Dancer Archive
Thread: Number 1 Issue. 9/19/03 (for your reference)
OOC:
The one thing I want to make sure happens with the implementation of any changes like this is that we don't punish the people who are NOT afk macroing to get rid of the afk macroers. I absolutely do not want to have to click something every time someone tries to watch me dancing. I'm getting carpel tunnel fast enough and extra clicks or typing is just going to get me there faster 
.
I like the idea of targetted mind buffs, but let's keep it as simple as possible. Use something I'm already doing - like the special effect lights. I'm doing those now for entertainment purposes, but they have no other use. If they were targetted, they could provide both entertainment AND mind buffs, making an at-the-keyboard dancer far more valuable than an AFK one.
I'm sure AFKers will find a way to work around whatever we come up with, but let's punish THEM and not ourselves.
~Player of Nare Ese
Master Dancer, Kettemoor
Playing devils' advocate here. Jewelry buffing equipment would most likely be added as schematics under the Tech line just as instruments are for Musicians. I would balk at having to rely on Tailors to create items that I need to perform my job since the other buffers in the game - medics, chefs (remember chefs?), and musicians would not have such a limitation.
Chefs are really supposed to be the primary buffers in this game, they have something like 100+ schematics to make buffs. In fact, from novice to master, buffs are the only thing they can create. Sadly, our mind buff is currently far more effective in both duration and effect than anything a Master Chef can currently create. By concept (not actual implementation), our buffs should fall somewhere under theirs' in capability. Until chefs as a profession are fixed (and they are horribly broken right now), I don't see there being a lot of movement on this issue for us, especially with regards to a cost-free long duration mind buff.
We need something that is targeted (to limit abuse/exploiting and as a deterrent to AFK macroing), it will have to fall somewhere below the Chef's highest mind buff(assuming the chef profession is ever "fixed"), and it's going to have to cost us something (again to prevent exploiting).
-Rookery DeCarabas, The Zeltron Zabrak, GunDancer.
"I can't really say as I care whether or not I'm buffing someone's mind."
I agree. Mind buffs comepretty fardown on my list of important things to fix. In my opinion, there is one major issuethat overshadows everything else, and that's the need for a graded pay systemfor missions, based on skill level (one that takes into accounttravel costs, one that includes gigs on other planets, and one which gives a greater payout for performing outside of cantinas).This willget entertainers moving in the SWG universe again rather than staying in Coronet or Theed. Itwill give them a bit more cash flow (not too much - just enoughfor their travel needs), andit will getexperienced entertainers into the theatres, casinos, and hotels (where you'd expect to find better performers), rather than the current system which rewards players who stay in the cantinas of themost populated cities. It will also help the AFK problem, by depopulating Theed and Coronet, so AFKers will find it takes longer to get XP. Finally, it will spread entertainers throughout the galaxy so that players on even the most out-of-the-way planets will have a good chance of finding an entertainer to heal their mind wounds.
Dancer's kind of got the shaft with the buffs. Musicians can buff Will and Focus, while dancers only buff the mind pool. Well with a good buff to the substats, you can have 400 mind and not run out.
Dancers should buff Focus, Musicians Will.
Even in the cantina, this makes for more of a difference between a master performer and a novice entertainer: sure, you can heal up BF and wounds dancing yourself, or by watching a low level AFK dancer--but you can only get good buffs by watching a high-level non-AFK dancer. If we can buff even half as well as a doctor, they're quite certain to notice it. But with our current level, well, most people don't even realize it's happened, even if they know what to look for. Doctors routinely buff my 800 health and action up to around 3000 for 1.5-2 hours. A dancer can only buff my 900 mind up to 1350 for 30 minutes. Most people I run into are happy to have a little more mind for a while, but they don't make a point of searching out a master dancer to get that buff again later.
Do whatever you have to--make it expensive to do, make it based on a special technique effect that requires a master artisan level item that gets used up. Make it based on special expensive jewelry. Anything. Just make it work well enough to be useful.
