Ranger Archive
Thread: Top Five Debate
NRaas wrote:
My Suggestions
- Master Ranger skill does not provide enough "meat" for those who attain the skill
True of all professions, I wouldn't expect a significant change to a skill that only needs 1 skill point to get.
- Crafting system needs more depth
Again this is generally true across the board, frankly I don't want to have to have to experiment on camps, making them is bad enough. I do like the modular camps idea and such though, so forgive me if this is what you mean.
- Conceal needs to be reevaluated for cost-effectiveness (rare resources vs. ineffective results)
Good point.
- High Tech Field Base and its cost-effectiveness (resource requirements vs. disbanding)
Very good point, I'd include the regular Field Base here as well, I just don't see something called Field Base abandoning cause I step outside for a minute, or because a krettle aggroes me.
- Examine Window additions
I'd agree here, put the HAM, and damage, BAF (could've swore the added that, did they remove it again?)
- Post away good Rangers.
My personal top five:
1. Is something in the Ranger line screwing up Mask Scent? For me personally it has become safer for me to not use Mask Scent at all. I can get within 40 meters of an aggro safely without it, but with it, creatures break mask from over 100 meters away and auto attack. (usually warp right to my location as well) Conceal is broken as well, not worth spending the points on yet. Too much resource costs to make kits, can't make kits for some planets until to far into the line.
2. Tracking. Can /areatrack possibly be changed so that it always lists the 50 closest creatures no matter how far away they are? (Within reason, maybe within 1500 meters or something) Can some type of waypoint function be added? I can click on findings in the menu with no real purpose. Also can tracking possibly force spawn the area around you, annoying to use areatrack, get no results, then walk 50 meters and have a nest spawn on top of you. Also I'd like at some point to track a specific creature, and have it work similar to a destroy mission, I guess /track will likely do this whenever they add it.
3. Rangers Reference Section possibly added to the Holocron, at Novice Ranger, or somewhere in the tracking line. If I for instance what to know what creatures will provide Yavinian Wooly Hide, or Lokian Domesticated Meat, I should know this information. Perhaps it will only contain information on creatures you've harvested before. Also better all around info when using examine, perhaps all information you've examined should also be added to the Ranger's Holocron.
4. Camp changes, Fieldbases should be semi-perm. They need to last until,
a. I travel
b. I die
c. I log out
d. I select disband camp
Experience gainable in a field base should be upped, the cap I believe is something like 1175, in a group the camp caps out relatively quickly, sometimes I will disband the camp and put a new one up to keep getting xp. 2500 or so would be a better limit, perhaps with the rate slowing down after the camp passes 1000 XP.
5. Trap changes, I don't have trapping so I won't comment much on it, but certain traps were brought up by the devs previously, I'd like to see those introduced so trapping is worth pursuing.
ImpSlave
- I'm keeping the issues here broad...
- And then supplementing them with the issues and requests in the State of the Profession list.
- The final letter will contain far more detail than a single sentence. 
- I just want to know where you all want the focus to be placed.
"True of all professions, I wouldn't expect a significant change to a skill that only needs 1 skill point to get. "
- It does not simply require one 1 skill point.
- It also requires all the other skills beneath it to be complete.
- The idea is have something unique for Rangers specializing in all the skills...
- Something a Dabbler in one of the branches will not be able to receive.
"Again this is generally true across the board, frankly I don't want to have to have to experiment on camps, making them is bad enough. I do like the modular camps idea and such though, so forgive me if this is what you mean."
- The Modular camps, and more robust effectiveness are both included in this issue.
----
- DeltaXi65 and I will converse about who receives the honor of pushing /maskscent issues (most likely it will fall on him)
- Your other focus issues have been noted.
NRaas wrote:
- I just want to know where you all want the focus to be placed.
My 2 credits:
The Trapping and Frontiering lines have more adjustments coming, so those are of lesser importance to me.
Your list looks pretty on-target. I would say that issues with conceal (resources required, effectiveness) would definitely take top 3 billing.
More robust crafting? I would certainly like to see the quality of resources translate to a longer duration on our traps, for example. I am not fond of crafting (giving up artisan was the best thing I've done to-date), so I do not want to see more elements added. I believe you are refering to the former, though.
My greatest issue with areatrack (or perhaps it is a question) is that it only picks up creatures that have spawned. I'd like for it to check the spawn table, but if that is not the intent...
Iagree that the title of "master" should have a crowning jewel, but perhaps that is a "wish" list item instead of an issue?
Great Work NRass!
