Dancer Archive
Thread: AFK Dancers.
I think there is a certain ettiquete (sp? it's early!) even to things like dancing while AFK. I don't think it is apporpirate to run into a cantina yelling "NEED AN ENTERTAINMENT GROUP NOW OMG!!!!!!1!!111!!11111ONE!!!!!11111" only to get in that group and then go afk. I think that's pretty inappropriate. But there's a real easy solution to that. Take note of the person's name, and don't invite him/her back. When I join a group, if I think I may be afk for an extended period of time, I tell the group, and has their permission. If they are not comfortable with that, I'll leave the group, or stay, or whatever I need to do to respect their wishes.
Moreover, as I said, then I am truly afk for an extrended period of time, I usually excuse myself from the entertianment floor and do not join a group. That's pretty accomodating I would say. The biggest hilarity I find is people who point to afk people as ruining the profession or giving entertainers a bad name. Afk people aren't even close to giving entertainers a bad name -- not like many of the entertainers that ARE there. The behavior and attitudes of many entertainers is so bad, or so childish, that you actually wish they would just go afk. I behavior of entertainers not-afk has a bigger negative affect on the reputation of entertainers in general than any afk entertainer will ever have. So let's start talking about that a little bit.
The bottom line is, there is a right way and a wrong way to go afk. If done the right way, then it is possible to use one of the game features that Sony Online Entertainment choose to include in the game in such a way that it is not a detraction to others. But you'll have to trust individuals to make that determination. If you have a person in your group who was being obnoxious, joined the group and didn't tell anyone he/she was going afk, then goes afk for large ammounts of time, then remove him/her and don't invite him back. But get used to the fact that macroing is a feature of this game -- it can be misused, yes, but it is also a tool. Used properly, it can make the game more fun. However the definition of "proper" is only in a way that shows the right ammount of respect for the playstyle of others, like letting groups know what your intensions are, etc. Again, like I said, the ammount of time I am there outweighs the time I am not, and when I am not, I'll go off by myself and not detract from everyone else. If that is still a problem for some people, I guess they are just going to have to deal with it.
I will say that out of all the professions I've tried so far (which has been a lot, I have two accounts), the people on this profession forum are some of the most uptight people I've ever met -- its very ironic. I'm wondering if many people chose performers because they're so uptight in real life they were looking for a way to express themselves. Loosen up folks, and know that afk people, or tipping issues, or kiddie dancers, or roudy patrons are not going to ruin the game or be the end of the world. It's a game, its for fun, its not for stress. I personally find the cantinas to be a rip roaring blast of a time, but then again I don't stress about every little thing either... Sel
I forgot something else I wanted to say...I actually don't find the dancing grind fun at all. I want to be a dancer so that I can go out into camps and provide healing and entertainment for a small group of people.Unfortunately, that technique does notprovide a realistic amount of exp to make dancing feasible. I really hate being in a cantina and watching half naked people flounce around and people watching them make lewd comments. However, that is the only way to get the exp I need. So...it is not necessary to have fun getting to be a master dancer. It is however the only way to do it in a reasonable amount of time. I plan on having fun once I reach master dancer and can leave and spend time with my husband and friends, which means out in the field. If you are in a group, even if you are afk...you are helping those that aren't afk to. The more people in the group, the more exp you are getting.
Although I would absolutely love doing theatre show's. I really hope we get groups of people together to do that at some point.
Selwynn wrote:
Sorry for the post spam, but I have one other thing to add:
"Whats the deal with this? It seems every dancer has a dance > sit > dance > sit macro. The Cantinas are like ghost towns all the time. Nobody is talking, nobody is using flourishes."
Let's get back to the original poster's comments for a second. Friend, I strongly suggest you find a different cantina. I have not had your problem at all in the cantinas I frequent. Performers are almost always there, and chat is flying by so fast I can't keep up with it all. If you're in the hotel in Deeja Peak for example, then that's your first problem. Not all cantinas are created equal, but the major cities usually have lively ones. And for some reason, Moenia is one of the best cantinas around
I'd also like to add that if no one was usiing flourishes, then they probably weren't using macros either.
Sel
I did find anew cantina. I'm very happy with it... Coronet city on Corellia. There is tons of people there all the time. My old cantina was theMos Eisley cantina. I had also been to several cantina on Naboo. Theed, Keren, and Moenia. Not much action there either (maybe because it was 2am PST on an EST server...).
You could argue that it hurts the community, but I don't usually find this to be true. Today I was in the cantina for a large part of the day, having fun, at the keyboard, relaxing. But at 1:30 in the morning, I could quit and not gain any benefit, or I could use the tools provided to my by the game's designer and continue to get some experience. I really don't see this any different than an artisan logging off and letting harvesters run all night long.
