Dancer Archive
Thread: Completly rediculous.
Drygo wrote:
Ah ok, thanks for clarifying that for meMakes sense that doctors wouldn't give it away since it costs them money.
My guild Doc is a private buff bot now... cheesy macroed dialog and all. *rolls eyes* I think he would die laughing if anyone ever suggested he should do this for the public. 
... but I don't know very many live Dancers that give it away to everyone either even if they do sometimes AFK ... a guild or city function I can understand, but free service for all that come along... no thanks! 
I spent my skill points like everybody else and I have a massive wardrobe of buffed clothes to support.
Oh I understand it all too well, Panthu, and I see it more and more often in player cities, faction bases, and outposts. You see, we have to understand that we cannot ascribe player type motivations to unattended characters. They operate by a completely different set of assumptions than players. If the charater is not played, then the motivations behind play really have no meaning. We play for achievement and satisfaction. The bot exists simply to please a prime, and the thing that makes a dancer an idealcandidate for unattendedness is that it can mimic the mechanics of live play so well without any need to play it at all. The subject of waste or investment of time and skill points has no meaning for an unattended buffing alt., because it was never really intended to be a played character at all, merely an ornament. You can tell as much by the names that are given to them, like "ImaBuffUHardCore." And I would also argue that anybody who would take on a dedicated unattended buffer would do so under the assumption that one cannot make money by doing entertainer things. Frankly, they probibly see the "cash value" of the alt. more in its ten lots than in its skills.
Now there are many reasons individuals put free buffbots in areas where they can be publically used. You see, it can act like a "tourist trap" so that players will be more inclined to visit and/or live there. What better way to get merchant experience but put an unattended buffing girl in the house? What better way to show how nice a city may be than to give out free mind buffs next door? You see, the account subscriber in many cases gets the account for lots and/or a private buffer, and so then the decision to leave the bot run really isn't all that hard. So after a player pulls the bot to where its needed, its simple to make the jump of, "Why not let it buff for free while its here?" It seems like a nice thing to them that they are doing. For many combat characters, it does seem like an act of beneficence. What it does, however, is put something into the game environment that works by a different set of assumptions than a player, and that is the ONLY reason it can be beneficent. Because if it had to work within the limits of playability, it couldn't give out what it does 24/7 for free.
I'm guilty! I walked into the Coronet cantina, passed through the crowded entrance, and looked around for other master dancers. There was only one masterbot dancer. I asked if anyone was alive and there was no reply. Out of frustration, and because I was hoping for a reaction, I shouted "FREE Master Dancer Mind Buffs". Nothing, no response, not a word. But I quickly came to my senses and corrected my shout offering, "FREE Master Dancer Mind Buffs to the entetainer group healers". This is somethingthat I alwaysoffer in public cantinas. BINGO! I got a response from a fellow entertainer saying that they thought it was very nice to offer free mind buffs to the group healers. I'm not sure it's as nice as it is logical, they help us, it seems we should respond likewise.
As far as buff bots are concerned....
A friend and I were having a conversation and he gave me a reality check. I was complaining abouthow I hated to compete with bots and the influx of AFK players and how I felt it was ruining the profession. He said, now that dancers have something people want they'll find the easiest way to get it, this includes creating new accounts solely for that purpose. New accounts equal more revenue, so get use to it.
My friend might be right, but for those people who still enjoy socialization, I'll bearound to offera healingdance and toask about your lastest adventure.
/flourish
Lesia
Oops forgot to mention and, yes, I have offered free mind buffs to Rebels in Anchorhead after having been jumped and killed by anImperial. I was killing a stormtrooper in the city when someone jumped me. I ran to Rebels for help but no one responded. I thought by offering free mind buffs to Rebels that they might help me take revenge against the one(s) responsible for attacking me. Even if I can't use them, mind buffs are my best defense.
New accounts might create more revenue, but deleted accounts create a LOSS of revenue. And word of mouth is still the most influential form of advertisment for ANYtype of business. One satsified customer willrecommend aproduct/servivce to a couple of friends. One dissatisfied customer will tell everyone within /shouting distance!
Sony needs to consider that marketing fact and "get used to it".
Message Edited by kirah_ashlin on 04-24-2004 07:49 AM
Rebeeka wrote:
Sure, you may be taking business away from ATK players in Coronet, but the general assumption is that no one is ATK in Coronet anyway.