Droids in the Star Wars universe are supposed to last a long time. Certainly a lifetime or more, and to have them fall apart after 2 or 3 months is a bit silly.
Well I have also seen 2000 year old swords that are superior to most made today. But in SWG a sword will fall apart in no time. Shoot, my speeder starts to blow up after 30 minutes. Glad my Harley does not do that (though it often sounds like it will).
************************************************************************************************ "Always two there are, no more, no less. A Master and an Apprentice." - Master Yoda ************************************************************************************************
I like this proposal, especially the refurbishment kit/center ideas.
For flavor, I would suggest the "reconstruction tool" occasionally require subcomponents, for example:
"This droid's sensor module is worn out. Please insert a new one," or, "This R2 unit has a bad motivator. Look! Please insert a new advanced droid motive unit."
You get the idea.
But yes, this proposal I can get behind. I didn't like the ones that advocated the droids decay to irreparability.
Mightion Defensor Flashlight-wielding Padawan Learner Banshee XVI, Avatars, Tarquinas Server
"...if one guy calls you a Hutt, ignore it. If a second calls you a Hutt, begin to wonder. If a third calls you a Hutt, buy a drool bucket and start stockpiling spice." - Corran Horn
Wouldn't it be better if droids, like starships were made modular? The chassis lasts a long time but individual components wear out and the user can upgrade/change components based on the user's need. (A bit like ships are now.) It would be cool and appropriate if I could take the creature harvester out of my mouse droid and put oh say, a weapon crafting station in if I dropped scout for weaponsmith.
Wouldn't it be better if droids, like starships were made modular? The chassis lasts a long time but individual components wear out and the user can upgrade/change components based on the user's need. (A bit like ships are now.) It would be cool and appropriate if I could take the creature harvester out of my mouse droid and put oh say, a weapon crafting station in if I dropped scout for weaponsmith.
There have been many long/thoughtful discussions on this topic, but the end result has always been that a modularity system would:
Commodify our professions (DE's would just supply modules, and for dirt cheap on the bazaar at that)
Make the profession even more complicated than it currently is (or at the very least shift a lot of the complexity from the DE to the customer)
Not increase the sales of new drois, just modules
Not provide anything other than a bit of a "coolness" factor
Take an obscene amount of dev time that could be much better spent elsewhere (the entire droid system would have to be rewritten)
Not be backwards compatible with older droids
There are probably some that I'm forgetting...
Message Edited by Jenden on 04-04-200509:44 PM
Jenden Morn - Master of Droids- Tarquinas Droid Engineer Blue Glowy Owner, Operator, and Founder of DarkStar Inc. Groupy of the best band in the galaxy, Solar Flair 3D art of Jenden by Saeelwenea
I'm a master Droid engineer and I would only support this if its only for combat droids...not for the general droids like for crafting or are used for medical or entertainment.
People would not buy droids if they all would just decay over time, I think it would more ruin the Droid Engineers business rather then give them more business.
Also droids in starwars didn't really decay, because in some way they had ways of fixing themselves, or ways of getting fixed.
But I want to add that having droids decay over a 3-4 month period is totally aggenst the Star wars lore...
The spider droids in jabba's palace then would not exsist if droids decayed at such a rate..
Also the IG-88 Bounty hunter wouldn't even exsist.
Again I'll add that decay on droids should stay with the combat droids, thats it...rest I think should stick with the Lore of Star Wars. Droids last long enough that they out live the owner.
Anyways thats my 2 Cents on this..
Sorry to double post, I just can't find an edit button to even edit my current one.
Maybe decay could work only on specific droid parts or only specific droid parts take decay damage from say combat.
If droids were more modular and parts could be changed or upgraded after crafting them it would fit in well with the decay proposal.
For example. Droid armor panels take damage (this is a real no brainer) that is what they are designed to do, after the panels take enough damage then they can be changed or fixed with a kit after all a droid chasis is only a shell.
I agree the BE should not be able to make kits to fix droids. I think droids should not be classed as pets but as NPC's. And droid should be equally as changable as a starfighter but only by a DE.
Next, for those that say a 3-4 month decay time is against the lore, think again. We're talking 3-4 months in real time. How often have you experienced a day change in-game, in just a single session, let alone a whole 24 hours? The universe is accellerated against our own time, eg. time moves faster in-game. Yes, I realize different planets change day cycles at different times, but Naboo (a planet similar to Earth) would have a similar day cycle, yet it goes through at LEAST 3 days per one day real-time.
Point is: decay is happening so fast because time is moving fast. 3-4 months would be equal to about 9-12 months game-time (min). That's a whole year. Even non-com droids take damage from moving parts, decaying wires, etc. over a whole year. Granted, they wouldn't need replacing, so I actually agree with you on the combat only decay.
If you need more proof, look to the literature. IG-88 himself(s) required maintenance within just a few months of going on the lamb, as it were. R2 and 3P0 required CONSTANT maintenance to even keep running. I'm pretty sure R2 had a chassis replacement after Ep 4. Do you think R2s jets still worked after being dunked in Yoda's swimming pool? (I'd like to see a droid with jets, btw). How about that R5 unit that blew a motivator? Do you think it had a recent maintenance visit? The spider droids, btw maintain themselves, according to literature. That is, they repair each other as needed.
Anyway, I hope you see my point.
I really hope they help this profession, cause I left it to get a second char slot so I could have a char that does nothing but build droids and ships.
