I have to ask this question, because when I first started CH I saw a very viable character build. I'm not saying I needed to parade rancors around town, that's not my style. I originally had been working towards pulling out two pets to augment my other skills, only to find that one day I couldn't call any without spending points in taming/training. I rolled with that new *feature* and continued on.
All I read on these forums are "this or that is being nerfed", and that CH is no longer a viable class vs. other classes or PvE.
SOE personnel, devs, *anyone* - what the hell is the Creature Handlers purpose in the game? What is your vision for this character build?
Most importantly: Is the Creature Handler a combat class or not?
I think a large part of the anger and shock going around right now is due to the fact that we as CHs have no clue what you at Sony see our class to be.
-Clade of Lowca Master CH, BH (0,2,4,4), Protector of the village of Aurilia, Smuggler's Alliance Pilot (4,4,4,4) Rares tamed: Arachne Widow, Mantigrue Screecher, Gaping Spider Queen, Rhoa Kwi Pack Leader, Rhoa Kwi Gaurdian, Kinad Baz Nitch, Wasteand CuPa -Bynder of Lowca Master Bio Engineer, Novice Pikeman
I'd say that it is half a combat class and half for those who enjoy taking care of things, sort of a Tamagotchi thing. So in a sense it has the same demographic as say, Monster Rancher or Pokemon.
I would not expect a straight creature handler to be as powerful in combat as a straight combat guy in any of the advanced combat professions. Creature handlers get tradeoffs--they get their own attack, for example, which if they choose to train up in combat skills, can be fairly significant. They can have multiple creatures. The creatures can do more than just fight, too, though I admit that some of the other things they do may not be of interest to non-roleplayers.
Most specifically, the vision of creature handlers I have is not that of someone who conjures up pets named A, B, and C, and doesn't care if they live or die, or who treats them like weapons. In a more fantasy-based game, I might well have made it so that if your pet dies, the creature handler takes a significant penalty.
-Raph Koster Chief Creative Officer, Sony Online Entertainment
That's all well and good Raph and i feel just that way about my pets, In fact I still have my first and second pet. I think many of us feel slighted, mostly your masters.
Can you tell us three good reasons to be a Master Creature Handler and not go 4/4/4/0?
or better yet since we now have be stims that heal mind 4/4/0/4?
What makes the master a master in SWG?
Sindory SWG tip: Don't let Devs know you are having fun or making money! They will Ninja Nerf your Butts!
Sindorry, I honestly don't know enough about CH's to give an answer to that. I don't have a high-level CH.
Let me pose you the question--what do you think should be the benefit of being a Master CH? What is it that is failing to give you a sense of reward there?
-Raph Koster Chief Creative Officer, Sony Online Entertainment
"Most specifically, the vision of creature handlers I have is not that of someone who conjures up pets named A, B, and C, and doesn't care if they live or die, or who treats them like weapons. In a more fantasy-based game, I might well have made it so that if your pet dies, the creature handler takes a significant penalty. "
You just made pets degrade in HAM's and become useless over time and you telling me that you dont want pets to be disposable? Any type of permanent death to pets will make them disposable because now you cant keep it forever so you cant afford to grow attached to it. Now the armor change, thats just sad a gurreck a CL 50 creature with AR1??? Hell mountain vesp from LOK CL 24 mob can beat it now.
Thanks for the response Raph, that goes a long way to explaining where you're going with these adjustments. Dunno where I'd fit in, I name and care for my pets as pets (real food, not forages, heavy medic so I can keep them healed, one always out with me regardless of where I am), but do think of them as something of an RL attack dog, trained to be viscious when I command, but will roll over to get their belly scratched when I'm hanging out at home.
Either way, thanks for the info, it helps
-Clade of Lowca Master CH, BH (0,2,4,4), Protector of the village of Aurilia, Smuggler's Alliance Pilot (4,4,4,4) Rares tamed: Arachne Widow, Mantigrue Screecher, Gaping Spider Queen, Rhoa Kwi Pack Leader, Rhoa Kwi Gaurdian, Kinad Baz Nitch, Wasteand CuPa -Bynder of Lowca Master Bio Engineer, Novice Pikeman
There's nothing a master can do that a novice with 4/4/0/4 can. Our ability to call 3 pets good pets (not rancors or gurrecks) died when the cap on master was put in.
I think all master would be happy with a cap of 100. that would allow us three ok pets or two good pets.
Sindory SWG tip: Don't let Devs know you are having fun or making money! They will Ninja Nerf your Butts!
I'd say that it is half a combat class and half for those who enjoy taking care of things, sort of a Tamagotchi thing. So in a sense it has the same demographic as say, Monster Rancher or Pokemon.
wth? That's not really what I wanted to hear. I have a RL cat and dog for that and i'm too old to play pokemon. And you say they can do other things besides fight...LIKE WHAT? A STUPID TRICK or TWO? Or perhaps you mean the wandering off, getting stuck and random non-responsiveness? They can't even carry anything...they have no value really OTHER THAN TO FIGHT.
Gond'ok Phillip / Iwent Todash ...has Mastered the Baiter Profession.
Curious. The game I bought from you had those options. The game YOU released allowed me to cal 3 pets named A,B & C and ok great that's not what you wanted but why was I able to do this at all in the first place?
Why have you FIXED NOTHING with my class while constantly taking thnigs away?
Am I understating the case? In your opinion have you fixed are glaring issues?
Am I just mistaken?
I think the community wants to know why constantyl devote energy towards changes trivial in scope and seemingly only done to poor additional salt on an already wounded community.
I don't think it's unreasonable to expect an aswer to this post.
It's been 2 months and my pets STILL WON'T FOLLOW ME FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME>
It's been 2 months and MY PETS STILL RUN FROM ANIMAL THEY ARE ATTACKING.
In PvP I NEED TO BE ON TOP OF THE TARGET TO KEEP MY PET ENGAGED AND EVEN THEN SOMETIMES HE STILL RUNS FROM THE FIGHT.
No CH I talked to has any clue what the beneift was of moving the store command from the radial.
Serioulsy why hasn't any of this been addressed?
Why not a little sugar with all the **edit** you drop on us?
/sigh
Gotta say I have no faith I no faith in your company mate and am sorely disappointed I entered into this business agreement with you.
So is that why you continue to nerf instead of fixing the countless bugs in the class? Maybe you are trying to get rid of the players who play like you said. On the flip side, you are making the class just that... expendable pets. I for one do not play like that, I love the first pet I tamed (GSP named Neko after my real life kitty) and plan on keeping him as long as I play the game.
Hell, I've seen my pet knockeddown by some BH marks and it makes me feel bad. Please dont assume all of us play the class like that. And please think a ittle before you take the nerf bat out.
Neikoba Master Creature Handler, Bounty Hunter(0,0,4,3) Neikolla - Test Center(testing for apparently no reason)
Account Cancellation - December 26th, 2003 The best gift I could give myself... who wants my stuff?
if the permanent HAM costs are to keep us from treating pets as expendables (in a twisted contorted way it makes sense), how about allowing those HAM damages to heal VERY VERY VERY slowly over time so that a beloved pet will eventually recover from a bad incident and not go to the knackers?
