Droid Engineer Archive
Thread: New Droid System
Page 1 of 2
Akkori
Sat Jul 30, 2005 9:19 am
#1
I dont recall this ever being discussed, but if so, please forgive. It's been a long time since I wasted any time thinking up idea's for DE, but this one may solve what seems to be a core issue for our profession, and the products we make.
The issue it seems is the fact that Droids exist for one main reason. They are there to make life better for us. They do things we cant do, make the things we do better, and they do the little things we just hate to do. But this is a game, and the Devs can not let Droids do everything for us. It would turn out like some kind of SimProduct. So, with that foundation, it appears that we need to set it up so that we can NOT do *everything* faster and better with droids. We need to set some limits. Why can an MSE droid help a Medical professions? It has no arms. Why can't a BLL store more than the same MSE?
What if Droids were severely limited in their functions? Instead of having up to 6 modules, and the potential for up to 6 different and useful (sic) skills, they could only do up to 2 things? Or maybe even only 1? We have room for 5 droids. Personally, as a MDE, I have 3. I dont need any more. Combat, multi-crafting/Storage, Barker/Struc Maint/Storage/Data.
What if we were to make it so that Droid functions were tied to its chassis size and complexity? When crafted, the DE makes it for a specific purpose. They make a combat droid, or a Weaponsith Crafter droid, or a Scout Harvest droid, or a Barker droid, etc... What this would do is open up the market for DE. We would be crafting a lot more droids, and since players can only have 5, there is a built-in limit to how many different things can be made easier or faster for the players. No more All-In-One droids that will NEVER need to be replaced.
I think we should also add in the inherant chassis bonuses that has been posted about a few times. This would go a long way to making ALL our pitifully few chassis useful in some way. This should augment the attractiveness of thre droids enough so that people will want to have them. Not *need* to have them, but *want*.
This would be a pretty significant upgrade, but it holds promise, I think. It allows the Devs to put in new Droid functions, and to expand the existing functions. We could even see better combat droids if they put in a chassis that takes up more than one droid "slot" in the datapad. Want a CL80 droid? Sure! but it is the only droid you can have in your datapad. Want a droid that can go looking for resource percentages inside a 100m radius on a distant planet? Sure! It uses survey tools as "charges", takes up 2 droid slots, and takes a little longer per trip than if you had run out there yourself. Scout harvester droids should have fully articulated arms. BLL should hold a lot of stuff (duh.. um, its Binary LOAD Lifter!).
Lets hope some DE changes WE want are coming soon.
Yoda-5499
Sun Jul 31, 2005 1:39 am
#3
The current system needs just needs to be tweaked a bit in my opinion. Maybe tweaked a lot.
Let us go ahead and put any module inside a MSE droid. We can have it so that the MSE is "Generic Droid". Any module you want, like now, but only one. Then you could go on to specialize.
Astromechs could only be equipped with space related modules. That would include the data module and maybe a storage module in which the pilot could carry things (repair kits or something). Create ne modules which would have the droid increase pilot actions. More power without risking damage, onboard repair of components, increase accuracy with missiles, you know, things it would need during a space flight or battle. And with these modules, the pilot could program the droid to do certain tasks as soon as it is needed to. Shields as 10%, increase power for protection. But, have it so as the pilot progresses, they need better droids, not modules, droids. So, a Novice pilot could only have an R5 with a data module, whereas an Ace could have an R3 with all the things he wants because he would be qualified to use it.
Surgical droids could only carry medical related modules. Medical modules, storage, and maybe a crafting station for making things. Also have it able to put cybernetics onto patients. Have droids set to heal group members during combat, like a mechanical medic. Different chassis would enable it to do tasks better or worse. Current surgical droid chassis, great for moving in combat to aid group members, not powerful. But, droids like FX-7 would be better suited to healing faster, but limited in speed.
Protocol droids would be very hard to be given a specific task. Whereas most protocol droids in Star Wars are translators, those droids couldn’t be in SWG because everyone can learn all the languages. Take away that ability and having a translation droids would become a necessary which is not what we want. We want droids to make things better, not complicate them. Then, what good is a protocol droid? Protocol droids couldn’t be able to store items or any combat related tasks. Having them be the only ones to have a Merchant Barker module could work, but is that would do? Stand outside of Theed and shout? I say allow them to be waiters/bartenders. They could also be equipped with vendor modules which would allow people to purchase drinks from them. With the added bonus of personality chips, protocol droids make very good waiters/bartenders.
