Dancer Archive
Thread: Dancers have no purpose, huh?
*shrug* I really dont mind that BF was taken away... maybe it will mean less AFK bots in the cantinas.
Me... I realize that entertainer doesn't serve much purpose now as a class that helps others, but that just gives me more purpose to keep dancer. It is the most fun profession ingame. If I am ever feeling down, or miserable, I just head over to wherever my friends are at, heck even the dant MO, and start dancing.
Yes, I do get people stopping and watching me, and I am not even a female toon. The responses from other players is one reason why I love the profession so much. So don't say I don't have any functionality, because perhaps to you I may not, but to myself and my entertainer friends, I have more functionality than any combat profession.
Pretty sure Jedi still serve a bigger lag purpose as well 
We just need to petition forsparkly fire headdresses and whatnot.
I spent a couple of hours last night dancing in the fountain at the Theed Starport with Kehe and Damas. We even got Tiaga to play his mando for us while holding a sparkler. Good times.
I have to agree, when im having a bad day I can get in game and dance and it makes things seem just a little better, and I can change my dance with my mood.
But like it was stated earler just not in these words, I feel like SOE has taken away our "usefullness" and now we are only eye candy for the hack and slash players whever they want something else to look at.
I really dont care though, I love to dance, always have always will no matter what they do to our proffesion.
Eerif wrote:
*shrug* I really dont mind that BF was taken away... maybe it will mean less AFK bots in the cantinas.
No matter what skills she has, or doesn't have... no matter 'how useful' I am to other people in the game... I am there to have fun.
Healing people has been less and less fun. Being tied to the cantina has been less and less fun. Putting up with no tips and abuse from people who resent being tied to me with an artificial mechanism (battle fatigue) have been some of the reasons that I've been exploring other alts.
Dancing with the troupe in Theed was hands down the most fun I've had with me dancer since I levelled her before the holocron craze.
Message Edited by Drygo on 07-20-2005 06:29 PM
/agree Drygo
I think things like getting a cantina salary with an active check in, letting people get xp for being band-floed, the other band commands we need (change, start, stop), improving our access to our anims, and doing some sort ofrestricted stage area/stage time kind of thing like Sirii, myself, and others have described would all greatly improve the NPC City Cantina experience.
The main problem with the NPC city cantinas is that we can't get the floor as performers! Those Cantinas are leveler territory which is fine, but they need to be changed so that they are also a usable place for finished template performers. I also think the buildings themselves need a lot more usability and appeal for non-Ents...
Anyway! Till that stuff happens (and I do think that's where we're headed), I think Starports are a decent compromise. Yes, it would be better if we had a clear floor space inside of the cantinas, but until then the Starports will at least get us seen and there is plenty of room to do even our most traveling dances.
ChiiTWINS wrote:
Well, guess what?
Jedi don't serve a stinkin' purpose either.
And we're a lot prettier.
Message Edited by ChiiTWINS on 07-19-2005 11:39 PM
Huzzah sister!
Huzzah!
Hereare the realadvantages and disadvantages between live and unattended performers:
Unattended Character:
Advantages:
1) Predictable (they always want to buff, because they have no "wants" other than what they are programmed to do)
2) Can dance forever.
3) Has no desire to do anything other than dispense mechanics.
Disadvantages:
1) Boring.
2) Cannot respond to changing circumstances.
3) Cannot make decisions to be better than what it inherently is.
Live Player:
Advantages:
1) Fun to be around.
2) Can respond to the environment around them.
3) Does what it takes to make the most out of what he or she is (makes a /watch fun).
Disadvantages:
1) Unpredictable/variable (sometimes, we just don't want to do the things the patron wants, because we have "wants" independent of others).
2) Cannot be at the keys forever.
3) Have a desire to do more than stare at the grey walls of Coronet Cantina.
So as we can see, there are certain things buffbots and the like can do better than us, and always will. However, there are certain things that buffbots and the like cannot do, and never can. So what we need, more than anything else, is a system thatfacilitates what we do well, and downplays our disadvantages. Conversely, we also need a system that downplays what unattended characters do well, and exposes what unattended characters do poorly.
The way these professions are structured tended to place the emphasis on those things unattended characters could do well: exist, dispense mechanics reliably, and be available to do these things whatever the time, and whatever the conditions. And moreover, the disadvantages of the unattended characters never really became glaringly apparent to the ones they served.
So how do we do this? Its really very simple.
We change the venues from a static environment to a dynamic environment.
What do you think would happen if getting an entertainer mission (now extended to a half an hour) made you twice as effective for the duration of the mission? So instead of granting a +10% experience inspiration, you--and anyone in your group--could grant a 20% inspiration for the duration of the mission?
