CUEmu - Thread Posts

SaharraT

Wed Nov 03, 2004 1:19 pm

I find anyone who relentlessly spams for hours repugnant, whether it's an entertainer OR the merchant with his/her robot shouting in the middle of the city "click me for a waypoint!". This is why I have opted not to spam, and after watching myself run an autojoin macro for ten minutes, decided I didn't want to do that either. What a pain in the butt for me. I'll just dance and be pretty, flirt and chat and I'll be happy and so will my patrons, I hope. And when I need to pee or go to bed, maybe I'll leave my dancer dancing, maybe I wont. But if I do I wont be hurting anyone, in my opinion.

Most afk'ingentertainersI know are secondary characters there to provide a service to those of us who are engaged in combat. Being someone who has been on the game since only June of this year, I can be honest and say that I wasn't "trained" to be an afk'er. I didn't seek out macros to run and become a memberof the all reclusive afk entertainer cult aimed to suck the experience and tips away from all the exhaulted ATK ents in the game. *wink* Lol

As for afk entertainers taking experience away from atk players, I disagree. That has never been my experience and from all overt observations not the experience of a good majority of the entertainers I know and socialize with on the game. AFKers, by the nature of just being afk, lose customers, tips and therefore lose out on the experience. Therefore, it is logical to assume that anyone who constantly afk's (if they are smart, that is) knows they will not max out a char this way and are doing it for fellow player benefit only. As a result, I have noticed that a majority of afk'ers have mastered their craft before they become "habit" (I use this term loosely) AFKers.

When I am engaging and friendly andyou know,actually at my keyboard, I get huge tips and repeat visitors. I lost count of the number of players who said "its nice to see an entertainer who ISNT afk..." to me while handing over a 50k tip. BUT... I have only heard this from players who see me not AFK in a major city cantina like Theed or Coronet. I don't get that response in a player city cantina. Players expect the entertainers in a PCC to be afk, service-only ents in my honest opinion. So, I believe entertainer bots in player cities are more acceptable than those who plant themselves in server cities and spam to their heart's content.

So I don't see afk'ers as an issue until they start spamming the hell out of my screen in a server city where lag is already an issue. To me, THAT is the problem. Macros and AFK'ers in genreal are not the problem, SPAM IS. Look back on these posts and see the first complaints "oh and the spam!" "spam" .. spam spam spam...

I use looping macros so that I can type and stay engaged with friends and patrons by keeping my attentions on the conversations at hand; and if I need to afk and change out a load of laundry or bathe my child that I don't stop helping fellow players.

I think this is taken far too seriously by you non-entertainer types =) If you really want to make an impact here, you'd tell the spammers that because they are spammers they will no longer receive your patronage and you'll tell all your friends to not patron them. The reason they continue to spam is because it works for them. So don't let it work for them anymore. Why does SOE have to send in the macro police because you're sick of spam?

They did this SOE Police crap on EverQuest and it wrecked the game and then I left that. I hate to see it happen on SWG because people can't seem to figure out a way to solve the problem on their own. The solution is there, just use it. Stop patroning AFKers if you don't like them. Patron ATKers instead and tell them that is why you are patroning them. Simple... the competition alone will weed out the tip/heal beggars who like to run spamming sessions.

WARNING: Run-on sentence coming up =D

I believe that removing looping macros across the boardwill stop players from running their entertainers and then you'll see the devs scrambling to make entertainers appealing again because people have stopped playing them "all the sudden" andthe combat players can't get anyone to heal their battle fatigue and mind wounds so they start complaining to SOE saying "omg I can't play this anymore, lower BF or get rid of mind wounds all together or blah whine blah whine..."

... And the wheel will continue to be reinvented at the expense of our fun and time...

Think about it

=) Saharra

IdiAmin

Wed Nov 03, 2004 2:00 pm

#418

Dreamland wrote:

IdiAmin wrote:

I know it's not a quote. It was like 4am and now deleted so it gets a little fuzzy.

What I'm saying is you are not entitled to anything and your class if indeed functioning as it was coded. Don't mistake lack of content for not functioning as intended. You can heal and buff just like you are programmed to do. Fencer scatter hit bypassing armor was not working as intended, entertainers feeling they need more content is not the same.

I do not ignore your problems. I am here having a discussion aren't I? If I called someone a whiney baby then I apologize and must have gotten caught up in the moment.

These boards are for the discussion of the entertainer profession. I am offering a different viewpoint (and am encouraged to by this post) and you are getting angry that I have a differing opinion. I am far from sticking my head in the sand; I offer a viewpoint and it is torn down as not accurate despite the fact that many combatants hold the same views.

Smuggler spices are working as they are intended to. All the specials are working as they are intended to. Buying faction points are working as they are intended to. Slicing is working as it is intended to. That does not mean that the smugglers are not entitled to better, there are other influences in the game that invalidate their abilities, and that is a problem.

