Cybertech and Biochem changes posted on the SWTOR Dev Tracker

[Krooner]

The German version:

Ein paar von euch haben bereits in den Patch Notes für das Spiel-Update 1.1 gesehen, dass wir einige Anpassungen bei verschiedenen violetten, mit Biochemie und Cybertech hergestellten High-End-Gegenständen vorgenommen haben. Um es einfach auszudrücken, wir haben ihren Einfluss auf das Spiel verringert und möchten euch gerne erklären warum das nötig war.

Die mit Biochemie hergestellten Medipacks waren zu gut. Tatsächlich waren sie sowohl durch die Menge an Heilung, die man durch sie bekommen hat (oft mehr als die Hälfte der Lebenspunkte des Charakters), als auch durch die Frequenz in der man sie nutzen konnte (alle 90 Sekunden!) viel zu gut. Das hat das Spiel für alle anderen negativ beeinflusst. Wir haben die Diskussionen sowohl innerhalb als auch außerhalb des Spiels genau verfolgt, in denen oft gesagt wurden, dass alle Spieler, die nicht Biochemie als Handwerksfertigkeit nehmen würden, „blöde“ und „Gimps“ wären. Das weist für uns darauf hin, dass einige wenige Spieler, für die der Wettbewerb das Wichtigste im Spiel ist, andere Spieler vom Endgame ausgeschlossen haben, wenn sie nicht Biochemie genommen hatten.

Cybertech Granaten konnten vor allem in Kombination mit zusätzlichen Power-ups und Buffs einen deutlich höheren Schaden in kurzer Zeit verursachen als uns lieb war, und konnten PvP-Begegnungen damit schneller beenden als von uns vorgesehen war. Tatsächlich testen wir intern gerade weitere Änderungen an Klassen und Stims, um in einem zukünftigen Patch die Tatsache anzugehen, dass einige in einem PvP-Kampf viel schneller als erwartet ihre Gegner besiegen können.

Wir möchten nicht, dass eure Wahl der Handwerksfähigkeit zu einer Voraussetzung für die Teilnahme an PvP und dem Endgame-Content wird. Natürlich möchten wir, dass Spieler, die viel Energie in ihre Handwerksfähigkeit stecken, davon auch etwas haben. Wir wollen aber nicht, dass eine oder zwei Handwerksfähigkeiten de facto zum „must have“ für jeden werden. Und das ist es, was hier passiert ist.

Wir sind immer sehr vorsichtig mit derlei Änderungen und verstehen natürlich, dass es für einige Spieler frustrierend sein kann, wenn wir sie vornehmen. Bitte bedenkt, dass wir diese Änderungen nicht machen, weil wir Freude daran haben, an euren Charakteren herumzuschrauben, sondern weil wir für alle ein Spiel schaffen möchten, das ihnen Spaß macht.

Uns ist klar, dass die Leute, die wegen der oben beschriebenen Dinge ihre Handwerksfähigkeit geändert haben, nicht besonders glücklich sein werden über diese Änderungen – und auch wenn es für uns einfach wäre so etwas zu sagen wie “so ist das halt in MMOs”, machen wir uns diese Entscheidungen nicht leicht und gehen dabei sehr vorsichtig vor. Gleichzeitig hat das Feedback der Spieler und die Daten, die wir von hunderten Servern gesammelt haben, es sehr klar gemacht, dass wir dieses Problem jetzt angehen müssen, wo erst ein sehr kleiner Teil der Spieler im Endgame sind und die große Mehrheit sich im 20er Levelbereich befindet, um die Anzahl der betroffenen Spieler möglichst gering zu halten.

Zu lang? Nicht gelesen? Viele schöne Worte für “wir nerfen Biochemie und Cybertech Endgame Produkte” weil sie so gut waren, dass die Spieler angefangen haben sie als Pflichtvoraussetzung anzusehen. Eure Wahl der Handwerksfähigkeit sollte nicht der entscheidende Faktor sein, um festzulegen ob ihr am Endgame Content teilnehmen dürft oder dabei erfolgreich sein könnt. Wir glauben immer noch, dass Biochemie und Cybertech sehr wertvolle Crew-Fähigkeiten sind, vor allem wenn man die Menge an Credits bedenkt, die Spieler mit diesen Handwerksfähigkeiten über das GHN machen ... sie sind aber nicht mehr länger das „goldene Ticket“ zum Eintritt in den Endgame Content.