I am sure that many other rangers as well as me are very thankful to you for all the time you have invested in helping our profession. I have seen other Profeesion forums and i am sure that there are several other professions that to do not have the luck we Rangers have on having such an active correspondent, well organized and straight-to-the-point issue identfying guy as you are.Really, thanks a lot.
Anyway,I have a suggestion on how to make to make this Top 5 Issue thread a bit more organized and consensefull. This idea came to me cause in the first place i kinda disagree with the Top 5 list you posted, not because the 5 issues aren't important, just because I think its not represernative of the wide variety of issues we have in all our four skill trees. For example, i think that the issues among the Trapping skill tree isone of the areas that need much more attention from the designer and the devs,and your TOP5 five listyou doesn't reflect this.
But this is, of course, just my humble subjective opinion. And i am sure that other Rangers have their own humble subjective opinion. And if we don't figure out a way to organize and give a method for everyone to find consensus on identifying the REAL Top 5 issues, i foresee that this thread will become an infinite posting place where each and everyone posts his own 5 issues, with a chance we may never REALLY agree on the actual 5 MOST IMPORTANT issues.
I think that the 5 issue list must reflect the MOST IMPORTANT fix request on EACH AND EVERY AREA OF THE RANGER PROFESSION. So this way, if the 5 top issues are in fact addreses by the devs, the result will be an improvement on the Ranger Professions an OVERALL, on every single area.
So, i have an idea on how to organize this, here it goes:
The Ranger Profession has 4 skill trees, as well as an additional skill box for those who attain the Master Ranger Status. Thise takes us to the fact that 4 skill trees ( each one different aspect of the ranger profession) plus one ( Master Status) equals to : 5!!! (FIVE)
So how about this. Lets everybody post his own Top 5 Issues but each single issue is related to one of the 5 mayor areas of the being a Ranger. As an example on how to do this i will post my own Top List following thise outline:
1- TOP ISSUE OF THE WAYFARING SKILL TREE:
Please fix the camouflage problems, Camouflage mustn't break as oftenand it shouldn't be cost prohibitive.
2- TOP ISSUE OF THE FRONTIERING SKILL TREE.
Gives a widervariety of types and more interactive camps.All camps should be interactive(using objects besides crafting stations) and Modular Camps should be implemented on Wayfaring 4.
3.- TOP ISSUE ON THE TRACKING TREE
Addtionson the examine window ( ex. social assisteveness, HAM, resource quantity)
4- TOP ISSUE ON THE TRAPPING TREE
Implement new traps (like the proposed Luring trap, Area Root, trip wire, etc) and make some of them usable on Players and NPC's and ALLtrapsusable on Player Pets.
5.-TOP ISSUES FOR MASTER RANGERS.
Give them more meat, make it worthwhile to become a Master Ranger. For example: Implement Hunting Lodge and Critical Creaure Hit as a trophy for becoming masters of the wilderness.
So here is my list. I believe that if everyone post on a critical issue in all of these 5 areas, at the end it will be easier to narrow the singleTop issue on Wayfaring, Top on Frotiering etc. Also, giving to the devs a list of Tops issues on the mayor 5 areas will give us the opportunity to receive an OVERALL improvement on the Ranger Profession and not just three or two skill trees. I think that everyone must keep in mind that not everybody is after being a master ranger, we have to think also on those who for example just wantto master the Trapping skill. By posting this way, those whoi want to become masters AS WELL as those who dont want to will get their candy. A master will get the imporvemt on the Master Box as well as the other four improvement on the skill trees, while those who want only to work through or two skill trees will have it more appealing too.
This i just an idea, looking forward for NRaas' feedback as well as all other Rangers'.
Range Away!
Eter Solwalker
Naritus Medic/Carbineer/Ranger
"The Trapping and Frontiering lines have more adjustments coming, so those are of lesser importance to me."
- Agreed.
- We know changes are coming down the line... So I would suggest holding off on focusing on that in this Top 5.
"More robust crafting? I would certainly like to see the quality of resources translate to a longer duration on our traps, for example."
- Well, itsall part and parcel... For those Rangers who do like crafting it would be nice to have a deeper system to facilate their needs.
- But... If you choose to not use the additional features, the generic items should still have reasonable effectiveness.
"My greatest issue with areatrack (or perhaps it is a question) is that it only picks up creatures that have spawned."
- Yes, their was a suggestion to track Spawn Points. That way we could find the lairs and wait for them to spawn their contingent of creatures.
"Iagree that the title of "master" should have a crowning jewel, but perhaps that is a "wish" list item instead of an issue?"
- The Top 5can be consideredboth a Wish List and an Issue List.
- It is used to focus the developers efforts toward goals that we see as the primaryimprovements of the day.