LE Repair droids would be very easy to give them a specific job. Repairing. Repair modules could be created and only be able to be put into LE Repair droids. These repair modules could be used to fix items. Damaged and disabled speeders could be healed to a certain level in which they could last until brought to a garage. And, with repair modules, LE Repair droids could work on the inside of POB ships. Like astromechs, these droids could be programmed to run over to stations which are below a pre-set percentage level and fix them, leaving people safe from the possible hazards of plasma leaks and what not.
The power droid shouldn’t be equipped with any modules. It should be built for use at camp sites and other temporary structures. It could also be used for power for a factory.
Binary Load Lifters should be used in the process of moving structures such as houses, guild halls, city halls, cantinas, etc. By packing your house up with all the items in it, it would then be placed into your inventory. But, you cannot move after obtaining it. You would then have to call out a BLL and put your house into it. Then travel to a location, and take the house from the BLL and place it. And when not being used as a house transport, the BLL should be able to hold more items than the standard droid.
Ah, combat droids. We all want them, but how do we let the system take them and still be balanced? Well, first off, we need special chassis designed for combat. I don’t seem to recall astro droids on the battlefields during the Clone Wars. But, I do remember these droids: Battle Droids, Super Battle Droids, Droideka, and IG-100 MagnaGuards. These four droid chassis would provide different combat assets in SWG.
First off, what the regular Battle Droid could do. Used during the Clone Wars, they could merely be considered walking blasters. Their brains think only of the destruction of specified targets. Greater in numbers, but equipped with a blaster, it is still an opposing threat (using SWG combat as reference because in the actual Star Wars universe, one well-aimed shot could destroy the droid). These droids would be equipped with a blaster module. This blaster module would allow the owner to equip the droid with a weapon comparable to its combat level. If defeated, the blaster could be picked up as loot.
Battle Droid limitations: Max combat level would be CL 30. Max droid armor level that could be equipped would be 3. One possible module slot (not including defensive slot) would be on the droid. The blaster module would be required to build the droid. That slot could be used for anything combat related.
Next, I’ll talk about the Super Battle Droid. Also used during the Clone Wars, these machines proved to be more powerful than the regular Battle Droid. Super Battle Droids, or SBDs, were much larger and had more protection against blasters. With most of the body covered in thick armor pads, this droids would stay longer in battle against the enemy. SBDs had blasters which were mounted on their arms, but they were capable of using certain external weapons, though their large hands made it difficult for them to use smaller blasters. These droids could be built with both a ranged combat module and a blaster module.
Super Battle Droid limitations: Max combat level would be CL 50. Max droid armor level that could by equipped would be 5. Two possible module slots (not including the 2 defensive slots) would be on the droid. Ranged combat module would be required to build the droid. The two slots could be used for anything combat related.
Next up, the droideka. Like the SBD and Battle droid, this too was used during the Clone Wars. Although it had a slender frame, the thing that made this droid a formidable opponent would be the fact that it has two built in blasters and a personal shield generator. This droid could move fast to almost any location by transforming in and out from a ball form.
Droideka limitations: Max combat level would be CL 60. Max droid armor level that could be equipped would be 4. Two possible module slots (not including defensive slot) would be on the droid. The ranged combat module and the shield generator module would be required to build the droid. Two slots could be used for anything combat related.
Finally, IG-100 MagnaGuards. Used mainly by General Grievous, IG-100 MagnaGuards excelled in melee combat. The Magna Guard Series carries, usually, an electrostaff (looks like a staff, but conducts energy fields at its ends which can cause severe damage to living tissue and inanimate objects alike and can repel lightsabers) as its personal weapon of choice. To supplement its melee combat capability the droids were also equipped with twin guided missile launcher magazines placed on their backs. The droids were remarkably resilient, even for a droid design. They were capable of surviving decapitation and still fight effectively, due to back up processors in their chests. The strong Cortosis metal that their bodies were constructed from allowed the droids to survive great falls. Furthermore, their hands could detach from their sockets and attach to other surfaces or objects. Equally deadly is the combat programming of the droids.
