Dancer Archive

I've been thinking about Village rewards. And Entertainers. And AFK Buff Bots. And the general lack of income from dedicated entertainers.

And I thought about putting this in the entertainer forum, but I like my Dancer alt, so I'll drop it here.

Proposal:
Player crafted mind enhancing crystals.

Mechanic:
Dancers and Musicians receive a schematic for buff crystals. Players can then add entertainer buff charges to the crystals and sell them or give them out to friends.

Details:
Master level Dancers and Musicians can hand craft Buff Crystals. Ideally, this is an award at mastery and must be hand crafted - not factory usable (see: jedi saber creating crystals).

Optionally, this can be a repeatable quest reward, limited use schematic.
Optionally, this can be a loot drop.

These crystals act like some instruments (Ommni Box, Narlagon - sp?) in that they can 'dropped' or set anywhere and have an in-world presence.

Once dropped, the crafter will be able to direct their performance towards the crystal. Every x (5? 10?) minutes of performance, one charge is added to the crystal up to a maximum number (3? 5? 10?). Once fully charged, the crafter can give these crystals to friends/customers.

Optionally, a series of popup windows occur during this performance to prevent AFK crystal creation.
Optionally, the original crafter can recharge the crystal.

Downsides?
Suggestions?
Flames?

Message Edited by A_nita on 01-26-2005 01:12 AM

I see this as fixing several of the problems that plague masters and players alike.

1 - The Rude Combat Prof. This player enters a cantina, seeks out a master and more or less demands a buff. This player has no interest in actually being in a cantina for the atmosphere and the quicker that they are in and out, the better it is for all parties involved. Allowing masters to sell buff batteries means that this player can be in and out of the cantina in record time. They will also pay for services rendered since it's not relying on /tip for payment.

2 - The Bot. With something as simple as a decision tree pop up window, or a 'perform this flourish now, you have 2 chance to get it right' command, the AFK bot cannot charge crystals. Which means that the player that is likely to head for a bot and who may need to wait 5, 10, or even 15 minutes for a buff has a faster alternative.

3 - The returning customer. If a crystal can only be charged by the crafting master, the customer is forced to return - if only to trade out crystals. It means that players will continue to return to cantinas. Maybe not in 2 hours, but they will return. This also keeps the power of mind buffs in the hands of the entertainers.

4 - Off Peak play schedule. By allowing for multiple charges, it allows combat professions who play at off-peak hours alternatives to the Bots. Some servers simply do not have good coverage from ATK masters at all hours. Many players start going to Bots because they cannot find a master. And given the ease of findingt hat Bot again, many players continue to use them as their sole source of entertainment. This is an alternative to that.

Further, it doesn't have to be crystals. It could well be video screens. Or holo recordings. Something that works within the setting.

The idea here is to improve everyone's interaction with each other. The players who frequent cantinas for the atmosphere will continue to do so. The players who see entertainers as a means to an end will have an alternative to Bots. The players who end up using Bots because finding an ATK entertainer willing to buff a stranger will have an alternative to a Bots. It's a reason to put the Master Dancer title back up.

And ultimately, it's better than the buff bot.