Ranger Archive

SWG is about self-directed playstyles. The "Master" title really doesn't define the player as much as the skills they choose to acquire. In fact, I don't like the requirement to Master 5 different professions to open the FS Slot since that smacks of "Class" games like EQ et al. But that's another thread (or a few billion, already in progress ).

People try different combinations of skils to see what works best for them as a gamer. The titles are somewhat irrelevant in this regard, unless a particular personality aligns that closely with a give skill set.

That's what profession Mastery means. I enjoy being a Scout so much because I like everything about it. In fact, I like it so much I want to become better at everything about it.

The folks I feel bad for are those forced into roles they wouldn't otherwise take if it wasn't a prerequisite. Like Artisans needing to be Masters just to make vehicles, or Entertainers needing to be masters just to use the only stringed musical instrument in the game. What does being able to sell on a vendor or being able to change the tattoos on someone's face have to do with vehicles or a Mandiovol?

I agree with Darniaq. I'm a ranger...but I'm also a rifleman, nearly a master marskman, a novice artisan (so I can make my own food, and sometimes clothes), a CH (so I can have a hunting buddy when I'm solo, and so I can eventually have a mount and my trusty hunting slice hout out at the same time), and a novice medic (so I can heal myself and others a little when in camp)...I'm debating maybe dropping one or two of those professions to go after TKA.

It's a ridiculous number of skill points to do all of these things, but it's the way I felt my character would be. I felt I should have some knowledge of handling creatures, assorted weapons, medicine, and also be able to be somewhat self-sufficient. That fits perfectly into the Ranger mold in my eyes.

Also, if someone is mastering scout and then working their way up some of the ranger tree, then I don't see the problem. They're making sacrafices just the same in order to get that skill instead of some additional crafting skill or marksman skill.

Fine....then drop CH and Pistoleer.....

Then restate your argument after you yourself are no longer a dabbler.

You dont have to be the best at making traps to be an efficient tracker

You dont have to make the best and biggest camps to be an efficient tracker.

You dont have to crawl the fastest or move undetected to be a tracker (although it helps)

Tenessee has an excellent point. Balance-wise, most classes are constructed such that 90% of the benefit of that class is in the 4th level boxes and in the master box. This encourages people to specialize in that class rather than dabble. The ranger tree is a complete mess. All 4, level 4 boxes are of dubious value. 90% of the benefit seems to be from boxes 1-3 in a single branch of the profession (tracking), and the masters box doesn't seem to be of much value either. So of course, like Tenessee said, it just encourages people to be 0-0-3-0 rangers.

I disagree that this is even dabbling since everyone you use as an example(ecxept for BH) needs to aquire at least 2 more scout branches to master scout in order to get novice Ranger and the tracking branch. These people are devoting several more skill points than they have to in order to access one branch which to me is devotion. if those skills are that important to their character, then they should be awarded those skills if they spend the extra points on the "unneeded" scout skills to get there. I say unneeded because a CH or BH only needs to go up one or two branches of the scout tree to get their profession; they don't need those other branches to play a CH or BH. Sure, it cuts into the need of rangers by other players to track for them when they can do it themselves, but there are still PLENTY of people out there not willing to spend those skill points for the tracking branch who will see your master ranger/novice ranger title and ask for your assistance.

I'm not arguing that 0-0-3-0 rangers are too powerful, don't get me wrong. In fact I'd say they are underpowered if anything considering the skill point investment. I still think the harvesting multiples should be like 2x and 3x scout, not 110% and 120% scout. What I'm saying is, is that there needs to be significant SIGNIFICANT reason to advance further into the ranger tree, and there just isn't motivation now. The level 4 boxes are just a bad joke, and so is the masters level box.

Some BHs are apparently tired of dabbling, too, and simply want to steal Area Tracking wholesale from Rangers:

http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=bounty_hunter&message.id=125377

This has been proposed again and again by BHs, and it just makes me shake my head every time.

