Squad Leader Archive

Allowing SL's to have multiple faction pets up to 3 (Which everyone can currently have) will not stop people from grouping. I don't think they are a replacement for grouping. Maybe an AT-ST is a replacement... But, not Stormtroopers etc.

Agreed swift we need to cut this off now... lol

Faction pets are related to the GCW... They are not supposed to be everyones personal army. If you do have troops working under you, then you should at least be a high rank. Higher the rank the more pets you get.

Just because you can't find a group doesnt mean thats what you have to do right at that moment.

Giveme a break... this would make us a more worthless profession than we are now.

Do you eat paint chips? If you can't find a group at 3 am, move to a server with people on at 3 am, play at a different time, or, god forbid, look harder. There are always people in Coronet on Chilastra.

I'm not saying pet shoudl be a needed or necessary component of groups, nor should they allow you to get as much SL exp as a regular person should. I'm saying they should be allowed as a last resort, to get at least some SL exp.

I dont care if pets will give me XP or not, but lets not waste DEV time making us NPC Handlers.... Lets make the devs spend their time making us useful

Agreed, I'm not saying to make us NPC pet handlers.. I'd just rather not see them take away what is already present.

Good idea

Solar: Well the current system needs to be changed reguardless. Thats why the devs are making the pet changes.

What our idea is to keep the current system of being able to have 3 faction pets, BUT..... Make the ability to have 3 pets out at once a privilage. The best way to do this... since it deals with faction pets, is rank. Getting higher ranks is a chore but it can give you this benefit.

Now lets not talk about this topic anymore... since SLs are for leading players not NPCs.

People, next patch nobody except, I believe, CH's, can have more than 1 faction pet out.

Now, take a look at what a squad leader is and does for a group of players.

Does it add firepower? No. Does it add utility? Yes. Does it Provide LEADERSHIP? NO. Leadership is up the player not the skillset. I can be far more effective a leader using group chat than most master SL's ive grouped with.

Faction pets (and this is NOT tied to GCW. I said faction, as in you can get jabba, or corsec , or whatever faction personnel) would give the squad leader a firepower increase. Not a big one, but enough to make up for the SL's not adding firepower to the group. (for you all know steady aim and volley fire does not increase a group's firepower at all).

It adds more utility, as the squad leader can use the pets as sentries, as bodyguards for the the vulnerable or important players in the group (aka, medics). It increases the survivability of the group as a whole... for you know the old military axiom : Always fight as a group, it gives the enemy someone else to shoot at (other than you).

Like I said before, why dont you SL's TRY and use the support personnel now to help your group? You'd be surprised what they can do, with their very limited abilities.

Try this: Get a probot. Get the 3 cheapest faction troopers (150 fp cost). Group with as many players as you want, try and get 2 of them at least to use their probots and faction troops.

Have each group member assign their 1probot and 1 faction troop to 'guard' and 'follow target'the medic/healer in the group. (usually this gives the medic about 3 probots and 3 troopers protecting him).

If more than 1 healer, spread the faction troops to protect them.

your medic's survivability, your groups combat readiness is exponentially increased.

If in combat you have any 'free' troopers, its usually best to keep them away from entering combat (dont want one db'd by a silly creature) ... and the SL can sporadically order them to attack or draw fire from other npc's and even PC's.

When group pulls up a camp to recover... the SL puts his 3 faction troops (and hopefully another player's 3 troopers) to 'patrol' 100m out of the camp (this is if PvP'ing in enemy territory). While your medics heal wounds of the whole group, you will know forcertain thatyou will not get jumped byenemy players because your faction troops will only react TO enemy factionplayers (or aggressive creatures that attack the trooper). the combat 'X' markergives your group a 200madvanced warning of any danger incoming.

You dont need SL to lead people. That very idea is flawed beyond belief. The SL as it is now is nothing more than a passive bonus giver. There is no difference between the SL being group leader and having someone else calling the shots and the SL being leader and calling the shots. But add the SL ability to use several faction troops and even if you are not calling the shots in the group, you can still lead several npc humanoids as either group support or for offensive roles.

And just like CH's, you should be able to tell the troops to do things.. hold ground, attack, retreat, medical support (drag incap players towards the player medic), etc etc. Things that wont make them be a replacement for a player but things that will enchance the utility and group-role of other player classes.

In the current incarnation of SL's you are correct.

We're hoping that in the next "revision" (that they are supposedly working on), SL's will be totally different and actually WILL lead a group and provide appreciable benefits. Read the posts on the "60 gunner" and Fortifications.

This post is dead, we lead people, and if faction pets are so useful to a group, Raise your Faction rank to get them, don't make it an SL ability.

This post is far from dead, and these ideas should be expanded upon. I'm for anything that makes the Squadleader a powerful force to be reckoned with, and this is one of the best ways to do it: giving us a significant and noticeable advantage over other players.

But the problem is... we shouldn't have an advantage over other players while solo.