Development Cycle Archive

Oh, and btw... thanks

"...and on the 57th post, I got a troll..."

Even with my measly post count, i was beginning to wonder when it would happen. I feel all warm and fuzzy inside

NM

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Since June 2004, running one of the game's first completely nonviolent characters. Testing the limits of non-combat MMORPG play and trying to have fun into the bargain (although the developers make it difficult).

Combat is no longer compulsory.

Glad to be your first troll. Entertainer is a non-combat profession and that is why people who play Entertainers pick that profession if we wanted some combat abilities we would be a fencer.

~~~ Signature Start~~~
Very Important NGE Thread Regarding Veteran Transitions.

NGE Thread. Do you agree with me?

Experience the Greatest Star Wars Saga Ever told...?Julios!

Musician/Dancer Missions:

"Join a cantina" : The local owner ofa privatecantina hires you, but you have to pay a percentage of your "tips" to him. NPC's tip you credits at the cantina (as can player characters)... but you have to do flourishes in a certain (changed monthly) order to "unlock" more cheers, adulation, and MONEY from the audience.

"Musical agent" NPCs could be placed around the galaxy who would either find you a spot in a NPC band... or "represent" a group by getting them a gig. The "gig" is a specific time and place where the band or individual must show up to play. The same rules as the above combo moves apply, but if you do not show... or if band members "flake"/quit/are latein your group... you incur penalties. (financial?)

Zeb

Zeb Stokes ....Sabbac, Pazzac, and Holo Chess...PLEASE!!!

"The "gig" is a specific time and place where the band or individual must show up to play. The same rules as the above combo moves apply, but if you do not show... or if band members "flake"/quit/are latein your group... you incur penalties. (financial?)"

I can't see anyone taking such missions unless the time and place are within a half hour of picking up the mission. I have a wife and kid, so their demands come first. Thus I oftendon't know if I'm going to be playing from one minute to the next. It's altogetherunreasonable to demand that I show up at some time in the future for missionsor face a penalty. I couldn't afford to take such missions because I'd end up defaulting more than 50% of the time. It's wrong to penalise players who just can't devote themselves fully to the game because of family issues. Some of us have real lives and family responsibilities. This game is hard enough to play as it is, given my real life situation. I just can't see doing this type of mission if it involved financial penalties.

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Since June 2004, running one of the game's first completely nonviolent characters. Testing the limits of non-combat MMORPG play and trying to have fun into the bargain (although the developers make it difficult).

Combat is no longer compulsory.

I’m an entertainer, but also an explorer. I want to see the whole galaxy and not be required to blast my way through it. A lot of people have mentioned spy type missions (which would also be great for Image Designers) and that sounds like fun, so does hanging out at Jabba’s place.

For missions there needs to be a type of mini-game where the player must perform flourishes (perhaps like Simon Says) or must guess at what the NPC audience wants. Simply going to a local and playing for 5 minutes is lame, that’s sandwich making time. Combatants get interaction as they try to figure out the way to overcome the enemy, entertainers should do the same as they try to figure out the puzzle of overcoming the audience. Different audiences should expect different things, the thugs in Nyms stronghold will want something completely different than the wine and croissants crowd at the Cornet Theater. Also make this game easier to play if more than one person is performing, encourage groups and bands to perform together.

Galaxy Idol – have a series of Idol contests (Bestin Idol, Coronet Idol, Theed Idol) where the players have one week to ‘win’ a monthly contest. Each week a different theater could host the contest in a new location. The group signs up and plays to an NPC audience, based on their success following the performer mini-game they are awarded a set of colored certificates from the theater. The color issued is random. The social aspect of the game would be bargaining with other entertainers to acquire as many of the same color certificate as possible. The player with the most same colored certificates is deemed the winner of the contest and gets a plaque or other small reward. As a twist to encourage more socialization allow player applause at the end of an Idol performance to be translated directly into bonus certificates, bands will make deals with each other to support each other in order to gain even more certificates, let players game the system as long as it encourages interaction.