As a master dancer a buffbot invalidates my abilities. There is no need for a single dancer to ever dance a step on any server as long is there is one buffbot in coronet cantina. That buffbot can handle the buff and healing needs of the entire server. That is not a balanced profession.

So if 1000 people on your server want buffs you cannot even grab some of that business? A defeated attitude will only be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Talk to people in the cantinas using buffbots, tell them to add you to their friends list and tell them that you'll gladly come to them (for a fee of course). Networking is the best tool you can use.

IdiAmin

Wed Nov 03, 2004 2:03 pm

#419

LyteFoot wrote:

Makes robot alts to make his game easier, hides behind another account to protect his post status, uses friends accounts to boost his primary account post status. In other words more than willing to use any questionable mechanic to benefit himself regardless of ethics.

That all lends to a high creditibility factor.

You completely missed the point. I am "hiding" behind this because I know that all of my posts would be one starred (even posts not about dancing would surely be subjected to a one star bandit -- and as I've said I enjoy being a pilot).

I do not use friends accounts to boost my primary account; I said it would force me to if a childish one starrer followed me around. But for now never have.

So I interact with a buffbot using in game macros. Plus I post on an alt -- clearly very questionable. And asking about ethics regarding posting...um, perhaps you should really think about this in a big picture sense. It's a game kids, nothing more, nothing less.

IdiAmin

Wed Nov 03, 2004 2:11 pm

#420

Dreamland wrote:

IdiAmin wrote:

So if 1000 people on your server want buffs you cannot even grab some of that business? A defeated attitude will only be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Talk to people in the cantinas using buffbots, tell them to add you to their friends list and tell them that you'll gladly come to them (for a fee of course). Networking is the best tool you can use.

Why would someone pay me a fee to come to them when there is a buffbot in every cantina?I have to be in the cantina to buff. The buffbot is there doing it for free, and yes on bria every major cantina and every hunting planet cantina has a buffbot.

Pont of fact is it does not work. The average buffbot user will not go to a live player over the buffbot, they will wait in line to get in the buffbot group before going to a live entertainer standing 5 feet away offering a buff. I know this from personal experience. Unless you have tried playing the game as a live master dancer do not tell me what will happen and what will not. Because you simply do not know. You are pulling opinions out of thin air with no personal experience to back them up. Walk a mile in my shoes and then maybe people would take you with some credibility. But you have not, and you have no idea of the reality of the situation. Only an opinion of that of an outside perspective.

Wrong:

I have played the game as a master dancer / musician. If you cannot draw business from a buffbot you are doing something wrong.

Example:

You: Hi, I noticed you're waiting in line and the line is a few people deep. How'd you like to come over here and get everything you need right away. I only charge a few thousand credits and will save you some time.

Them: Oh, ok, didn't know anyone was buffing, sounds great.

If this doesn't happen at least 2 or 3 times out of 10 then you need to play on another server. On ours we recognize our time is valuable and will gladly cut a few minutes out for a few credits.

Oh, and you can buff in a house...

Dreamland

Wed Nov 03, 2004 2:14 pm

#421

IdiAmin wrote:

You completely missed the point. I am "hiding" behind this because I know that all of my posts would be one starred (even posts not about dancing would surely be subjected to a one star bandit -- and as I've said I enjoy being a pilot).

I do not use friends accounts to boost my primary account; I said it would force me to if a childish one starrer followed me around. But for now never have.

So I interact with a buffbot using in game macros. Plus I post on an alt -- clearly very questionable. And asking about ethics regarding posting...um, perhaps you should really think about this in a big picture sense. It's a game kids, nothing more, nothing less.

Then you do not deserve to be a pilot. If you can't get there without hiding behind an alt when you are going to make the controversial posts then you simply have not earned that rank. Contrary to your belief one star banditry is taken into account in the forum system, the lower the average post rating that you give to others is, the less weight your opinion has. It is done that way to circumvent the one star bandits.

Contrary to your belief as well, you will not get one starred by every dancer in the forum for having a differing opinion. You WILL get one starred for using insulting tones and acting in a condescending manner. I was there to see some of your posts in the bria thread and they got pretty insulting. If you want to dish it out you should be ready to accept the concequences. I got many one stars in there, and i did so on my main account.

Reachwind

Wed Nov 03, 2004 2:15 pm

#422

Don't bother arguing with the postbot.

Oqua

Wed Nov 03, 2004 2:16 pm

#423

IdiAmin wrote:

So I interact with a buffbot using in game macros. Plus I post on an alt -- clearly very questionable. And asking about ethics regarding posting...um, perhaps you should really think about this in a big picture sense. It's a game kids, nothing more, nothing less.

