Dancer Archive
Thread: POLL: AFK Play
Jutewr
Sat Apr 09, 2005 4:34 pm
#66
1. Do you leave the keyboard while your avatar is playing music?
Yes, because the xp requirements are far too high. (I plan on always playing ATK once I'm master.)
2. What do you think is an acceptable amount of time to leave an avatar unattended while playing music?
Any amount of time if you are trying to get xp. If you are already master, then 15 minutes or so.
3. Would you be willing to give up any degree of unattended play beyond the 15 minutes for the AFK flag to appear above your head.
Not unless either xp requirements are lowered or xp is gained faster.
I simply don't have the time or desire to stare at my screen for hours on end, doing nothing. I just want to be able to perform for my friends in my own cantina. I don't want to become a buffbot.
LecheHombre
Sat Apr 09, 2005 6:29 pm
#67
1. Do you leave the keyboard while your avatar is playing music?
When I was working towards master musician, I did turn on a macro and play AFK sometimes. I would prefer it if there was an option to play at the keyboard, and reward active performances with faster xp gain. Something like missions, where an NPC asks you to play different songs and system messages prompt you to perform a specific flourish, etc.
Now that I am a master, I basically never leave the keyboard while playing, except to grab a beverage, etc.
2. What do you think is an acceptable amount of time to leave an avatar unattended while playing music?
IF they put in a system (which couldn't be fooled by macros) to reward active playing with an increased xp rate, I feel like removing the ability to play AFK period wouldn't really be a bad thing. The only problem is determining who actually is AFK. If it is a short keyboard idle timer, it could overreact to situations where there just isn't much action going on. If it is a keyboard timer at all, external programs (which I realize are against the user agreement, but policing them would be difficult) could be used to open up inventory every 30 seconds or something and bypass the timer. This is why I would prefer it if all or at least the most important benefits of listening to music were based on active prompt/response systems. Something like the plans for slicing, where "systems are overheating" would be resolved by "vent coolant systems"; we could have "customer would like to hear x" which would corellate to a flourish or group of flourishes, or a song change.
3. Would you be willing to give up any degree of unattended play beyond the 15 minutes for the AFK flag to appear above your head.
If by this you mean that upon being idle for 15 minutes, the AFK tag would appear above your head and your character would stop playing/fighting/crafting etc., then yes, I would be willing to accept the change. However, I think that anything like that would just result in making the macrotainers switch to external macros rather than the internal SWG macro system.
Please feel free to explain your answers. Thanks!
I am really sad that the new inspiration buffs are going to be 100% transparent to buffer and buffee both... I think that if any changes are going to be made at all, they should expend the effort on making the system require or at the very least reward active play for the beneficial entertainment actions. However, from a combat character's point of view, it can be really hard to find an entertainer these days, and any changes to prevent AFK play would only make that worse (at least in the short-term).
As a master musician, sometimes I run around and try to find someone with a pulse to perform with, or even better a whole band. On Flurry, one can usually find macrotainers in the Dantooine Mining Outpost, one or both posts on Dathomir, the Coronet cantina, and Theed cantina. There *may* be non-afk performers in Coronet or Theed, but they usually are grinding, and not interested in just goofing around with songs and instrument combos, like I would get a kick out of. I don't know where I'm really going with this other than saying that the evidence I've seen while in the game rather than on the boards would suggest that for better or worse there is a majority voice of AFK folks that just isn't going to show up in a poll on the boards here.
--Qilue-UCW--
Sun Apr 10, 2005 12:19 am
#68
Esharra,
I think you also should have asked what Level of Entertaining skill the respondant is, on there main entertaing character.
I'm getting the impression that those who are say things similar to"If I look away from the screen for 5 seconds, I stop playing" Are probably already Master. and therefore are in no need of the XP..
I think its alittle extream to just stop performing because you ran to the Restroom or whent to get a drink, let the animal out or answer the phone.. I think most people can understand if you had to leave for a few seconds to do that sort of thing.. but thats just me, because I'm dancing solo in my cantina without the group XP bouns, and relying solely on guildmates for healing xp.
Message Edited by --Qilue-UCW-- on 04-09-2005 12:21 PM
Sunjammer
Sun Apr 10, 2005 10:14 am
#69
--Qilue-UCW-- wrote:
I think you also should have asked what Level of Entertaining skill the respondant is, on there main entertaing character. I'm getting the impression that those who are say things similar to "If I look away from the screen for 5 seconds, I stop playing" Are probably already Master. and therefore are in no need of the XP.
