Dancer Archive

Edit: BTW this is on my second character..

Message Edited by Morath360 on 04-07-2004 03:08 PM

If you're not into the social aspect than don't do it. Bravo to you for knowing exactly what you want and going for it.

Your character, play it your way.

While that is a fair and reasonable opinion hon, and the idea of having a character designed just to heal and help(and possibly make a lot of money, I won't assume your motives as that wouldn't be fair on my part), the reason people might not like you comes down to caring.

If all you care about is healing/buffing ability, then you really don't care about the profession, you simply care about what it can do for you. If the only dance in the game was poplock2, but you still needed to be a master dancer to give a 100%+ buff to the mind pool, it seems you wouldn't care.

I care about healing others, I care about buffing people, but I also care about content, care about my ability to enjoy myself when playing this profession, care about how we are perceived, care about how I can make a living, and I care about my friends who are hurt by their profession crumbling around them and that its made some move on because of it.

I care that a 30 second buff isn't entertaining, its the same as pointing a finger at someone and saying "Let ye be buffed, now move on". I care that that isn't a fun and I care that just being a buff machine makes me feel used.

Thats why a lot of people are going to look at you negatively hon, it may not be the case and pardon me if I'm wrong, but you certainly give the impression that you don't care any more about this profession than anyone else who isn't an entertainer, you're just here for the perks.

Perhaps the reason you get that feeling is that the entertainer professions are social first, healers second. That was the design and intent of the profession. That does not mean that is how everyone will play. There are bounty hunters that aren't interested in being carbineers, but go into the profession to get the speed bonus. Or people who don't want to be medics, but take medic to be able to heal themselves. That is also how the game is designed, that you can just be part of a class if you want.

Of course, if you are just taking part of a profession you can't expect the focus of the profession to center around your playstyle. That goes as much for someone that just cares about the healing as it does someone who just cares about the socializing. But that doesn't make you not a dancer, you're just a healing specialist.

I suppose another point that can be brought up...

Usually (and it may not be in your case) when a person makes a second character to soley be an entertainer and plop them down in a cantina so they can walk away and "Help those in need" ... that's just making yourself a bot. It's not really entertaining and it's barely even healing.

When you care about the people you are helping, it seems to me that you'd like to know who it is you helped. I love to know that I helped out that poor new guy that was chased down by a Rill for the last 30 minutes. Or helping those people trying to fight a few rancor on Dathomir.

Heck. I spent a solid month on Lok before player cities. (And subsequently, alone. So guess how long it took me to master?) Hours on end, at my computer... and maybe only a few people came in, and sure maybe I was reading a book at the same time, but I was still paying attention. And it was wonderful to know that I was REALLY helping out these people in a place that usually didn't have a healer. As word got out, Lok was quite a busy little place for a while.

You must do what you feel is right of course.... - Obi-Wan Kenobi

What I mean is that I want to be a dancer to heal others and buff them period. It's an important service provided in the game and I dont feel that I am somehow a lesser dancer because my focus is on the healing and buff aspect. I see people complaining on here about how the entertainer is just being exploited. This isnt meant to be or that isnt meant to be.

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I don't think I ever read or heard anyone complaining about an entertainers playstyle. Whatever you do with your entertainer character, if you are sitting in front of your screen doing it, you are doing fine. If however, by "focus on healing and buff aspect" you mean you have a macro running 24/7, then you will catch some flak from those who are actually at he keyboard and who cannot compete with a computer program in those terms you like, healing and buffing.
Also, if by "focus on healing and buffing" you mean that you use the 30 seconds speedbuf macro, then indeed I'd say you are exploiting a bug. For my reasoning, consult the thread on this topic.

If you are at the keys, using the commands given to you for the intended purpose, I don't think anyone will ever complain about how you play your character, no matter if you play an entertainer, doc or BH.

My focus on healing and buffing is to help out the group. Plain and simple its to support my friends and those I want to help. Unless im mistaken, you can't buff yourself so its not for selfish reasons well other than my other character. Making money? Not for that reason either. I can make so much more selling crates of med supplies, resources and Chef products.

I said nothing about making a bot and setting it off, however it does raise an interesting issue. What if I decide to buff my dancer character with my master doc and set it off in a cantina for 3 hours. Forget the xp earned and assume this is after I become a master dancer. If I choose to do that with my second character while I use my first character to go fight or buff or gather resources, then I see no problem with that. Just like I have no problem going to work and having my factories work for me. Again, I am providing a valuable service in which I feel good about. If I dont get a tip for heals, thats cool cause I don't want any.

Also, if I decide to entertain for a change of pace that is cool too. Its really about having fun isnt it?

