Dancer Archive

If you could design a public cantina in SWG any way you wanted, what would you change or add to improve its appeal and usefulness as a social center of the game?

My thoughts on it:

1. Floor organization is horrid. I realize it's based on the movie, but they didn't try to fit 8 dancers, 6 musicians and 20 players right in front of the door. Cantinas should have a stage area that you can easily see from anywhere in the place. Maybe if entertainers only got XP by staying in the stage area (?) we wouldn't have everyone crowded around the door trying to be the first to jump patrons who enter.

While I'm on the topic, private cantinas are even worse unless they are actually PA halls. Who designed these things?

2. Tables should have collision detection on. I'm sick of dancing lyrical and ending up in the middle of one.

3. Drinking effects and animation - I remember it was great fun in EQ to get drunk and watch your character stumble around. There are some positive stat bonuses for drinking in SWG, but where is the drunken effect?

4. Bartenders. I know a couple of first-rate bartenders but the call for their talents doesn't seem to be too great. I never want to see dancers/musicians paid by a cantina, but I do think it would help if a bartender could talk to the NPC bartender on the premises and get a mission to serve x amount of drinks.

5. Less spam. In Mos Eisley, there is a commando NPC right in the cantina who repeats the same mission spam over and over as players converse with him. With all the other noise in the place, it's terribly distracting. When Obi-wan was hiring Han in the movie, they whispered so as not to draw attention. If they did this, they could seed all the cantinas with some interesting quest givers from the seedy side of the galaxy.

6. NPC-run gaming tables. Players love to gamble. I know I do

What else can you think of? Is there a good way to draw more players into the cantinas?

I love the stage idea, in fact I thought that was the general idea in the first place (why certain places had stages).

Maybe a large stage area for dancers (with collision detection so you didn't end up off the stage while doing dances like rhythmic and lyrical) and a smaller, but higher up, stage for musicians. Then, you have to be ON the stage (either or) to get any XP for performing..or maybe just a boost in XP.

Other than that, no idea. I'd love to say more room, but even still that would just get crowded. but I think the stage idea is very good.

Well, there are cantinas on Tatooine that have stages, and every hotel has a stage. Unfortunately, these great venues are underutilized. It would be nice if entertainers and patrons spread out more.

The stages in the hotels are tiny too, really only room for 2 or 3 musicians and that's it.

The ideal cantina? That's easy...one that didn't allow any pets.

"5. Less spam. In Mos Eisley, there is a commando NPC right in the cantina who repeats the same mission spam over and over as players converse with him. With all the other noise in the place, it's terribly distracting. When Obi-wan was hiring Han in the movie, they whispered so as not to draw attention. If they did this, they could seed all the cantinas with some interesting quest givers from the seedy side of the galaxy."

yes......... please! the player spam can bebad enough, but combined with the NPC spam...

*twitches*

I agree with Ewok, a cantina that doesn't allow pets would be nice, but I'd also like to go a step further. Cantina's need to be non-combat zones too, I hate having blasters and explosions firing off around me when I'm trying to work. And to keep people from running in to escape a fight, just make it so you can't enter the building if you are attacking/under attack.

Walls that block sound. Right now, anyone can hear anything anyone says (or does) in the entire building, and even outside it.

This would be necessary for what I want, which is basically a mall with multiple vendors, a medlab, and two clubs...one for the R rated and one for the PG rated, since we tend to have two different styles of entertainer and audience.

Couches and booths that sit more than one person at a time.

As previously mentioned, the use of a whisper command. Mutter is another good command from MUSHes and the like, where the code randomly picks out words to let everyone else hear.

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Sienna wrote:

The stages in the hotels are tiny too

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Very true, but some of the hotels on Corellia have a stage-like rise to the right hand side of the building. Right next to the gaming tables. I think that players would like that alot. Watch your dancers to heal and gamble the night away too.

I love hotels, but when I dance in one, it's rare to get anyone to enter. Unless you're on Rori where it's the only option (besides the great Theatre).

Speaking of Theatres... why aren't they used more?? I when I first saw them I imagined epic political stage shows that would get shut down by imperials. Ahh... the possibilities. 'Scuze me while I muse...

Pets in the cantina (especially when someone decides to park a rancor in the middle of the floor thus obscuring everything and everyone just to be a meanie) is my #1 pet peeve (hah no pun intended)

combat in cantinas, i have to say i don't really mind it. it can turn out into some interesting RP scenarios. i remember the first time i saw combat in a cantina while dancing, i instinctively did /prone and crawled under a table, behind a chair, much to the amusement of several others.

remember in the films when han blasted someone in the cantina. it was priceless the way everything carried on, business as usual, within a few moments. its a bit from the saloon environment of the wild west.

i've never understood why walls don't block chat. its odd that you can hear conversations taking place a block and a half away from the cantina (and vice-versa).

My ideal cantina would be all Agro pet free. Especially the ATST. It would also have no PvP.

Lately I have noticed even dancers engaging with PvP with each other in the cantina. My only guess is they are little boys playing girl toons. Either way its unprofessional. The cantina should be a more welcoming environment.

Just my thoughts,

Kris

I would like to see people recieve minimal mind healing while sitting on the floor, but maximum healing while in a chair. It annoys me to no end to see a room full of people sitting on the cold hard floor when there are plenty of empty chairs around... Why are people so damned lazy that they cannot be bothered to make one extra click on a seat?

Oh, and strictly coming from a bartenders perspective, I would love a more intuitive way to trade drinks. Maybe a tip command that transfers an item from your inventory? Such as '/tip Bobo item15' or something...

- Djen

While I can agree on the monstrous pets being kept out of the cantina, I see no reason not to allow those pets that are small and could fit through the door.

As for fighting, I disagree with removing it from cantinas. While some cantinas might be the model of civilization, others are "wretched hives of scum and villany" and should remain so...including bar brawls.

Let's try and remember what universe we're roleplaying in. It's a world filled with scoundrels, gangsters and a bloody civil war. We cannot expect the cantinas to be "happy joyful" places safe from all conflict, can we?

- J