Ranger Archive
Thread: Suggestion: Goldie's plan for saving ranger
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GoldMemberBria
Mon Mar 15, 2004 4:37 pm
#1
Ok, many of you enjoy the RP aspects of being a ranger. Cool, you talk about it "calling" to you, you enjoy the "persona" having the title, and so forth. That's great. But this really should be more than simply a RP profession. Us "achiever" types who want to make characters who are useful hunters and explorers and who value each skill point we spend should have some justification for our selection of ranger as a profession. Yes, we have a very very very long list of stuff (and growing since nothing ever gets done) in the "state of" posts, but here is my much more targeted list. The focus here is to make rangers on more of a level playing field to other professions.
1. Redo the skill tree.
This needsBIG work. The fact that there are so many x-x-4-x rangers ought to tell you something.
a) keep the "tracking" branch as it is. Increased harvests, tracking, and rescue (this is for the two of you that use it, otherwise I'd say get rid of it, lol).
b) combine the other 3 (mostly worthless) branches into 1 branch. Call it "wilderness" or some such generic name. Trapping, /conceal, terrain navigation, /forage, and camps, all in one branch. Now you have a moderately appealing branch that is not a complete waste of skill points and time.
c) create a new branch that makes a ranger an effective hunter. Add in abilities aimed at bringing down creatures more effectively. I don't really care what. Ranger-specific weapons, ability to "critical strike", ability to incapacitate, or defensive stuff like perhaps the ability to "spook" a herd and make them flee. However it is accomplished, this should focus on making rangers effective animal hunters.
d) create a new branch that give a ranger some minimal appeal in PVP. I'm not a PVPer, but others have had good suggestions for this. Emphasizing stealth tactics in PVP (not appearing on the radar, not targetable through tabbing, able to gather important intel on enemies, etc.). Others have a lot better ideas then me in this area.
2. Improve on what is already there (the biggest bang for the buck items)
a) improve /conceal - nothing new here, just what others have said. /conceal needs to be MUCH more appealing then mask scent. It is the advanced skill, not mask scent (although this seems to be backwards right now). Otherwise, there is no justification for having it at all. If you don't want to nerf mask scent you have to make /conceal more powerful. My suggestion is that /conceal should work against all NPC's, can be applied toothers, and should never, ever, ever, everbreak (only wear off). If you decide to have a stroll in rancor valley on Dath, that is "your house", no chance of getting aggroed if you are skilled enough to make a Dath cammo kit.
b) improve traps - what others have said, not going to repeat it here. More and better traps.
c) improve camps - admit it, they are only eye candy, no need to spin your wheels to try to find some use for them. Rangers will love them as they are provided we aren't spending 14 skill points in persuit of bigger, more useless camps. Just make them repel aggros and add mission terminals to them and we're all set.
d) harvesting increase - increase the harvesting rate of rangers so that it accurately reflects the skill point sacrifices made in becoming a ranger (i.e. deciding not to put all those points into combat). Novice ranger box gives 50% harvesting increase over master scout. Master ranger gives 200% harvesting increase over novice ranger. The tracking line scales between these two values.
3. Add in some new ranger perks
a) Egg harvesting bonus - give rangers a substantial bonus to harvesting eggs.At least50%.
b) Fishing bonus - give rangers the ability to more effectively fish. Either by increasing harvests, or decreasing the time of getting a "bite" or both. At least 50% increase in total yield however.
c) Milking bonus - give rangers a substantial bonus to harvesting milk.At least50%.
Ok, now you guys can tear this apart and tell me I'm wrong, lol. go for it.
Calculus_Entropy
Mon Mar 15, 2004 4:47 pm
#2
I don't see anything particularly "wrong" with it. I am partial to the Outdoorsman stll, but we certainly need to maintain an influx of good ideas. If we stop thinking, the flames begin. Kudos to you. And let's hope for creature damage mitigation.
Jedur
Mon Mar 15, 2004 7:04 pm
#3
Calculus_Entropy wrote:
I don't see anything particularly "wrong" with it. I am partial to the Outdoorsman stll, but we certainly need to maintain an influx of good ideas. If we stop thinking, the flames begin. Kudos to you. And let's hope for creature damage mitigation.
Ditto.
DeltaXi65
Mon Mar 15, 2004 7:16 pm
#4
I love how people are trying to "save" something that's not endangered.
There's a chick I know who's goal in life is to "Save the Africans".
From what, I have no idea.
B
JBMat
Mon Mar 15, 2004 7:47 pm
#5
Frankly, we are broke.
Goldie has some good ideas. Nothing radical if you think about it. We spend a lot of skill points and get about nothing that works.
I disagree with the PvP deal - we are 'combat support", and we can PvP with a chosen combat profession.
But ultimately, we should be THE organic resource harvesters, not 30% better than scouts, should be 300% for the skill pts.
Granted, we don't ask for much - ok we do. I would like to see us fixed first, then let us get new stuff.
And rescue, if there was ever a more useless skill.... assisted suicide is what it is. I will trade that for anything. Almost.... no ID stuff. A rice ball even.
JB
jibberjabberfp
Mon Mar 15, 2004 9:09 pm
#6
Sounds good, mix in some other ideas that have been tossed around in the forums, and we could have the ranger the way its meant to be. Definately give more bonuses against creatures, abilities to trick the creatures, lead one off from the pack, hide from them, and spook them off.
AgonThalia
Tue Mar 16, 2004 6:42 am
#7
Some really good ideas.
I personally dont share the opinion that we are broke, merely underpowered. We have the potential to be so much more than what we already are...
Unfortunately we arent getting any of the love for a while.
Goldmember, you got some great ideas...and most of them are on a parallel path with the outdoorsman proposal. Good job, and thanks for some fresh ideas
I personally dont share the opinion that we are broke, merely underpowered. We have the potential to be so much more than what we already are...