I guess what really brought this to my mind is the whole buffing issue. The fact that it could be done in 30 seconds has some very upset about that. They feel it is not in the "spirit" of being a dancer. I say being in the "spirit" of a dancer or role means different things to different people and one could say that buffing someone who only wants the buff and sending them on their way is in fact in the "spirit" of being a dancer. No one can put a time limit on entertainment can they? After all isn't it about affecting others? If the one buffed wants to stick around and enjoy the atmosphere he or she still can. That should be exclusive from the buffing aspect. In fact that is the only way you will truly know if they want to be entertained or not. Wouldn't you want it that way?

Why would someone feel used with a quick buff? You are getting paid aren't you and you are helping others. How is that any different then any other profession?

Message Edited by Morath360 on 04-08-2004 11:31 AM

Tell me. If dancers had no healing ability whatsoever, would you still want to be a dancer? I would. That's the difference between those playing the profession as the developer's intended, and those that just want "the goodies" that have nothing to do with being entertaining whatsoever.

And also, why not do the same thing and be a combat medic? They can heal the mind bar too. Battle fatiuge? Why does it really have to be such an issue that you must ZERO it out everytime? With the kind of meds available, characters can still be rather effective with large ammounts of BF.

All I'm saying is this: if you aren't going to put any effort into being entertaining, you'll simply be another entertainer of last resort, rather than of first preference. Because characters for the most part feel that most entertainers simply don't care. And they are right. Most entertainers are AFK or really hostile and not very nice to talk to. The few that do make at least a little effort to be entertaining are VERY well appreciated.

All I'm saying is be nice. Since you are concerned with honorable things, just don't be a selfish or uncaring dancer. You'd be suprised how far that minimum goes.

You don't have to be a social butterfly to do this thing well. All you have to be is attentive and polite, things that anyone should be in or out of the game. If you can't, please don't bother being a dancer. We don't need another example to justify why we shouldn't all just set a macro and turn off the monitor.

I don't think it is a requirement at all to be a "social butterfly", but for many of us it adds a great deal to the game. Personally, I am a roleplayer first and anything else a distant second. When I created this character, when I was new to the game, I had no idea that Dancers were involved with healing. I just wanted to be an entertainer because I thought it gave me more of a chance for social interaction in the game.

On the other hand, I don't think you will hear any "serious" dancer fault you for your choice to be a healer; as long as your choice is not a detriment to the profession as a whole. It is the way you want to play your character, and that is your choice and I am sure you do a good job.

But, characters that mind buff in 30 seconds and do all their work are not Dancers. If that is all a character is going to be, then the game designers might as well just give Doctors a different med pack that does the job and save a tremendous amount of artwork and developer time to make dancing part of the game. I feel strongly, and I think the majority of full-time Dancers agree, that the Dancer profession was created to be much more than a healer. Just as a TK Master wants to get the most out of their abilities, so do we.

Ours is a less direct profession. We don't kill monsters and get money/resources for the effort. We don't create items that our friends can use or we can sell (excluding instruments, of course). We do, however, add a great deal to the Star Wars feel of the game. And I believe that many characters appreciate that. A day does not go by that someone (and I mean people not even in my guild) I have danced for doesn't message me just to say hi. Or ask me to come perform for them. A surprising (to me) number actually ask where I am and come to me to watch me dance. That isn't because I buff them--they can get that almost anywhere--it is because I provide them some intangible that makes the whole play experience better for them, and for me.

- Cassie, Dance Hall Girl

Morath, I think I see the problem here, and it all comes down to perception.

Your arguement is why would buffing someone in 30 seconds take away from the fun. The problem is you are viewing things from the side of the Buffee, not the buffer(Dancer/Musician). Being able to buff in 30 seconds might just be fun for the person who is getting the buff. Some like to socialize, but others may just want to get the buff then be off doing their own thing(as you put yourself about leaving your dancer afk while you are off doing combat and the like with your main character).

The thing is, for the majority of Dancers here, the 30 second buff isn't fun on our end. It turns us into buff vending machines, and when someone is in and out of the cantina in 30 second(maybe a minute for a master dancer with a decent level of bf) then how can we really entertain?

I do agree that everyone should be happy, both the buffer and the buffee. If the devs would give us more content to work with, we could do that, put on shows, performances, things that are interesting to watch while you pass the time getting buffed. Especially if they got all the afkers out of the cantina so that when you walked in to a cantina, anywhere, 9 times out of 10, the entertainers would actually be there.

And that is what we are fighting for here, how to make our profession enjoyable for ourselves(and hopefully everyone else too). Your arguement is that a 30 second buff doesn't take away from "the fun" because it lets people hop in and out and be off on their business. Our arguement is that doesn't make things fun for the entertainer(which many do, or would like to do as their only main profession).

So, we are here trying to fight to make our profession more fun, but you aren't, that's why you'll get a negative response.