Cloudgatherer had an interesting idea of getting entertainers to the players. Perhaps issue rewards of some sort, like a marriage certificate to hang on a wall, for groups that are able to tick off a list of requirements when throwing a party. When a player wants to throw a weeding or party they receive a set of missions to issue to other players. One mission is to play for x length of time, another to provide x types of food, another for x type of gown. When all those player issued missions are completed the party thrower gets a small reward. The bazaar would need to be able to offer service contracts for this to work however.

Quest for the platinum platter – a series of missions where the entertainer or troupe have to play in seedy scummy bars and theaters throughout the galaxy. As they succeed the start getting sent to more prestigious places, finally culminating in some super tough mini-games at a recording studio to lay down tracks for the folks on the rim who can’t get enough of the band. All sorts of interaction with agents, managers, seamy bar owners, as each one tries to swindle the player out of money while pushing them along the path to bigger and better things. There’d essentially be a network of cantina dezinens who would exist only to send entertainers from one theater or cantina to the next. Perhaps have even several of these types of missions, one for each planet with a final mission opening up when players have successfully completed a few that culminates in a galaxy wide series of performances. Maybe even a performance in a holonet studio that’s broadcast like the Ed Sullivan show. Provide some sort of bonus for groups that finish the missions together.

A fame statistic is not a terrible idea. It could represent fame to the unseen masses that live out their normal lives throughout the galaxy. A player might be a popular performer out on the Rim, or on Coruscant. And it certainly should diminish rapidly when the performer stops playing for a while.

Totally cheeseball – have a town torn apart by gang warfare, its an entertainer theme park where they have to play for both sides in order to get all the inhabitants to realize the error of their ways. As the player performs quests in the town it becomes less and less hostile as the power of the entertainers music heals their blackened hearts. This would have to be very tongue and cheek and Lifetime channel cheesey to work. El Mariachi minus the guns.

All theme parks with NPCs should have backdoors for other professions besides combatants. Rebel musicians should be able to get some USO type mission at the rebel base on Correlia. Other crime bosses would need entertainers as well. Even Nym would want some entertainers in his rough and tumble court.

A sneaky way to get entertainers into groups with combatants would be to have a reward that combatants want, but can only be acquired by having an entertainer along to bypass the final challenge. Like perhaps a lock that can only be opened by playing the right combinations of flourishes, or motion sensor that can be fooled by doing the right series of body motions. Would have to be part of the mini-game, or have clues through the mission as to which flourishes are needed in combination.

Healing missions to hospitals – entertain the poor sick orphans. Make a series of these for some sort of Mission of Mercy badge.

A Pide Piper mission where an entertainer has to lure all the rock mites out of a town that’s overrun with them. Or scare them out with bad music (sw1 for example).

Play for the royal court on Theed and get involved in intrigues of the court. Lots of dialog with NPCs as the player guides the newly elected royalty through their new job.

A Cyrano mission where the entertain has to give advise to star-crossed lovers, going back and forth performing songs or dance to get the two closer and closer together.

Gold and platinum disks to hang on the wall. Unique outfits with or without bonuses. Unique socials or holo socials, fireworks, etc.

In the end there really need to be missions that can be solved with the skills of every profession, not just the combat ones. And these solutions shouldn’t be an all or nothing affair, which you can only precede if you have entertainer or medical skills. But there should be multiple ways to solve missions and some sort of system that tracks how you resolve problems.

One Idea is to make Entertainers, Musicians and Dancers more fun and interesting.

GreyWolf

"One Idea is to make Entertainers, Musicians and Dancers more fun and interesting.

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Since June 2004, running one of the game's first completely nonviolent characters. Testing the limits of non-combat MMORPG play and trying to have fun into the bargain (although the developers make it difficult).

Combat is no longer compulsory.

I guess you have right there Beery.

It would be nice with my Idea. But People will only use it the wrong, as you say.

Nice changes but I guess it will be worse as you say.

GreyWolf

I don't know if someone had this idea so far, but it had an impact at me today...or so....

Let entertainer make records of their performances and sell them (MIND-STIMPACKS!)

Maybe you need some record-player for it to play it or you must put it into your helmet or so....

You need to include ID's in these quests as well, they are part of the entertainer line...

Make so u have to use a droid in some entertain mission.