Dancer Archive
Thread: Our Dancer Issues for the Devs
Performance enhancements
Most Dancers believe that this is really the heart of the profession: the Show! Whether it’s a large troupe of dancers performing at an event or the solo cantina dancer performing for the lone hunter, this is our main form of interaction with other players. This is how we realize our role in the universe… every dancer wants to put on the best show they can for others’ entertainment as well as our own.
Here are the things we think we need to be able to reach our full potential:
- certified props/costumes/sets
- /group [start, stop, changedance, colorlights]
- /segue [forward, back, left, right] [number]
- /mirror | /fall
Leveling process
Dancers are craving interaction with their leveling process. They would like to see some kind of performance based increase in XP for some activities that could be worked into our current system. These are some of the things that have been suggested as a way to make the process more hands on:
- puzzles
- dance games
- crafting
- "spy" missions
Also, our healing XP gain potential is in practice greatly out balanced with our dancing XP. We would like to see this lowered for an improved unbiased leveling experience.
Buff System
We need:
- An application monitor displaying both amount and duration dynamically. It does not have to be a real time sync with the player being buffed, but we do need some solid indication of what is being effected by our actions.
- The ability to buff ourselves
- A more interactive process. Perhaps pop-up messages calling for dance routine changes
- A legit speed buffing option
- The ability to buff all three mind stats
Other suggestions: Increase full duration to three hours, have buff set and activate with /setperform and /endperform rather than the person receiving the buff use /watch and /stopwatch
Fix the lyrical/formal base dance
(old issue)
The flourishes with these dances are very nice. We would like to see these base dances fixed so that we can use them with out a work around of straight flourishing. They are still broken animations.
Alternate Income
More and more often dancers are finding it hard to meet the financial demands of their PC Cantinas, wardrobe, travel costs, and other various class associated expenses.
- crafting “Performance/Show” items (props, costume enhancements, set and stage items)
- "holo recordings" of performances to sell (decorative or healing/buffing items)
- undercover informant "spy" missions
- mission cumulative bonus for individual skill level and groupmates
- combat support features
- cantina salary (another spin on this idea is an option to have gambling machines in PC cantinas where the “house” could make a profit)
Who is watching me?
Need a system message when /watched and a "whois" /listwatch command that lists all players currently watching.
Also suggested: /listwatch wounded and /listwatch fatigued – we can’t use /diag while dancing and it would help us know when it was safe to stop dancing with out ruining immersion.
Dancing Experience Modifier
Base XP earned on the Dance Knowledge skill bonus instead of the dance performed
Denial of Service Enhancements
Passive healing creates some unique problems for factioned, guilded, or griefed Dancers. We need some way to control who will be allowed to receive this service. The current system allows the patron an excessive amount of control over Dance healing and the Dancer very little.
/denyService faction:[Rebel|Imperial] and /denyService guild:[NAME]
Also suggested: A toggle to /denyall with a Dancer Friends list, /denygroup, a Deny interface with editable fields and dropdown boxes
Falling
We need no hindrance in our ability to perform. Falls ruin choreographed routines at events and large shows. In cantina performances, dancers are often embarrassed and teased for falling. This is too high of a cost for a failure mechanic and is simply not fun for the majority of the community.
- Some dancers do however see falls as a roleplaying opportunity and would like to have the ability to stage a fall.
- Allow non-entertainers to do Dancer dances, but give them the fall rolls and no healing modifiers. There are many RP situations were it would be nice to have the patrons be able to dance. The falls could become the visible distinction between a trained and untrained dancer, while healing/buffing would remain the mechanical difference.
- Make a /fall [on/off] command like the current /bandflo [on/off] command. Then the dancer could decide if they thought this was a fun part of their dancing gameplay.
Notes: Musicians have no failure mechanic, the large majority of the community skips the falls entirely by equipping one of the various weapons that eliminate falls – they would rather look silly with a weapon equipped than fall!
Correct and Expand Cantina Registration- Tie the registration option to all BF entertainer healing zones (including all small cantinas and remote Out Posts)
- Graphical indicator outside cantina (like a lit marquee sign)
- Empty PC cantinas currently default to manned at server reset
Faction Points
For Dancing while overt and/or healing overts
Collision Detection
On all Cantina Furniture
Technique Abilities
Need to give XP bonus/reduced action cost
We're very excited about our new dances and "social dungeon"! Thank you! 
Message Edited by Panthu on 04-13-2004 07:11 PM
A great list and I agree 100% on most topics. However,
Hmm, I need to fill in that second post so you guys will know what this is. 
Doing that now, scroll up.
Edit: The two posts above by Pappi and nvoigt are perfect examples for being constructive... newer people please follow these wise and experienced Dancers' lead!