It's part of the game design.But, having said that, I might not be so brazen about my afk status as some people. If I am away, I usually will not join a group, and I will usually go off someplace by myself. That way I am NOT taking up space or taking away from what is going on out on the main floor.
Sel
"Moreover, as I said, then I am truly afk for an extrended period of time, I usually excuse myself from the entertianment floor and do not join a group. That's pretty accomodating I would say."
I totally agree there, if I afk macro(more like when I afk macroed) I would find a cantina that no one went to or an empty building and dance in a back room or the basement. I personally have no problem with afk macroers, it only brings tips to those who are actually at the keyboard and entertaining. Now, I would never everafk macro while in a group of entertainers; to me, thats just improper.A lot of times, I do walk into a cantina now and no one says a word but no one is afk. They're just"there"; I grouped with a master musician who never said a word at all but was never afk. I did give up my Dancing char for a bit only because as a Dancer/to be Droid Engineer I wasnt experiencing parts of the game I wanted to experience.
CrazyRedd wrote:
I want to know why those dancers who use macroes constantly are dropping $15 per month to be AFK in a dead room for there time in the game...
Well that's easy! I am at work right now, why not put the char afk so that she can help my guildies who do not work? Also, she gain gain exp so that I have new abilities when I get home.
Open your mind!
When I go AFK I tell the entire group how long I will be gone (if its a long time I go sit down somewhere) and then put on my AFK sign to let people know. I have no problem with macros at all, they are very useful to design routines. They are EXTREMELY annoying however whenthe playeris AFK for hours andthey settheir macro to /say to the rest of the cantina "FLOURISH SET DONE" Or something inane like that when if finishes a cycle. Imagine that happening every 5 minutes and because the player is AFK they are not responding to people asking them to please not /say that. Change to to something like /twirl or /bounce or /smile...just something not so distracting please.
What annoys me is the people who don't put on their AFK sign but are so obviously AFK and running a macro AND standing right smack in the front of the door to the cantina. If you're going to do that, could you please stand over by a wall in a backroom? That way you don't impede on the dance space of the others who are trying to entertain/chat up the incoming people. If you're AFK you shouldn't get tips. I certainly don't expect to get them and I don't want to take tips or customers away from people who are working hard so that's why I put up the AFK sign.
So please if you're AFK, be a good neighbor and just stand off somewhere in a corner with your AFK sign and do your flourishes while you're gone. You'll still get the experience that you want but you won't make the other's unhappy with you either and gain a very bed rep (which means people won't be inviting you into groups)
Well... personally I haven't been AFK yet while dancing... I use the opertunity to make sales for my armor. I'm not the best at it, but damit it beats sitting in my house crafting armorweave segments! lol.
As for afk dancers I don't care much they aren't the ones in the groups and well they are there when no one else is so at least you can heal your BF if you need it and they aren't stealing experience when active people are there. As for why somone really wants to pay 15$ a month to not play the game, that's their problem. 
just my .02
-Finibhire
Expert Armorsmith
I know that when I'm dancing, I'm at the keyboard about 95% of the time (unless I'm up getting a drink or something). I'm a Novice Dancer and I'm working on Novice Tailor. I find that the cantina I dance in (server Wanderhome, Naboo, Theed) is a great place to meet other characters and get useful information about the community. Hopefully, the dancers in your cantina will learn that they're missing out.
KitanaVorr wrote:
What annoys me is the people who don't put on their AFK sign but are so obviously AFK and running a macro AND standing right smack in the front of the door to the cantina. If you're going to do that, could you please stand over by a wall in a backroom? That way you don't impede on the dance space of the others who are trying to entertain/chat up the incoming people. If you're AFK you shouldn't get tips. I certainly don't expect to get them and I don't want to take tips or customers away from people who are working hard so that's why I put up the AFK sign.
So please if you're AFK, be a good neighbor and just stand off somewhere in a corner with your AFK sign and do your flourishes while you're gone. You'll still get the experience that you want but you won't make the other's unhappy with you either and gain a very bed rep (which means people won't be inviting you into groups)
That's exactly how I feel!
Especially if they are on the formal level on a busy night and in the middle of the dance floor. The dancers in my group are starting to get fed up with this. We believe if you are going to be AFK, then put AFK above your head and go off to the side. Why should they be taking tips away from us when we are actually working.
Sometimes when customers start drooling all over and applauding over an AFK player, myself and other dancers will start asking the AFK player questions and of course they won't answer so the people watching her would move.
As a group, we have decided that from now on, if someone is going to be AFK in the middle of the dance floor without putting their AFK up, then they get kicked out of the group.