If this is the case, and its "just a game kid" for you, then quit coming and trying to debate every little point that has been talked to death ad nauseum.

Have something new to say...then by all means please share, but otherwise you do look like someone trying to "hide" from the initial reaction your one starred posts using your main already got you (more then not because of a belligerant attitude); likesomeone who is just trying to rehash things that have already been discussed so you can "win" a debate/argument started by you on another thread.

Most here have jedi, and various combat experience...so we do know all sides to it.

We just would like someone to see it from our side as well, not just "you have to step up to the plate and stop expecting people to cater to you primadonnas" "everyone has something they gripe about with their profession" etc, etc.

Thats all..plain and simple.

Oqua Y Tryna Y Katya
(¯`'·.¸Taewyn's Angels¸.·'´¯
Taking care of all his wants and needs

Drygo

Wed Nov 03, 2004 2:20 pm

#424

IdiAmin wrote:

Wrong:

I have played the game as a master dancer / musician. If you cannot draw business from a buffbot you are doing something wrong.

Just a clue. You've been saying this in not so many words in various posts. Here you came right out and said it. So, I'm just going to tell you. The second that someone says something insultinglike this, makes assumptions about other people's experiences and situations, assumptions about what people have and have not done to try to make their experience better, assumptions about another person'slevel of knowledge, expertise, and worth in a profession,is the second that you lose all credibility whatsoever.

There are a hell of a lot of experts posting on these forums, a whole lot of respected people who absolutely, unequivocably know exactly what they are doing and how to do it. The sheer numbers of experts in this field who are having major problems surviving in a world of buffbots can not be waved away with a generalized comment such as the one that you made.

PS. You are a coward. I post under this name on the other boards besides just these entertainer forums, and I have been one starred to hell and back because of my views on buffbots.

Message Edited by Drygo on 11-03-2004 01:21 PM

- I support hawtpants

rayill

Wed Nov 03, 2004 2:29 pm

#425

When we as Dancers were first given the ability to actually buff the mind pool, I wanted to buff people. Not many people knew about them at the time, andI worked to get that information out to the combatants. Then came the holocraze/grind. Our cantinas, which was where we spent time working on getting the combatants informed of the usefulness of buffs, were overrun with people seeking their precious Jedi. I always enjoyed being in a group with other entertainers, but now I was subjected to being forced to wait until one of the many AFK players was leaving so that I could even get into the group. This was back at the time when active buffing was faster than passive buffing. Unfortunately, the grouping situation got worse every day instead of getting better to the point where they normally didn't have an active leader.

Guess what happened next? The combatants that I worked hard to indoctrinate to the ways of mind buffing started to equate all entertainers to the AFK zombies. Entertainer abuse got rampantly out of hand. Why would I continue to subject myself to an unpleasant environment and rude playerbase?

This was before the advent of buffbots as well. AFK was a rare thing before the Hologrind, and entertainers have born the brunt of the damage from the hologrind. Combatants hated that they were "forced" into our professions and used the macro system to try and get in and out quickly. They caused a massive deterioration to the cantina environment, which helped to create the mighty buffbots. I was polite and helpful before buffbots and before the holocraze. I tried to help whomever asked me. I would go out of my to get to the cantina if someone needed to be healed or buffed. I would postpone going to bed to buff someone back when we didn't know how long it would take to get it to stick because it would help them out. Yet, now I'm a stuck up greedy entertainer who doesn't understand anything because I want my profession to be viable once more.

I was driven out of the cantina by the very people I went out of my way to help. I was driven out because everyone had to rush to be powerful Jedi. I am blamed for creating the buffbots by not being available to meet the needs of the combat players. Has it ever dawned on you buffbot owners and combat players attempting to be devil advocates that maybe if I (and many others) had been appreciated during the hologrind that we would never have left the cantinas? Would it be possible to admit that entertainers left the profession because combat players no longer viewed us as equals because they were overruning us with their own AFK?

Rayill Yi'tun

Master Dancer

- I support ATK people and playstyles

IdiAmin

Wed Nov 03, 2004 2:57 pm

#426

Drygo wrote:

IdiAmin wrote:

Wrong:

I have played the game as a master dancer / musician. If you cannot draw business from a buffbot you are doing something wrong.

Just a clue. You've been saying this in not so many words in various posts. Here you came right out and said it. So, I'm just going to tell you. The second that someone says something insultinglike this, makes assumptions about other people's experiences and situations, assumptions about what people have and have not done to try to make their experience better, assumptions about another person'slevel of knowledge, expertise, and worth in a profession,is the second that you lose all credibility whatsoever.

There are a hell of a lot of experts posting on these forums, a whole lot of respected people who absolutely, unequivocably know exactly what they are doing and how to do it. The sheer numbers of experts in this field who are having major problems surviving in a world of buffbots can not be waved away with a generalized comment such as the one that you made.

