Dancer Archive

I have two ideas to fixa fewproblems for Entertainers and Medics:

1. PROBLEM: "Many playersdo NOTtip Entertainers and Medics regularly! Only about 1 out of 20 seem to tip." Med Supplies take time to make, and are expensive (resources bought or collected). Clothing and props for Entertainers areexpensive! These professions are NEEDED, and the services should be paid.

Solution Suggestion (A)

Set a "Cover Charge" to enter the building (Medical Center, Cantina, etc) of like 100-500 creditsthat gets distributed to all "registered* "Entertainers or Medics inside. I don't want to hear any responses to this suggestion that it is cruel or unusual punishment to wounded players who have no money. Those same playersMAKE it a priority to come up with money for shuttle expenses, armor, weapons, petsand training. They will make it a priority to have their "cover charge" money as well. This ensures that players pay for this service like they do for all other things they NEED. Additional tipping will then be for performance on an individual basis (as it is now anyway).

* To be "registered" a medic or entertainer needs to register with the location they are workingand remain active (more than just a macro), to reduce exploits of the AFK / Macro issue we have now anyway. This solves the tipping and AFK / Macro (experience) hogs.

Solution Suggestion (B)

Make "healing" from Medics and Entertainers a "two way" transaction. If grouped together, allow it to be as it is today with open healing by target. If not grouped,it requires the patient or customer to "request" the heal from you (song, dance or medicine), by offering a tip in the radial/window (like you do for training or trading)and you can Agree or Disagree. Perhaps a schedule of payment can be set by the Entertainer/Medic based on theirskill level, or individual settings. This way the "freeloaders" will have to step up and pay something, and may show more respect to others to ensure they get healed instead of just plopping down for the service and dashing off without narry a word or credit given Again, this also fixes the AFK/Macro issue since it requires a two way transaction. It could even be set to autosplit the payment to the grouped Entertainers/Medics, but still allow individual tipping for exceptional performance and those special customers who are generous.

What do you all think of this?

I have two ideas to fixa fewproblems for Entertainers and Medics:

1. PROBLEM: "Many playersdo NOTtip Entertainers and Medics regularly! Only about 1 out of 20 seem to tip." Med Supplies take time to make, and are expensive (resources bought or collected). Clothing and props for Entertainers areexpensive! These professions are NEEDED, and the services should be paid.

Solution Suggestion (A)

Set a "Cover Charge" to enter the building (Medical Center, Cantina, etc) of like 100-500 creditsthat gets distributed to all "registered* "Entertainers or Medics inside. I don't want to hear any responses to this suggestion that it is cruel or unusual punishment to wounded players who have no money. Those same playersMAKE it a priority to come up with money for shuttle expenses, armor, weapons, petsand training. They will make it a priority to have their "cover charge" money as well. This ensures that players pay for this service like they do for all other things they NEED. Additional tipping will then be for performance on an individual basis (as it is now anyway).

* To be "registered" a medic or entertainer needs to register with the location they are workingand remain active (more than just a macro), to reduce exploits of the AFK / Macro issue we have now anyway. This solves the tipping and AFK / Macro (experience) hogs.

Solution Suggestion (B)

Make "healing" from Medics and Entertainers a "two way" transaction. If grouped together, allow it to be as it is today with open healing by target. If not grouped,it requires the patient or customer to "request" the heal from you (song, dance or medicine), by offering a tip in the radial/window (like you do for training or trading)and you can Agree or Disagree. Perhaps a schedule of payment can be set by the Entertainer/Medic based on theirskill level, or individual settings. This way the "freeloaders" will have to step up and pay something, and may show more respect to others to ensure they get healed instead of just plopping down for the service and dashing off without narry a word or credit given Again, this also fixes the AFK/Macro issue since it requires a two way transaction. It could even be set to autosplit the payment to the grouped Entertainers/Medics, but still allow individual tipping for exceptional performance and those special customers who are generous.

What do you all think of this?

Suggestion A is available now. Just put a cover charge on a house and use that as a Healing Center. I expect something like that would be a tad more viable once Player Cities are fully in place.

#2, and MANY variants of it have been suggested many, many times before. I do have it listed (along with some of the threads to such suggestions) in the Big List of Doc Issues that will be going back up tomorrow. It's part of Issue #14 (was #11) Money.

