Doctor Archive

Copied over from the Corbantis board. Feedback welcome.....

-------

I know there's another thread on this general issue, but I just wanted to relay my personal thoughts:

To all doctor wannabes out there: please do not ask me to train you unless you are willing to tip me. Up until now, I haven't asked for tips in advance; I was just happy to help people out. But out of the last 10 times I've trained people in advanced doctor skills, 7 didn't tip me, and 4 didn't even thank me.

I spent well over 50,000 credits on my doctor training. (I would have spent more, but for the noble Wookie Avoro, who pooled training resources with me early in our doc careers.) I can't do destroy missions to get that money -- Iearned all that money by spending HOURS sitting around in the med center healing for tips that aren't guaranteed, and sitting in my house crafting stimpacks (quality Kadd Brand (tm) stimpacks, of course) for sale for a small profit margin over the cost of my harvesters and factory.

When I teach you a 9000 credit skill, and I don't even get so much as a "thank you", let alone some kind of monetary compensation, it's an insult to me. It takes me two days to earn 9000 credits. I assume it takes you, as a fledgling doc, just as long. I just saved you two days of doing something you likelyDON'T want to do, and now you can spend those two days doing things you enjoy instead. Frankly, it's not wrong of me AT ALL to expect to be paid, and paid well, for this service. The fact that up until now I haven't made a big deal about this doesn't change that.

So unfortunately, that last heavy straw has fallen upon this camel's back. I'm not going to be used by people anymore. If you want training from me, you can tip me. Up front. 1000cr for medic skills, 2000-5000 for doctor skills, depending on the level. If you do not agree to that, I will wish you well and point you towards the nearest Doctor trainer.

Sorry it had to come to this. I know there are many of you out there who are noble and who have consistentlytipped meto the best of your ability when I heal or train you. Bear in mind that I remember who you are, and will make adjustments in my policy accordingly.

-Dr. Kadd

I feel your pain! I go out of my way to train others so they do not have to pay for it from NPC's the way I have. Guess I need to adopt your method since 95% of them never bother to tip and 60% never say "Thank You".

Gwenolydd

Medical Professor/Pistoleer in Training

Flurry/Naboo/Theed

Personally I don't have any problems with this. I know full well the cost of getting that advanced training (I paid for a good deal of it myself as well), but I also accepted that I didn't want the other's learning this field to have to take on that burden as well. Doctors are not necessarily the most self-sufficent of professions in SWG when it comes to methods of monetary gain AS a Doctor. (I'm fully aware of all the other ways to make money in the game.) As such I rather enhoy meeting the other folks taking on advanced skills as a Doctor as well and I really like helping them out with training and I expect no compensation.

Noit getting a Thank You, however....

Just my personal take on it, and I myself prefer to tip what I can for anyone, in any profession, who does me the courtesy of providing me with training that I'd otherwise have to pay an NPC for. (I hatepaying those money-grubbing NPC trainers.)

I don't quite know how to respond to this. I've got a doc, and I never get tips from anyone for healing. Well, I shouldn't say *never*, but they are very few and far between, and definitely not even sufficient to cover the cost of a Stim A, let alone higher woundpacks. I've brought people back from the brink (hell, from beyond the brink) while they're foolishly biting off *way* more than they can chew, and I didn't get thanks - in fact, I got a statement warning me not to steal their kill! *boggle* So I watched the guy get killed, and then sent him a tell, explaining that a simple "thanks" would have saved him a trip to the cloning facility.

Anyway, to the real subject: training and tipping. Simply put, I only train for free until I've got the apprentice xp I need. After that, I explain up front that I expect cash for the training. If it is a standard profession (i.e. medic) I'll charge 100x the level of the skill. If it is a master+ profession (i.e. doctor) I'll charge 1000x the level of the skill. Some people have moaned and complained, and "threatened" to take their apprentice xp elsewhere (to which I point out that I don't need anymore, so have fun), but most people are OK with it - I tell 'em up front, and if they don't want to pay, they can look for someone else who'll do it. So, I would definitely recommend being up front with people and stating a price, and sticking to it.

And about money in general: I have 3 ranks in pistol, 4 in hunting and 4 in surveying. I can make about 10k in an hour doing missions, and as a side benefit I have plenty of organics for my lower level crafting needs. I usually spend one big chunk of playing time doing missions (usually about 6 hours on a weekend day) and amass a goodly chunk. Then I spend another chunk of playing time (about 4-5 hours?) getting the ingredients myself for advanced stuff. After that, I've got more than enough to last me for the remaining 5 days of the week and then some. I don't pay for advanced resources (a HUGE money pit), and do a lot of trade to people for basic resources - 10 hugely effective stim B's for 1k metal or whatever is a good trade for both parties (though, yes, I know, I could probably sell those Stim B's on the bazaar for more than 1k of resources)

Basically, docs are in the same boat as everyone else - if you go purely for your profession without anything else, you won't get anywhere very fast. It may not be your playing style to do those things, which is OK. But, if that is the case, then the downside of sticking to that is that it takes way longer to get cash for what you need. There is a solution, it is just a question of whether or not it's palatable. Personally, after 5 days of playing Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, I'm more than ready to go hunt down some critters for a bit.

Zarlor:

That's exactly how I felt -- until I started getting people who would walk away with no comment after I trained them in advanced wound treatment or something. It finally just got to me.

I guess what gets me is the sense of entitlement some people have -- the attitude that BECAUSE I'm a master doc I OWE it to them to teach. That's just not the case.

This is one of the reasons I'm still using my "Emergency Technician" tag.

I play at odd times, so I often pay my own training, if I ever train anything with anothe person I tip (between 1/4 and 1/2 of the cr cost of a trainer, depending on how rare the skill is. I tip less for learning ENG IV, than rare tier III polearm spec training (which I had on a character in beta).

Way too many people in SWG want everything for free. A lot of people I know, as well as my Wookie craft goon get asked to pass out items for less than the materials cost (especially tailors it seems).

I don't think anyone ereally has any idea how expensive things are to make in SWG... I have explained to like 700 people since the start of beta 3 about how much meds cost.. they are usually pretty surprised (not that they /tip more after they find out) lol.

-T

Since I myself was not 'one of the first' to reach doctor and climb up the tree by myself, I honestly don't know what I'd say, but if I had spent my heart out making money, getting skills, and teaching them to other people willingly, I'd definetly be pissed.

On a personal note, I simply tip everyone who teachs me a skill (rarely not if they're a PAmate...although I teach more to them than vice versa ), and of course, include a thanks or what not. You always here people shouting out for people to teach them skills, and if I'm not busy at them and I have that skill, I teach those people what I know because I can. Seems like the doctor from Corbantis was doing this, but then again, I don't think I've paid more than 10k in all to NPCs for my skills, so having this add up over time would be very...frustrating to say the least.

I used to tip 10% for my medic and lower level other skills (I was poor pretty much, go me), but now I'm willing to go up to 20% or 25%... I don't really think going higher is necessary unless you split the cost of a skill between people who all don't have it at a certain time. Other than that, they always receive my thanks (On that note, I need to learn Expert Crafting and Expert Knowledge soon...ah well, I'm somewhat loaded to tip whoever does that o_o )