PS. You are a coward. I post under this name on the other boards besides just these entertainer forums, and I have been one starred to hell and back because of my views on buffbots.

Message Edited by Drygo on 11-03-2004 01:21 PM

PS. Judging me by an internet post is pretty smart and definitely shows me who's boss.

IdiAmin

Wed Nov 03, 2004 3:01 pm

#427

Oqua wrote:

IdiAmin wrote:

So I interact with a buffbot using in game macros. Plus I post on an alt -- clearly very questionable. And asking about ethics regarding posting...um, perhaps you should really think about this in a big picture sense. It's a game kids, nothing more, nothing less.

If this is the case, and its "just a game kid" for you, then quit coming and trying to debate every little point that has been talked to death ad nauseum.

Have something new to say...then by all means please share, but otherwise you do look like someone trying to "hide" from the initial reaction your one starred posts using your main already got you (more then not because of a belligerant attitude); likesomeone who is just trying to rehash things that have already been discussed so you can "win" a debate/argument started by you on another thread.

Most here have jedi, and various combat experience...so we do know all sides to it.

We just would like someone to see it from our side as well, not just "you have to step up to the plate and stop expecting people to cater to you primadonnas" "everyone has something they gripe about with their profession" etc, etc.

Thats all..plain and simple.

I like to debate and am sick of hearing things like "let's set up a combat macro and steal all the good spawns." No way any combat person would ever say that because they know it's completely ridiculous. I'm just sick of reading some of this stuff and though I'd respond.

Perhaps you didn't see my other post (I know there are a lot and it's getting hard to keep up -- not sarcasm) I agree with some of the things you are saying. I agree that ATK should get an adavantage. I agree that buffbots should be relegated to a house and out of the cantina. I agree that eveyone including entertainers needs more content.

What I don't agree with is outright disallowing buffbots. I also don't agree with the general air I've picked up here that entertainers are owed attention by the community. That is my opinion of the situation, I do not ask for anyone to agree with it; it is just what I have picked up from reading posts in here for a few months now.

And don't give me false quotes. And if you don't want to debate me then don't do it. I simply added my 2 cents in this post (which was made for it) -- if you don't want to participate then no one is forcing you.

Oqua

Wed Nov 03, 2004 3:30 pm

#428

I was paraphrasing, because to me thats the gist of you are saying. It is was a quote, you would see it quoted now wouldn't you? *sardonic smile*

Again, thats fine, we got the meaning of all your posts, both as your main and this little psuedonym you are using to "hide" your identity. I, and many others just get so tired of having to go in circles with people who have and champion the use of buffbots.

In my eyes, that tells me you DON'T understand what its like to be a "real entertainer" no matther how many accounts you try and come here to debate with.

Have a pleasant evening Monsieur Chicken. *sweet smile*

***side note*** I don't mind you posting your views, just telling you why people might not greet said views with the approval you think they should be greeted. And yes, glad you finally got the right thread to argue for your buffbots this time.

Message Edited by Oqua on 11-03-2004 02:32 PM

Message Edited by Oqua on 11-03-2004 02:35 PM

Oqua Y Tryna Y Katya
(¯`'·.¸Taewyn's Angels¸.·'´¯
Taking care of all his wants and needs

macksg

Wed Nov 03, 2004 8:30 pm

#429

Here is my proposal:

In the current system, a dancer or musician has the ability to give mind enhancements of 100% at master. If a player gathers skill tapes they can get that up to 125%, although this is a fairly rare occurance. If a penalty was added to being AFK* which caused a skill modifier of[Dancing/Musical] Mind Enhancment -20, this would allow people to still run AFK buff bots but without +20 worth of skill tapes or more, they would give sub-par mind buffs.This would also make it so they could collect skill tapes and give a 105% maximum buff while AFK.

* Currently "AFK" mode can be turned off at will, my guess is that the timer which gets reset each time a keystroke or mouse movement is made still runs, but doesn't make you "AFK" if the option is off. Slight modifications, if any would be needed for this system to work.

This would create a valuable reason to stay at the keyboard while doing mind buffs, and still allow AFK buffers to give mind buffs during the off hours when so many complain they can't find live buffers. Some other posibilities may be to limit this system to inside NPC city cantinas, or having a non-penalty list on player cantinas so guilds can run buff bots if needed inside their own cantinas.

The proposed system could also be modified to cause an experience penalty when AFK as well, but that would need more thought and discussion.

The only way to get around this system that I can think of is to use a third party program to emulate keystrokes or mouse movements which would be against SOE TOS, and a bannable offense.

Dancer Archive

Thread: Pro/Anti AFK/Bot/Macro All Purpose Sticky