Smuggler Archive
Thread: Down With the Jedi! Smuggler Alpha Class Idea
Goal:
Create an alternate end game path to jedi with similar time sinks, difficulty, and rewards without throwing away the framework that exists.
Part 1: The Path of the Legendary Smuggler
Being a programmer myself, it pays to reuse things and there is already a decent framework in place to weed out the weak and with lives from the rest of us, the true players. That would be the village and the jedi exit quest.
The roleplaying idea behind this is simple. To be great you probably have some connection to the force. To become a legend you know how to use that connection. Legends forsake the use of a saber, lighting, or other hokey religion stuff and instead turn the force to the practical. The force guides your blaster not some light sword.
Once a master smuggler is a padawan they may attempt the smuggler entrance quest. In the same vein as the padawan trials, except less buggy and more fun, it would test the candidate to see if they were right. Things like stealing a package for Jabba, gathering information, and lying to imperial patrols. Once successful they gain the right to train novice legendary smuggler.
Part 2: The Grind
Life wouldn't be fair without putting smugglers through the same horrid xp requirements as Jedi, so we will. And we'll like it damn it! At Novice, a schematic is granted for an 'iconic weapon'. At this level, it's really easy. You take any pistol you have and it turns into an iconic pistol with the exact same stats, plus a force cost, that now gives Legendary XP instead of pistol xp. XP per box would be the same as Jedi XP requirements, and XP gained would be the same as Jedi XP. We would only have one tree to fill up and master however instead of 2.5.
Part 3: Drawbacks
All new legendary specials require force to use. Force used = BH's a knocking. Since we would never be more than 89k on the terms, we can expect to have a lot more BH coming for us than fully templated Jedi. We'll spin it as the Lady getting her knickers in a twist instead of Order 66. In any event, BH death = lost legendary xp. Also, after all is said and done, a Master Legendary Smuggler has only 16 skill points left. So much for diversity. Lack of healing.
End Result:
89 Skillpoints Used
2800 Force
29 Force Regen
50 Innate Legendary Armor
+50 general ranged speed
+50 general melee speed
+100 general ranged accuracy
+100 general melee accuracy
+100 melee defense
+100 ranged defense
+75 state defense
+50 force defense
Tree List:
Novice Legendary Smuggler
Style
1) Glib
2) Lady Luck
3) Against the Odds
4) Free Spirit
Dirty Fighting
1) Bar Fighter
2) Wild Shot
3) Quick Learner
4) Fearless Charge
Evasion
1) Dodge
2) Offensive Roll
3) Stealth
4) Look Over There!
Tinkering
1) Advanced Terminals
2) Advanced Iconic Weapon
3) Advanced Spice
4) Advanced Slicing
Master Legendary Smuggler
No normal Smuggler. Smuggler is ONLY this kind of profession, like jedi. and BH should be the same way.
They could grandfather all us existing smugglers in, but I would GLADLY grind away if they did this.
when you think about it, it's the only way Smuggler would really EVER be what it should be.
The problem of an overpowered alpha class is not best delt with by the inclusion of other alpha classes.
I would not grind to get an alpha class because grinding is not fun. If I had to grind in order to play this game well, I'd dump this game faster than you could do the Kessel run. At least Jedi are supposed to have mechanics to keep them rare so that this game is even playable. Imagine what this game would be like with 75% alpha class and 25% normal. That 25% might as well not even play the game.
SwenLaransa wrote:
Ternque01 wrote:
The problem of an overpowered alpha class is not best delt with by the inclusion of other alpha classes.
I would not grind to get an alpha class because grinding is not fun. If I had to grind in order to play this game well, I'd dump this game faster than you could do the Kessel run. At least Jedi are supposed to have mechanics to keep them rare so that this game is even playable. Imagine what this game would be like with 75% alpha class and 25% normal. That 25% might as well not even play the game.
I would disagree. You already had to grind to play this game well. You had to grind to get master smuggler and whatever else you have. This would give you another option and avenue to go. If you want to be a better smuggler, and be better at things smugglers already do, you can take that path. Right now to 'play the game well' you need to grind Jedi to get the strongest profession, which is exactly the same.
I would rather have the option of doing something different with the same costs and mechanics for rarity. Your sig says it well enough. There's too many Jedi. Pandoras box is open and they are not going away. As for what would the game be like with 75% alpha and 25% normal... What would the game be like with 75% double elite masters and 25% hybrid combat/crafter or combat/entertainers? Pretty much the same as it is now. There'd just be less glowsticks.
Listen dude. I don't want options. I don't want to think outside of pandora's box. I want a balanced game where players do not have to devote a lifetime in grinding time just to play their characters at a fun level. I do not want and I do not support MORE alpha classes to f*ck this game up more than it already is.
Remember where the devs said that this game would be accessible to casual players??? Making this game like everquest where you have to be in a process of continually leveling your character is bullsh*t.
I'd have to agree... all adding alpha classes does is make the disparity between the power grinders and the casual players worse. In all things, one should strive for balance... and pie.
Akiram_Glockem wrote:
I'd say dump the whole force sensitive part and give us an underworld themepark type thing similar to the village. Instead of a force bar give us an "adrenaline bar" for our legendary specials. Then make a lot of it time consuming quests in adition to the xp to make the powergamers choose a path that requires less patience. Aside from those things I like the concept.
Dev 1: I've got this great idea for the entire smuggler alpha class path! It will take place ranging all over space and land and involve smuggling tasks for Jabba, the Lady, rebels, imperials, anybody! It will simply be based on reputation points you gain doing smuggling tasks. And if you fail the mission you lose points and are set back. It will be awesome!
Dev Manager: Intresting. How do you plan to get it in? After all the Village took an entire publish team several months to do and we still have some bugs in it. What sort of resourses are we talking here?
Deve 1: Well, if you give me Phillips team I'm confident we can have it set up in 3 months. Less time with more assets.
Dev 2: You.. you can't have my team! We're doing vital work to improve the game!
Dev 1: Phillip, getting the physics of making Twilek dancers breasts jiggle realisticly is not as imp....
Dev 2: I beg to differ! You know our demographic!
Dev Manager: He's right. We can't take his team away from something so important that will help us retain the 12 to dead male demographic that is attracted by jiggling jubblies. In fact, you should help them. Yes. You should all help them. I'm placing this at a code red priority!
It's easier to get things the less work those doing it have to put in. The framework is already in place for this and it would take minimal code and effort to get it in place. I too would much rather have long and involved quests related to smuggling. I'd rather we have our own basis for everything. But I don't think that is currently a realistic goal.
Ternque01 wrote:The problem of an overpowered alpha class is not best delt with by the inclusion of other alpha classes.
I would not grind to get an alpha class because grinding is not fun. If I had to grind in order to play this game well, I'd dump this game faster than you could do the Kessel run. At least Jedi are supposed to have mechanics to keep them rare so that this game is even playable. Imagine what this game would be like with 75% alpha class and 25% normal. That 25% might as well not even play the game.
I would disagree. You already had to grind to play this game well. You had to grind to get master smuggler and whatever else you have. This would give you another option and avenue to go. If you want to be a better smuggler, and be better at things smugglers already do, you can take that path. Right now to 'play the game well' you need to grind Jedi to get the strongest profession, which is exactly the same.
I would rather have the option of doing something different with the same costs and mechanics for rarity. Your sig says it well enough. There's too many Jedi. Pandoras box is open and they are not going away. As for what would the game be like with 75% alpha and 25% normal... What would the game be like with 75% double elite masters and 25% hybrid combat/crafter or combat/entertainers? Pretty much the same as it is now. There'd just be less glowsticks.