Ranger Archive

Thread: A Ranger's Manifesto

AgonThalia
Mon Sep 05, 2005 5:35 am
#1

I was doing some thinking the other day about Rangers and the state of the profession and I wanted to find out what the majority of the community would enjoy playing.


Ranger: An Elite Big Game Hunter-



Prerequisite: Master Scout

Purpose:


Creature-Centric

Role:

The big game hunter would be geared to take down the largest creatures known in the galaxy. Most of the ability would come with innate and crafted passive buffs, a major boost to accuracy and damage and a Ranger specific weapon.

Specs:

Offensive: Major boost to accuracy that works with both melee and ranged

Remove Traps: All of the states that traps can produce can also be done with weapon specials in other professions, therefore, remove all crafted traps.

Add Trap Launcher: Most high level weapons can have extra components placed in them to enhance their capabilities, the trap launcher would be a component to rifle/ carbine and pistol creation that adds all of the states of the trap into the weapon itself, The ranger would fire trap, and continue shooting without changing the weapon. The melee rangers would have a specially designed weapon that would only fire traps, they would unfortunately have to switch weapons.

Defensive: Slight increase in melee and ranged defense.

Innate Ability: Removal of TN penalty while carrying a ranged weapon

Innate Ability: "Survival Sense" Resist poison/ disease/ bleeding/ stun/ dizzy/ intimidate (similar to CoB or Duelist Stance)

Innate Ability: Crafted (from foraging) natural cures that decrease the wound heal time in camps. (they do not heal, but decrease the regen rate)

Camps: Work as a hunting blind

Camo: See the Ghillie suit ideas.

Creature Specific Specials: High damage stacked bleeds (one jugular shot, one femoral artery shot), +chance to critical shot




Ranger: A Special Operations Soldier-


Prerequisite: Scout Hunting/ Scout Exploration - Marksman Ranged Support

Purpose:


Combat-Centric

Role:

The special operations soldier would be much less creature centric, however, they are designed to be effective vs. all living things. To quote Ventura in Predator: "if it bleeds, it can be killed"

Specs:

Offensive: Major boost to ranged accuracy and ranged speed

Revamp Traps: See the modular trap design ideas.

Add Ranger Specific Weapon: High Powered Ranger Rifle. Ideal for hunting game as well as taking out heavily armored personell, this weapon would have a very high damage and available only to Master Rangers.

Defensive: Heavy increase in both melee and ranged defense.

Innate Ability: Removal of TN penalty while carrying a ranged weapon

Innate Ability: "Survival Sense" Resist poison/ disease/ bleeding/ stun/ dizzy/ intimidate (similar to CoB or Duelist Stance)

Camps: See the modular camp ideas

Camo: See the Ghillie suit ideas + cover and movement, this is a better version of the rifleman skill (actually, close to the jedi cloak) where you are essentially invisible and you can move around too.

Saboteur Specific Specials: Reuced movement rate shot, increase special recycle times, state recovery specials and +defense to state effects.




Ranger: Survivalist-



Prerequisite: Master Scout

Purpose:

Combat-Centric

Role:

This is a blend of both the big game hunter, and the combat specialist

Specs:

Offensive: Major boost to accuracy

Revamp Traps: See the modular trap design ideas.

Add Trap Launcher: This weapon has 5 slots for traps, you load your crafted traps into the gun, fire and switch to your regular weapon.

Defensive: Heavy increase in both melee and ranged defense.

Innate Ability: Removal of TN penalty while carrying a ranged weapon

Innate Ability: "Survival Sense" Resist poison/ disease/ bleeding/ stun/ dizzy/ intimidate (similar to CoB or Duelist Stance)

Camps: See the modular camp ideas


Camo: See the Ghillie suit ideas.

Creature Specific Specials: High damage stacked bleeds (one jugular shot, one femoral artery shot), +chance to critical shot


I just wanted to see where most people stood on how they want to play a ranger, i would be more than happy with any of these.