Gruss ins Heimatland
Georg

The translation from Google Translate:

A few of you have seen already in the patch notes for Game Update 1.1, that we have some adjustments in various purple, charged with Cybertech Biochemistry and manufactured high-end items. To put it simply, we have reduced its influence on the game and you would like to explain why it was necessary.

Produced with biochemistry Medipacks were too good. In fact, they were both by the amount of healing that you get through them (often more than half the life points of the character), as well as by the frequency in which you could use them (every 90 seconds!) Too well. This has affected the game for all the other negative. We have discussions both within and outside of the game followed closely, which often were told that all the players who would not take biochemistry as a craft skill, "stupid" and "Gimp" would be. This points us to the fact that a few players for the competition is the most important thing in the game, other players have excluded from the endgame, if they had not taken biochemistry.

Cybertech grenades were mainly in combination with additional power-ups and buffs a much higher cause damage in a short time as we liked, and PvP encounters that could end more quickly than we had. In fact, we're testing internally just further changes to classes and stims to in a future patch to address the fact that some in a PvP fight much faster than expected to defeat their opponents.

We do not want your choice is the ability to craft a prerequisite for participating in PvP and endgame content. Of course we want the players to put a lot of energy into their craft skills, it also have something. We do not want to be that one or two crafting skills de facto a "must have" for everyone. And that's what happened here.

We are always very careful with these kinds of changes and of course understand that it can be frustrating for some players, if we make them. Please note that we do not make these changes because we take pleasure in tinkering with your characters, but because we want to create for a game that makes them fun.

We understand that people who have changed because of the above things their craft skills, will not be particularly happy about these changes - and even if it is easy for us would say something like "this is just in MMOs" we make these decisions lightly and do not go here very carefully. At the same time the feedback from the players and the data we have collected hundreds of servers made it very clear that we tackle this problem now, should, where only a very small part of the players in the endgame, and the vast majority in the 20's level range is to keep the number of affected players as low as possible.

Too long? Not read? Many fine words "we nerf Biochemistry and Cybertech Endgame products" because they were so good that the players they have begun to be regarded as a mandatory requirement. Your choice of crafting skill should not be the deciding factor to determine whether you are allowed to participate in the endgame content, or it can be successful. We still believe that Cybertech Biochemistry and crew are very valuable skill, especially when you consider the amount of credits, the players make these craft skills on the GHN ... but they are no longer the "golden ticket" to enter the endgame content.

Greetings to the home country
Georg

Interesting..

[H3ll]

Cybertech shouldnt be nerfed, the grenades are hardly usefull in PvE atm, single target it's hardly a DPS gain, and in PvP they arent that op either since they have a 5 min cd.. Even in PvP death from above seems to do more AoE damage, and that ability has a 1 min cd..

[WarFalcon1]

Updated 1.1 Patch notes are also up.

http://www.swtor.com/community/devtracker.php

[Matt0193]

So it's only the med-packs that're being nerfed then? Good, I guess. I only wanted Biochem for cheaper Stims ;o

"The PvP item “Overcharge Consumable” is now named “Warzone Expertise Adrenal.” Its cooldown has been reduced from 5 minutes to 3 minutes and it now shares a cooldown with other adrenals. It (and other adrenals) no longer stack with the PvP Power-Up that increases Expertise to prevent Expertise values from increasing beyond intended levels."

This I'm not to pleased about, I'm going to miss Singularityx4 + Relic + Consumable + Pick-up buff on 5 targets. Saaaaaaaaaad faaaaaaace...

That said, "Warzone Medpacs and Warzone Expertise Adrenals no longer share a cooldown with each other." makes up for it I guess.

[Eggoman]

har har har... I am going to slightly enjoy vent tonight as my entire guild rerolled Biochem a week ago because they wanted to be more overpowered with the medpacks.

[Krooner]

har har har... I am going to slightly enjoy vent tonight as my entire guild rerolled Biochem a week ago because they wanted to be more overpowered with the medpacks.

Well, Biochem still gets the advantage of making stims that are slowly becoming mandatory in raiding environments just like flasks in WoW. Blue stims are going for 10-15K per on our GTN. That still means you get to save ~50K credits with Biochem along with the additional benefit of the purple stims AFAIK, so Biochem still seems like a good deal. Or am I missing something?

[terrahero]

Sounds like Cybertech is going to be useless aswell, and Biochem will remain as the only usefull crewskill. Even in nerfed form.

[moff]

I have biochem, and that nerf is absolutely justified, the medpac was too strong, especially in pvp.