IG-100 MagnaGuard limitations: Max combat level would be CL 80. All droid armor modules could be equipped. Three possible module slots (not including the 3 defensive slots), would be on the droid. The melee combat module would be required for the droid which would allow the droid to use melee weapons such as pikes and staffs. When the droid is readied and put into the datapad and called, it automatically has the electrostaff equipped. This staff would not be the best staff out there, but it would be a formidable weapon. The other slots could be used for combat related modules.
All of the above mentioned droids would be used by either a Droid Handler or low-level players. Anyone could use the DZ70 and Probot. Nothing on them should be changed except for the fact that they should only use combat related modules.
Other notes:
Droid armor levels would increase the droid’s CL by 10 per level i.e. one droid armor level 3 equals CL 30 droid. Shield generators would increase the CL by another 20. If, for example, two droid armor level 3s were put into a Battle Droid, the Battle Droid would still only be CL 30. If armor is put onto droid other than combat droids, their armor rating would go up, but no CL would be added. If I missed any droids, tell me.
Let us go ahead and put any module inside a MSE droid. We can have it so that the MSE is "Generic Droid". Any module you want, like now, but only one. Then you could go on to specialize.
Astromechs could only be equipped with space related modules. That would include the data module and maybe a storage module in which the pilot could carry things (repair kits or something). Create ne modules which would have the droid increase pilot actions. More power without risking damage, onboard repair of components, increase accuracy with missiles, you know, things it would need during a space flight or battle. And with these modules, the pilot could program the droid to do certain tasks as soon as it is needed to. Shields as 10%, increase power for protection. But, have it so as the pilot progresses, they need better droids, not modules, droids. So, a Novice pilot could only have an R5 with a data module, whereas an Ace could have an R3 with all the things he wants because he would be qualified to use it.
Surgical droids could only carry medical related modules. Medical modules, storage, and maybe a crafting station for making things. Also have it able to put cybernetics onto patients. Have droids set to heal group members during combat, like a mechanical medic. Different chassis would enable it to do tasks better or worse. Current surgical droid chassis, great for moving in combat to aid group members, not powerful. But, droids like FX-7 would be better suited to healing faster, but limited in speed.
Protocol droids would be very hard to be given a specific task. Whereas most protocol droids in Star Wars are translators, those droids couldn’t be in SWG because everyone can learn all the languages. Take away that ability and having a translation droids would become a necessary which is not what we want. We want droids to make things better, not complicate them. Then, what good is a protocol droid? Protocol droids couldn’t be able to store items or any combat related tasks. Having them be the only ones to have a Merchant Barker module could work, but is that would do? Stand outside of Theed and shout? I say allow them to be waiters/bartenders. They could also be equipped with vendor modules which would allow people to purchase drinks from them. With the added bonus of personality chips, protocol droids make very good waiters/bartenders.
LE Repair droids would be very easy to give them a specific job. Repairing. Repair modules could be created and only be able to be put into LE Repair droids. These repair modules could be used to fix items. Damaged and disabled speeders could be healed to a certain level in which they could last until brought to a garage. And, with repair modules, LE Repair droids could work on the inside of POB ships. Like astromechs, these droids could be programmed to run over to stations which are below a pre-set percentage level and fix them, leaving people safe from the possible hazards of plasma leaks and what not.
The power droid shouldn’t be equipped with any modules. It should be built for use at camp sites and other temporary structures. It could also be used for power for a factory.
Binary Load Lifters should be used in the process of moving structures such as houses, guild halls, city halls, cantinas, etc. By packing your house up with all the items in it, it would then be placed into your inventory. But, you cannot move after obtaining it. You would then have to call out a BLL and put your house into it. Then travel to a location, and take the house from the BLL and place it. And when not being used as a house transport, the BLL should be able to hold more items than the standard droid.
Ah, combat droids. We all want them, but how do we let the system take them and still be balanced? Well, first off, we need special chassis designed for combat. I don’t seem to recall astro droids on the battlefields during the Clone Wars. But, I do remember these droids: Battle Droids, Super Battle Droids, Droideka, and IG-100 MagnaGuards. These four droid chassis would provide different combat assets in SWG.
