Dancer Archive

Ok, so we had a few threads in the Corre Forum about buff bots. It is confirmed that a Public Free AFK Buff Bot in a Crowded NPC Cantina running a macro with Text /shouting "Free buffs, send a tell for instructions... *pause*... Go visit Hollow Hide Mall at 2245 -763 for all your shopping needs, invite me for a free buff and more details!... *pause* ... Come relax and let me heal your mind and battle fatigue, complements of Hollow Hide Mall 2245 -763" blah blah blah and so on is 100% allowed.

Any variation on this is 100% allowed. Now, I know a lot of us are ok with some afk or some botting but we have rules about where and when it's ok. Well, no, I'm afraid we can't have that. The problem here is that anything pure game mechanics that we can do ATK, we can also do macroed AFK. This makes our profession a huge target for botting and always will. No matter how much our Functions or the Need for them changes, as long as they can be done AFK, people will do this.

The reasons cited in the Corre threads along with what I always hear in game are: convenience, to help sell wares while giving the potential customer something "nice and free" as an incentive, and one person brought up that live Dancers are often too *cough* "friendly" so the scripted only bots are a more comfortable solution for healing (read: interaction not wanted).

We do not have the ability to ask for all AFK play to go away. We do not have the ability to ask for all macroing to go away (nor do I think most of us would want to). We have one option as a Profession here, to ask for attended only Functions.

Currently our only functional aspects are 1. Mind Buffing 2. Blue Wound Healing and 3. BF Healing. It is possible to ask that all of these functions become attended only. I understand the RP aspect for allowing all of our Functions to be passive, but RP explanations are made up and scripted after game mechanics are decided. As long as any of our functions can be passed out for free 24/7 to anyone who comes by, they will be. The game isn't going to change, but we can.

Now, for the actual poll:

If the Devs are willing to make all of our functional elements attended only, would you want that?

Assume that Immersion will be protected and our ability to heal, chat, or dance will not be affected adversely while at the keys. There is a great multitude of ways this could be accomplished.

1. Yes, I understand that this is the only way to protect our class and would support this change

2. No, I understand that this would kill buff bots and my ability to heal while AFK... I want this profession to stay AFKable 100%

For the first time I honestly do have an agenda. I am personally against having our Profession be used as "Barker Droids Plus" and allowed to use our one functional area to completely negate our tie to the heal cycle and game mechanic reason to exist. Second account buffers would still be able to buff and heal their main, but they would need to be at the keys on their Dancer for the time they were doing so. This is not my wish so that we will become more difficult for Combat Players or non-RPers, I honestly do not believe it will have any adverse effect on them. What I do believe is that this will give us the ability to survive, no matter what changes come. I want our ability to play a Dancer live to be protected, this would help tremendously.

Make sure you post in the right thread for your concern!

Ent Healing: Survey for those who do not want to play a Dancer

Message Edited by Panthu on 05-24-2004 10:45 AM

Message Edited by Vermicious_Knid on 05-24-2004 12:10 PM

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If the Devs are willing to make all of our functional elements attended only, would you want that?
Assume that Immersion will be protected and our ability to heal, chat, or dance will not be affected adversely while at the keys. There is a great multitude of ways this could be accomplished.
1. Yes, I understand that this is the only way to protect our class and would support this change

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Vermicious_Knid wrote:

I just don't know what this is going to do, other than get rid of the buffbot that runs while its owner is at work or sleeping.

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Uh, yeah. That's exactly what it would do.

I liked your first edit better. This is the wrong thread for you, you don't want to play a dancer.

I have gone to some pains here to make it clear that I realize the forced socialization bit is not going over well for many players. We didn't make that plan, the Devs did. Frankly, I'm not nuts for it myself, but that's not what this thread is about. That's the other one.

If you actually took the time to read the Dancer posts by the Social players who do want to play a Dancer, you would find that we are some what split on our feelings of being restricted to Cantinas and limited in our healing aspects. There are many very strong and ranged feelings on this whole system. Now, I think it's a little odd that we would have so many threads and debates on this if we were all so gung-ho "keep the non-RP combat players forced to go to the cantinas and make us a downtime burdan so we can chat", don't you?

Please, don't turn this into something it's not. You can still have your buffer if this change goes through. You'd just need to switch over to him for a few mins, just like you do now. My real life husband does exactly the same thing with his buffer alt, he does not go set up shop in an NPC Cantina auto joining and advertising his vendors. I asked him if this would disturb his game, he said no. I don't see how it would yours either from what you are describing.

It is reasonable to make sure the players we are supporting are happy and we are working correctly for our function to them, it is not reasonable that the players who want to play this class for healing, buffing, Role Play, "just cause it's pretty", or as a way to meet people should be forced to have their game hampered just because you don't like our playstyle. I am ok with you having a second account. I don't want to hurt your game just because you don't like the way we were made... it is more important to me as the Dancer Correspondent to make sure that those who really do want to play a Dancer for whatever reason can keep that option in this thread though.

Second account alts who really will be played as a Dancer because they want to should have a vote here... second account alts that do not want to play a Dancer and are doing so only because they can't find a buffer or because they hate the system should post in the other thread along with all the others who don't have any interest in making this class fun or playable.

No no you just don't understand.. Everyone only wants tosee live (atk)dancers because they chat with you and entertain you while adding an extra 8-30 mins to what you want to be doing in the game.

Seriously though... I think this point has been raised before but to beat a dead horse..... The problem here is that you have a profession that just isn't fun to enough people to justify the need it has. To correct the problem you beed to make the profession fun for a wider group or you need to minimise the need for the profession leaving it only for those who find fun in the existing system. As it is right now... The need outweighs the playability.

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Niza wrote:

No no you just don't understand.. Everyone only wants tosee live (atk)dancers because they chat with you and entertain you while adding an extra 8-30 mins to what you want to be doing in the game.

Seriously though... I think this point has been raised before but to beat a dead horse..... The problem here is that you have a profession that just isn't fun to enough people to justify the need it has. To correct the problem you beed to make the profession fun for a wider group or you need to minimise the need for the profession leaving it only for those who find fun in the existing system. As it is right now... The need outweighs the playability.

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I know Niza, but that is something we don't all agree on yet and is strongly tied in with the wishes of non-Dancers. I said that in the other thread. I really do think we should be more fun for those of us playing and optional for those who don't, but I can't say that's a clear wish from the Dancers. I am hoping to be able to say that we will allow ourselves to have an attended restriction for buffing.

I personally would love a revamp and I think there is a lot of interest in it from other Dancers, but this is just one small area that I'm hoping we can all agree on. I do not think it is a cure all, I do however think it would help all live Dancers work with in the existing system.

This poll assumes the Cantina System is not being questioned, the other does not. I've heard your solutions (dead horse), it is now clear to me that others are completely clueless about this issue though (hint, go share there ). As the Dancer Corre, I have to try to flag the Devs down where and when I can with issues we can agree on - Cantina only Dancer, Dancer who wants more, Dancer for Art, Dancer for Profit, Dancer for PA, andso on. I think we can all benefit or at least not be hurt by attended only Buffs.

I need to be able to say that we want thisto see any improvement with in the current system and securing us from any future changes that might attract Bots. How fun we are allowed to become for how many players is not really the same issue.

So... are you a Yes or a No? Fun revamping aside.