Dancer Archive
Thread: Ent Healing: Survey for those who do not want to play a Dancer
Ent Healing and Buffing - Ithas become a huge problem that extends our Dancer complaints as a Profession. Blue Wound Healing, Battle Fatigue Healing, and Mind Buffing are needed or wanted by almost all players. This is how we were intended to work and that is indeed still in place. The problem is that we do not seem to be where the public needs us when they need us.
Part of the problem here is that we are the only ones who can do this, but our playstyle is somewhat limited. Add on top of this that even many Social players feel like our profession is too restricted and does not justify the skill points invested. Add on top of that the absolute game breaking effects of the Player Made solution, Buff Bots, and those of us that are still left who have seen our tips degenerate and our Cantinas turn into Spamland and the mood this has put us in. 
So what we have is very few live ents that will still heal and buff for the public in NPC Cantinas and the cycle continues. This will go on long after the old holo system is dead. People will still need Ent Healing and Ent Healers will still want to have a real role. We need to come up with some solutions to pitch to the Devs as a playerbase keeping those points in mind.
A huge part of the problem that I see is that Dancer is not enough fun for the people who want to play the class or the people being healed by us. Having the class become more appealing to a larger audience would get more Dancers providing services out there. On the other hand, anything that would make the core Dancer playerbase unhappy is not a good solution.
Example: Forcing us to “spread out” by enforcing an “Ent Cap” on Cantinas. This is an often suggested solution and one that worries me. There is nothing fun about hanging out in a dead Cantina just hoping someone will come along. I personally do this on my own when I am playing with my dances, but hours can go by with no one stopping in. This is not fun, this is not Social, and this does nothing for my bank account.
Dancer Survey for the Playerbase:
What are some solutions for getting the Dancers to you keeping the Dancers’ ability to play the game in mind?
Make sure you post in the right thread for your concern!
Ent Healing: Poll for those who want to play a Dancer
Message Edited by Panthu on 05-24-2004 10:57 AM
As a Dancer who can not buff myself and not as a Correspondent speaking for others, here are somethings I would be ok with that might help:
1. More healing options for Dancers. Ways to heal and buff faster, better, and in more areas.
2. Cantinas being more fun for everybody. Cantina mini games that would reward players with loot and/or money as well as fun.
3. Ent healing and buffing options for players that don't like counting on Ents... like Brandy... BUT, I would have to see some other income, content, toys, and abilities for Dancers as Balance to be ok with this.
4. More focus on pure fun aspects for Dancers like our Performance Enhancements so we could be really flashy. That would amuse many of us more than holding people to the cantinas that don't want to be there.
5. Dancer requiring no skill points like the new Pilot Profs, then more people would have access to the class
6. Dancer perks like Green Stat bonuses, constant self Blue HOTs, or tons of Defenses
7. Dance games and/or tons of Dance animation customization tools: short anims to mix in (like kicks, pivots, and turns), a real "Studio" where we could "record" routines and the share them with others like a factory schematic (I think these would be neat to be able to share with non-Ents as a "Dance Lesson" with limited use, like holoemotes... not for healing, just for events and RP... I am open to the healing though... maybe)
There, now that's a lot of options. All the other Dancers are not open to the same solutions I am. We talk about this a lot. I hope you can see this is not a "force socialization" issue where we are on some power trip. It makes me insane when I hear people say that.
Even the Dancers who do want to keep us in the Cantinas with a strong dependence on us don't necessarily want to make other Players unhappy. It would be best if we could come up with some solutions that work for everyone... this is not just a Dancer issue.
We share this one. Dancers have a right to a play option, everybody has a right to fun. We should be able to do this without hurting each other.
The way I see it, Player Cities were the death of cantinas. In fact, I think player cities are responsible for a lot of bad things in the game. Don't get me wrong, they're good things to have, and I love the city gardens, shuttleport and all in a centralised area in my home city just like everyone else, but I really miss the old days, where the npc cities were large and thriving, people everywhere, lots of unforced socialisation going on.
What I am about tosuggest is extraordinarily controversial and may upset some viewers. Read at your own risk 
I suggest that all player cities be removed. OH GOD NO you say. Don't stop reading yet! What we need are more like temporarycity halls that spring up. These would be the start of small towns that would exist only for a few months at a time with aplayer elected player mayor. Yes. Players vote, a player politician gets control for one week at a time, same rules as current player cities. They can place gardens and possibly other structures, depending on their skill level.
There would be say 5 of these cities anywhere on a planet at any given time. City radius would be fixed, and anyone could vote. No.. maybe some kind of system, say, you must be present in the city for a total of 2 in game hours before you can vote, to stop mass hordes of people trying to vote 1 person in and give it a more local flavour. People wouldn't actually place a house and declare residence, that would be too much of a hassle, but may those that do could gain some kind of benefit, who knows.
This way there would also be competition between mayors, but also more stable outposts in regions of the map not normally visited.
Please feel free to constructively criticise or add to this post.
I don't mean to be rude or unconstructive, but I really can't think of any way that the social dancers can be accomodated and the players who just want healing /buffing can be accomodated at the same time.
I can understand that the social players want the cantina back to where they could hang out with their friends, interact with the customers, and make some money. I have no quarrel with that.
