Droid Engineer Archive
Thread: Yet Another Idea about Combat Droids
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typheon
Wed Mar 09, 2005 8:35 am
#1
Greetings,
In the past few days I have noticed a resurfacing of the periodic posts on combat droids. I know that based on the shear volume of requests for Super Battle Droids, Droidika, and Battle Droids that this may be a dead horse with the DE community, but I too felt the need to at least weigh in an idea I have been toying with.
I am not a frequent poster (looks nervously at this being his 5th post), instead I prefer to troll the boards and read the ideas of others. Of all the profession boards this one seems to be one of the more constructive. It is my hope that you all will be gentle...
My suggestion is more focused on adding more variety in the type and abilities of the combat droids I could offer. I suggest combining some of the concepts introduced in JTL with expanded combat flexibility in droids. This idea is mainly focused on the humanoid droid chassis, for now the LE Repair Droid and perhaps a new humanoid chassis for this purpose. What I propose is to be able to build a LE Repair Droid and hand it a standard weapon that any player might wield. Once completed this combat droid would fight with the skill level of a novice brawler for melee weapons or a novice marksman for a ranged weapon and would only be certed for the weapons a novice of the respective profession could use. Then using data modules in combination with the unprogrammed droid modules (now relegated to the back stock room since changes in JTL) to impart special abilities to this droid. I would definitely limit droids to using skills and certs found in the novice trees of either brawler or marksman.
So for example, I am a rifleman as well as a Droid Engineer, I build an LE Repair Droid with a lvl 6 data module and 2 combat modules. The combat module ratings would still be used to determine base damage of the droid. Then, using several unprogrammed droid modules I program the droid to use say overcharge shot, mind shot 1 and 2, the tumble moves in ranged support, and give it the certification for a Laser Rifle. Then I hand over a Laser Rifle to my new body guard/hunting partner, and there you go. The droid could act in a very similar way to the NPC enemies that are already running around everywhere using the same equipment we do. It can randomly choose a special move to use from the list I programmed it with and the laser rifle would function in much the same way that is would if I where using it.
Now these droids would suddenly be more flexible then the average Probot, but be limited thus hopefully removing the need for a Droid Commander profession. The weapon handed to a droid would decay under the same rules it decays for players, so it would eventually need to be replaced. It would mean more business and interaction with weaponsmiths. In short order you could end up with a flexible combat partner that could learn varied combat styles depending on how a player plays. If you need a tank to take point, find someone with brawler skills to program a few chips for you and hand your droid a Gaffi Stick or a sword. Need medium range support fire, then find a marksman to program some carbine specials and hand your droid a EE-3 Carbine. Ideally, in addition to the LE Repair Droid being adapted for this purpose there would be a dedicated combat chassis added. Something humanoid and with inherent combat abilities like the Probot or the DZ70.
Thoughts?
/kowtow
Typheon
In the past few days I have noticed a resurfacing of the periodic posts on combat droids. I know that based on the shear volume of requests for Super Battle Droids, Droidika, and Battle Droids that this may be a dead horse with the DE community, but I too felt the need to at least weigh in an idea I have been toying with.
I am not a frequent poster (looks nervously at this being his 5th post), instead I prefer to troll the boards and read the ideas of others. Of all the profession boards this one seems to be one of the more constructive. It is my hope that you all will be gentle...
My suggestion is more focused on adding more variety in the type and abilities of the combat droids I could offer. I suggest combining some of the concepts introduced in JTL with expanded combat flexibility in droids. This idea is mainly focused on the humanoid droid chassis, for now the LE Repair Droid and perhaps a new humanoid chassis for this purpose. What I propose is to be able to build a LE Repair Droid and hand it a standard weapon that any player might wield. Once completed this combat droid would fight with the skill level of a novice brawler for melee weapons or a novice marksman for a ranged weapon and would only be certed for the weapons a novice of the respective profession could use. Then using data modules in combination with the unprogrammed droid modules (now relegated to the back stock room since changes in JTL) to impart special abilities to this droid. I would definitely limit droids to using skills and certs found in the novice trees of either brawler or marksman.
So for example, I am a rifleman as well as a Droid Engineer, I build an LE Repair Droid with a lvl 6 data module and 2 combat modules. The combat module ratings would still be used to determine base damage of the droid. Then, using several unprogrammed droid modules I program the droid to use say overcharge shot, mind shot 1 and 2, the tumble moves in ranged support, and give it the certification for a Laser Rifle. Then I hand over a Laser Rifle to my new body guard/hunting partner, and there you go. The droid could act in a very similar way to the NPC enemies that are already running around everywhere using the same equipment we do. It can randomly choose a special move to use from the list I programmed it with and the laser rifle would function in much the same way that is would if I where using it.
Now these droids would suddenly be more flexible then the average Probot, but be limited thus hopefully removing the need for a Droid Commander profession. The weapon handed to a droid would decay under the same rules it decays for players, so it would eventually need to be replaced. It would mean more business and interaction with weaponsmiths. In short order you could end up with a flexible combat partner that could learn varied combat styles depending on how a player plays. If you need a tank to take point, find someone with brawler skills to program a few chips for you and hand your droid a Gaffi Stick or a sword. Need medium range support fire, then find a marksman to program some carbine specials and hand your droid a EE-3 Carbine. Ideally, in addition to the LE Repair Droid being adapted for this purpose there would be a dedicated combat chassis added. Something humanoid and with inherent combat abilities like the Probot or the DZ70.
Thoughts?
/kowtow
Typheon
e6alfa
Wed Mar 09, 2005 8:42 am
#2
I could live with this idea. I have thought about it myself when I started out a DE. I thought about adding a weapon, made by a weaponsmith as the combat module. We used armorsmith parts for the armor right? I don't think this would ever happen, but it a pretty cool idea. Maybe help make the combat droids worth something.
Straker_Atrella
Wed Mar 09, 2005 10:20 am
#3
Not a bad idea, at all, would be very cool.
The only problem that I can think of is this would be a big step up in power from our current droids, especially with programing specials. If Droid power goes up, then you need to start assuming that people will have them when you plan content.
Then the people without droids have it harder.
It's a rough cycle.
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