Dancer Archive
Thread: My Experience With AFK Leveling (retitled)
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Jessalyn_Bohicat
Mon Jun 21, 2004 4:17 pm
#1
Let me first say that yes, i am a master dancer, and ihave been one three times before in my year of playing this game.
This past time that i mastered it, i did a good 90% of it afk, and i am not ashamed to admit that.
Why did i do it?
Well convenience was certainly an issue. It was easy for me to go to work in the mornin knowin my cute lil self was dancing away in the Theed cantina, gaining xp. I knew that when i got home i would be able to train a box or 2, and go out and do some pve or pvp.
The second issue was this: leveling an entertainer profession is no longer fun. The first time i mastered dancer it took me weeks. And i didn't mind a bit. My time in the various cantinas was great fun. Friends would come visit. We would talk, the performers would gossip about the patrons in group chat, and it would be something i genuinely looked forward to. The thought of leveling afk never crossed my mind -- why then, i would be missing out on the best part of dancing -- the company!!
Fast forward a few months.... the hologrind is upon us, and i ahve created a character on Gorath. My goal: Master Dancer/Master Image Designer. I begin leveling as i had the first time...always atk, always looking for conversation. I began to notice, however that rather than conversation, there was spam. It was difficult to find a group, as the leaders were more often than not afk. Healing XP was ridiculously difficult to get, and there was none of the boisterous conversation that i had enjoyed the first time around.
I was about 0/2/4/3 in dancer when i decided to learn the fine art of afk macroing. I would enver spam in spatial, nor say anything at all, because i find spam to be really unpleasent.....but i was afk leveling none the less. And a few days after that, i learned of the /join command. And sadly, as far as entertainer leveling is concerned, i never looked back.
I guess that at this point i really just want to say that i feel bad for giving in to it, the tempting call of afk leveling. I'm tremendously pleased to be a Master Dancer again, and I find it very fulfilling, even with all the spam and such still running rampant in our cantinas. I felt somehwat less bad about it knowing that i had done it the "real" way before, but still...there is a lingering guilt in me about it. I just wanted to put my experince out there for all of you.
Anyway...I would just like to say that I hope to become involved in the Ahazi Dance community, and be called upon for performances and such. People are the only thing holding me to this game, and i want to form ties with other entertainers, and spend time with yall, rally against buff bots, and generally have a good time. I would love to take part in performances and things like that, so feel free to let me know about stuff!
Those of you who managed to slog through this, thanks for your time 
Sincerely, Jene'Vieve
Message Edited by Jessalyn_Bohicat on 06-21-2004 05:14 PM
Xyrdre
Mon Jun 21, 2004 5:28 pm
#3
/cheer Jene!
All it takes to be a part of the Ahazi dancer community is to want to do it. I'll keep an eye out for you, and if I find the big fun, I'll send you a tell. 
Esharra
Mon Jun 21, 2004 5:37 pm
#5
Hi Jene,
I think the important things are; 1..you came back to where you were happiest and 2..you learned a lot about yourself in the process. The best of luck to you and welcome back to the dance!
Drygo
Mon Jun 21, 2004 9:23 pm
#6
Trust me, I'm not going to get on your case because you afk levelled the second time around.
The first time I levelled Master Dancer, it was totally atk, and took me three months. 
But, when I levelled up the second time I afk'ed to do it. I admit that I fell to the dark side for many of the same reasons you mentioned. I think that perhaps if I was having as much fun with a group of ATK people the 2nd time, I might have done it ATK again. But, yes, I perpetuated the cycle here. But, I'm sorry it just sucked dancing there for hours on end with nobody to talk to.
But, when I levelled up the second time I afk'ed to do it. I admit that I fell to the dark side for many of the same reasons you mentioned. I think that perhaps if I was having as much fun with a group of ATK people the 2nd time, I might have done it ATK again. But, yes, I perpetuated the cycle here. But, I'm sorry it just sucked dancing there for hours on end with nobody to talk to.I feel the same guilt you do, but saw no reason to subject myself to that misery. I've always said that as long as somebody really wanted to be a dancer, and contributes once they became master, has fun, and doesn't buffbot, I don't care if they afk'ed to do so. They're still welcome in the dancing community.
Here's to hoping that once the hologrind is over, dancing in the Cantinas become fun again and not as many people will feel the need to afk.
Jessalyn_Bohicat
Tue Jun 22, 2004 9:52 am
#7
thanks all
what i find most sad about stories like my own and Drygo's, is that it is just so common. Leveling entertainer used to be so much fun..and now it's just not.
I was in the bestine cantina last nite for a good 2 hours. i led a small group of 5, 2 of which were total noobs. i gave them some clothes (altho it was tuff finding something for a green male twi in my inventory i ended up giving him my only solid black pants and black ubese shirt) and some tips on levleing. Shockingly to me...one of them already knew how to afk macro!!
i ended up giving him my only solid black pants and black ubese shirt) and some tips on levleing. Shockingly to me...one of them already knew how to afk macro!!when i started dancing, i knew nothing of macros, nothing of /gasp, leaving the keyboard while doig something! Hell, it took me 3 months before i learned about auto-run, lol. i was always wondering how everyone typed while walking so easily
n00bs nowadays are a different breed of n00b than i was. they seem to know all the shortcuts without learnign any of the pleasures of leveling an entertianer profession. I guess because the pleasure just arent there any more 
Bestine is my home, and without a doubt my favorite city in the game. I am pledging to dance there at least an hour every nite, in hopes of restoring some of its former glory, back when FFW, Awi, and some of the other old dance legends used to spend fun times there. I hope yall will join me in that endeavor.
and boy, do i ramble on, lol
-jene
Esharra
Tue Jun 22, 2004 11:45 am
#8
I dropped my masters inDancer and Entertainerin late September (maybe early Oct). I had Master Tailor at the time and over the course of 6 months mastered Artisan, Architect, Smuggler and TK (Mr. Holo told me Fencer, I told him no). By March I was missing dancing badly and dropped Smuggler to go back to Dance (by this time I had created a second character to take care of my clothing addiction and the decorating business that I've had remarkable success in).