I think this is a different story between medics and entertainers. Entertainers have a harder time denying someone service (although I believe they can now do this) to someone that isn't willing to pay.

For medics, it's much easier. Don't just heal someone for the heck of it. Simply don't do it. If someone asks for healing, let them know your price (I go at about 1 cr/wound but I've seen people say I should go higher as a Master Doctor). If you see someone that needs healing, ask if they'd like your help. If they say, "Yes," let them know your price.

Honestly, folks - I've run into a couple folks that really get upset about having to pay for healing, but I've never yet run into someone that was so horribly beat up that they couldn't run a pair of "in-town" delivery missions to make the money required to pay me to heal them. If someone complains about having to pay, simply recommend they run a couple quick delivery missions to come up with the credits.

I'm sorry if I've made some enemies doing this, but that's just the way I play it.

Entertainers - I'm sorry, but you're on your own. You've certainly got a harder row to hoe.

I like this, but since you can already set up your own private cantinas and charge to get in at those wouldn't that be the same? I don't see the dancers abandoning the already built cantinas, but it is an option right?

I like the second idea better I think, plus it sounds more practical implementation wise.

(I was just cruising the board and figured I'd jump in here )

Jeassa player cantinas can not compete with public cantinas that have shuttle ports, faction terminals and regular mission terminals. The only people who will pay to enter a player run cantina are the same people that will already tip an entertainer. What is being suggested here is that entertainers (elite dancers and musicians really) be given a wage for healing instead of relying on the honor system. I think its a great idea in theory.. In practice what you'll get is AFK money making machines littering every cantina on every planet or worse Joe combat kid will add novice musician to his template for easy money while he gets his mind buffs and battle fatigue healed.

A better solution is to just fix entertainer missions.

- Entertainer missions should pay only the entertainer who gets them ( entertainers almost always group).

- Entertainer missions should pay more based on the skill of the entertainer.

- Entertainer missions should have a puzzle or set of conditions to complete them (ie dance x with flourish y and light effect z).

- Entertainer missions should encourage the person taking them (byhigher profit payouts)to travel to remote cantinas on the higher end adventure planets.

I'm a dancer.... I was opening discussion on the ideas on the subject, sometimes we have to think of what those that don't know might say, and what the response would be then.

Interesting ideas for the missions though, I like this one:

- Entertainer missions should have a puzzle or set of conditions to complete them (ie dance x with flourish y and light effect z).

I somewhat disagree, and somewhat Agree... I dance on Endor at times, and other places when I'm not working on Pistoleer, and, while I apreciate tips, forcing players to pay 500 Credits to enter a cantina is a bit steep, Especially when there are NPC missions that can be run from Cantinas.

A more difficult to impliment, but reasonable system would be like:

Upon choosing "Watch" or "Listen" to an entertainer, you're given a dialogue box like when you bank tip, that states something like "For each point of Battle Fatuige, or Mind Wounds healed, you will be charged one Credit , up to a maximum of 500 Credits."

That way people aren't paying thousands for massive wounds, but they aren't getting away with free healing. In groups, the division of credits would be on a "percentage of healing" basis, so novice entertainers get 25% or so, while Master Dancers and Musicians would get 75%. If you work for a profession, you should get recognition for it.

Great point on the 1 credit/wound idea. I'll start using that as a measure to set a healing price. As for the entertainers denying service, that is nearly impossible. You have to remember that they may have a room full of 40+ players, with no idea WHO is looking at them at any given time (even from the back of the cantina in a dark corner) getting healed for free, then darting out. You have to target a player, then type /denyservice. Also, how does an entertainer know that the person won't tip when finished getting healed? They are in a real mess given this system.

As for the comment from someone about a player owned house with an entry fee for healing, let me pick myself up off the floor now. Exactly how many players will go out of their way to run to the suburbs to PAY for healing, when they can just go get free healing in town from those who give it away for experience? Maybe one in three thousand?

