Georg, from my point of view, you failed to adress the real problem.

The real problem is not Biochem medpack being too powerfull, the problem was the other crew skills being almost useless at end game and the reusable adrenals stacking with relics and other buffs being to powerfull in PVP.

Medpacks werent a problem if the other crafting skills we buffed to worthwhile levels.

Not only that, non-Biochemists have zero access to decent stims and adrenals. Even Energized was made Biochem exclusive, which is level 51 compared to Rakata's level 58.

 

What in the world?

Yeah, that made me scratch my head as well. I've been having my Biochem fiance make the Energized stims for me.

I'm hoping beyond hope they reduce the cooldown on the grenades, because I have several of the Rakata earpiece patterns that guildies would really like me to craft for them at this point. If they don't though, I'm going to have to go with Biochem for the prospect of a second Endure Pain cooldown.

There is unrest in the forest,

There is trouble with the trees,

For the maples want more sunlight

And the oaks ignore their pleas.

The trouble with the maples,

(And they're quite convinced they're right)

They say the oaks are just too lofty

And they grab up all the light.

But the oaks can't help their feelings

If they like the way they're made.

And they wonder why the maples

Can't be happy in their shade.

There is trouble in the forest,

And the creatures all have fled,

As the maples scream "Oppression!"

And the oaks just shake their heads

So the maples formed a union

And demanded equal rights.

"The oaks are just too greedy;

We will make them give us light."

Now there's no more oak oppression,

For they passed a noble law,

And the trees are all kept equal

By hatchet, axe, and saw.

Neil Peart -- "The Trees

TL;DR: Fancy words for ‘we nerfed BioChem and Cybertech endgame products’ because they were so good that players started considering them mandatory. Your choice of profession is not supposed to be the deciding factor for participation and success in endgame content. We still believe that BioChem and Cybertech are very worthwhile Crew Skills, especially considering the significant fortune players with these professions are able to realize on the GTN... they are however no longer the ‘golden ticket’ into endgame content.

How does requiring 400 biochem skill to use these items make Biochem any less mandatory than before the nerf?

P.S. When can I expect my Synthweaver to be able to make as many light armor pieces as heavy and medium? There are still huge gaps in light armor recipes.

Georg, from my point of view, you failed to adress the real problem.

 

The real problem is not Biochem medpack being too powerfull, the problem was the other crew skills being almost useless at end game and the reusable adrenals stacking with relics and other buffs being to powerfull in PVP.

 

Medpacks werent a problem if the other crafting skills we buffed to worthwhile levels.

I think the issue is, this kind of thing takes time. The biggest priority is to insure one profession isn't better than all the others BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS. Slicing was at first. Then Biochem was, with a strong honorable mention to Cybertech.

The most important thing to do is even them out. Then, they can begin working on the core problem, which isn't something they can just hotfix in a week.

A solid first step.

 

I hope we will see other Trades advance a bit with items for them like Biochem and Cybertech.

We plan to give all crafting and gathering professions additional and ongoing attention, yes.

It's important to remember that we launched not a month ago - we're in for the long haul. Crafting is an important part of the game and we have plans for it

Your reasoning makes sense. However, many developer posts have been about tackling needed game adjustments in order of priority. Is this really high on that list?

 

How about Ability Lag?

 

How about the unpopular and unavoidable Auto-PvP feature that violates the game code about non-consensual PvP (see thread in this forum)?

 

If y'all are using "Ease of Correction" or "Rapidity/Alacrity of Correction" as a criterion in addition to simply priority, please let us know. I think the community would accept that, but saying "priority" only, and making a fix like this, is quite the empathic failure. This community certainly has other priorities.

 

But thanks for the clear explanation!

I'm pretty sure they have mentioned that the complexity of implementing a fix is also a factor in determining which issues hit the patches first. That's why last patch, for example, we got "emotes from vehicles now work". It was an easy fix.

They've put out a number of posts discussing ability lag, the complexity of the problem, and the fact that they're directing a lot of resources to correcting that problem.