Ether_Sunrider
- Definitely an intriguing organization.
- I would prefer not to restrict the focus issues quite so drastically though.
- Many of the focus issues, such as PvP changes arc over multiple branches, and it would leave too many choices in the Overall listing.
- We know that Trap improvements are coming down the line, so I would prefer not to focus on that until GreenMarine makes his changes (and then we rip them apart with vigor )
- Anyways... Do you really think this ragtag bunch will follow a standard at all. 
Hmm, I like and agree with all of those NRaas. I can think of one more thing that needs to be looked at for Rangers, but not sure which if any of your 5 would get swapped out for.
Rangers need more traps, both PvE and maybe one or two PvP. But only 2 for the elete profession compared to about 10 for the starting profession, doesn't sound right.
IMO the whole Ranger profession needs work and asking for help just for Master's is both short-sighted and of no use to dabblers. This forum is VERY anti-dambler and these reports should put forth help for all rangers and not just masters. Further, Holo has hinted time and time again the game is not going to give big rewards to masters. Read the pistoleer discussion and see how Holo talks about moving +speed from master pistoleer down the tree. This very clearly weakens master and rewards dabblers. If the Devs are encouraging dabbling don't waste 1 of your 5 points asking for something they are not going to deliver.
-conceal is largely useless and needs to be re-examine. It must work good enough to trust to use OR it is better to not use it and walk around mobs (i.e. knowing you will be aggroed by a mob and keeping distance is far far far better than walking near a mob knowing it will aggro you 10% of the time). In essence, anything less than very high 90% sucess is pointless.
-conceal kits are FAR too difficult to collect the resources for. The planet-specific items are rare. A camo kit with rare parts is counter-intuitive. The requirements should be relaxed. A better suggestion would beto require planet-specific but not type-specific resources for the kit. So the Lok kit would need LokHide not Lok Leathery Hide. This would make the kits far easier to throw together quickly. The current system requires too much advanced preparation in order to visit planets.
-Areatrack should just list 1 of each animal if the animals are close...like say 25M radius. OR an option should be added to search for lairs.
-terrain negotiation above +50 should increase your running speed slighty - perhaps 10%. Faster crawling is pointless. Rangers spend ALOT of time far from the cities. At Wayfaring 4, the ranger should provide a small bonus in movement to the group, like +10.
-Trap effects are too random. You have to be able to count on them or they are pointless.
1- Tracking seems to be broken with the latest patch. Most creatures don't appear in the window and when you walk a few steps you see a lot more of them... see here:http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=ranger&message.id=14987
I only trained in tracking so far...
Rangers need more traps, both PvE and maybe one or two PvP. But only 2 for the elete profession compared to about 10 for the starting profession, doesn't sound right.
Yet another "fault" ofalot ofthe Elite Professiosn. All theEliteWeapon Professions (those which only require oneweapon and not Master Marksman) only add onenew weapon compaired to thehalf dozen or so you getwhile getting to the Novice Elite Profession. Not to mention that a lot of those weapons are specilized and situational.
Now back on target...My Top Five Issues.
1)A PvP Gimmick: Idealy having our traps work on CH pets. Rangers should be the counter to CH'ers.
2) Field Basesthat are Bases.Some that can be left up for some time that group can use as a base of opporations while out deep hunting.
3) More noticable Edge in PvE Creatures : Maybe more powerful traps, or a re-vamp of the CreatureTo-Hit. Or even the "Lure" trap. The ablity to counter the BAF of Socail creatures would be very helpful
4)/conceal to work as advertised :I am aBothan Master Ranger. More often then not my Conceal should time out and not bebroken.
5) There is no number 5
-gustavef
Hello all,
I have been playing since the beginning of the "pay to play beta" as I've heard it calledand I've seen the problems associated with scouting/ranger tree. I wouldn't call any of the problems so major I need to quit, but some can be annoyances. Of course, it doesn't end there.The main problem I'm seeing is there is no way to make money as a ranger. I see upper level weapons selling for between 50k and 150k credits. I don't think skinning and selling the resources is going to get you that kind of cash. Not when you can survey, drop a harvester, and sell those resources. I don't want to be in the survey business but I see no other choice.
One thing the devs could consider is the ability for non-scouts/rangers to use camps, traps, and camo kits themselves. These users wouldn't get the full benefits (aka camo kits) but tell me why someone can't throw a trap or setup a tent. The game already allows for the use of items that are not certified. I feel this will expunge the dabblers and allow thosewho normally wouldn't to use scouting equipment. Also, it would create a market for the items we produce.
If I am off base or if this has been brought up before, please disregard.
Esiom
Novice Ranger/Kauri