What, pray tell, "gave" you that impression? I'm not a master. I'm not even close, with 8 whole boxes to go.
Umi
Kareann
Sun Apr 10, 2005 10:46 am
#70
Esharra wrote:Just curious to see where we stand on this topic.
1. Do you leave the keyboard while your avatar is dancing?
Very rarely, if it's for a few secs to grab something real quick. Usually I just stop dancing.
2. What do you think is an acceptable amount of time to leave an avatar unattended while dancing?
A couple of minutes should be long enough for refreshments and bathroom break.
3. Would you be willing to give up any degree of unattended play beyond the 15 minutes for the AFK flag to appear above your head.
Yes.Please feel free to explain your answers. Thanks!
Bossov
Sun Apr 10, 2005 6:16 pm
#71
1. Do you leave the keyboard while your avatar is playing music? Yes. If I need to go grab a drink, use the restroom(#1), answer the phone, or check the forums. If I need to shower, use the restroom(#2), go to the store, go to work, sleep, or go visit friends/family I do NOT leave my char unattended.
2. What do you think is an acceptable amount of time to leave an avatar unattended while playing music? 10 minutes, give or take. The problem isn't people not being ATK 100% of the time. The problem is people being AFK for hours on end, usually for day/weeks/months at a time. I won't go into details on why AFK is a problem, we're all aware of that.
3. Would you be willing to give up any degree of unattended play beyond the 15 minutes for the AFK flag to appear above your head. I'll give up any unattended play because if my char is unattended I'm not playing the game am I? I don't believe in advancing or acquiring for my character while I'm sleeping, working, etc.
2. What do you think is an acceptable amount of time to leave an avatar unattended while playing music? 10 minutes, give or take. The problem isn't people not being ATK 100% of the time. The problem is people being AFK for hours on end, usually for day/weeks/months at a time. I won't go into details on why AFK is a problem, we're all aware of that.
3. Would you be willing to give up any degree of unattended play beyond the 15 minutes for the AFK flag to appear above your head. I'll give up any unattended play because if my char is unattended I'm not playing the game am I?
I don't believe in advancing or acquiring for my character while I'm sleeping, working, etc.
NJ62
Sun Apr 10, 2005 8:52 pm
#72
I think a critical distinction in AFKing is this - many of us do not make a conscious effort to afk entertain, particularly for bathroom breaks and whatnot, we simply neglect to stop our animations, because if you have to leave the room, it's something that you can easily forget to do. If I go afk if I'm hunting, or loading my vendor, I simply stand there, not because I make a conscious choice about it, but because I simply leave the room and that's how I end up.
I guess my point is that for those 15 minute bathroom breaks it's not a matter of that we want those 15 minutes of exp, but that we don't turn it off simply because it's an effort to turn it off. Would we be okay with, or happy with, a system that stopped our animations when we left the room?
I guess my point is that for those 15 minute bathroom breaks it's not a matter of that we want those 15 minutes of exp, but that we don't turn it off simply because it's an effort to turn it off. Would we be okay with, or happy with, a system that stopped our animations when we left the room?
Seakla
Sun Apr 10, 2005 9:15 pm
#73
1. Do you leave the keyboard while your avatar is dancing?
I have on occasion, to attend to things such as cooking, toilet breaks, etc. I don't do it deliberately for extended lengths of time and if I'm know going to be AFK for an extended period of time, I stop her animating.
2. What do you think is an acceptable amount of time to leave an avatar unattended while dancing?
Probably around 15-20 minutes. Most issues that call you away from the keyboard (ie, without enough time to /stopd, /afk) should be able to be resolved in this time, or at least give you a chance within that time to briefly come back to the keyboard and sort out your avatar. IMHO.
3. Would you be willing to give up any degree of unattended play beyond the 15 minutes for the AFK flag to appear above your head.
Yes, since I'm ATK most of the time anyway, it wouldn't bother me.