This is why I think cover charges for healing centers at least remind people that these facilities have professions played out by characters who serve a great purpose, and it is one worth paying for. The bank gets 5% for the convenience of bank to bank transfers, and shuttle rides cost money too. There are two services that take money OUT of the player economy, yet nobody flinches to use them. You don't see architects, weaponsmiths, or tailors giving away their efforts. Slicers do tend to open containers for free early on, but eventually demand a price for their work too. I just think a cover charge makes sense for professions where people are currently leeching from other players services.

Mato, that is genious! Pure genious!

I like this idea better than anything I have heard or suggested yet! RAVENMIST, I sure hope you see this thread, and pass this concept up to the devs.

REFINED CONCEPT:

It works to solve several issues (non-paying customers for medics and entertainers, as well as the AFK Macro issue). The logic is already available from the /diagnose program which displays wounds. If a player wants healing from a medic or entertainer, they need to target a medic or entertainer and trigger this two way transaction. The player gets the message stating that the wounds/damage will be healed for 1 credit per wound to a maximum of 500 credits. The entertainer or medic gets a message they must respond to which looks like the training menu for training others, and they can PICK the wound they wish to work on. If a medic, the appropriate medicine is applied. If they do not wish to heal this player for some reason, they can click a box that says deny. This is brilliant! The two way dialog ensures that customers pay for these great services, and ensures that people can't just go AFK and get experience as a healer.

The need for being free from this design exists in combat scenarios, so I suggest the work around be that GROUPED players do not have to do this for each other and healing works as it does now. Using the group relationship to bypass this process for faster healing and area healing from medics/entertainers.

Please bump this message up as a great suggestions for these two hot issues.

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MatokoTebiot wrote:

A more difficult to impliment, but reasonable system would be like:

Upon choosing "Watch" or "Listen" to an entertainer, you're given a dialogue box like when you bank tip, that states something like "For each point of Battle Fatuige, or Mind Wounds healed, you will be charged one Credit , up to a maximum of 500 Credits."

That way people aren't paying thousands for massive wounds, but they aren't getting away with free healing. In groups, the division of credits would be on a "percentage of healing" basis, so novice entertainers get 25% or so, while Master Dancers and Musicians would get 75%. If you work for a profession, you should get recognition for it.

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It's an interesting idea, but do you think that those wanting to be healed might severely dislike that? I honestly can't see most people being super thrilled about it...I think it's brilliant but getting the rifleman who needs a heal to be keen on that might be hard.

The best thing I see in your idea is giving more to masters, it would be like in every real system of entertainment so it seems like a good idea here too.

Jeassa,

So you feel that a rifleman should get free heals just for having wounds and BF?

They prioritise their earned credits for travel, weapons, armor, and pets. Why do you think they would have a problem making a priority to have credits for healing and entertainment?

If they are the tipping type anyway, they will not mind a structured system and will support it the same. It will possibly teach manners to the masses of those (young kids usually)out there who fail to tip appropriately, and who knows, maybe that will transition into their Real Life behavior for the better.

This also solved the AFK Macro issue which has bubbled into the hot priority of late. I'm concerned that you are discounting this concept too quickly without giving it a perspective that will benefit the whole community. Can you be more complete in your responses on this topic?

Well, the only thing I can reply to that is, basically, have the entertainer set that up. If they want to heal for free, more power to that entertainer.. I do it sometimes, too. But if it were an option Entertainers could use, or was automatic, and had to be manually turned off, then entertainers could delegate whether their services come at a price or not.

If this were a skill novice Dancers and Musicians got after reaching the profession, like the global register, then dancers could use it. With a little more coding, it could even solve the AFK problem. If it automatically enables at /startdance, but shuts down after 5 minutes of inactivity, then the AFK dancers would dance for free, and the dancers still there would get the money, if they so wished.

Here's the way I see it working best:

Dancer gets in place, says hi to their friends, then hits /startdance

You choose which dance you want to start, and also wheter or not you want auto-tipping enabled or disabled.

5 minutes later, you get a small window that asks if you'd liek to keep auto-tipping enabled. If there's no response in 30 seconds or so, auto-tipping is automatically disabled.

That solves AFK dancers who just want tips, and continually gives dancers the choice of wheter or not they charge for service. If you want to turn it off in the middle of the 5-minute period, just stop dancing, then start again, and choose not to enable auto-tipping.