As for Master boxes having the best skills in SWG rather than 4th-level boxes, you must be smoking something or playing professions I haven't because almost everything I've found has its best skills at the 2nd or 4th level in a tree. Master boxes are typically a joke.

That is the main reason i got in mind i think, is BH's. They want to basically take area track for there own. They do however a point in how BH's use area Track for people. BH's also are trying to get Traps. Another ranger specialty. They want useful traps, when are traps, imo, are not that usefull (debatable). I Figure we should get useful traps over them, since we have a tier in our skill tree that is a specialty in traps. I guess this tread should have been about BH's alone, i just kinda stuck i nthe other professions on the spur of the moment.

Sort of an expensive dabble, especially for the BHs who have few SP to play with if they want to master BH.

And a dabble that sometimes can bite ya right where the sun don't shine, i.e. the old you can't see what ain't spawned yet problem.

As to other classes stealing our stuff... no problem, just let us "steal" one of their abilities in return. BHs want areatrack (yeah, all that time spent talking to snitches is good practice for tracking), we get the ability to use LLCs or their pistol line, free, no skill pts needed. Terrain Negotiation went to CMs, how putting bandaids on booboos qualified them for this, I got no freaking idea. What did we get... not even an advil for the pain.

Balance my ...oh I am spozed to be nice til NRass gets back... poop.

Anyhow, let em dabble, they wasted the SP and and the time and effort. Heck, I "dabble" as a novice medic, wish I didn't have to, but I like healing me quick. At one point I had dabbled almost to master medic, lol.

JB

Am I the only one thatsees a problem with this? Ranger has the tracking Tree which is the rangers most usefull tier IMO with Area-Track. Yet, everyone else, CH's, BH's, BE's, Rifleman, etc etc have it b/c they use it to track animals. Is is feasible to make this a skill only Master Rangers Can have? Because everyone else has it, the only use Master Rangers has is "throwing up there big tent." Rangers should be used more in groups as a main part in the hutn for creatures, yet everyone other profession can accomplish the same thing with a few extra skill pts.

I'm just tired of Rangers not playing the role of being the trackers whic hthey are suppose to be. Is this idea feasible? or a variant of this idea. Im just kinda blurtting it out b/c i dont like the whole everyone has tracking idea.

Cafe hit the nail on the head. BHs can use droids, and they do have snitches. However, the vast majority of BHs are:

A. Too cheap to use the droids if they can use a skill for free.

B. Too stupid to remember where the snitches are.

Remember when the snitches had no obvious labels? The morons couldn't find their own people.

If they think areatrack will help em, they are fooling themselves, as the lack of waypoints will kill them. Then they will whine and cry for a waypoint complete with flashing neon markers and a path straight to the mark, complete with a free vehicle to get there.

Tis a sad thing the BHs have to master scout, when most can't read a compass. Go check the scout forum, and see who whines the most. It's people on the way to BH.

Nuff said - realize that the majority of BH posts are by 13 y/o boys who want to be "Uber and l33t". Helps to take that into context.

JB

From what I've been reading on the BH forums, the main reason they're interested in area track is actually for Jedi Bounties, especially because (apparently) they're tracker droids don't work for tracking PC's.

/shrug

I agree with those here that point out that our "tracking" is following tracks in the dirt (or ice or whatever terrain we're on), not just following someone. I think a lot of BH's are missing that point.

As far as BH's go, I'm much more impressed with the ones that chide those looking for easy fixes and suggest that they build up a network of PC informants to hunt down PC quarry.

Just my 2 creds.

I can't stand the arguementby every single class to move their best skills to the Master Box will those that dont want to spend the skill points want basic skills like making a camp available to everyone. Rangers want Area Track moved to Master, BH's want Eye-shot moved to master, everyone wants to be able to heal mind wounds and set up camps. Well guess what folks you cant. I want to be able to use a Flame-Thrower, but as a ranger/bh i can't. I cant make the best ranger traps because i want to be able to heal myself.

Would everyone please stop posting threads like this.