I think the issue is, this kind of thing takes time. The biggest priority is to insure one profession isn't better than all the others BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS. Slicing was at first. Then Biochem was, with a strong honorable mention to Cybertech.

 

The most important thing to do is even them out. Then, they can begin working on the core problem, which isn't something they can just hotfix in a week.

This fix in no way fixes the fact that biochem is better than other crew skills though, what crew skill even begins to compare with biochem post nerf?

So, you reduced the heal amount on the medpacks, but you made em go from BOP to biochem 400? Did you remove infinite consumable(oxymoron isn't it?). Im not even a biochem, Ive got 400 Art, 300s Cyber, and 300s Synth. There are far bigger problems with the crafting system than Biochem/Cybertech.

1) Commendations give rewards that are far too good. Both from daily reward vendors and as people progress leveling up. Rewards from these merchants should not be equal to prototype player made. If the same gear is to be used on these vendors, it should be the green quality gear. The cost of missions in time/credits to craft green, RE for blue, and then to craft a blue is grossly out of line with the cheap cost and insane ease of obtaining commendation items.

2) Infinite use clickies for any crafter should not be. Infinite use items that are ONLY for a given crafter are even worse. Crafting perks should be along the lines of a 10-15% boost in item crafted, or 2x the amount of use. Making an item that lasts forever, does not remove credits from the system once a crafter has it. That is what consumables are supposed to do.

3) Weapon/Armor making classes need to be revamped. All crafted gear should be orange. Orange gear should then have the option to have 1/2/3 augments on top of the mod slots. Augs/mods will likely need to be adjusted to prevent players being vastly stronger than mobs at a given level. Cooler looking armor should of course, be higher level requirement(can also increase the chance of RE success as it goes higher and is more expensive)

4) Crafting consumables should not require raid drops. Crafted consumables should come in decent sized batches. These are for use, not for rare/lucky events. In the case of biochem, raid drop requirement makes more sense in the implant line.

5) All crafting classes should have a desirable consumable that only they can craft. This item should be useful for pvp/raids. This item should be useable by others. Biochem, by its nature, should produce more variety and have more unlinked CDs on these than other crafting classes.

The whole thing stems from the problem of reusability.

If people can sell these then it wont be a problem -.- the reusable just makes its that much more appealing.

This fix in no way fixes the fact that biochem is better than other crew skills though, what crew skill even begins to compare with biochem post nerf?

It does not. You're right. The problem was Biochem was granting a noticeable convenience AND mechanical advantage over every other profession. Now, it's just a convenience advantage... one which would be off-set by the fact that I'd have to dump 400 Artifice to pick it up. So, I'm no longer tempted to go Biochem and abandon the work I've put into Artifice, even if - presently - Artifice is very underwhelming at 50.

All they were trying to do is not make those two professions grant a noticable mechanical advantage. Yes, Biochem is arguably still the best, but people aren't considered stupid for not picking it up anymore or aren't gimping themselves. They're just inconveniencing themselves, which is something Bioware can live with until they bring all the other professions up to par.

Biochem: not far enough, honestly.

Annnnnd.... Nothing has changed. Biochem is still the go to craft skill for raiding because it is the only one that actually helps.

What he said ^

But thanks for listening, at least.

Why don't they fix the other crew skills first?

In order to raise the bar on the other crew skills, they need to find the right height in the first place. Bring Biochem and Cybertech down a notch first, then pull the other crew skills up to that very same level. At least, that is what I hope they will do.

Since you're assessing end-game utility for Crew Skills, and in particular Cybertech, can you comment on how Cybertech is meant to be relevant when level 50 dailies reward purple mods and armorings?

Grinding daily heroics = expensive (materially) crafting products for free. Really?

It does not. You're right. The problem was Biochem was granting a noticeable convenience AND mechanical advantage over every other profession. Now, it's just a convenience advantage... one which would be off-set by the fact that I'd have to dump 400 Artifice to pick it up. So, I'm no longer tempted to go Biochem and abandon the work I've put into Artifice, even if - presently - Artifice is very underwhelming at 50.

