Post by Ndugu on Dec 4, 2003 16:09:19 GMT -5
From Thunderheart: Good eeeeevening.
I just wanted to give a heads up while we are still in the testing stage. As many of you know, the AT-ST is a faction pet and the new Publish is going to be bringing some changes to pets in the grand scheme of things. Among the many changes to the game world in this publish are going to be the Creature Handler Profession changes and the Creature Balance changes. Both of those changes will have an impact on pets in general and there will be additional improvements after this first pass. I wanted to go over the AT-ST changes that you'll be seeing right away. With the Creature Handler Profession changes, Creature Handlers will be able to have more than one pet (up to 3 pets) and everyone else will be able to have a single pet. In the wake of this change, any factioned Imperial who is not a Creature Handler will only be able to have one pet. I know some of you are used to having three pets out, but the reason Creature Handlers are being re-balanced is because players can get the combat benefits of the Creature Handler Tree for the skill point cost of 2 trees (essentially all the benefit for half the skill point price) and having three pets out is a major perk for Creature Handlers. If everyone can do it, then its not a perk. The reasoning is that if you really want to have and control three pets, a player should make a commitment to the profession. For example, Teras Kasi Artists and all melee combatants commit themselves to the challenge of playing a short-range game on a playing field where most of the advantages are long-range. Crafters commit their skill points to crafting disciplines and are at a greater risk while searching for resources in the wild and maintaining their harvesters. All professions have to make hard choices at some point - - that is what defines them and makes them interesting.
The next overall change that will effect AT-ST's is the Creature Balance. The Creature Balance definitely needs a post all to itself, but as it pertains to the AT-ST's, it is currently a pet. Pets are part of the creature system and creatures overall needed to be balanced. What I mean by "balanced" is that there are lots and lots of creatures in the game world and in the overall view of things, it's a great system, but there are certain aspects that are out of alignment. That is to say, when armor, hit points and resistances are compared against HAM costs, weapon and damage types, there are some instances where combat with creatures is too easy and instances where it is too difficult. Some creatures have poor armor and high resistances and low hit points and are glass-jaw targets and fall in combat too easy. Other creatures have high armor, high resistances and high hit points and they are too difficult. In the interest of making the game fun and challenging across the board, places where combat with creatures was too easy was stiffened up a bit and made to be more difficult and where the game was too difficult, the numbers were loosened a bit so the system should make more sense and be more fun.
As part of this change, AT-ST's have less armor and Hit Points went up.
Another aspect of AT-ST's that has been changed has to do with PvE combat. In my original AT-ST thread, the majority of players wanted to remove AT-ST's from PvE, except in cases of Faction Missions and we agree with
you. That change has been implemented. Our reasoning was pretty much in line with yours in that for the most part, Imperial Soldiers don't have free reign
with their equipment and shouldn't be off shooting womp rats and collecting money from settlers for doing odd jobs. AT-STs are war machines and should be off fighting the war. Sure this is an MMO and players get a lot of leeway to do what they want, but in the greater scheme of things, AT-ST's should be chasing down rebels and not farming pelts.
Some other changes that also effect AT-ST's are the DoT or Damage-over-Time effects. AT-STs are now only effected by Fire. DoT effects (bleeding, poison, etc.) will no longer effect the AT-ST's and DoT's won't cause pets
in general (including AT-ST's) to randomly aggro on nearby PvP enemies.
Now, with all this being said, there are people that are going to love the changes and some that hate the changes.
Summary of AT-ST changes in Test:
* Less armor, more hit points
* Non-Creature Handlers can have 1 pet (ie, 1 AT-ST)
* AT-ST's can only fight PvE when they are on Factional Missions
* DoTs that can effect AT-ST's are only Fire.
I just wanted to give a heads up while we are still in the testing stage. As many of you know, the AT-ST is a faction pet and the new Publish is going to be bringing some changes to pets in the grand scheme of things. Among the many changes to the game world in this publish are going to be the Creature Handler Profession changes and the Creature Balance changes. Both of those changes will have an impact on pets in general and there will be additional improvements after this first pass. I wanted to go over the AT-ST changes that you'll be seeing right away. With the Creature Handler Profession changes, Creature Handlers will be able to have more than one pet (up to 3 pets) and everyone else will be able to have a single pet. In the wake of this change, any factioned Imperial who is not a Creature Handler will only be able to have one pet. I know some of you are used to having three pets out, but the reason Creature Handlers are being re-balanced is because players can get the combat benefits of the Creature Handler Tree for the skill point cost of 2 trees (essentially all the benefit for half the skill point price) and having three pets out is a major perk for Creature Handlers. If everyone can do it, then its not a perk. The reasoning is that if you really want to have and control three pets, a player should make a commitment to the profession. For example, Teras Kasi Artists and all melee combatants commit themselves to the challenge of playing a short-range game on a playing field where most of the advantages are long-range. Crafters commit their skill points to crafting disciplines and are at a greater risk while searching for resources in the wild and maintaining their harvesters. All professions have to make hard choices at some point - - that is what defines them and makes them interesting.
The next overall change that will effect AT-ST's is the Creature Balance. The Creature Balance definitely needs a post all to itself, but as it pertains to the AT-ST's, it is currently a pet. Pets are part of the creature system and creatures overall needed to be balanced. What I mean by "balanced" is that there are lots and lots of creatures in the game world and in the overall view of things, it's a great system, but there are certain aspects that are out of alignment. That is to say, when armor, hit points and resistances are compared against HAM costs, weapon and damage types, there are some instances where combat with creatures is too easy and instances where it is too difficult. Some creatures have poor armor and high resistances and low hit points and are glass-jaw targets and fall in combat too easy. Other creatures have high armor, high resistances and high hit points and they are too difficult. In the interest of making the game fun and challenging across the board, places where combat with creatures was too easy was stiffened up a bit and made to be more difficult and where the game was too difficult, the numbers were loosened a bit so the system should make more sense and be more fun.
As part of this change, AT-ST's have less armor and Hit Points went up.
Another aspect of AT-ST's that has been changed has to do with PvE combat. In my original AT-ST thread, the majority of players wanted to remove AT-ST's from PvE, except in cases of Faction Missions and we agree with
you. That change has been implemented. Our reasoning was pretty much in line with yours in that for the most part, Imperial Soldiers don't have free reign
with their equipment and shouldn't be off shooting womp rats and collecting money from settlers for doing odd jobs. AT-STs are war machines and should be off fighting the war. Sure this is an MMO and players get a lot of leeway to do what they want, but in the greater scheme of things, AT-ST's should be chasing down rebels and not farming pelts.
Some other changes that also effect AT-ST's are the DoT or Damage-over-Time effects. AT-STs are now only effected by Fire. DoT effects (bleeding, poison, etc.) will no longer effect the AT-ST's and DoT's won't cause pets
in general (including AT-ST's) to randomly aggro on nearby PvP enemies.
Now, with all this being said, there are people that are going to love the changes and some that hate the changes.
Summary of AT-ST changes in Test:
* Less armor, more hit points
* Non-Creature Handlers can have 1 pet (ie, 1 AT-ST)
* AT-ST's can only fight PvE when they are on Factional Missions
* DoTs that can effect AT-ST's are only Fire.