Dancer Archive
Thread: Can't Buff Ourselves Dev Response
C
If I can't buff myself can I at least have them fix it so that I can get the buff from a musician even if I'm dancing? Or is my own dancing so uninspiring that no matter how good the musician I just can't be inspired?
Message Edited by Esharra on 09-01-2005 02:38 PM
Message Edited by Esharra on 09-01-2005 02:39 PM
Esharra wrote:
Just playing Devil's Advocate here (so don't ask for my head on a platter); but, please respond with reasons why we should not have to participate in interdependency with those within our own profession?
Esharra wrote:
To clarify: I want to hear your reasons (give me talking points), not "because docs can buff themselves".
Wait, you want my long list? Honestly, it ticks me off to no end that we have to keep explaining that social play as a goal does not make us weird alien versions of players that share no goals with the other kind of "normal" goaled players, but I will if that's what you need to take back there... again.
/rant on
It's not like we haven't gone to the line for this very same thing before. At what point do the social players get to say what our goals and play needs are and have them stop dictating it to us? Uhg, this is frustrating. I really thought this point had been made.
Did they not notice the freaking bots? Way to treat the symptoms and not the cause guys.
/rant off
I'll do it again though, Eshie. If that's what they are demanding to be reasonable here. *shrug*
Edit: Ranting makes me a really bad speller 
Message Edited by Panthu on 09-01-2005 02:03 PM
Message Edited by Esharra on 09-01-2005 02:39 PM
The devs do not "get" us. They never have, at least, not since Holo left, and I'm not sure he really got us either, though he certainly came closer than anyone since.
What they really need to do is actually talk with us and get to understand what we want and need. But they refuse to do that, and keep guessing/assuming it, and so that is why we have problems. The whole "buff A interfering with buff B so now I can't listen at all" problem for musicians is a perfect example. They don't seem to have imagined anyone would want to listen to music except to get a buff. Meanwhile, that is the #1 complaint I have had -- "I can't listen while I'm buffed? Argh!" etc.
C
Esharra wrote:
They're not demanding anything. I'm asking for this.
Well I think it sucks that they are allowing you to even feel the need to say anything more than "this isn't fair" or "dancers have always wanted self buffing." On a more personal note, it makes me feel like I wasted a great amount of time and effortschlepping all of the massive amount of requests and points on this subject back there last year.
The case was made. They agreed. They gave us self buffing. Now we have to do it all over again? Why? What is even the point of taking feedback and having a corr program if they are just going to go back and ignore what we talked them into?
Was the self buffing we had harming our social play? No, it wasn't. People run in and buff themselves, chat for a while if anyone is there, go on with their business - social goal has been filled as much as if they had to run in and use one of the AFKers there. This is the same exact buff TH is talking about in that quote! It wasn't doing any harm pre-patch and it won't now either.
Anyway, the list:
1. Social players do not need to be forced to talk to other social players and interact with them. We already do this on our own. We do have encouragement to interact with each other to put on performances with bandflourishes. That is a good example of encouraging inter-Ent socializing with out holding back what we can do on our own.
We still have all of the same flos solo, we just can put on a better show together. That's why we need more group tools and also group missions/quests/activities. Encouragement to interact with Ents is welcome. Forcing it is not.
2. Crafters who will want these buffs should be allowed to provide them for themselves. They become a part of the Entertainer player group as soon as they train in the needed skills. They can still sit in with a band or dance with a troupe just as if they had picked up the skill boxes for other reasons.
This still rewards social play and spreads the Entertainer playstyle. Having more players with social tools and enhancements that they use actively can only improve the game for all social players over all. Just as PvP needs bodies to be a successful playstyle, so does the social game.
3. The fiction of "inspiring" is just that, fiction. Just as the mind buffs were. Game fiction can be written to support any needed game mechanic that goes in. It is just the fluffy stuff on top and can be made to make sense given the mechanic. It should never ever be allowed to interfere with the game's playability.
Keeping Ents from buffing themselves because it doesn't fit the fiction interferes with our playability. It is not normal to have to seek out another player to fill a need that your own char build fills for others. It's a gaming norm that you can do for yourself what you do for others - change the fiction to make sure this normal play concept is maintained.
4. Not allowing people to buff themselves does not encourage interaction. It encourages alt accounts. Which may make SOE very happy, but makes those of us playing the game very unhappy. Encouraging people to buy more accounts to have more access to having fun with the game is fine.
Gimping a skill set so that people feel like they must get an alt to have access to the content is not fine. If you are willing to train the skill to gain access to the use, then you should be allowed to do soon the character you actually play. Again, gets back to that whole fun thing.
5. We want more people to play a Dancer. Plain and simple. We want to feel like we are making a practical game decision when we pick up these skills. We want everyone to think this is a valid skill set to go after. We don't want to be told we aren't "really playing the game." This is part of the MMORPG mindset. Leveling up in anything needs to have a real worth.
Dancer needs some perks. For the people we already have and for the people we hope to bring in. We need some benefits from picking up these skills that apply to the rest of the game. We need a lot more than just this one thing, but we definitely do need self buffing as a reward.
I have a lot more, that's a start though. 
Edit: Hmm, just left out whole words that time. This one really has me freaked out. It did as soon as I saw it on TC that first night. Self buffing is important for so many reasons. 
Message Edited by Panthu on 09-01-2005 03:00 PM
heh..keep it coming
Panthu wrote:
I have a lot more, that's a start though.
(& thanks! )Message Edited by Esharra on 09-01-2005 02:38 PM
C
Ikewe wrote:
You got the dancer or entertainer buff or just the general? I was unable to get the entertainer profession buff if I was dancing. I instead got the general even though yes the musician selected the correct buff and yes I was listening and stopped listening to only that musician. On a second try when I was not dancing it worked perfectly. Should I file a bug report then??
FaedraDelauney wrote:
Ikewe wrote:
If I can't buff myself can I at least have them fix it so that I can get the buff from a musician even if I'm dancing? Or is my own dancing so uninspiring that no matter how good the musician I just can't be inspired?
I was able to dance and receive my buff from a muscian...?