Entertainer Archive
Thread: Value of Buffs Now?
Page 1 of 3
Tuscany
Mon Nov 29, 2004 10:53 am
#1
Since mission payouts were changed today, and the average payout is now about 3K max, what do entertainers feel buffs should go for. I've been tipping 30K for a set of dancer/musician buffs (or 15K for one). Since I can now only make about 25K max from one set of buffs (actually less since I rarely do Janta-Mokk missions), it's obvious I can no longer do that. I'd like feedback from the entertainer community on what you think is fair now. I've always valued entertainer services and wonder what prices should be now, as it seems this will be the first thing, along with doctor buffs, to drop?
LyteFoot
Mon Nov 29, 2004 11:03 am
#2
I've never been upset with any tip and normallyask 5k for a musician buff if pressed for a price. However I don't see how you can say you will only make 25k a buff session. If missions pay 3k and you can do two at a time you can do about 6k every 5 minutes (including travel time). Correct me if I'm wrong but that is more like 144k in a two hour session. If I remove travel time and say 1.5 hours then thats 108k a session. As a buffed master rifleman doing 3k level25ishmissions I can kill a nest in seconds.
I haven't seen today's patch but I find it hard to believe that they are only going to pay a group 3k to take out a rancor nest, or are you saying that once split amongst a group an individual will only get 3k? Group missionsare still viable you just need to work as a group for a change. A group can take out a rancor or janta nest in no time. Since everyone in the group can get two missions you should be able to get your time down to 2 nests every couple of minutes because you return to a terminal less often. There is still a lot of money to be made you just have to do it smarter now.
PoetDancer
Mon Nov 29, 2004 11:46 am
#3
What will they be willing to pay for buffs? Not much, seeing as how a dancer or musiciancan churn out 20 of them every 3.5 minutes.
What will they be willing to pay to take care ofa live musician or dancerwho gives free buffs no questions asked? Anywhere from 5K to 250K per play session, depending on the people I run into.
As a live player, I have had little difficulty in having the patrons take care of me financially. And it's because I take care of them and am not stingy with issuing the /setperform or /invite. The way I see it, they do most of the work anyways, since they are the ones that must /watch under the right conditions, and sustain that /watch for a given time. And since there is so little from my end that I can control in the buffing process, I see no way I can charge for something that I cannot give without their help.
But it doesn't mean I work for free. I expect to be well paid for what I do. Its just I am really not sure selling "/" commands is a good way to do it. After all, bots can give away far more "/" commands in a day than I can sell--about 7400 buffs to be exact.
Why do players tip us? They'd rather see us in the cantina than out doing other things. How can we make them want to see us in the cantina than out doing something else? Give them the things they go to the cantina to get--no questions asked--and in the process, give them a good laugh or two.
So if this sounds like a roundabout answer to your question, I apologize. But I have noticed that the ones that tend to survive in this profession are the ones that do not try and sell the Tyrena Bridge. A "/" command is something that is too easy to administer and give that this alone has difficulty being "sold." Its no doubt worth something, but its something that is hard to package and sell.
Message Edited by PoetDancer on 11-29-2004 12:49 PM
Tuscany
Mon Nov 29, 2004 12:50 pm
#4
Lytefoot, I don't think you read my message very well. First, I rarely do Janta or Mokk missions. When I do, I find it takes me, from first getting to the terminal, to getting back there again, about 15 minutes for 2 missions. (The missions themselves, don't take a lot of time, but getting them, getting there, and getting back does.) That's 12K an hour, or 24K in two hours. Any other type of mission pays less.
Drygo
Mon Nov 29, 2004 4:31 pm
#5
This person obviously tips very well, more than most people's going rates, and he's coming in here asking what we think is fair now. It's not fair for any of us to say, "oh you can do the missions and pay us the same, so stop bugging us." 
I mean, really.
So, anyway. I've always thought 5K per buff was a fair price for the services we provide. The truth is, most people don't get paid anymore for buffs because most people use buffbots. So, in the current economic market, the entertainer buff is pretty much worthless because anyone can and does get one for free. 
So, first, thanks for supporting the live ents! And, second, you'll probably find that most of us are more than happy with a 5k tip per buff. 
30K for both has always been very generous of you.
So, first, thanks for supporting the live ents! And, second, you'll probably find that most of us are more than happy with a 5k tip per buff. 30K for both has always been very generous of you.
MadLeprechaun
Mon Nov 29, 2004 5:32 pm
#6
they upped the rewards? not surprising i missed this seeing as how i never bother to check the terminals anymore.....
Eaca
Mon Nov 29, 2004 11:16 pm
#7
Don't group, just do picket missions for 10k a pop or whatever they are, or group a droid/pet and boost your mission level more with that.
On a side note, with the solo group nerf finally looking like its working, I think we may actually see a decline in bots. Since a majority of bot runners are in it for personal gain, more than thier benevolent nature, when people stop tipping thier bots, they'll take thier toys and go home. Not all of them, but I think we'll notice a marked decrease in a month or so (Like naish or whoever, when they get home and only need thier fingers to count thier tips, instead of thier spreadsheet)
Message Edited by Eaca on 11-29-2004 10:18 PM
LyteFoot
Tue Nov 30, 2004 1:04 am
#8
I read it fine. My point was that at 3k per mission its very easy to find missions quickly and finish them quickly. So don't do the high end missions that take a long time to get from a terminal go for the single player selectable 3k missions and do a lot of them. It is still very possible to make a lot of credits, not what you will make under the old solo group but far in excess of 25k a buff session. Heck for 3k level 30 missions all I really need is a bit of brandy, acc, and won-won to get into my comp. After that its not really necessary to be buffed. I can also get that size mission on any planet and forgoe travel costs completely.