First off, what the regular Battle Droid could do. Used during the Clone Wars, they could merely be considered walking blasters. Their brains think only of the destruction of specified targets. Greater in numbers, but equipped with a blaster, it is still an opposing threat (using SWG combat as reference because in the actual Star Wars universe, one well-aimed shot could destroy the droid). These droids would be equipped with a blaster module. This blaster module would allow the owner to equip the droid with a weapon comparable to its combat level. If defeated, the blaster could be picked up as loot.
Battle Droid limitations: Max combat level would be CL 30. Max droid armor level that could be equipped would be 3. One possible module slot (not including defensive slot) would be on the droid. The blaster module would be required to build the droid. That slot could be used for anything combat related.
Next, I’ll talk about the Super Battle Droid. Also used during the Clone Wars, these machines proved to be more powerful than the regular Battle Droid. Super Battle Droids, or SBDs, were much larger and had more protection against blasters. With most of the body covered in thick armor pads, this droids would stay longer in battle against the enemy. SBDs had blasters which were mounted on their arms, but they were capable of using certain external weapons, though their large hands made it difficult for them to use smaller blasters. These droids could be built with both a ranged combat module and a blaster module.
Super Battle Droid limitations: Max combat level would be CL 50. Max droid armor level that could by equipped would be 5. Two possible module slots (not including the 2 defensive slots) would be on the droid. Ranged combat module would be required to build the droid. The two slots could be used for anything combat related.
Next up, the droideka. Like the SBD and Battle droid, this too was used during the Clone Wars. Although it had a slender frame, the thing that made this droid a formidable opponent would be the fact that it has two built in blasters and a personal shield generator. This droid could move fast to almost any location by transforming in and out from a ball form.
Droideka limitations: Max combat level would be CL 60. Max droid armor level that could be equipped would be 4. Two possible module slots (not including defensive slot) would be on the droid. The ranged combat module and the shield generator module would be required to build the droid. Two slots could be used for anything combat related.
Finally, IG-100 MagnaGuards. Used mainly by General Grievous, IG-100 MagnaGuards excelled in melee combat. The Magna Guard Series carries, usually, an electrostaff (looks like a staff, but conducts energy fields at its ends which can cause severe damage to living tissue and inanimate objects alike and can repel lightsabers) as its personal weapon of choice. To supplement its melee combat capability the droids were also equipped with twin guided missile launcher magazines placed on their backs. The droids were remarkably resilient, even for a droid design. They were capable of surviving decapitation and still fight effectively, due to back up processors in their chests. The strong Cortosis metal that their bodies were constructed from allowed the droids to survive great falls. Furthermore, their hands could detach from their sockets and attach to other surfaces or objects. Equally deadly is the combat programming of the droids.
IG-100 MagnaGuard limitations: Max combat level would be CL 80. All droid armor modules could be equipped. Three possible module slots (not including the 3 defensive slots), would be on the droid. The melee combat module would be required for the droid which would allow the droid to use melee weapons such as pikes and staffs. When the droid is readied and put into the datapad and called, it automatically has the electrostaff equipped. This staff would not be the best staff out there, but it would be a formidable weapon. The other slots could be used for combat related modules.
All of the above mentioned droids would be used by either a Droid Handler or low-level players. Anyone could use the DZ70 and Probot. Nothing on them should be changed except for the fact that they should only use combat related modules.
Other notes:
Droid armor levels would increase the droid’s CL by 10 per level i.e. one droid armor level 3 equals CL 30 droid. Shield generators would increase the CL by another 20. If, for example, two droid armor level 3s were put into a Battle Droid, the Battle Droid would still only be CL 30. If armor is put onto droid other than combat droids, their armor rating would go up, but no CL would be added. If I missed any droids, tell me.
Akkori
Sun Jul 31, 2005 5:38 am
#4
Considering the ingenuity of people, and the skills they have in making and modifying things, I dont have a problem allowing any droid with arms the option of havinga medical modules. MSE are pests. They are in the movies and books. They are severely limited due to their size. They should only be good for a couple things... blowing up, delivering messages or a single small item anywhere on the same planet its on,playing a small Holograms recorded by Entertainers, and assisting Entertainers in their performances.I dont mind Astro droids being a general-purpose droid, but it should not have the ability to be a medical droid, or a scout harvest droid. It can deliver stuff to any planet.
