Droid Engineer Archive
Thread: Droid and Pet calling proposal.
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Straker_Atrella
Wed Nov 17, 2004 5:58 am
#1
Lately we have been looking at a lot of huge sweeping changes to "fix," DE. Meaning make our product more marketable and usefull to customers.
The increasing of battery life lessened one thorn in our customers side, let's get rid of another. We have talked about this before Drashk, think it was in PM or maybe CU, but I have fleshed the idea out a lot more.
2 changes are needed, they are similar. Both changes would affect CH pets as well, since they would be connected and it would be good for them as well.
1. Droids called not in combat are called instantly.
- Droids called currently in towns or buildings would perform exactly like they do now.
- Droids called outside of a town or building would be called instantly, however, they would not listen to any orders for 15 seconds. Their default command would be "guard." They would automatically guard their owner for the first 15 seconds. Droids without a guard ability, would automatically follow. This is pretty much how things are now.
- After the first 15 seconds, they will follow any commands just like they normally would.
2. Droids can be called in combat.
- A Droid can be called in combat, yet it would take 15 seconds for that Droid to appear.
- A Droid that is called in combat would not receive any orders for the first 15 seconds that it is called.
- For the first 15 seconds of a Droid called in Combat, it will default to guarding it's owner, after those 15 seconds, it will follow commands normally.
That's it, those 2 simple changes would not only increase Combat Droid sales, but Harvestor, Trapping, and Stim Droids as well.
Why this is good.
To many people, while they are running missions orgoing from spawn to spawn, those 15 seconds pulling a Droid (or pet) "feel" like an eternity. Yes it is 15 seconds, which is nothing, but it it 15 seconds that somebody is forced to simply stand there and do nothing. This DOES hurt sales. I know people I have given free Droids too, yet they don't use them simply because of this wait.
Under the new system, you could call the Droid instantly. Then instead of waiting, start attacking, or moving towards your target, if it is a Combat Droid, it will Guard you. If non-combat such as Harvesting, bythe time the first couple are dead, the Droid is ready toHarvest for you. The key change is that you are not standing there doing nothing.
For non-combatents, this is huge, pull your Droid, and instantly it will be in guard mode. Droids asbodyguards for crafters are effective now, but by removing that 15 second wait, they are much more appealing.
Now the in combat part may get some people including developers antsy, yet really look at it. Call the pet, stay alive for 15 seconds, then the Droid comes, for the next 15 seconds, it will ONLY guard you. Then after 30 seconds only, it will receive commands. Even when you consider Bomb Droids, this is hardly overpowering, simply because the Droid is forced to sit there for 15 seconds before it will listen to a Detonate command.
Not everybody is buffed or armored all of the time, even a master combatent may need a helping hand once in a while, the problem is this usually happens fast. Critter by your house or Harvestor, friend needs help, many things. The problem is that most of the time, by the time you realize you need help, you are already in combat. At least now help wouldn't be immediate, but it would be coming.
Now for some people, incuding developers, this may seem overpowered, especially for CH, yet think about it. Any other combat profession can change their Weapon or Armor in or out of a fight. They simply have a (short) timer to do it, CH spent just as many skill points, why should they be any different? No they shoudn't be able to switch pets, but they sure should be able to pull them in a fight.
By making these 2 changes, EVERYBODY would want at least a combat droid simply for the emergency factor. That doesn't apply now because by the time you realize it's an Emergency, you can't use them.
This wouldnt make Droids or Pets actually more usefull in combat, but it sure would make them used more.
Message Edited by Straker_Atrella on 04-06-2005 08:28 AM
Straker_Atrella
Wed Nov 17, 2004 6:06 am
#2
I do ask something else of you fellow DE's.
Don't just read this, and keep your thoughts to yourself. If you like it, say you like it, if you don't say you don't. A relatively simple idea such as this will grow legs much easier if it can be shown that it is an idea people like.
Hoono
Wed Nov 17, 2004 6:34 am
#3
I Like it 
Gives a more "real" thing to the roids in that there's some kind or Boot-Up period for them to become fully-operational
And that 15 seconds is an age as well
Gron_DM
Wed Nov 17, 2004 7:52 am
#4
simple and effective is always good, will they devs look at this...we will see.
LonelyGhost
Wed Nov 17, 2004 2:10 pm
#6
The thing is, the delay really doesnt do aNy good anyway. Its not like our droids are a danger to anything 
. The only thing I see that might hurt is BH and SMugglers being able to pull their exploding droids while in combat...but is that unbalancing? I cant begin to guess the number of times I have been out seeking resources and gotten aggro'd by a spawn popping in around me, and wished I could call my droid so I could escape. I cant see how this could hurt. I say put it in.
. The only thing I see that might hurt is BH and SMugglers being able to pull their exploding droids while in combat...but is that unbalancing? I cant begin to guess the number of times I have been out seeking resources and gotten aggro'd by a spawn popping in around me, and wished I could call my droid so I could escape. I cant see how this could hurt. I say put it in.
duncje
Wed Nov 17, 2004 2:32 pm
#7
BH's and smugglers being able to send multiple "kaboom" droids out in the same fight would be extremely unbalancing. Assuming they can code something that would counteract this, you've got a decent idea here, Straker.