However, in doing that you almost inevitably reduce the availability and speed of healing and buffs. This will not make the combat player happy. Like me, many have already made their own private blue healers/buffers. Guilds and player cities will not be effected by entertainer caps since they only have one or two entertainers on at a time anyway.
There are way more doctors available for isntant buffs than entertainers, and look how many people have their own private/guild doctors.
In my opinion, the public will follow the path of least resistance. The social aspects can really only be protected by forcing the customers into situations where they don't want to be. No business succeds by doing that unless they have a monopoly, which you don't.
I think that if you want to socialize, you're going to have to do that separate from the healing arts. If you want to heal for money, you will have to serve the market, or give it some reason to want to do things your way.
I hope you don't mind if I reply, though I do want to play a dancer 
I think that if you want to socialize, you're going to have to do that separate from the healing arts. If you want to heal for money, you will have to serve the market, or give it some reason to want to do things your way.
I do think that socializing and healing arts can be combined. I admit that there are people, who don't want to socialize with entertainers at all costs. Those people will come in and yell at us, insult us and don't tip anyway. There are people that simply don't like socializing, who will sit down and be silent for the time the healing needs. And then there are people who like or at least don't mind to socialize if they have to have downtime anyway.
The first kind of people won't be happy no matter what. Most of that unhappyness with the state of blue and BF healing is self induced. I do play a non-entertainer, and as a CM that actually is a healer, and not too arrogant to heal mind once in a while, I'm probably the local entertainers best friend. I always manage to find an entertainer, and I admit at the end of my game session, I just sit down, let her heal me and go for a short break to the fridge. I'm not a perfect customer, I have the same forced downtime as everyone, I don't socialize with that character. But I never have problems with my blue or BF state like so many fighters would make us believe. Being healed is no problem. Not now, and not without AFKers.You just have to want to do it and invest half a brain cell to remember which cantina is populated. Some people don't want to invest that time of maybe three minutes of blue healing, while they spent 20 minutes waiting for doctor buffs in a queue. It's their personal preference and no game design problem. Those people won't be happy no matter what gets done and I don't mind if they visit a buff/heal bot instead.
The silent kind of customer will probably just take the closestopportunity for healing/buffing. If that happens to be a buff/heal bot in a player city... I don't mind that much either. After all, he would only have added money and xp to my game experience, not fun. If I'm after this xp and money, I have to travel to the spot where I'm most needed, where I'm closest to the action.
The third kind will still visit live entertainers. It's more fun. Those are the customers I want to keep. This is where the fun is for the entertainers.
So in short, what I really don't mind that much is a buff/heal bot where it doesn't directly interfere with my business. If there is a buff/bot on Dantooine and I'm dancing in Theed, it will probably "cost" me xp and money, but it will not "cost" fun. However, the thing that does diminish my gameplay experience are bots that are in a place that I play in. Those are totally not needed by any type of he above players. If there is a live entertainer or even a single bot, no one needs another 40 bots spamming. Players aren't healed faster by 40 dancers than by one.
A simple solution would be to make AFKing in public places illegal. I have said since day one that what people do in private homes or cantinas is none of my business. It's their personal freedom. But their personal freedom ends where another's freedom begins and that happens in public places.
Another solution is education of the general playerbase. I have been to the 'vette twice and I practically had to force my group to take a mind and focus buff the second time. Even after we were totally slaughtered the first time, and everyone thought it was damn hard, no one ever had the idea to get blue buffs. If I buff an expert bounty hunter on an adventure planet and he says "wow, thanks, I never got a mind buff before" something is rotten in the state of denmark.
We are useful. But noone knows. And noone cares, because entertainers are these lazy macro spammers in the cantinas. Nowadays, finding someone who can buff is a challenge. It took me 30 minutes to find an entertainer who could buff us and then I had to explain to her how to do it because she didn't know. We need education for the fighters and we need a professional entertainer playerbase. I don't expect a macroed master-anything to bring our benefits to the people. They don't even know how.
A while back I posted an Idea that I really feel has some merit and would be a great step in the direction in pleasing all sides of this issue...
this is the thread...... Old School Recording Idea
Now the idea was this..
Artisans can make a new Device Called a Recorder( or this can be a feature to new entertainer droids).. Musicians and Dancers can use this item.. to produce Holo Discs.. to make this they would have to actually perform. How ever long it takes to give a live person a buff is how long it would take record. Now with this recording anyone can use as to retrieve the buff effects at any place or any time.. entertainers can produce these and have a merchant sell them .. or put on bazaar.. what ever floats their boats..
This would be like making it possible to make Recording Studios.. Give an actual reason for entertainers to make a band.. (group bonuses for the buff) Heck this would be a reason that would make me want to dance again.. ( Dancer was first Prof I mastered)
This would make Buffs More accesible.. Would reduce the need of player buff bots..
BF and Wound healing would still need to be done via live performance.. this is only for the mind Buffs..
Niza wrote:
This thread is in the wrong forum to reach people who don't want to play a dancer/entertainer. You should post it on the GCW or Core systems board.
GCW has anotice saying that certain things would be "better on the Profession boards"... I thought this fell into that. It's topical for Core Systems though... I just thought the Dancers would want to comment too.
We can still do oneover there though... or I could bribe a Mod to move it, hmmmm.