My first day back in the cantina had it's depressing moments. One of the first dancers I had the chance to talk to was just logging to set up her macro before leaving for her day at the office. She thought it interesting that someone had quit and wasactually wanting to come back and had no intention to macro. We talked for quite a while. She did eventually set up her macro and leave butthis was aftermyincessanttalking hadmade herover an hour late for work. I think she had hungered for the social interaction as much as I had.
Another person I met that day was a Master Dancer starting up to Musician, working through the professions on her way to Jedi. Here was a Master Dancer who had only seen /bandflo used twice by dancersand had no idea how to do it! I was sooo saddened that the state of the dance had so badly gone downhill! As time went by, she & I got to know each other a lot better and she's since told me that after reaching Jedi she intends to return to dancing.
Over time, I saw a few (if temporary) changes. After a while, I would come into the cantina and moredancers would be atk, greetingpatronsand chatting it up in spatial..sharing our entertainer's conversations with the patrons as well. I started logging in to tells and e-mails from other entertainers asking when I was planning to be in the cantina next. Patrons were sticking around and enjoying the conversations and the show.
In the 3 weeks it took me to master I had a lot of fun with every step along the way. With every new box I was overjoyed to get my next dance and showed off which flourishes could be used to change from one dance to another. When I finally got smoke bomb I was squealing with joy and immediately set up costume changes. Everyone else got excited about playing with our toys too. One day I brought my tailor down to the cantina and dressed up everyone in the costume of their dreams and added BE enhanced cloth to every piece that could take it. This has started a bit of tradition with me now and I try to do it once a month but if the entertainers are afk they'll never know I'm there.
If people are having fun they stay at their keyboards. I noticed this Saturday when Schardour decided to dance with his character Til on Chilastra. I wasn't able to stay in game long that afternoon but while I was there I had a wonderful time. He went nuts and had fun and everyone else did too.
I think the biggest contribution to the sad state of our profession is not so much the afk'ers and buffbots (theymay bemore a symptom than a cause)..we forgot to have fun. My crafting character produces clothes and furniture (I don't enjoy making structures) with which I build ceiling fans, bathrooms and chandeliers that other players find it fun to have in their homes. My dancer can buff and heal..but those are really bi-products of our profession. They could take them away and I think most of us would still choose to dance. The real goal of our profession is to share fun. I think somewhere along the way we forgot that.
Message Edited by Esharra on 06-22-2004 01:49 PM
Drygo
Tue Jun 22, 2004 2:20 pm
#9
Jessalyn_Bohicat wrote:
when i started dancing, i knew nothing of macros, nothing of /gasp, leaving the keyboard while doig something! Hell, it took me 3 months before i learned about auto-run, lol. i was always wondering how everyone typed while walking so easily
-jene
Not to derail, but...there's an auto-run?!
Hahahaha...I'm such a noob!
Anyone care to explain how this works?
DitahCotton
Tue Jun 22, 2004 2:58 pm
#10
auto-run.. just press the num-lock key on your numpad to run, toggle again to turn it off
Jene.. if you're hungry again, I'll pop by and hand you some of my gogo foods if you're in Bestine cantina!
Jessalyn_Bohicat
Tue Jun 22, 2004 3:43 pm
#11
ill be there tonite! bring a crate of each, i want to buy some 
FuschiaD
Wed Jun 23, 2004 10:52 am
#12
I'm currently grinding a dancer on Bria... and I must say that I go AFK a LOT less on Bria than I did on Tarquinas. I'm seeing more and more that my server has a lot of idiots. >.< Bria's a blast though. I love hanging out there and chatting with the other entertainers!
Drygo
Wed Jun 23, 2004 1:37 pm
#13
FuschiaD wrote:
I'm currently grinding a dancer on Bria... and I must say that I go AFK a LOT less on Bria than I did on Tarquinas. I'm seeing more and more that my server has a lot of idiots. >.< Bria's a blast though. I love hanging out there and chatting with the other entertainers!
Yes, Fuschia decides to spend less time on Tarquinas after I finally decide to spend more time there and level up a character. Do I smell? LOL (Don't answer that).
I agree, though, servers are so different from one another. My original server of Kettemoor is probably one of the better servers for entertainers. There's plenty of afk'ers there, but the buffbots don't hang out in the Cantinas. And, after the hologrind is over, it's going to be even better. But, Kettemoor's always been good for entertaining, and roleplaying in general.
On the other hand, Tarquinas appears to be at the lower end of the spectrum in regards to entertainers. I couldn't believe how different they both are. It was hard not to afk level on Tarquinas because there was nobody to talk to. On Kettemoor, I usually find people to talk to in the big groups.
There are problems on every server, of course. But, the degree of the problem definitely varies between servers.
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