated. If anything could have good armor, especially against certain attacks, it should be droids. And I also agree buffing is more biological in nature, and is not a good term to use. I was mainly approaching this from the perspective that our armor is not going to be fixed (not that we should lie down and take this, but it may be a reality), that the current combat droids are still not, and may never be, up to par with BE CL10 pets, and that the DEVs would not like "permanent" enhancements for droids such as slicing. However, I think slicing is right in line where something like this should be either as a temporary enhancement or a fixed component. Even a permament slice to a droid to give it +10 melee defense would not be imbalancing to combat, because it would still lack any range modifiers. It just seems that temporary enhancements are not seen as game imbalancers because we have buffs, foods, slices, and power-ups. I mean a Rifleman with a krayt enhanced T21, some foods and spice, and a good set of buffs is pretty much a killer of all. Add melee mods to that template and you have sheer powerhouse. Not that they are going to make droids powerhouses, but adding a temporary benefit that taxes the droid provides balance in the long run in that, I gain high power now at the cost of the durability of my droid. If you put droid durability under these effects somewhere near the life of a gun or armor, you wont have a problem selling these things. Lets face it, people will pay millions for that uber gun or armor only to watch it decay in a few weeks. We're selling combat droids in the range of 40k to 75k on most servers. Those that can afford to be abusive to their droidswill have no problem forking out 60k for another droid every 2 weeks or so.
Prin Eckbo
Master DE, Shadowfire
Well I see what you mean, but I seriously think we need to stop with the 'existing mechanics' thinking. As it happens I dont like buffs, especially Doc buffs, just as a principle. I had and have no problem with the spice concept, and I can even go along with the Chef enhancements, but you mention temporary.
Well temporary is relative isn't it. If a fight lasts all of 15 seconds in PvP, and a Buff is say for 1 hour (just for the sake of a number) then really to all intents and purposes that buff is permanent. Ok I know you have to pay to renew it, but you see what I mean I hope.
As to guns, armour etc decaying, have you noticed how fast droid vitality is going down these days? Way faster than before. I'm all for repeat business, and decay, but lets not go too far...look at vehicle decay for an example of overzealous decay rates.
Now slicing a droid is an interesting idea, but I have the same worry as I mentioned before. The slicing is no more needed than wouldbuffing be, if the damn armour was where it should be in the first place, attached to the droid.
It just feels like accepting a major nerf, only to get the effects back via other methods. And if you do that why nerf it in the first place? A lot of development work for no added benefit, indeed worse than that, an increase in 'hassle factor'.
Still, nothing would surprise me now, dev time is often devoted to achieving exactly that, it seems.