The whole point was that it seems to me the problem is that Droids are potentially too dang useful. The more useful they are, the more hinderances have to be introduced for balance. Having a droid army at your beck and call will NEVER happen unless severe restrictions are imposed. What if you paid "maintenance" on a droid? Either in the form of credits (representing the effort needed to keep it functioning), or you had to load factory crates of batteries in it, and it used a charge every 60 seconds? Its things like that we have to consider. There are no free checkers. The Dev's ultimate goal is to keep us paying that $15 a month. If the game is too easy, we finish it faster, and quit.
Yoda-5499
Sun Jul 31, 2005 5:55 am
#5
Akkori wrote:
Considering the ingenuity of people, and the skills they have in making and modifying things, I dont have a problem allowing any droid with arms the option of having a medical modules. MSE are pests. They are in the movies and books. They are severely limited due to their size. They should only be good for a couple things... blowing up, delivering messages or a single small item anywhere on the same planet its on, playing a small Holograms recorded by Entertainers, and assisting Entertainers in their performances. I dont mind Astro droids being a general-purpose droid, but it should not have the ability to be a medical droid, or a scout harvest droid. It can deliver stuff to any planet.
The whole point was that it seems to me the problem is that Droids are potentially too dang useful. The more useful they are, the more hinderances have to be introduced for balance. Having a droid army at your beck and call will NEVER happen unless severe restrictions are imposed. What if you paid "maintenance" on a droid? Either in the form of credits (representing the effort needed to keep it functioning), or you had to load factory crates of batteries in it, and it used a charge every 60 seconds? Its things like that we have to consider. There are no free checkers. The Dev's ultimate goal is to keep us paying that $15 a month. If the game is too easy, we finish it faster, and quit.
How do you define the way to "finish" the game? As I see it, there is no way to finish the game.
And also, how are the droids "too useful"? If you mean that any chassis and do pretty much anything, I agree. Put if you mean that droids can do so much in-game, then I'd have to correct you. Droids are pretty much limited compared to the droids in Star Wars. Take, for instance, R2-D2. I know that he has been upgraded compared to other R2 models, but he still has most of the same things they do. Smokescreen, fire surpresser, buzz saw, "buzz" baton, jets, databank, manipulator arm, storage, database access arm, and an arc welder. R2 models in-game can have storage, databank, and a manipulator arm (which can't be used). I could go on stating the differences between droids in Star Wars and the droids in SWG, but I won't. Bottom line: Droids are limited in their abilty now and even if that were changed, it wouldn't affect gameplay to the point of "finshing" it.
If they put in a "Droid Handler" profession that allowed me to have a Battle Droid, a Super Battle Droid, and a droideka out all at once, I'd stay in the game. And even if I had Mastered it, I would still pay my $15 every month because of it.
edit: Pushed "Sunmit Post" to soon.
Message Edited by Yoda-5499 on 07-31-2005 06:11 AM
QuantumArtist
Sun Jul 31, 2005 6:29 am
#6
Iwifia wrote:
great idea's, to bad the devs hate DE's, SL's, Smugglers
Wrong! They hate everyone!
Yoda-5499
Sun Jul 31, 2005 6:37 am
#7
QuantumArtist wrote:
Iwifia wrote:
great idea's, to bad the devs hate DE's, SL's, Smugglers
Wrong! They hate everyone!
Wrong! They just really like Jedi! (oh, if a Dev sees this, I don't mean it, it's all in good fun!
)
Akkori
Sun Jul 31, 2005 3:34 pm
#8
Your right tho, they DO like jedi. Way to much IMO. But those people pay the bills, and jedi is all you see when the marketing people decide to promote the game. Glowstixs fer teh WIN! 
