Community Relations Archive
Thread: A serious issue: Macros. Major Read.
Redspot wrote:
Why would you go to a corr of each proffesion forum, when it doesnt pertain to that discussion? It belongs in this forum, if not here, then where? ... exactly...
This is a Community problem.
Message Edited by Redspot on 10-27-2005 02:32 PM
I'll give you a bit of history. Entertainers have been begging for AFK play to be taken out of the game since shortly after launch. We're ignored.
Combat players don't like that they have to take time out of their grind to visit cantinas to see entertainers. They continued to support AFK bots, when they had to get their BF healed. So, because of combat whining, they simply removed Battle Fatigue to make combat players happy. This is truly when the cantinas REALLY started emptying of LIVE entertainers, because we simply stopped having any reason to BE in the cantina.
The combat players have supported the AFK playstyle by using AFK bots for their inspiration buffs, now.
YOU guys support AFK...that is, until *combat* becomes AFK'able. Now that AFK is upsetting the combat player's game play, the combat players need to say "HEY! AFK IS NOT GOOD!". This should be brought up in the combat profession forums (it's probably a big issue in the jedi/bh forums already). If the combat professions stopped using AFK entertainers and truly supported the removal of AFK, it would go away.
It really chaps my buttocks that combat players whine about AFK combat grinders, yet they continue to tip and seek out AFK enterainers. You can't have it both ways.
I've raised this point in the Core Systems forum. Repeatedly.
I've cited Thunderheart discussing removing recursive macros. (September, 2004)
I've quoted justG and Runesabre from a Stratics chat describing AFK macroing as a "problem" and saying "We don't like AFK either." (July, 2004)
Results since these comments? None.
Of course I understand that this is just one issue among many. And I understand that an additional goal in dealing with AFK issues is solving it without significantly impairing the gameplay of people using macros in reasonable ways.
But what I don't understand is why nothing has been done at all. This isn't merely a minor problem, or a problem that only affects one or two professions -- it is an effect that pervades the entire game, and damages the gameplay of every player. It cheapens the effort of everyone at the keyboard who's hoping for a satisfying Star Wars-themed experience. (BTW, as the owners of the Star Wars license, why haven't LucasArts reps insisted that this be dealt with?) A pervasive problem like this is exactly the kind of problem that deserves a high priority for attention because of the bang you get for your buck when you fix it... and yet it's still there.
Gothywench is right: macros aren't the problem -- the problem is that players can receive in-game benefits while AFK. In other words, their character can affect the game world while they aren't controlling their character. Trying to solve that by tweaking macros is just going after the (relatively) easy target. It's a hack. SWG's players deserve better.
The real solution: if you're marked as AFK, you may not get or give in-game benefits of any kind:
- resources
- money
- items
- XP
- healing
- buffs
Anything you're explicitly allowed to gain while offline (vendor XP, crafted item usage XP, resources collected by harvesters, etc.) would be unaffected. But other than these things, your character should not be able to have any effect in/on the game world if you're not actively controlling your character.
In the alternate universe where I'm the Lead Designer for SWG, thisfixwasimplemented over a year ago.
Meanwhile, back in this world.... Sigh.
--Flatfingers
I really fail to see how this is the relevant forum for this. It's definitely a complaint that should be heard, and I agree with most of it... But let's try and keep this where it belongs? We've got enough website and relations issues here that need attention, without non-related issues being posted and bumping down other post's visibility.
Kora of House Fion
Minister of Cultural Affairs
Da'Vinci Art Gallery [-1347 -5524]
House of Fashion [-1234 -5656]
Da'Vinci City, Tatooine
Bria Galaxy
MTVGeneration wrote:
No a serious issue is not having a working server to play on.
Welcome to SWG, dev's are SOE. Dont hijack threads.
--------
Alright, I am not going to post this in every single class/elite/hybrid forum. Why? Because thats stupid.. THIS EFFECTS EVERYONE, anyone can do it. You want to copy paste it to every proffesion, go ahead, be my guest.