Development Cycle Archive
Thread: Test Center Update Notes April 21, 2004
Good job!
Entertainer: Players need to watch a performer for at least 2 minutes before entertainer buffs can be applied.
I have no problem with the forced 15 second pause between stop and start when playing or dancing. It eliminates the 30 second buff exploit, which is fine with me, since I've never done it.
However, please please please devs DO NOT ADD THE TWO MINUTE THING. That's just an unfair burden on entertainers.
Right now, if I have my quickness/stamina buffed, I can use a macro that flourishes every second, and give a full dance buff in four minutes. Adding this buffer will cause the buff to take six minutes. My regular buff, when I don't have a quickness/stamina buff, uses a macro that flourishes everyeight seconds or so, and it takes eight minutes. WIth this change it will take 10 minutes! People already complain that eight is too long!
I beg of you, reconsider this change. The 15 second pause fixes the exploit, making the two minute delay unnecessary. Please take that two minute delay out.
First, as a Dancer for a while,I'd like to state my opinionsthese items:
30 second buff = exploit
Mind Buff times are fine the way they are.
Now,
My biggest question mark, which doesn't seem to have been answered yet, is whether the two-minute time where buffs don't count are in ADDITION to our buff time, or INCLUDED in our buff time?
If it's included, then I'm wholeheartedly against the addition. Even though I believe that the Dancer buff times are fine right now, that in no way means I approve of making them longer. It would be really great if we could get some clarification from the Devs or the testers on this...
Plus I'd like to ask why are there two fixes for dancer going in to fix one exploit? Either add the two-minute non-buff fix or the 'you can't dancer for 15 seconds' fix. Do we really need both?!?
To those that would say that our buffs are free because we use no resources do not understand the limiting factors in each buffing method. For doctors, resources are the limiting factor. The limiting factor is in the actual creation of the buffpack, but once created, the application is not an issue. While it is true that entertainers need no resources, the limiting factor has always been the application, the venue,and the ability to keep performing while applying the buff. That's why we need compensation. Because if you don't compensate those who spend time, skill points, and energy to apply a buff to you in the cantina, then you'll soon find there will be nobody there to buff you. Why spend time and skill points doing these things when one receives no compensation?
Now on the subject of the two minute rule, why as a performer should my first two minutes mean less in terms of the mechanics than my final two minutes? If anything, it will give the bots an incentive to do nothing but basesong or dancefor two minutes, and spam the 30 second "faux performance" for the final two. Because you have to understand that these buffbots really don't care about playing an entertainer. They just want the buff, entertainment value notwithstanding. Never underestimate the power of a "goodie" like buffs to motivate players to get it without following the spirit of the professions they alledgedly belong to.
/agree with Sirii
This is an unacceptableresponse to the 30 second buff "exploit" (though to my knowledge it was never officially classified as such).
Have the devs forgotten that entertainers are paying customers also?! Why would they deem to make it more difficultfor us to not onlyenjoy playingthe game,but to be members of a viable profession who offer a usable, desirable service to other players? This isn't a solution - its a punishment!
I don't care for either the 15 second delay between stopping and starting dances and I abhor the 2 minute deadzone for buffing time. Neither of these "fixes" are acceptable to me. I am not a child, I am a grown woman and I simply will not stand here and say, "Oh, well, I'll accept what the devs throw at me 'cuz the game is kewl." Find another solution, devs!
If you want my money, Sony - if you want my patronage and my loyaltiy - then you darn well better start acting like you do. Trust me, I CAN be a powerful ally - but you don't want me as a resentful ex-customer!
I really like the 15s timer on startd and startm. This renders the speed buff exploit useless. Good work !
However, exploits only happen if people want something, and though I find it disgusting to use the speed buff macro, it shows that a timely buff is in demand. We are competing with Chefs food, which is widely available even if the chef is offline and which is applyable everywhere. On the hunts on another server, I saw many people geting mind incapped over and over. No one thought of getting a dancer buff, because even if you find one, it takes 10 minutes. Add shuttletimes. As entertainer buffs are the shorter variant, people get docs buffs first. Putting on an entertainer buff would then waste 25% of the doc buff if you don't have a personal entertainer master in your backpack. Adding two minutes on top of that is making buffs even more unattractive.
I like the fix for the speed buff exploit. But the 2 minutes watching before a buff is overkill. ![]()