Dancer Archive
Thread: Profession-specific Buffing: A Method
Now, let's say a patron enters the cantina and sees Warryyr with his Master Musician tag up. After being greeted by Warryyr, the patron goes over and asks Warryyr for a Rifleman buff. Warryyr is happy to oblige.
Obviously it's up to the Devs as to what benefits get applied, and how to categorize professions' enhancements.
My one suggestion for an enhancement is this - the temporary ability to carry MORE in your inventory. I'm thinking along the lines of +20 to inventory space. There should be *ample* warning to the player that their additional inventory space enhancement will be running out shortly, so they don't end up stuck somewhere and can't move because they are overloaded. This abiilty should be applied to all who visit cantinas and get enhancements - in the idea that they are about to go out adventuring, and likely it would be handy to hold more loot when they do so. In a similar fashion, if a crafter is about to craft, holding more resources/subcomponents in their inventory without worrying about shifting things around for more space would be handy.Not sure if that will fly, but thought I'd throw it out there.
I'd also like to mention that once the initial "correct" flourishes are performed to specify the buff to apply, any flourishes thereafter are up to the performer, and have no bearing on the buff's application. It is entirely up to the Dancer or Musician at that point as to how they wish to entertain.
Also, theDancer or Musician(once having successfully started the buff process for one individual) would then be able to turn to someone else and begin the buffing process with them. The actual application of the buff will *not* "lock-in" Entertainers to one person for a set period of buffing time. The Dancer or Musician is free to /setperform and begin applying the appropriate buff to as many people as they like. Of course, the only requirement is to continue dancing and playing music for the application of the buff. If their dancing or music is interrupted, the buff should continue to proceed where it was left off, once dancing and music has been resumed (similar to Inspiration Buffs picking up where they left off).
I am appreciative of any feedback that anyone would care to give.
Updates/Revisions:
Some folks didn't like the flourishes impacting performancesm so let's ditch the flourish-based idea.
1. How about 8 new icons we can click on that do NOTHING but establish the buff you're providing - mid-performance, pre-performance, whenever, whatever, you can target the patron and click these new icons, and they will achieve the ability to set your buff application just like how the flourish keys would have worked in my original idea? Clicking these would do nothing to your routine. Does that do anything for anyone? Totally unintrusive. Imagine the buff-setting capabilities in my proposed system moved into 8 new icons you could place on your toolbar. This allows you complete freedom in your performance, in the length of performance, and there's no interruption mid-performance when new patrons show up or ask. I don't know what they'd be called (Method 1...Method 2...Method 3?).
2. There are understandable concerns about Dancers/Musicians providing more storage to folks, instead of DE's or giving vehicles storage. Please remember that was just one of my hair-brained ideas. It'd probably be best to give that additional storage provision to other professions.
Message Edited by Warryyr on 06-25-2005 09:37 AM
This has got to be the best solution I have seen so far! I would like to see also the time for buff application remain as it is, with novice entertainer taking much longer to apply than masters.
great job Warryyr!!
/cheer
ImajiNashun wrote:
This has got to be the best solution I have seen so far! I would like to see also the time for buff application remain as it is, with novice entertainer taking much longer to apply than masters.
great job Warryyr!!
/cheer
Thanks 
And by the way, this profession-specific buffing would be exclusive to Dancers and Musicians, as an elite skill. The time for buff application would be upto the Devs to decide, but from my experiences it seems like anything longer than 2 to 3 minutes is just unbearable for some people.
Well, I know that a lot of people in the past have been staunchly against any pop-ups for us.
And with the above method, the actual dance or song you perform doesn't matter - so you can be doing any dance or song that you like that flourish with. That way, there isn't some "jiggle" animation that a Dancer really hates to do, but must do to apply a buff, and likewise there's no ear-grating musical segment a Musician has to deal with in a song they don't like.
Just wanted to respond to the feedback, I really appreciate it!
Warryyr wrote:
Now, let's say a patron enters the cantina and sees Warryyr with his Master Musician tag up. After being greeted by Warryyr, the patron goes over and asks Warryyr for a Rifleman buff. Warryyr is happy to oblige.
The patron listens to Warryyr's music, and Warryyr targets the patron and types /setperform to begin the buffing process.
Warryyr performs Flourish 1. A System Message appears saying, "Use Flourish 8 to confirm application of a Melee enhancement."
Warryyr knows the patron is looking for a Rifleman buff, so he tries again. He performs Flourish 2. A System Message appears saying, "Use Flourish 8 to confirm application of aCrafting enhancement."
Nope, still not what he wants to apply.
He performs Flourish 3. A System Message appears saying, "Use Flourish 8 to confirm application of anEntertainer enhancement."
Fourth time's the charm - he performs Flourish 4. A System Message appears saying, "Use Flourish 8 to confirm application of aRanged enhancement."
Bingo!Warryyr performs Flourish 8 to confirm this is the buff he'd like to apply. A System Message appears saying, "You begin to enhance the Rangedskills of %TT."
The patron sees what looks like a "warm-up timer bar" on his UI, a yellow bar slowly moving from left to right as the buff is being applied, until the meter is full and the bar turns green, with the words "Use /stoplisten or /stopwatch to accept the enhancement" appearing near the meter.
Upon typing /stoplisten or /stopwatch (or using the radial menu option on Warryyr), a system message appears to both parties of the interaction - to the patron, they see "Ranged enhancement has been applied by Warryyr." To the Entertainer, they see, "You enhance the Ranged skills of %TT."
I really like it!
I only see one problem, that would limit Dancer/Musician to only 8 buffs.
How about after you /setp you do not perform any flourishes untill you have started the buffing process. That way if you happen to heve to pick a flourish you hate, you dont actually perform it
Message Edited by --Qilue-UCW-- on 06-22-2005 02:00 PM
Ikewe wrote:
I like the general concept but I'll repeat my complaint about tying the buff to specific flourish performance. I'm not kidding about how much I hate certain flourishes in all of the available dances, even for the micro second that it takes to perform some of them.
/agree Ikewe
I don't mind the general idea but I would rather not be forced into a particular flourish.
Also, they've taken /setperform out of the game and I don't think it's coming back, so you probably don't want to devise a system based on its use.
Dancers get props, musicians get instruments... what if each prop or instrument gave a buff to a particular type of thing? Now you are not locked into a dance, flourish, or song, but you can just equip the "Fake Rykk Blade" or the Slitherhorn and do whatever you want, and that's a "Range buff".
C
Paraphrasing my post from the Top Issues thread (since it really doesn't belong in there anyway, but I'm a fool when it comes to posting things properly anymore, it seems.. )
Qilue mentioned that it would limit us to a set number of buffs. Increasing this number would require additional production time (music, animation) for additional flourishes to accomodate new buffs. We'd need some sort of design that would allow for easier addition of new content/abilities rather than one that would require additional music/animation (since historically, we don't get much in that department with frequency... much easier for them to code up new buffs (in theory ) than to get new music, dance animations, etc.
I'd be curious to hear from the devs as to what is in store for the "legos" thing that's been mentioned after the Wired article. If this is an interface much like a "mixer", will we be able to pre-program flourishes, trigger effects/holo-emotes, sync lyrics to the music? If it is an interface, the buff application could be integrated with that design. Provided the list of buffs is randomized to prevent afk buffbotting as much as possible, this could be the answer to our buffbotting, afking counterparts all while making our lives as musicians a little easier and useful to the rest of the players! 
Message Edited by Steve_12_08 on 06-22-2005 07:27 PM