I'm going to kick myself for saying this Raven but alot of dancers out there are medics and docs as well how about for the istant buff takeing away from all three bars but not at such a big amount. That way you don't get someone coming in buffing everyone and then just healing themselves right back up. Just my two creds worth again.
I understand Beery. Those two issues are without a doubt the top ones on most peoples list. I posted a response is someone elses thread stating that the missions are my next priority and just barely fell short of the mind buffs. I went by the responses I see on these boards and it seems to be about a 60/40 split on people who want the buffs and people who want the missions as their number 1 issue. What my personal feelings are doesnt' matter and often doesn't always line up with what I push for you all.
Theres more I'd like to say butI can't until I get the okay to do so.. I'm pretty sure you'll be happy tho as well Beery. 
Waho wrote:
Dancer's kind of got the shaft with the buffs. Musicians can buff Will and Focus, while dancers only buff the mind pool. Well with a good buff to the substats, you can have 400 mind and not run out.
Dancers should buff Focus, Musicians Will.
While my oppinion doesn't really matter here, and I rarely give my oppinion on things to try and keep a balance I will say I disagree on this one. Theres a few things I don't think your taking into account. For different classes different things are important.
Now lets take medics for example.. they use their mind pools for various things and would probably enjoy the increased regen more then the additional mind. So there your absolutely right.
Then you go into the PVP arena which having a larger mind pool is a HUGE advantage and bonus. All the regen in the world is not going to help you when a Rifleman/Bounty Hunter/Swordsman start nailing your mind bar. So for the PVP crowd our buffs are going to be in huge demand because mind attacks are easily considered the most powerful right now. Also going back to those Rifleman. Their specials use a load of mind pool to use. Very true that regen is useful in this case but having a larger mind pool is more so. When they start spamming a special that knocks off a huge chunk of mind to use, regen alone is not going to keep them from running out of mind and getting incapped by a stray shot to their mind pool before the fight is over. Having a larger mind pool however will.
So I hope you see.. our buffs really are useful, just depends who its for and what they use their mind for. In some cases and for general PVE the focus and willpower are probably more useful but even in those cases having a larger mind bar to begin with is still a huge plus.
I think most of the other issues mentioned - the motion captures, the additional flourishes, the falling, and the entertainer mission payouts - will all get addressed anyway. Just a couple weeks ago, Holo posted a thread on the main board asking for suggestions on how entertainers could make money (I posted - did you?), so they're already thinking about it. The Devs have acknowledged they screwed up on the last batch of flourishes and have promised to fix them. Why ask for something we're already going to get?
The mind buff issue is a new wrinkle that they may not have considered. I don't think it will be "no big deal" to players once it has a duration worth using - a +50% mind pool makes a big difference in PvP right now, where Mind damage is the Number One issue over anything else. The main board has been deluged with gripes and flames over PvP mind damage for the past week or more. There have been suggestions that medics be able to heal or buffmind, or Squad Leaders, or .... NO ONE HAS MENTIONED ENTERTAINERS! (Other than a few of us entertainers)
Why do you think that is? Don't you think this is a rare and precious opportunity for Dancersto actually be more than just part-time strippers on the seedy side of the game? If we could, say, double players' mind pools for 2 hours (the ideal modification, IMO, but I want it all) don't you think players will be demanding entertainers in their local cantina? Don't you think more of them will seek out Dancers who are actually at our keyboards and ignore the AFKers? Don't you think they'll feel what we offer is worth a nice tip? All of those alterations in attitude and behavior stemming from one simple change!
Non-master dancers depend on their group size for dancing XP. I don't want to ever see that borked by requiring a group to mindbuff, nor do I think targeting and hitting a macro key for /buffmind is much of a hassle (certainly not as much as clicking away pop-up boxes). Simply put, I fail to see how this solution will be anything other than WIN/WIN for everyone and will begin the death knell on the LAMER plague that has nearly destroyed Dancing's credibility.
"Just a couple weeks ago, Holo posted a thread on the main board asking for suggestions on how entertainers could make money (I posted - did you?)"
No, but then again, I couldn't, what with being 1000 miles away from my computer for the last 2 weeks.