You are right also when you say droids are mostly useless in SWG. But thats exactly my point. The Devs cant let them become *too* useful, or it will be too unbalancing. So, if we are to see any decent improvements, we will need to be willing to accept the parts that are meant to balance out the new usefulness. It seems that up to now the Devs have not been bale to find a solution they like. The Droid Handler prof was an attempt to maintain the balance of usefulness and hinderance. You spent valuable skill points to gain the use of combat droids. Its in this vein that I believe the answer lies. By limiting significantly what a single droid is able to do, it introduces limitations on what characters can do in game. By adding droids that take up more than one droid slot in the datapad, it adds more options for droid usefulness.
Basically, I am just really tired of the crafting professions being mostly ignored, dumbed down, and getting "additions" we didn't want.
Yoda-5499
Mon Aug 01, 2005 5:13 am
#9
I am trying to see how droids could be *too* useful in SWG. Only way that droids could be too useful is if when the droid defeats a target, you get the XP for it. Other than that, anything could go. Vendor droid in cantinas wouldn't hurt. Pit droids to fix vehicles could go well if they acted like vehicle repair kits which had limited uses per each item, except in the form of a droid. Tons of options for droids that wouldn't hurt anyone.
In my opinion, increasing the ammount of space one droid takes up in the datapad is a bad move. If a CL 80 IG-100 MagnaGuard (saying this because we all want one) took up 4 slots. I could only have one other droid. And if I'm a pilot, most likely that droid will be an astromech. But, I also have a "crafting" droid. It has all the crafting staions I would need to make my supplies and storage. See what I mean, it wouldn't be fair.
Answer for this, Droid Handler profession. This profession would allow people to take control over higher level combat droids, like the Creature Handler preofession allows players to take control over higher level, um, creatures. Players could still use the standard CL 30 like we have now just like they can control certain level creatures, but anything higher wouldn't work. (I would go into detail on how the skill tree would look, but that can be for another thread.)
But, if the "Droid Handler" isn't an acceptable idea by whoever approves new professions, what if your skills determined what you could have? A CL 80 [insert elite combat profession] would be unstoppable, both in PvE and PvP, if they could have a CL 80 droid fighting at their side. So in order to counter that, being above a certain CL would disable the use of that type of droid. Therefore, only people who couldn't fight for themselves could have the droid. CL 1 crafters could use their droid to complete quests which would otherwise be impossible for them without a group of CL 80 friend(s).I think that could be an answer in the ways of the combat droid.
Just tossing ideas around.
In my opinion, increasing the ammount of space one droid takes up in the datapad is a bad move. If a CL 80 IG-100 MagnaGuard (saying this because we all want one) took up 4 slots. I could only have one other droid. And if I'm a pilot, most likely that droid will be an astromech. But, I also have a "crafting" droid. It has all the crafting staions I would need to make my supplies and storage. See what I mean, it wouldn't be fair.
Answer for this, Droid Handler profession. This profession would allow people to take control over higher level combat droids, like the Creature Handler preofession allows players to take control over higher level, um, creatures. Players could still use the standard CL 30 like we have now just like they can control certain level creatures, but anything higher wouldn't work. (I would go into detail on how the skill tree would look, but that can be for another thread.)
But, if the "Droid Handler" isn't an acceptable idea by whoever approves new professions, what if your skills determined what you could have? A CL 80 [insert elite combat profession] would be unstoppable, both in PvE and PvP, if they could have a CL 80 droid fighting at their side. So in order to counter that, being above a certain CL would disable the use of that type of droid. Therefore, only people who couldn't fight for themselves could have the droid. CL 1 crafters could use their droid to complete quests which would otherwise be impossible for them without a group of CL 80 friend(s).I think that could be an answer in the ways of the combat droid.
Just tossing ideas around.
Zenoee
Mon Aug 01, 2005 7:13 am
#10
Sounds like there is lots of good ideas in all these posts, good ideas that will never become more than that, an idea. I really like the sound of pit droids and bartenders/small walking vendors. Those would be 2 great additions. I also totally agree that a personwho is CL80 using a CL80 droid is unbalanced and a little too powerful. If there can be no Droid Handler profession, the there should be a maximum CL for players.