Message Edited by Panthu on 04-15-2004 02:40 AM
nvoigt wrote:
A great list and I agree 100% on most topics. However,
The ability to buff all three mind stats
Would take away the last gameplay mechanic difference between dancers and musicians. I am both and I can offer a unique service: a buff for all three stats from one person. If both professions get both buffs, I don't see why anyone would want to be both except for their own enjoyment. While my own enjoyment is the most important part of the game, I think if we have two classes with the exact same game mechanics, we could as well have a single entertainer class and drop musician and dancer alltogether, so we canhave all the fun and skillpoints left, too. I for one would like to see the elite entertainer classes seperated by game mechanics.
Also, maybe you could clarify that it would be nice if none-dancers get some dances. Maybe formal and basic. Or Formal and Popular. I think most of us would hate it if everyone would be able to dance exotic just like that
On the point regarding buffs and the differences between dancers and musicians:
I think I'm on the fence on this one. Certainly not to devalue your opinion here, but I guess my concerns are more about how much we're competing with brandy for imparting mind enhancements. Discounting waiting in line (which can happen for any buff), doc buffs are fast for the buffee, whereas ours take "precious" time, and let's call it 8 minutes for the sake of what appears to be the "intended" duration to buff. Now double that... once for a dance buff, and once for musician. How long might it be before players just decide to go straight for the brandy every time to avoid a long wait? Granted, if we were granted 'legitimate' speed buffs, this point becomes moot.
At it's core, I think there is a clear distinction between music and dance; the form of the delivery of entertainment. The choice of delivery I think really comes down to what the individual player identifies with for their character. I'm not certain that there is the need for game mechanics to maintain that distinction; some players simply identify with music, others dance. Others still want the flexibility to perform in more than one way... and that's great too. I think without mechanical distinctions there would be less incentive to have combination dancers/musicians, because skill points would be spent with no additional gain... unless there was and additional gain. Consider in the above scenario that doubling music with dance could provide additional perks above and beyond the single-profession version; musician/dancers doing 125% buffs to all three mind stats vs. 100% for a dancer, for example. Okay... I'm rambling both sides of the issue simultaneously here, but it's brainstorming.
And I really agree with the mention of some dances being made available, but certainly not all. If anyone could do any of the dances, we really are reduced to simple game mechanic creatures, and that feels... just wrong. Professional dancers should be much better dancers than those untrained. Certain dances come to mind... basic and rhythmic have always looked to me like a simple nightclub dance that the relatively untrained could execute with ease - with the odd fall during flourishes - and match nicely the beginnings of our dancer training. On the other hand, I wouldn't mind sharing poplock either. Come to think of it, I wouldn't mind letting non-dancers just have poplock, but that's just me.
Pappi wrote:
reading thru this, great list so far
can we ask for an option for neutral players to register in cantinas of neither faction? it's somewhat silly that i can't register in my own city's cantina because i'm neutral
also, a separate icon to indicate a PC cantina with registered entertainers would be great
I'd like to also add that I think it is appropriate to allow coverts to register in factional cantinas for the same reason. It kind of makes covertness a meaningless concept if we can have our gameplay limited in the same manner as a declared member, without the priveledges that go along with declared play. Simply put, if a service provider can perform the service in a venue, he or she should be able to show that service is available on the world map. Anything less would make the world map meaningless.
can we ask for an option for neutral players to register in cantinas of neither faction? it's somewhat silly that i can't register in my own city's cantina because i'm neutral
also, a separate icon to indicate a PC cantina with registered entertainers would be great
TheSillyOne wrote:Are there any benefits to registering at a cantina other than letting folks know where you are located?
Not that I can tell, and even that benefit doesn't seem to be working out all that well...
Panthu wrote:
Denial of Service Enhancements
Passive healing creates some unique problems for factioned, guilded, or griefed Dancers. We need some way to control who will be allowed to receive this service. The current system allows the patron an excessive amount of control over Dance healing and the Dancer very little.
/denyService faction:[Rebel|Imperial] and /denyService guild:[NAME]
Also suggested: A toggle to /denyall with a Dancer Friends list, /denygroup, a Deny interface with editable fields and dropdown boxes
It may just be me, but the last line of this part seems a bit confusing. Aside from the /deny faction or guild, I thought that what we were after was for the system to remember that we've denied service to someone, making it something more of a Dancer "Enemy" list... I just thought the text as is here sounded more like we want to be able to deny service to our friends list, rather than have a deny list that functions like our ignore tab.
Xyrdre wrote:
TheSillyOne wrote:
Are there any benefits to registering at a cantina other than letting folks know where you are located?
Not that I can tell, and even that benefit doesn't seem to be working out all that well...
well if there are no healing benefits I don't see why factional affiliation should be a considerationwhen registering in a cantina and I also think that covert should be considered "temporarily neutral" in every facet of the game so if the dancer were covert it should behave as if they are neutral.