"Imagination is more important than knowledge" -Albert Einstein.
Next, for those that say a 3-4 month decay time is against the lore, think again. We're talking 3-4 months in real time. How often have you experienced a day change in-game, in just a single session, let alone a whole 24 hours? The universe is accellerated against our own time, eg. time moves faster in-game. Yes, I realize different planets change day cycles at different times, but Naboo (a planet similar to Earth) would have a similar day cycle, yet it goes through at LEAST 3 days per one day real-time.
Point is: decay is happening so fast because time is moving fast. 3-4 months would be equal to about 9-12 months game-time (min). That's a whole year. Even non-com droids take damage from moving parts, decaying wires, etc. over a whole year. Granted, they wouldn't need replacing, so I actually agree with you on the combat only decay.
If you need more proof, look to the literature. IG-88 himself(s) required maintenance within just a few months of going on the lamb, as it were. R2 and 3P0 required CONSTANT maintenance to even keep running. I'm pretty sure R2 had a chassis replacement after Ep 4. Do you think R2s jets still worked after being dunked in Yoda's swimming pool? (I'd like to see a droid with jets, btw). How about that R5 unit that blew a motivator? Do you think it had a recent maintenance visit? The spider droids, btw maintain themselves, according to literature. That is, they repair each other as needed.
Anyway, I hope you see my point.
I really hope they help this profession, cause I left it to get a second char slot so I could have a char that does nothing but build droids and ships.
The day and night change is more as a visual, if you notice, and would go and browse say like the bazaar, your merchants, look at your terminal in your house. That all goes by real time...
So even though the game gives us a nice visual, it most definately goes by real time. Why can't the droids? Or are you saying that most of the player characters with the game have also lived well beyond 10 million years?
Take your armor, or your clothing, most definately clothing lasts much longer then 3-4 months, unless your in constant battle. Thats how it should be with the droids. Have them decay if damaged. But don't put a time limit on it.
If everything worked like that in the game, you would have alot of players who are naked, and weaponless..really to me I would see it more of a pain, then fun.
So I do disagree with you, the game does go by real time even though we have a pretty visual of day and night.
Also I want to add that I have stated t his before to in the previous post, that droids either had ways of fixing themselves (which we have kindof with auto repair) or to be fixed.
If a decay is in order, then allow the DE to fix the droid..add modules to it to upgrade, also in the process give us new droid designs which are frankly needed well beyond its time. But don't render them useless in such a short time frame.
Actually after some thought, this is what I think would really bring interest rather then making each and every non-combatent droid decay..and really its needed and I know its been mentioned on other threads.
- Droid Upgrades, module changes (only done by the DE)
- DE only repair, as was mentioned before ((not BE pet repair kits, kits that can only be gotten by a DE or a DE to do repair themselves, this would be used on your droids that where damaged in combat))
- New Designs (new droids!!!)
- More Modules (new effects, ect..what ever you can think of, hey even a nice holo-gram projector would be nice with in droids)
- Leave only Decay with combat ((maybe even boost it slightly since Combat droids do seem to decay way...slow))
Right there alone would really help so much more, just leave it to combat if we want decay. Speed it up a little, they decay way to slow anyways as it is. And should decay because they are in combat and getting beat on. ((but not 3-4 months maybe 5-9 months))
One of the most popular sellers I think is combat droids, by far at least for me..along with your BH/Smuggler droids. New modules, allowing the droid engineer to swap modules for players for a fee would also boost credits, and give alot of interest.
If a non-combat droid is damaged, then very well I see decay, and it should decay. But, a droid or any item shouldn't decay if you take out for a minute, to get something out of storage.
Anyways thats my 2 cents once again about the matter
Indeed it is important to remember that customers will turn away from droids if fast decay exists. If decay does exist in the game then it should only followed up with additional functionallity and improvements otherwise people will only buy creatures for combat.
As a side note, day and night cycle at a different rate because the world spins at a different rate then earth. It is important in game to run along the same timeline as our own ie 1 day in game is 1 day outside because otherwise it would be to complete say if u had 1 Tatoonie day = 1.37 Naboo day lol.
I would be for Droid decay, if it were slow, and DEs could fix it by actually replaceing some of those moduals that never do anything after the droid is biult (Motivators Brains, etc). Mabey make it kinda where something resembling the crafting screen pops up with the moduals listed and removable to the DEs inventory, and put a new part in. Mabey haveing the old parts spark and such would also make them decent decorations. Anyway, youd have an over all quality for each part and then the max quality of each part, mabey in percentages to make it easyer. This would also allow DEs to update droids by takeing out old moduals and putting in new ones. This version of decay would bring customers back to us, Improve the droid market for anyone who uses these things (even roll players) and If it were slow, it wouldnt realy be a reason for people not to buy droids.I think it should take a month before your droid needs minor mantinance, and 3 months before you cant use it and it would require an extream over haul. Anyway, just my two cents.
Oh also forgot, this would be a good way to 'upgrade' a droid by exchangeing the chassi but keep some of the parts kinda as a trade in. Say, make the droid from an R5 to an R2 or something. You could charge almost as much as you normaly would, but mabey lower the price a little or something.
Also, an option for DEs only to re deed droids would be nice so that we could re sell droids we nolonger use, or mabey allow us to buy droids from someone who would otherwise throw it out and re sell it. I doubt this would be used often, but it would be nice just the same.
who can make kits to fix vitability even on the droids.