Message Edited by AgonThalia on 09-05-200508:38 AM

Message Edited by AgonThalia on 09-06-200512:17 PM

Message Edited by AgonThalia on 09-06-2005 12:17 PM



Draknev
The Last Ranger Correspondent
Subterfuge and Sabotage, Concealment and Camouflage:
Colonel: Rebel Alliance

Phenix1050
Mon Sep 05, 2005 5:56 am
#2

I'm for something in between survivalist and Special Operations soldier.


I do think our skills should be primarily defensive in nature. On the "9 point" chart I'd give us a 4 in defense and crowd control and a 1 in offense. In my mind, a Ranger should be a warror-- but one that uses tactics when everyone else is just being handed a bigger gun. A person who can use those tactics to survive in the wild OR to strike a pre-emptive launch at a base.


In my mind, Rangers shouldhave a role in the GCW(I actually wrote a proposal for redundant ways of taking down a base--- meaning that there would be multiple ways of taking down a base, each with advantages and disadvantages, and Rangers were present in that proposal). That doesn't mean we'd be a PvP-only profession. Ranger, like any other profession, should be what you make it.


I think our state effects, which apply no damage when they're applied, should be compensated by being made more potent than other state effects. A "critical stun" effect which is more powerful, a "disoriented" affect which is an advanced dizzy, etc. These should be able to be used in any part of the game. Thus Rangers won't become another cookie-cutter profession running around with a big gun (the one you linked too looks more like a commando weapon), but rather a profession that is defensive (and stealth-oriendted) in nature, with powerful state effects to back them up.



PHE'NIX ANTARUS
BOTHAN ELDER RANGER
BEST LOOKINGSPY EVER--FOUNDER OF SATGWNIWNU
BURNING H*TPANTS SINCE 2003


This is horrible! I return to find my new title on the forum is "Jedi". What's up with that? If they wanted to confer that I'm rare and learned, they'd make my title RANGER. and then make it camo colored.
YT-2000
Mon Sep 05, 2005 7:03 am
#3

I find it difficult to form an opinion on these things. The Ranger and Scout professions are currently structured as a cross between the big game hunter and survivalist. I probably enjoy playing these roles the most but I find the creature-centric revamp ideas just too inbalancing. The game doesn't support that amount of specialisation in a combat class and I can see it being very limiting for the player.

By taking into account the current direction of the game I think Ranger needs to become a full-on combat profession using the special operations soldier ideas. I would also like to see camo becomming a match for cloak, although it's going to be tricky getting "camo for everyone" removed first.

I think it would be interesting to discuss the prerequisites for Ranger. Do we believe that Scout will be getting a revamp at the same time as Ranger, or should it be left alone? If it is revamped then will it assume some previous Ranger roles (e.g. creature harvesting)? This could also work the other way (maybe move some traps from Scout to Ranger). Lastly, I think if Ranger is going to get a specific weapon then it should require Marksman Ranged Support.



Hebi Aepam
Retired Hunter - Creature Expert
Once a Ranger, always a Ranger
Jolandir
Mon Sep 05, 2005 7:44 am
#4


All of the above should be viable options for Rangers. Coming off of scout or branches in scout should allow a person to choose or effectively mix at least two of these options. this really would not be that hard to do. So which one individually we like really shouldn't be a major issue. The problem is that we keep trying to decide which "one" we would like the devs to design ranger for, but there isn't any real reason why it has to be limited. The purpose beyond having fun with your character is to be a viable profession in either direct action related to the "war" effort or in support services for it.


The first (An Elite Big Game Hunter) is a supplier of what should be drasticallly needed resources for the on-going war effort. The second (A Special Operations Soldier) should have heightend stealth and long range (snipping) and short range (sneak up behind, cover mouth, stab critically, or slice major arteries) attack type specialist. And the third (survivalist) is a modified specialist who sneaks in for recon, has special suits to "survive" very harsh or dangerous situations, is an elite expert at stealth with some modified sneak attacks against "humanoid combatatants" (primarily NPCs here) but also balanced with some for "tough creatures" but have him do this more indirectly, such as with specialized traps for both, a much higher degree of stealth then either and use with specialized equipment for recon, initial out-lying base camp set up.


Of course I am sure you know this question has been asked many times before as well. But it never hurts to go over it again since we all really want to see this profession become even more viable and flexible.