Only thing I can think of is the Devs might find it unbalancing is allowing the droid into any sort of combat (even guarding) in that initial 15 seconds. Just allow the droid to be called, and follow, for the first 15 seconds, then allow it to respond to other commands, once that 15 sec. delay is up.
Straker_Atrella
Wed Nov 17, 2004 3:41 pm
#8
First Lonely said it best Duncje, it's not like Droids are exactly overpowered and much of a threat in combat. I mean they are decen't but not exactly overpowering in PVE, or especially PVP. Guarding means it is totally defensive.
I thought about the Bomb droid issue actually. I bet you didn't know that a bomb droid can be called in combat already. Yep, they call them from a Deed, which brings them right into the fight, there is a 10 second delay about before the droid will take commands. That is part of what gave me this idea. It really isn't feasible with regular Deeds because you would need to destroy the Droid afterward to keep room in your Datapad.This is a little known fact.
Ok, even pretending that you can't call a bomb droid in combat now, because it probably is not intended, there is a 15 second pause to call it, then another 15 seconds before it would actually do anything. A Bomb droid can't even guard, so it would just stand there. During the 15 seconds that it would just stand there, it would be totally vulnerable, even non-targetted attacks would take it out. This would simply add something else for people in PVP to watch for. The current 10 seconds that the Droid is vulnerable makes people hesitant to use this, well plus the fact that very few people know about it.
DarthRoe
Wed Nov 17, 2004 4:02 pm
#9
Straker_Atrella wrote:I bet you didn't know that a bomb droid can be called in combat already.
I knew that.
I wholeheartedly endorse your ideas, as well. Here's to hope!
TheRealTK421
Wed Nov 17, 2004 4:36 pm
#11
I don't know if I see this happening in the short term.
However, with work being done on the Combat Upgrade....that might be a different story.
We don't yet know how combat will shape upand this might..............might............be something that could be considered.
What I think would be better to know, before trying to move forward with this in a serious way,is the percentage of folks that:
Note: The yellow is a 'use-category' for the poll.
What I think would be better to know, before trying to move forward with this in a serious way,is the percentage of folks that:
Note: The yellow is a 'use-category' for the poll.
- High-Use (Wait): Use a combat droid/creature, no matter what (wait or no wait), on a regular basis
- Low-Use (Wait): Use a combat droid/creature but only sometimes (wait or no wait)
- No-Use: Will not, under any circumstances, use a droid/creature.
- Low-Use (No-Wait): Use a combat droid/creature but only sometimes (would do this IF there were no wait)
- High-Use (No-Wait): Use a combat droid/creature on a regular basis, but only if there was no wait
Depending on how that poll broke-down, we could start to draw some better conclusion on how wait time affected combat droid/creature use (and would affect DEs/BEs/CHs).
/bow
Respectfully,
duncje
Wed Nov 17, 2004 5:38 pm
#12
Straker_Atrella wrote:
First Lonely said it best Duncje, it's not like Droids are exactly overpowered and much of a threat in combat. I mean they are decen't but not exactly overpowering in PVE, or especially PVP. Guarding means it is totally defensive.
True that droids aren't very powerful, but any changes made to the wait period would also apply to creature pets, and being able to call a lvl 50 rancor in combat without delays wouldprobably not fly. Droids and creatures were coded hand-in-hand, so any changes would most likely need to be universal, to shorten the development time involved.
I thought about the Bomb droid issue actually. I bet you didn't know that a bomb droid can be called in combat already. Yep, they call them from a Deed, which brings them right into the fight, there is a 10 second delay about before the droid will take commands. That is part of what gave me this idea. It really isn't feasible with regular Deeds because you would need to destroy the Droid afterward to keep room in your Datapad.This is a little known fact.
I suspected this might be the case. It probably shouldn't be this way, but if they can use them without the call delayin combat now, then it wouldn't be too unbalancing.
Ok, even pretending that you can't call a bomb droid in combat now, because it probably is not intended, there is a 15 second pause to call it, then another 15 seconds before it would actually do anything. A Bomb droid can't even guard, so it would just stand there. During the 15 seconds that it would just stand there, it would be totally vulnerable, even non-targetted attacks would take it out. This would simply add something else for people in PVP to watch for. The current 10 seconds that the Droid is vulnerable makes people hesitant to use this, well plus the fact that very few people know about it.
Just for the record, I agree with your idea, Straker. I was just trying to look at it "from the other side of the fence", so to speak, and judge it from what the Devs might point out as weaknesses or imbalances, or "free checkers", if you will.
I don't know how drastic sales increases would be, I suspect they wouldn't be increased by much, as this doesn'taddress either of themain problems facing us: "must-have" items, and decay.
bobaffe
Wed Nov 17, 2004 6:00 pm
#13
/agree
I know some of the noncombat proffs that for instance have a house close to Aggro SP on Dantooine would be very happy to be able to pull a guarddog when they arrive. Usually if you have a little slow loadtime youre allready under attack when u get control over your char. So if you then can pull a droid or a pet, that might just save your life that time.
I know some of the noncombat proffs that for instance have a house close to Aggro SP on Dantooine would be very happy to be able to pull a guarddog when they arrive. Usually if you have a little slow loadtime youre allready under attack when u get control over your char. So if you then can pull a droid or a pet, that might just save your life that time.
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