Customizable lightsabers (and also blasters too)

[LordGwaereon]

There was a thread in suggestions about customizable lightsabers a week or so ago. Thought I'd bring the discussion over here with my idea as it has elements pertaining to the cartel market. Anyway here's my idea for how to implement customizable lightsabers into the game (this should also work for blasters for you non-force users)

 

Make lightsabers (blasters) that can be constructed from several interchangeable custom parts.

IE: Emitter, Hilt, Connectors (for linking 2 hilts into a double blade hilt), and pommels. (Blaster users feel free to list what you think the piece breakdown should be)

Give us a decent amount of variety within each category say 10-20 style types to choose from.

Make some styles craftable, some as loot drops, and some as CM exclusives. (DIRECT PURCHASE PLEASE; none of that CM pack stuff except for maybe 1-2 super rare styles)

 

They could totally use this to increase cartel market sales easily by integrating it into the game like so: all lightsaber part options are 1 time use only items, if you want to have 2 toons with the same part (say double clawed emitter) then you must either grind for it for each saber or have a direct parts purchase option on the cartel market (please don't put these in RNG crates either put them under gear/cosmetics or preferrably make a new market tab so as to not clutter up the aforementioned tabs).

 

I also think that double bladed sabers should require 2 seperate hilts and a center connector part (as opposed to there being a specific "double blade hilt type" which means more parts which means more time in game grinding/sales), doesn't have to be 2 of the same hilt either (Think Descendant's Double saber in the collections screen where one half has a "light side" aesthetic and the opposite half has a "dark side" aesthetic).

 

This could also open up otions for long handled saber creation as you could use 1 emitter, 2 hilts, a connector, and a pommel to make your handle extra long (like the elven swords from the LOTR movies, or my old Naginata which I miss quite dearly) or 1 emitter, 3 hilts, 2 connectors, and a pommel for a more "light pike" style saber. Also they should have several lengths of hilts for those who've been asking for Shoto sabers (want a shoto? go grind/buy the parts and build one) which would make my above long hilt saber idea even more customizable as you could have different hilt lengths attached together to make your saber just the right size. Basically just give us 3 hilt lengths to choose from (long, medium, short) I think 3 hilts should be the cap so you can still have some variation from 3 short hilts to 3 long hilts and any combination in between but also have a finite length cap so people don't have 20 foot hilts running around slaying mobs 2 zones away, lol.

 

Each part IMHO should be grindable/craftable and buyable via CC, any purchased hilt would have an additional length wanted popup (possibly start with short hilt as a base cost with slight increases for each longer hilt) have the different lengths be diff schem for crafting and if you're grinding for a part drop you get what you get.

 

So to give you an basic idea of my premise: My Sith Assassin would need to grind/buy 2 emitters, 2 hilts, and a connector. My Sith Maurader would need 2 emitters, 2 hilts, and 2 pommels. My Jedi Sage would be looking for 1 emitter, 1 hilt, 1 pommel. My Jedi Guardian wants a pike style but not overly long so he would want 1 emiiter, 1 of each hilt length (long, med, short), 2 connectors, and a pommel.

 

If structured this way I think EA/Bio could make a fortune offering exclusive/unique parts on the CM while also having parts be grindable and/or craftable.

 

As to previous sabers in game and in market just make it cost more for all the combined parts so that the complete sabers are still ind demand by those who don't want the increased hassle/cost of grinding/buying individual parts for a custom saber.

[LadyVix]

Please no.

 

My crafters are already short of space to store stuff. I really don't want to store a dozen different Emitters, Hilt, connectors or pommels.

[LordGwaereon]

The only response to that I can give is to simply not try to craft every high seller possible. I know it's tempting to want to stay on top of the market and have a wide variety of stock but sometimes less can be more. By picking just a few high sellers and focusing on them (you can even rotate what you want to sell on a weekly or monthly basis) you cut down on some of that inventory bloat and you can concentrate more on production. By offering too much you strain your resources (or managements there of). I know this is coming from someone with limited business-economics experience but this is how I plan on running my real life custom random business I am working on. I'm taking this next year to experiment with what kinds of crafts I can efficiently produce and will then market within my viable efficiency range.

 

Not trying to demean you or anything but to be blunt if inventory bloat is your big issue you don't have to partake in this one specific market field and can just maintain as you have been. I really don't understand when people feel they have to do everything or they're missing out on something. As you yourself said "I don't want to...", so simply don't. To paraphrase a popular catch phrase " Keep calm and craft on."

Edited December 6, 2014 by LordGwaereon