Jolandir


Oculus
Mon Sep 05, 2005 7:57 am
#5

Everything but creature-centric

Creature-centric was fine when the game launched but ever since they borked wild spawns, turned down the social AI for creatures and decided that future content should be almost NPC-only, being creature-centric just doesn't cut it anymore ( feel free to add vehicles, camp changes and the CL-aggro system ).

For me, the view of Ranger as being a creature-centric profession died the day I realised that we will never see a lush wild spawn in SWG again, ever.

So unles they decide that future content isn't to be made up of SBDs, Clone Troopers and "Clone Wars"-era garbage bins, creature-centric isn't an option IMO.




Oku Kee'lus
Master Ranger | Master Carbineer

ZalokOnan
Mon Sep 05, 2005 10:42 am
#6

I agree with Phoenix



Moff Zalok Onan
Imperial Governor of Dantooine


Owen-Lars
Mon Sep 05, 2005 11:29 am
#7

Im fora mix of Spec Ops and Survivalist but staying completely away from creature centric. Survival imo should be the profession's focus with military-esque' specials and training.



THORTAC BALCOR
The Lost Ranger
RANGER
Nastzguehl
Mon Sep 05, 2005 11:29 am
#8

I would go for the survivalist approach, we should keep our creature centric skills and get added some really usefull skills for the GCW. Every profession should be able to succesfully participate in the GCW.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Regards Heidebaer Baeren


Nemo0
Mon Sep 05, 2005 1:41 pm
#9

I'd also say a mix between the survivalist and spec ops. I don't think we should go the way of a scout/marksman hybrid but I also don't think that any significant combat portion of the profession should be completely creature only (like the creature only specials).



Lythender Nirou
Crazy Bothan


Temujin23
Mon Sep 05, 2005 2:44 pm
#10






Jolandir wrote:

The first (An Elite Big Game Hunter) is a supplier of what should be drasticallly needed resources for the on-going war effort.


Jolandir







Should be, but isn't. As Zalok and others have pointed out, the CU pretty much stripped even this semi-role away from us. With all the pure combat types who have a little scout in their templates, the market is way too easily flooded. Sure, any one of us can bring in 400k resources during a shift without really trying, and much more if we do try. But for every one of us that can do that, 30 other guys in xp grinding groups can bring in 50-100k stacks in a single hunting session.*


We used to bepretty handy friends for a crafter to have, but unfortunately that's no longer the case. We have got to get out of the creature-centric role-- there's nothing for us in that anymore.



*Figures used pulled out of thin air.



al-djinn'i


Master Ranger





Wake up! Time to die.
Bravo12
Mon Sep 05, 2005 3:14 pm
#11

I will stick by one of my older ideas that your other elite profession defines your role. A Ranger/Creature Handler would be the wilderness expert, animal tracker/trapper/harvester, etc. A Ranger/Rifleman would be the big-game hunter, human tracker, sniper. A Ranger/Carbineer would be the military elite survivalist soldier.


Each specific combo of Master elite professions in the game should have a unique ability to be gained.



____ Sergeant ___________________________________
IMPERIAL RANGER SPY
------------------------------------Treb Kenna-----

Rhyeal
Mon Sep 05, 2005 4:29 pm
#12

im fine with any one of these as any of them are an improvement over what we have (or dont have as the case may be)




Rhyeal Shadowblade :: Egone Thale :::: Riflemen :: Rangers :::: Ranger is a Lifestyle, Live it!
"No, I'm not a combat profession, I don't do that anymore."
Dyrwen
Tue Sep 06, 2005 12:40 am
#13

I'd say the Big Game hunter looks good to me, but Survivalist seems rather close in terms of things in it, so that might work better in my case. Generally speaking, just having some role in the GCW would be nice, since the rest of our creature-centrics can be revamped (if they got around to it) fairly easily since it's built into our profession already.




000000000000000000Dyrwen Sy-X
000000000000000000
00000000000000000
0
Imperial Master Ranger.
000000000000000000Meat Manager
000000000000000000Hide Heretic.
000000000000000000Bone Busybody.
000000000000000000
00000000000000000
0General PAC Man
000000000000000000Penny Arcade Clan
000000000000000000

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