Dancer Archive
Thread: Is it unreasonable of me...
I understand some groups don't mind leaving AFKers in their groups because it helps them gain experience if the group is larger. Many groups won't boot AFKers unless the group is full. I personally don't particularly care if an AFKer leaves the group and goes into the back to work up their skills, but it really bothers me to know that if I'm in the group with them, I'm helping them to succeed.
I'm mostly concerned with people thinking less of me if I put my foot down and refuse to join a band that is full of AFKers. So my question is, if you're in the group and a person refuses to join because some members of the group are AFK, how do you feel about that? Do you think less of them?
- J
To answer your question more appropriately, I wouldn't think any more of someone who refused to group because of AFKers. But as with everything, you can pick your own battles, although not joining a group because they haven't booted the AFKers is hurting the people that are only there for a limited amount of time (i.e., the non-afk entertainers), not to mention yourself,a lot more than it will hurt the entertainers who will be gaining xp all night whether or not you join the group. The afk'ers will never know that you didn't join the group because of them, so you aren't really even making a point that they will be aware of... again, it would only seem to me that it would be an attempt to punish the group because they don't have your same "standards" if they would rather have the xp from the AFKers than nothing at all.
I know it isn't the warm and fuzzy answer you were probably hoping for (don't worry, I'm sure some will follow), but your stand doesn't appear to accomplish anything.
I'm not out to punish anyone, me being in a group doesn't add THAT much to that group, does it? Yes, I may be forcing them to make a choice, accept a real live dancer in exchange for removing an AFK one, but the real rationale is that I dislike AFKers being in a group with me. My stand isn't meant to accomplish anything more than playing the game I wish to play it, and that happens to include not helping AFKers.
My concern is being perceived badly by people for sticking to my guns. I'd rather deal with AFKers than have people think less of me for this.
- J
Pickles, not a thing wrong with your approach. However, I will add that I usually don't know if there are any AFKers in the group until I join and observe for a bit. If they're not talking at all and they're doing the same flourishes over and over, they're no doubt AFK.
Usually what happens is that leadership of the group rotates as people come and go. The new leader (especially me) might be more amenable to the group suggesting that AFKers are kicked. If the group is full and new people want to join, I don't hesitate to suggest /kicking AFKers to make room.
Sure, it hurts the group's XP some, but I don't really care about that as much as I care about our image. When I'm in a cantina full of AFKers, I tend to make it clear that I'm there, I'm real, and I'll entertain. The word is out - most players walking into cantinas these days first asks who's really at their keyboard. They're getting wiser 
picklesSW wrote:
I'm not looking for a "warm and fuzzy" answer, really, just an honest one, which you gave.
I'm not out to punish anyone, me being in a group doesn't add THAT much to that group, does it? Yes, I may be forcing them to make a choice, accept a real live dancer in exchange for removing an AFK one, but the real rationale is that I dislike AFKers being in a group with me. My stand isn't meant to accomplish anything more than playing the game I wish to play it, and that happens to include not helping AFKers.
My concern is being perceived badly by people for sticking to my guns. I'd rather deal with AFKers than have people think less of me for this.
- J
J, I don't see anything wrong with it if that is all you are trying to accomplish. The only thing that would make me think less of you is if you declined a group invite and then proceeded to stand dead center and disrupted the main group... then it would probably tick most people off. 
Peace..
If I join a group and discover that there are AFKers, I just tell the group that I do not help people gain exp while AFK and disband. I've refused group invites when I know there are LAMErs present. Heck, when the LAMErs come up for air and ask for training, I just tell them to AFK macro their way over to the NPC trainer and buy it.
I don't really care what *they* think of me, since they obviously do not care what others think or they wouldn't be AFK macroing smack dab in the middle of the cantina.
Velvet-dancer wrote:If I join a group and discover that there are AFKers, I just tell the group that I do not help people gain exp while AFK and disband. I've refused group invites when I know there are LAMErs present. Heck, when the LAMErs come up for air and ask for training, I just tell them to AFK macro their way over to the NPC trainer and buy it.
I don't really care what *they* think of me, since they obviously do not care what others think or they wouldn't be AFK macroing smack dab in the middle of the cantina.
Velvet-Dancer has the right of it, as usual. I agree 100%.
C
Thanks for the responses!
- J
Its really a personal thing. i fully admit that I macro dance in the cantina on occasion. In the particular Cantina I dance in, its considered the norm. Typically about 1/3 of the entertainers in the Cantina are on Macros. None of the regulars seem to mind. If I kicked from a group while afk, so be it, i wasnt there to joiin back in.
My recomendation is to get to know the regular dancers in your Cantina and get thier oppinions. Some people hate it, others dont mind at all.
Personally I dont have the time online to sit in the Cantina actively doing flourishes and chatting all the time. I wish I did . Im not trying to grind to Master or anything, heck Im only at Entertainer Dancing 3. At the moment I am Macroing because the only dance I get decent XP for looks like an epileptic fit (Footloose). Once I get a dance that I find interesting again I'll likely lay off the macros and go back to dancing personally.
Kuildeous wrote:It makes a statement, but it may be a statement that desperate dancers don't want to hear. They know how badly they need the xp to advance. Since they're not dancing AFK, they have to work at it. Thus, they may prefer having four AFK dancers boosting their numbers than a single dissident.
This is what I just do not understand. Desperate for what? What is this almighty need so many dancers seem to have to get more and more and more skillboxes? Can't you just enjoy whatever dances you have right now, enjoy your character as is, and then just take the XP that comes naturally through the course of roleplaying your character's existence? Why does everyone HAVE to be a Master Dancer, and have to be it RIGHT NOW?
The lower dances, other than footloose (which, I agree, is just awful) are not that bad. I kind of like Basic 2 in fact. I really like the Moon Walk and the Uma Thurman move, among others. I still dance it sometimes.
No, it does not get me the maximum amount of XP, but so what? Why do we have to ub3r-m4x-out our XP all the time anyway? Can't we just enjoy each dance for its aesthetic qualities and dance whatever is appropriate to the music (out of whatever our repertoire might be)? Is it really that abysmal to dance basic and rhythmic for a few hours each night, for a week or so, before getting the better dances? Can someone explain why it is so necessary to level so fast? Because honestly I just do not understand it. My character has 7, closing in on 8 boxes of Dancer filled in (not counting Novice of course) and I am quite happy with her as she is now. Will I learn new skills as the XP comes in? Sure... Do I want to get to Master eventually? Yep. But I am in no rush, and I really don't see why anyone else needs to be in such a rush.
I could see it if you weren't in it full time. Just taking a couple of Entertainer boxes in dance and healing to heal up your friends' BF, and you drew the short straw and got "stuck" with the class? OK, now I can understand why you'd want to park yourself in a cantina, macro for an afternoon, get the couple of skill boxes, and never show up in the cantina again (except for healing your friends, of course). But to be a dedicated dancer and want to do this as your main profession, and be in such an all-fired rush to get to the end, I just do not understand it. You'll get there, eventually. Getting there faster doesn't prove anything to anyone, and even if it did whom, exactly, are you trying to impress? We all know the same dances at the same level, and nobody can do any more moves than anyone else at that level, so what is the need for the breakneck speed?
I just don't see what the need to ub3r-sp33d-l3v3l is. Never have, in any game. And never will.
C
Kyree, that sounds like fun. I'm going to give that a try next time I set up to dance.
thanks for posting such a neat little idea
The entertainer terminal is right outside the door of the cantina I frequent. Perhaps it will feel more 'proactive' to have group members run out the door and chain missions instead of just waiting around for tips.
Kyree Shvar - Master Dancer