On the other hand, if you do have very powerful droids, say Battle Droids, Super Battle Droids, Droideka, and IG-100 MagnaGuards, and you were the sole person that used it, you would need to have some crafting skills for repairs, programming, and say 'theoretical customizing'. So what if you had to have Artisan Eng. 4 to be able to use the droid. That pulls 29 skill points from 'super combatants' or maybe even Novice Droid Engineer for the best of the best, that would be 35 skill points. That could drop a CL80 person down a few notches. (Granted I'm not gonna sit here and crunch numbers to figure all the possibilities out, this is all day dreaming anyway, not like we will EVER get anything from the devs 
[sorry devs but we HAVE lost faith, do you blame us?]) That could even out CLs a little without adding a new profession AND throw all crafters a much needed bone! Shouldn't you need some type of skills tomaintain a more advanced droid?
[sorry devs but we HAVE lost faith, do you blame us?]) That could even out CLs a little without adding a new profession AND throw all crafters a much needed bone! Shouldn't you need some type of skills tomaintain a more advanced droid?I do have one comparison to make. I hear many people saying droids shouldn't be needed, only wanted. Can't have anything that you can only do 'with' a droid...... Why not? How much can you do without a weapon? How much can you do without armor? How much can you do without wound healing? Everybody that uses a ranged or melee weapon please raise their hands. Hhhmmm looks like we have about 90... maybe 92%? How many have a weapon in there inventory for those special circumstances? HHmmmm 100%? Wow, would you look at that! How much can a droid do that a living being can't do? Lots of dangerous things that SW relied on droids to do. I don't want to be forced to make 1000 crates of mandatory R3s either. That is one reason I have been against having droid features that only a droid can do. I do think however there is a good argument for this, even if I am a little lazy and sorta against it. LOL Hey you can play both sides if you want, nobody ever said you couldn't!
Ido disagree with the 'dumbing' down of droids from what they are now butagree with Yoda-5499's breakdowns of expanding the current chassis to be more mod specific. As it stands now you can have maybe 2-3 droids that have all the features. All R3s and nothing else. The only things you would want a specific droid for is a R3 harvester, trapper, and bomber, if they worked. Also the BLL would be great for collecting harvester resources, factory crates, and adding power. It could email you the data of what it got from where. If you noticed harvester 5 didn't give any resources then you would know to go out and change it. Or it would just give the info you needed, harvester 5 has 10k power (3 days), 5k maintenance (5 days), and harvesting a 62% sample of Carb. Ore. Woohoo! Wouldn't that be great!
Ok enough day dreaming, lets get back to work!
Yoda-5499
Mon Aug 01, 2005 10:39 am
#11
You like me, you really like me! Er, you like my ideas, you really like them! But, I'm going to have to go against some of what you're saying, Zenoee. Sorry, but I have to make the case, just the way I'm programmed.
Now, I see where you are coming from on the "upkeep" of the advanced versions of droids. But, if the "Low CL Player=High CL Droid" concept were put in, it would be for all low CL players. That's including the Chefs, Tailors, Dancers, Musicians, Image Designers, Merchants, Shipwrights, Bio-Engineers, Doctors, Medics, and any other profession that doesn't give CL and isn't achieved with Engineering IV: Complex Systems branch of Artisan. Would you really make people lose skill points to own a droid (that is, of course, an entire profession wasn't made)?
Next arguement, required droids. Droids are meant to make things easier for sentient beings in Star Wars. While many people had droids, they didn't need droids. I can't think of a profession (except Droid Handler ) that needs a droid. And making droids needed for a profession wouldn't be fair. Think of it, you have made Master [insert profession] and have held that title of over a year and a half, and find out that you need to have a droid to do what you've been doing without one. Plus, like I said before, droids make things easier, not complicated.
You say how much can I do without a weapon/armor/wound healing? I can't really do anything with a weapon/armor/wound healing, but watch me craft up a storm with a crafting tool. And if I give that Master [insert CL 80 combat profession/Master of a medical related profession]] a crafting tool, he can't do anything, but with a weapon/wound healing, he'd be deadly. But, what could we do ONLY with the help of a droid? Nothing. The only profession that would need a droid would be Droid Handler profession. (how many times have I mentioned that profession?)
In conclusion (for this post), I'll say this: All droids need to be able to do more things, but not one droid able to do all things.