Message Edited by Seakla on 04-11-2005 04:37 PM
Anoewyn
Sun Apr 10, 2005 9:50 pm
#74
Some good points there, N'jessi. For me, I think leaving our character animating whilst we leave the room for a short period of time such as bathroom breaks, snack recovery, answering the phone and the restis acceptable. As someone one said earlier, we have to make allowances for the fact that sometimes real life "gets in our face". Its the long term AFK that causes the greatest amount of damage to the game and our profession. Personally, I think if someone has gone afk it should take 10-15minutes for the server to register them as idle which should render all actions to a standstill (they shouldn't be able to benefit nor contribute to the gameworld), and if they are still absent after a further 15minutes that they should be booted to the character login screen. That is a total of 30mins, which is ample time for someone to go and do what they need and be back - anything longer and they are not really contributing or participating in the game, therefore don't really need to be there. So my answer would be yes - after a designated time period where the server has considered me idle, I would be quite happy if the system /dumped any macros I had running (ugh, not that I have these kinds of macros, but just for the sake of debate 
) and stopped any skillanimating.
) and stopped any skillanimating.However, in order for this to work - I truly think SOE need to take away the player's ability to define what AFK is and what the boundaries of an acceptable AFK timeperiod is (I feel recursive macros need to be dealt with too - but I'm not going to go into that here). I truly feel that SOE need to make a clear and strong definition and distinction between what acceptable and unacceptable AFK is and not only support those policies by making the appropriate changes, but having them reflected clearly in the EULA (unlike the paragraph in the EULA now, that can be interpreted to be either for/against buffbot play). Currently, players can uncheck their "auto-AFK" option, and this is what I mean by people being able to define what they think AFK is and what parameters they think is acceptable. Given the rife population of bots and buffhouses I think this option is not only worthless, but it doesn't help the problem only add to it.
Chessack
Sun Apr 10, 2005 9:58 pm
#75
Unsurprisingly, N'Jess hit the nail on the head.
I have never deliberately AFK macroed. I have gotten up for what I thought would be 1 minute or less and then had it last longer. Emergencies can happen, or you can just forget.
That is 100% different from someone who sat there and researched a macro to run continuously (with proper pauses just as they run out of action to self-stim, etc) for hours and hours, and PURPOSELY leaves their toon dancing with the hope/expectation of getting 24 hours worth of XP for 0 hours worth of work.
There's a galaxy of difference between those two things. One nobody here has a problem with. The other... many here do.
C
I have never deliberately AFK macroed. I have gotten up for what I thought would be 1 minute or less and then had it last longer. Emergencies can happen, or you can just forget.
That is 100% different from someone who sat there and researched a macro to run continuously (with proper pauses just as they run out of action to self-stim, etc) for hours and hours, and PURPOSELY leaves their toon dancing with the hope/expectation of getting 24 hours worth of XP for 0 hours worth of work.
There's a galaxy of difference between those two things. One nobody here has a problem with. The other... many here do.
C
Anoewyn
Sun Apr 10, 2005 10:05 pm
#76
Aye, zactly.
Its just a pity they don't expend allthateffort into putting on a well timed, choreogrpahed and visually stunning show by playing the class the way it was meant to - heaven's above - they might even have fun! 
Kiriah
Mon Apr 11, 2005 1:18 am
#77
1. Yes - I need sustenance and bathroom breaks
2. 10 minutes at the outside
3. Yes - I don't like that we have/had the option to turn off the auto AFK flagging
2. 10 minutes at the outside
3. Yes - I don't like that we have/had the option to turn off the auto AFK flagging
rayill
Mon Apr 11, 2005 9:04 am
#78
1. I've made quick bathroom breaks, headed to the kitchen to get food/drink, and I'm a victim of multi-tasking, so sometimes the TV may catch my attention for three minutes. If I feel that I'm not going to be able to focus on being there, I sit myself down somewhere and do what is pressing on my mind.
2. I think short breaks that could be taken in the reasonable time before the auto-AFK flag hit would be acceptable. That would be a tops of 15 minutes.
3. Yes, I would. I think this would help our playstyle.
On an additional note, I've never AFK'd intentionally for more than five minutes. I know that there were probably a few times when I started the game where I auto-logged after thirty minutes because I got distracted with school, phone, and my boyfriend. However, as I learned the system, I made an effort to remain ATK. If I was going to be gone for an indeterminable amount of time. I sat down and would either log out myself, or hope I got back before I was auto-logged.
I will admit that my boyfriend did AFK throughout Dancer, Musician, and Entertainer. Not all the time, but enough that it was still a majority of his time AFK. He of course had to get the Jedi, the one he hardly plays because all he wanted to do was unlock it. However, I made sure that he was going to AFK, he would not be spamming. There was no spam in his macro. However, with hologrinding gone, this is a moot point.