Unfortunately we arent getting any of the love for a while.
Goldmember, you got some great ideas...and most of them are on a parallel path with the outdoorsman proposal. Good job, and thanks for some fresh ideas
GoldMemberBria
Tue Mar 16, 2004 10:11 am
#8
And I love how people are in denial about a ranger's viability. Think we're not endangered? read Tal-n's post and others like it that pop up every week. There is a power struggle right now to determine what the direction of ranger will be. Will we be hunters? will we be ranchers? will we be stealth combat studs?
DeltaXi65 wrote:
I love how people are trying to "save" something that's not endangered.
DeltaXi65
Tue Mar 16, 2004 10:31 am
#9
Gold,
These debates have been happening since August.
That was the last time we had a substantive change to this profession.
It is now 7 months later, and we're still here.
Granted, we need attention. I'm not disputing that. But we don't need to be "saved".
B
Ickpon
Tue Mar 16, 2004 11:24 am
#10
I really like "Jez3an's" idea. Furthermore I think we are broke too. I had originally planned on master TKA and master ranger, but ranger is just not strong enough to warrant using all those points when I can go 4/0/4/0 and still keep the bleed shot from my pistol line.
I really wish the types of changes mentioned in Goldies thread and by the rest of us get implemented, I would really love to see the value in being a Master Ranger, but I just don't.
The "Ick"....
Jez3an
Tue Mar 16, 2004 1:24 pm
#11
What I don't understand is why Ranger doesn't have some actual Traps - and I don't mean little things you throw at an animal, I mean actual snares that you set up and leave in position - something like this
Loop Snare
Resources
Frame
rganic Structural ~50
Snare Ligament
olymer ~20
Camoflage:Flora/Special
Bait:Special
Effectiveness:
Overall Quality: 50%
Decay Resistance: 25%
Malleability: 25%
When you create this trap, you get a deed, which you can place as per usual on the planet that produced the flora used for the camoflage (got to have the right camo). Depending on the bait you used, you will get a trap that is going to draw a different variety of creature, and so get you a different type of resources, like so;
Bait :: Effect
Meat :: Trap catches Carnivore meat
Jar of Foraged Bugs :: Trap catches Insect Meat
Grain :: Trap catches Wild Meat
Vegetable :: Trap catches Herbivore Meat
Jar of Foraged Grubs :: Trap catches Avian Meat
Eggs :: Trap catches Reptile Meat
Obviously, this is just a very rough draft, and you will need to vary the resources used and the amount obtained, and maybe the bait.
As you go higher in Trapping you can get different traps, which catch animals in higher quantities. Maybe Novice ranger trap only catches bone (actually, i think having the critter squim for ages in a loop snare may ruin both meat and hide, so Loop Snare could be for bone), at Trapping 1 Hide and at 2 Meat, then Hide in bigger quantities at 3 and so on...
Make the bait required affect what the trap can attract, use foraged materials as much as possible for bait to make it worthwhile too.
Make the traps take 1 lot. Maybe the later (stage 2) traps at 3, 4 and M take 2 lots.
They aren't redeedable ever, and can't be repaired either. Basically they last for a certain length of time before despawning, unless the ranger abandons them first.
Heck, it'd give my Ranger character on Starsider something to actually use lots for.
Whadda ya reckon?
Loop Snare
Resources
Frame
rganic Structural ~50Snare Ligament
olymer ~20Camoflage:Flora/Special
Bait:Special
Effectiveness:
Overall Quality: 50%
Decay Resistance: 25%
Malleability: 25%
When you create this trap, you get a deed, which you can place as per usual on the planet that produced the flora used for the camoflage (got to have the right camo). Depending on the bait you used, you will get a trap that is going to draw a different variety of creature, and so get you a different type of resources, like so;
Bait :: Effect
Meat :: Trap catches Carnivore meat
Jar of Foraged Bugs :: Trap catches Insect Meat
Grain :: Trap catches Wild Meat
Vegetable :: Trap catches Herbivore Meat
Jar of Foraged Grubs :: Trap catches Avian Meat
Eggs :: Trap catches Reptile Meat
Obviously, this is just a very rough draft, and you will need to vary the resources used and the amount obtained, and maybe the bait.
As you go higher in Trapping you can get different traps, which catch animals in higher quantities. Maybe Novice ranger trap only catches bone (actually, i think having the critter squim for ages in a loop snare may ruin both meat and hide, so Loop Snare could be for bone), at Trapping 1 Hide and at 2 Meat, then Hide in bigger quantities at 3 and so on...
Make the bait required affect what the trap can attract, use foraged materials as much as possible for bait to make it worthwhile too.
Make the traps take 1 lot. Maybe the later (stage 2) traps at 3, 4 and M take 2 lots.
They aren't redeedable ever, and can't be repaired either. Basically they last for a certain length of time before despawning, unless the ranger abandons them first.
Heck, it'd give my Ranger character on Starsider something to actually use lots for.
Whadda ya reckon?
DWolfe
Tue Mar 16, 2004 2:39 pm
#12
I dislike the idea of screwing with the skill lines. I think they're fine as they are.. They just need more IN them.
Viva la Outdoorsman!
Seeker1
Tue Mar 16, 2004 7:54 pm
#13
GoldMemberBria wrote:
And I love how people are in denial about a ranger's viability. Think we're not endangered? read Tal-n's post and others like it that pop up every week. There is a power struggle right now to determine what the direction of ranger will be. Will we be hunters? will we be ranchers? will we be stealth combat studs?
DeltaXi65 wrote:
I love how people are trying to "save" something that's not endangered.
Please direct me to the Tal-N's post you are referring to.
Thx
Fiahow Imai
Master Ranger/Rifleman
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