[quras]

I have biochem, and that nerf is absolutely justified, the medpac was too strong, especially in pvp.

Pretty much this. ^

If your honest with yourself anyone could see something needed to be changed.

I hate they didn't put more work into the other professions and get them buffed to a more acceptable level but either way, biochem was getting toned down no matter what.

[Apany]

I'm a biochem and I'm happy with that nerf. It was needed. I didn't want to see everyone with the same profession.

The other prof have some BoP item they can craft but it isn't as good as the current biochem.

[georgevonfranken]

So the one thing that makes cybertech a decent profession is getting nerfed, and only the medpacs are being nerfed. Yup biochem will still be the best

[Gerion]

And Armstech is still worthless.

[sidebar]

Sounds like Cybertech is going to be useless aswell, and Biochem will remain as the only usefull crewskill. Even in nerfed form.

All of the crafting skills should be "useless" to end game content ... least wise they become Mandatory and that's the whole point ... something WoW eventually pretty much got right and glad to see swtor making sure they follow suit ... level playing field. Either each crafting profession has something to add to end game that are all relatively equal or axe them all.

I prefer them axing them all cause if they are all equal, it's just another "checkbox" you have to get / maintain.

[georgevonfranken]

All of the crafting skills should be "useless" to end game content ... least wise they become Mandatory and that's the whole point ... something WoW eventually pretty much got right and glad to see swtor making sure they follow suit ... level playing field. Either each crafting profession has something to add to end game that are all relatively equal or axe them all.

I prefer them axing them all cause if they are all equal, it's just another "checkbox" you have to get / maintain.

But even with this they are not all equal biochem is still way ahead of everything else

[H3ll]

Crafting skills are still very usefull, for pve atleast.
Every raid boss seem to drop epic recipes, most of those give very powerfull BoP gear for crafting skills..

[Morae]

All of the crafting skills should be "useless" to end game content ... least wise they become Mandatory and that's the whole point ... something WoW eventually pretty much got right and glad to see swtor making sure they follow suit ... level playing field. Either each crafting profession has something to add to end game that are all relatively equal or axe them all.

I prefer them axing them all cause if they are all equal, it's just another "checkbox" you have to get / maintain.

I kind of disagree with you. Instead of having a few mandatory professions, why not make them all very powerfull and even more powerfull, if you can have access to high level materials from harder content? If all are very good, everyone will be doing right regardless which profession they picked.

Right now, I'm not even using my professions. Why should I? They give me nothing. Or is this just that there is "empty space" between reaching lvl50 and operations where professions are completely useless (except perhaps the mentioned ones)? Are they actually worth it even in operations. I haven't got that far yet so i dont know.

Whatever the case is, professions should be more usefull. I already get better stuff by doing dailies than I could possibly craft (with exception of those bop craftable things... thats for me two items with my synthweave).

[terrahero]

All of the crafting skills should be "useless" to end game content ... least wise they become Mandatory and that's the whole point ... something WoW eventually pretty much got right and glad to see swtor making sure they follow suit ... level playing field. Either each crafting profession has something to add to end game that are all relatively equal or axe them all.

I prefer them axing them all cause if they are all equal, it's just another "checkbox" you have to get / maintain.

Unless, all crafting skills had their own little niché they wouldnt have to be useless. As everyone can level their own skills...

And with Cybertech already in a poor state, slightly better then the other crafting professions but much worst then Biochem. A nerf to the only thing that it has, grenades, and itll be dropped to nothing aswell. But a nerf to Biochem would have to be pretty damn hard to make it worthless like the other crewskills.

Aslong as you are sporting strong medpacks, adrenals and stimpacks that do not require a refill itll remain the single best crewskill. A nerf to Cybertech would just eliminate its closest competitor (even tough its already miles ahead anyway). Instead of nerfing Biochem (maybe a little nerf) and cybertech they should buff the other crafting skills.

[Capt Froggy]

Its really annoying when stuff gets nerfed because of PvP, and then PvE suffers.

[Matt0193]

Its really annoying when stuff gets nerfed because of PvP, and then PvE suffers.

It's really annoying when stuff gets nerfed because of PvE, and then PvP suffers.

Not everyone PvE's in MMO's, just sayin'.

[Tsimp]

It's really annoying when stuff gets nerfed because of PvE, and then PvP suffers.

Not everyone PvE's in MMO's, just sayin'.

Name one instance where something was nerfed because of PvE and PvP suffered.