What if patrons could see you could give a 20% inspiration because you were in a special section of the venue that was reserved only for those who were running a mission? And what if players from all over the galaxy could see that your band or troupe was playing at the time, through the holonet terminals at every starport in the galaxy, and on a scrolling marquee outside the venue?
What if when you took the stage and started performing, all other acts stopped dancing or playing, and couldn't start up again until your mission was over?
What sort of player do you think could best adapt to the new system?
The one who could adapt to changing circumstances? Or the one who is parked and left to run its script?
The one who is more than willing to do what it takes to put on a better show? Or the one who is merely "content" with dancing the same boring dance, shouting the same boring spam, and running the same boring script in the MO 24/7?
As I said before. I don't "blue sky" often. But when I do, I dream big.
PoetDancer wrote:
Hereare the realadvantages and disadvantages between live and unattended performers:
Unattended Character:
Advantages:
1) Predictable (they always want to buff, because they have no "wants" other than what they are programmed to do)
2) Can dance forever.
3) Has no desire to do anything other than dispense mechanics.
Disadvantages:
1) Boring.
2) Cannot respond to changing circumstances.
3) Cannot make decisions to be better than what it inherently is.
Live Player:
Advantages:
1) Fun to be around.
2) Can respond to the environment around them.
3) Does what it takes to make the most out of what he or she is (makes a /watch fun).
Disadvantages:
1) Unpredictable/variable (sometimes, we just don't want to do the things the patron wants, because we have "wants" independent of others).
2) Cannot be at the keys forever.
3) Have a desire to do more than stare at the grey walls of Coronet Cantina.
So as we can see, there are certain things buffbots and the like can do better than us, and always will. However, there are certain things that buffbots and the like cannot do, and never can. So what we need, more than anything else, is a system thatfacilitates what we do well, and downplays our disadvantages. Conversely, we also need a system that downplays what unattended characters do well, and exposes what unattended characters do poorly.
The way these professions are structured tended to place the emphasis on those things unattended characters could do well: exist, dispense mechanics reliably, and be available to do these things whatever the time, and whatever the conditions. And moreover, the disadvantages of the unattended characters never really became glaringly apparent to the ones they served.
So how do we do this? Its really very simple.
We change the venues from a static environment to a dynamic environment.
What do you think would happen if getting an entertainer mission (now extended to a half an hour) made you twice as effective for the duration of the mission? So instead of granting a +10% experience inspiration, you--and anyone in your group--could grant a 20% inspiration for the duration of the mission?
What if patrons could see you could give a 20% inspiration because you were in a special section of the venue that was reserved only for those who were running a mission? And what if players from all over the galaxy could see that your band or troupe was playing at the time, through the holonet terminals at every starport in the galaxy, and on a scrolling marquee outside the venue?
What if when you took the stage and started performing, all other acts stopped dancing or playing, and couldn't start up again until your mission was over?
What sort of player do you think could best adapt to the new system?
The one who could adapt to changing circumstances? Or the one who is parked and left to run its script?
The one who is more than willing to do what it takes to put on a better show? Or the one who is merely "content" with dancing the same boring dance, shouting the same boring spam, and running the same boring script in the MO 24/7?
As I said before. I don't "blue sky" often. But when I do, I dream big.
Awesome post *****
/love for Rapa and Freya
I had a total blast with this stuff. My alt is seeing SO much playtime these days.
AschMhaRhee wrote:
what do you mean, no purpose? We have a new purpose.. to create incredibly flashy lag
Maybe it's just me....but I was in the Theed cantina earlier with my daughter showing me the new dances and props. Every one else dancing had them as well. About 8-9 dancers, all with differing particle props....and I held a frame rate of 15FPS (where I normally get about 7-8 or less in that cantina.) And I'm running with a video card that is rather old technology (GeForce FX5500 w/ 256MB RAM). I just didn't see any graphics slowdown or hard drive caching.
Besides that...everything I saw looked pretty good. The new exotic flourish could have been rounded out a bit more, I think. But the new Bunduki dance (now that I could see it with less distracting movement.
) was really fun to watch.
Unfortunately, on the four servers I play and TC all I see are AFK 'tainers. Many are using Ent/ID/Dancer/Musician to get the Elite Profession so they can use the "Token Respec" so that they do not have to grind out millions in xp for the combat professions. It's like the holo-grind all over again.
Eerif wrote:
*shrug* I really dont mind that BF was taken away... maybe it will mean less AFK bots in the cantinas.