If you want a no-risk mission then get a generic crafting tool and run the artisan crafting missions between bestine and anchorhead. Take 2 missions each wayfor 1800 credits per trip. Each way takes about 5 minutes with finding the missions on the terminal and a swoop. I made my first 300k this way as a noob in a few hours.
Xyrdre
Tue Nov 30, 2004 5:12 am
#9
I think it really varies. From person to person, server to server.
In reality, I wish that it was less a matter of price or value fixing, and more a matter of tipping in the truest sense. A show of appreciation that the entertainer was there, ready and willing to help out, and make that experience a fun one for the other players in the game. Someone who tips along these linesis always fine in my book - we all know what we can afford at a given time, and what that buff will be worth to us.A good tip amount has always been relative to the means of the customer, in my eyes. A 300 credit tip from a brand new Novice Marksman, along with a genuine show of respect for entertainers, has always been a better price for buffs to me than a 20k tip fromsomeonepulling up in an AV-21, wearing the most expensive gearin the game, andsaying "Buff plz. Kthx." How empty those credits become then.
Now, I admit also that I have other forms of income than just buffing, so it's not so muchabout thecredits for me. Still, I think the above guidelines can be helpful. I do recognize that not knowing what a baseline 'going rate' might be leaves some people in an uncomfortable situation, hoping they don't tip so little as to offend, or so much as to feel that they've greatly overpaid. The same goes, I think, for a lot of entertainers, but in reverse. We don't want to feel that we're demanding too much payment, but don't want to feel like our main interdependent contribution, game mechanically speaking, is being taken advantage of either.
Course, for this long-time dancer, maybe it's less about the credits at all, and more about the people involved. I tend to buff those who are respectful, friendly and fun without asking for payment - though, a lot of those people tip me right backjust for being respectful, friendly and fun in return... kind of a little game we play, I think. And someone who's a real jerk won't get buffed at any price. Wouldn't it be nice if that was just the way it always worked out... played out, as intended.
LyteFoot
Tue Nov 30, 2004 6:39 am
#10
Drygo wrote:
This person obviously tips very well, more than most people's going rates, and he's coming in here asking what we think is fair now. It's not fair for any of us to say, "oh you can do the missions and pay us the same, so stop bugging us."
I mean, really.
So, anyway. I've always thought 5K per buff was a fair price for the services we provide. The truth is, most people don't get paid anymore for buffs because most people use buffbots. So, in the current economic market, the entertainer buff is pretty much worthless because anyone can and does get one for free.
Drygo thatsan unfaircommentread the responses.I started by saying I don't ask for money but if pressed will state 5k as a price.Also I thinkpart of our role is to provide help and information. If someone thinks they can only make 25k on a 2 hour buff session then as an experienced SWG hunter I want to offer advice that allows him to make more credits for himself. I'll still not ask for any credits from him and let him tip what he is comfortable with even if that is zero.
Personally I have a number of people who know I'm in Theed and stop by regularly or send me tells to see if I'm there or to arrange other meetings. Of these people I have one or two who never tip, a few who tip 1k to 2k, some that tip 5k, and a couple of big tippers. I have never refused to buff any of them because they are all curteous and respectful of what I do. The non-tippers pool is shrinking because after they become repeat customers they usually start tipping some small amount. But I never set a price and I never expect anything except curteous behavior. Treat me rudely and I'll stop the buff and tell you to find someone else, but that rarely happens, in fact its only happened twice. I have fun in the game, my character makes a decent living, and thats all I care about is a game that I can relax, enjoy myself, and forget the real world for a little while.
LeBob
Tue Nov 30, 2004 10:36 am
#11
I pay 10K for a 100% Dancer buff... and the same for a 100% Musician buff... on Bria.
LyteFoot
Tue Nov 30, 2004 11:30 am
#12
One thing I find interesting with not asking for an amount is that, in general, female players tip more than male players. Also PvE players tend to tip more than PvP players. I guess the PvP players plan to be back sooner or are more accustomed to having a guild bot. I also notice that experienced PvP players have more issues with the buff not setting on the first performance which makes me question that they aren't purposely storing a second buff.
Caerid_Loc
Tue Nov 30, 2004 3:02 pm
#13
i pay 5k/buff session, and i think thats fair. i dont consider the value of entertainers any less than that of doctors or any other person in the game. i just used simple math: if the value of an average doc buff is 15k, and affects 6 bars, then 3 bars with half to a third effective increase is going to be worth about 5k. still seems reasonable and fair to me. i am glad you all agree as well.
as for mission payouts, the new 'nerf' simply means that you are only going to be able to earn 500k/buff session instead of the 1-1.5 million k that could be earned before. just do 10k missions, a pair every 5-10 minutes.after 3 hours you will have 500k. this is long overdue imo. glad it came.
Page 1 of 3