 

All they were trying to do is not make those two professions grant a noticable mechanical advantage. Yes, Biochem is arguably still the best, but people aren't considered stupid for not picking it up anymore or aren't gimping themselves. They're just inconveniencing themselves, which is something Bioware can live with until they bring all the other professions up to par.

I have 400 artifice also but will be switching to biochem this weekend, only takes a day or 2 to be back at 400 (i've been on the fence because I knew a nerf was coming but didn't think it would be this light), what does 400 artifice actually offer you at level 50, after you can run hard modes?

I feel quite stupid here as a 400 Biochemist (recently hit cap in the past couple of days, but haven't put much thought into it yet), but can someone clarify something for me?

So reusable med packs were previously BOP and now requires Biochem 400? I'm trying to figure out how this is any different unless simply creating the item doesn't mean that it bound to you.

Based on what I've been able to decipher, creating the item used to bind it to you? Now it's not bound, but you still need Biochem 400 to use it? Am I right?

I feel quite stupid here as a 400 Biochemist (recently hit cap in the past couple of days, but haven't put much thought into it yet), but can someone clarify something for me?

 

So reusable med packs were previously BOP and now requires Biochem 400? I'm trying to figure out how this is any different unless simply creating the item doesn't mean that it bound to you.

 

Based on what I've been able to decipher, creating the item used to bind it to you? Now it's not bound, but you still need Biochem 400 to use it? Am I right?

Before you could level to 400 biochem, make your reuseable items, and then switch to another profession and still be able to use them while gaining the slight boost of say bis arms/belt

I feel quite stupid here as a 400 Biochemist (recently hit cap in the past couple of days, but haven't put much thought into it yet), but can someone clarify something for me?

 

So reusable med packs were previously BOP and now requires Biochem 400? I'm trying to figure out how this is any different unless simply creating the item doesn't mean that it bound to you.

 

Based on what I've been able to decipher, creating the item used to bind it to you? Now it's not bound, but you still need Biochem 400 to use it? Am I right?

You are correct, they require 400 Biochem to use, but you could make one and sell it to another Biochemist if they didn't have the schematic or materials to make their own.

I am not really clear on what they expected to accomplish with the overall changes except to ensure that all PvE end-game players are going to go back to Biochem. They don't really have a choice now.

Before you could level to 400 biochem, make your reuseable items, and then switch to another profession and still be able to use them while gaining the slight boost of say bis arms/belt

Aaaaah, that makes sense then. I'm sorry for being slow today...I've kinda felt miserable with fatigue and allergies, so I'm not thinking too clearly. To be honest, I like that idea.

We plan to give all crafting and gathering professions additional and ongoing attention, yes.

 

It's important to remember that we launched not a month ago - we're in for the long haul. Crafting is an important part of the game and we have plans for it

You don't seem to see the problem, you've made it worse, albeit it might be temporary, but it could be a month or longer before other crafting was brought into line. There will only be biochem on mains now. This change should wait till you sort out what to do with other professions, cause before at least we still had variety in crafting, they switched back. Now everyone will just stay biochem!

You do realize that there are ZERO Artifice recipes that drop in Operations right? None. Zilch.

Biochem gets unlimited Stims and medpacks making it the only choice for people doing Operation content. There is nothing I can make or do with Artifice that even is attractive to people in my guild. The best item I can make (one of the 48 different purple enhancements) is just the same item you can get with 1 daily quest on Ilum and many levels below the quality of enhancements that come from operations or PVP gear. People who want to tailor their Operation-gained items do so by... doing PVP and then removing those enhancements for use in their Tionese or Columi gear or by taking the enhancements from excess armor from a slightly different spec turn in.

Who on earth decided that launching with Crew Skills in this state was a good idea? It takes less than 60 seconds of looking at the available items and complete elimination of entire Crew Skills from end game content to realize that the system was not ready for launch. Good grief the Bind on Pickup items that Artificers can make are some of the WORST relics in the entire game.

Setting the Biochem stuff to need 400 skill does nothing. It just means that people who dropped Biochem have to pick it back up again instead of just using that slot for money making Crew Skills. Being one month post launch is no excuse for shoddy work.