Ranger Archive

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If you look at the astromech stats past and present you will see that Ranger began SWG in the Top 5 most sought professions and now we are in the bottom 5.

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That right there is why. How many thousands of people left the profession, or eventually the game, because Ranger did not live up to their expectations?

Now what if they fixed it? Things would not change instantly overnight, but the loss of people wasn't instant either.

How many people have we seen over the years say, "I love Ranger, but I have to drop it. I can't justify the loss of skillpoints"? I know I'm one of those. There are a lot of other lurkers and former-Rangers that post in here even now. Because we're Rangers in spirit, but cannot afford to be in game.

Message Edited by Rhyeal on 08-25-2005 03:16 PM

I think Paks said it clearly.

Ranger should be fixed because it has the potential to be so much more than it is.

If Rangers had the following:

camps that serve as tactical staging areas, providing useful combat - defensive buffs and mods.

traps that could affect the outcome of combat.

specialized and unique specials that can render the fiercest living thing into a bleeding pile of meat.

contributions to the GCW with stealthy movement, surprise strikes and diversionary ground based traps and biological explosives.

Imagine how the ranger player base would grow, and the cost would be justified because rangers would then almost live up to the expectations that we have for it.

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Vorpaks wrote:
Its funny, but I can barely remember the reasons, in my opinion, Ranger should be fixed, I've been so focused on just "IT SHOULD BE FIXED" for so long.

One reason is that Ranger is one of the more diverse classes in the game. Our four lines do vastly different things - they are not just another line of special attacks. Carbineer, Pistoleer, Rifleman all do the same basic thing in different ways. The hybrids like BH and Commando are a little different - but not much. Ranger is useful both in combat (trapping, to hit bonus) and out of combat (camo, camps, creature knowledge). It has combat aspects, crafting aspects, and healing aspects. It offers a wide range of activites for every game session.

Having different options in an MMORPG is important - or else things become static and boring, a monoculture of player types. Professions like Ranger, that offer a fun gameply that breaks the normal mold, are important to the health and to maintaining the interest level in an MMORPG (again, in my opinion). Having four different types of gameplay: Combat, Crafting, Healing, Entertaining is great, but what really piques the interest of a lot of players are the professions that don't really fit in any of those categories. Scout, Ranger, ID, Bio Engineer and perhaps Creature Handler are a few I consider mold breaking, and therefore interesting. Even if you don't choose to play one of these characters you know they're there and you can some day try them out if you want. This creates a deeper game.

Now I will modify this by saying I think Ranger has the potential to be everything I listed above. It was the potential that had so many people jumping in the profession at first, potential that caused the sudden rush after Holocrons post, and the fact that Ranger never lived up to its potential that had them all leaving and is keeping many away now. A lot of people think Ranger sounds "cool" and maybe have always wanted to try it, but it is just not very useful right now.

So when I think of why Ranger should be fixed, I think "because it has so much potential." We all joined this game after all on the potential it would be great. Whether or not it lives up to that potential keeps us here or causes us to leave disappointed. The more fully fleshed Ranger is, the more fully fleshed the game is. And that much more interesting.

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I know for me it has been this very reason "potential". I looked one day at all the skills for every class in this game and when i was done, i knew i would be trying ranger just becuase it looked so attractive just reading the benifits of each skill box. Since i have become a mr, I have come to love it as my favorite(out of 3 characters)because rangers have so much "character". Sadly, it is my least played toon because my other 2 are more useful.

Should it be fixed? I say YES, because I'm sure many more would try it and even keep it for more than a few weeks thus sinking more time into the game, which would lead to more money for soe and lucas arts in the long run and possibly (gasp!) create some satisfied customers.

For myself the answer is getting easier as time goes on. A Ranger is all I ever asked to play in SWG. I look around now and thereare actually a couple of mmorgs on the horizen that I think I want to play, I couldn't say in the last 2 years that I've played here.

They had better fix the bugs in the ranger profession and game or I will be playing others and if those games turn out as promised. Me and my two accounts are going to play somewhere else. I love StarWars but I can only go on forlong on empty promisesandsince the CU and last expansion I have the distinct feeling of being ripped offbySOE.

SOE does their marketing to make a money off us, it's the only thing they understand. When we all leave and all they have left is Jedi playing this game, perhaps they will understand then, but it will be too late for them and sadly, too late for what could have been the worlds bestonline game.

To answer the questionof the thread. They need to fixRanger because if they don't, this game, not to knock Jedi,will be ruined. Pretty much anyone in the game knows, that Ranger is gimped. They fix Ranger it makes a statement." Yeswe are going to fix professions." You cannot have a game where the only thing worth playing is aJedi.Its just doesn't make sense they have to know that,everybody is oneprofession, albighteach with a bit of a different "force package". Cause that is what I see happening, sadly.

I dare say that I will be surprised it SWG is still running next year with as many servers as you see today, and the same number of players. Many are like me, biding their time until this winter....mass exodus..mark my words.

not everyone likes jedi or wants to grind out a jedi.If they fixed the other profs they would not lose so many people to the new mmorpg's because there would still be so much to do in swg.BUT with so much broken why bother!SWG loses so many people to every new game because the players have played all 5 or 6 of the profs that work and want something new.Very few play the broken classes and why should they,they suck!!!!I mean really ,unless you are a ranger at heart you would never play a busted prof like ranger or commando or.....Fix the profs and more people would play them and play for longer thus more$$$$$$.Start fixing or change the name to jedi galaxies and get ready to lose everyone to the next big game.The reason WOW took so many players away was because it was new and un broken,plus they fixed the bugs asap.Do that here and fewer players would leave and more would return.