Now, I see where you are coming from on the "upkeep" of the advanced versions of droids. But, if the "Low CL Player=High CL Droid" concept were put in, it would be for all low CL players. That's including the Chefs, Tailors, Dancers, Musicians, Image Designers, Merchants, Shipwrights, Bio-Engineers, Doctors, Medics, and any other profession that doesn't give CL and isn't achieved with Engineering IV: Complex Systems branch of Artisan. Would you really make people lose skill points to own a droid (that is, of course, an entire profession wasn't made)?
Next arguement, required droids. Droids are meant to make things easier for sentient beings in Star Wars. While many people had droids, they didn't need droids. I can't think of a profession (except Droid Handler
) that needs a droid. And making droids needed for a profession wouldn't be fair. Think of it, you have made Master [insert profession] and have held that title of over a year and a half, and find out that you need to have a droid to do what you've been doing without one. Plus, like I said before, droids make things easier, not complicated.You say how much can I do without a weapon/armor/wound healing? I can't really do anything with a weapon/armor/wound healing, but watch me craft up a storm with a crafting tool. And if I give that Master [insert CL 80 combat profession/Master of a medical related profession]] a crafting tool, he can't do anything, but with a weapon/wound healing, he'd be deadly. But, what could we do ONLY with the help of a droid? Nothing. The only profession that would need a droid would be Droid Handler profession. (how many times have I mentioned that profession?)
In conclusion (for this post), I'll say this: All droids need to be able to do more things, but not one droid able to do all things.
Asron_Cavuseri
Mon Aug 01, 2005 10:43 am
#12
What if there was a new skill mod related to using combat droids? Combat Droid Efficiency, or Combat Droid Use?
This would only be given in certain boxes. I think it would be a very good idea for Droid Engineers to have this mod, but also some of the other combat professions should get it. For instance I think smugglers should get Combat Droid Efficiency/Use in the Underworld branch. Bounty Hunters could get it in the Investigation branch (though their skill mods wouldn't be as high, for instance if Smugglers got +5 Combat Droid Efficiency a box, Bounty Hunters may only get +2). People may start working their templates around so that they can get one of the elite professions that allows them to use combat droids at a higher efficiency. This could also be translated into a Max Level of Droid mod, much like the Max Level of Creatures mod for CHs.
Comments, ideas? Maybe only certain professions should get the higher mods, but efeverybody should be able to use droids at SOME level of efficiency.
Yoda-5499
Mon Aug 01, 2005 10:58 am
#13
Hmm, good idea. Have Droid Engineers use their own Battle Droids. That would be cool. But, if they were to apply those skill mods, they would have to set it up as if it were a profession of it's own to accurately portay the training. In English, they would have to make it like it were a profession to make it balanced.
That's why I like the Droid Handler idea so much. You don't see Bio-Engineers using their own "products" unless they are also a Creature Handlers. We would then have a target market other than mass-producing seekers for Bounty Hunters.
But, if you gave the skills to other professions, more specifically combat ones, it would tip the scales WAY too much. CL 80 Master [insert combat profession] AND a combat droid? That would make it incredibly unbalanced in both PvE and PvP.
Everyone could use CL 30 droid like they are now, but anything better would have to be given to a specific group. That group would be (which I keep saying if anybody reading this thread and hasn't picked up my hint) Droid Handler. But, if that can't work, I still like the idea to non-combat people could use the droids. But, I am leaning ALOT toward Droid Handler. You could say I'm at a 1 degree angle towards it.
That's why I like the Droid Handler idea so much. You don't see Bio-Engineers using their own "products" unless they are also a Creature Handlers. We would then have a target market other than mass-producing seekers for Bounty Hunters.
But, if you gave the skills to other professions, more specifically combat ones, it would tip the scales WAY too much. CL 80 Master [insert combat profession] AND a combat droid? That would make it incredibly unbalanced in both PvE and PvP.
Everyone could use CL 30 droid like they are now, but anything better would have to be given to a specific group. That group would be (which I keep saying if anybody reading this thread and hasn't picked up my hint) Droid Handler. But, if that can't work, I still like the idea to non-combat people could use the droids. But, I am leaning ALOT toward Droid Handler. You could say I'm at a 1 degree angle towards it.
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