Entertainer Archive
Thread: In defense of the AFK Buffbots
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Warryyr
Thu Oct 21, 2004 11:55 am
#14
Dusten79 wrote:
RaidenIV said:
"If Doc's could buff afk, you'd understand. Most would go to the afk doc buff bot and get his services for no hassle instead of actually having to talk and maybe argue with a real person."
Im a master doc on Corbantis and id like to say that if IS posible for a Doc to buff AFK, but not to many do it.I might add many docs get treated like dirt too if they are not ready to buff anyone at anytime, and id actualy LIKE to see more doc buff bots becourse then i could play the game the way i want without being flamed for not spending hours just buffing ppl.
See previous reply.
You may not mind them, but only because you have other means to make money.
Like combat or crafting players, the social playstyle is it's own thing - which some completely embrace. Unfortunately, Entertainers have a tough go at having any kind of money in this game because people don't tip, buffbots steal their business, and mission payouts are 100 credits. 100 - not 10,000, not 37,000 - 100. They don't even pay for the shuttle ride to the cantina, to FINISH the mission.
Also, when it comes to AFK play - be careful what you wish for. You just might get it.
BlackKnight1018
Sat Oct 23, 2004 5:51 am
#15
Ok..let me put this issue in the prospective of a doc, as I've been a Master Doctor in my time too.
Lets say your entire profession's line of exp is set into 2 kinds: Healing exp,and buffing exp. Healing would offer slow exp for a single tree, while buffing exp would be used for the remaining 3 trees.
The only way for you to get buffing exp would be through buffing sessions. People would come to you for buffs in the hospital only, and if they happened to choose you to buff them, you'd get exp. Healing would be the same way, hospital area, person chooses you.
Now you can group with other doctors to produce a joined effort in buffing and healing wounds for buffing/healing exp. This is the way of the land and works to the benefit of all in your profession.Grouping for a greater effect promotes socializing, and you would recieve tips from generous players that happened to enjoy their time spent recieving healing or buffs from you. Its how you make your living.
Now, imagine if one day a master doctor comes up with the idea of afk buffing. He or she sets up in the hospital in a prime and well visited location offering free buffs with an autojoin command macro. Suddenly people go straight for this person, over and over more crowds that used to be your way of gaining experience now go straight for this afk buff bot. They not only cause you a lack of experience entirely as you no longer have patrons coming to see you, but they make the population now believe that the buffs you can offer don't need to be paid for anymore. Effectively ruining 80-90% of your business, even if you master your profession.
This is the current state of the union with the entertainer profession. Every single buffbot entertainer makes the profession that much more difficult for people who are starting up. They destroy the set way of life that has worked for so long, and most of all they miss the entire point of our chosen field: ENTERTAINMENT
Our job is not to write, or I'd think in most cases download a macro to play over and over for 8-10 hours of afk goodness a day. Its to entertain. Thats why we have such a broad range of abilities to do so. Holoemotes, special effect droids, lightshow abilities, a whole range of dances and now revamped flourishes to boot for quite a few of them. Above all, being social is key. If the person your healing is just sitting there bored, why would they come back to you again as apposed to an afker if they're no more entertained with you than a buffbot?
I think this can be beat with a combined effort. I know a lot of veteran entertainers know what it used to be like, and most likely its that reason that keeps us in our field now. No more buffbots in training, we need to show these people starting up what a real entertainer does and how fun it can be for both sides.We need to make live entertainers as saught after as they used to be.
Beery
Sat Oct 23, 2004 8:51 am
#16
"I don't know how many times I've been just blown off in /tells or in spatial when I've offered 10 - 20k for a set for both sets of buffs."
A lot of people don't realise that buffing is an extremelyspecialized skill. Only one skill treegives a musician/dancer the ability tobuff, and it's usually the last skill tree that a player goes for, because the other trees give levelling speed bonuses. Thus, only veteran dancers/musicians can give buffs, and only masters can give the best buffs. Often players only want the best buffs, and are annoyed if they get a less-than-perfect buff which takes time to work off. This is the primary reason why buffs are rare. They're rare because the people who can give them are rare - and that's how it's meant to be - buffs are not meant to be a necessity, but the developers implemented them ham-handedly, as usual.
The problem is that the average player has no concept of what's needed to give a buff. They don't know that only master dancer/musicians can give a full buff. Many times, when I was a Master Entertainer, I was asked to give buffs - Master Entertainers can't buff. Some people got very angry when I refused them. There is a lot of ignorance about the entertainer professions, and it all combines to make the average player despise entertainers. The AFK thing doesn't help, but it's only part of the problem.
Kimberlie
Sat Oct 23, 2004 6:00 pm
#17
I spent all day on my server yesterday offering FREE entertainer buffs from a live ent. I give full buffs at 110% primary and secondary. There was a bot in the cantina. Most of the people coming in ignored my free buffs and went straight for the bot. I heard many complaints of missing the bots window and having to wait for the next window....of the buff not sticking...etc. HELLO??! There was a LIVE master dancer/musician RIGHT THERE giving FREE buffs...no window to miss, I make sure everyone is watching/listening...make sure everyone has stopped when the buff is done before switching...but they stay with the bot. Why? It makes no sense to me.
So, I tried something. I put an AFK tag over my head like the bot and stopped advertising my free buffs. What happened do you think? I got swarmed with people wanting in Kim's group..."Invite to Kim plz" "Who has Kim?"
Guess what....KIM HAS KIM...screw it
Xyrdre
Sat Oct 23, 2004 9:36 pm
#18
BlackKnight1018 wrote:
Ok..let me put this issue in the prospective of a doc, as I've been a Master Doctor in my time too.
Lets say your entire profession's line of exp is set into 2 kinds: Healing exp,and buffing exp. Healing would offer slow exp for a single tree, while buffing exp would be used for the remaining 3 trees.
The only way for you to get buffing exp would be through buffing sessions. People would come to you for buffs in the hospital only, and if they happened to choose you to buff them, you'd get exp. Healing would be the same way, hospital area, person chooses you.
Now you can group with other doctors to produce a joined effort in buffing and healing wounds for buffing/healing exp. This is the way of the land and works to the benefit of all in your profession.Grouping for a greater effect promotes socializing, and you would recieve tips from generous players that happened to enjoy their time spent recieving healing or buffs from you. Its how you make your living.
Now, imagine if one day a master doctor comes up with the idea of afk buffing. He or she sets up in the hospital in a prime and well visited location offering free buffs with an autojoin command macro. Suddenly people go straight for this person, over and over more crowds that used to be your way of gaining experience now go straight for this afk buff bot. They not only cause you a lack of experience entirely as you no longer have patrons coming to see you, but they make the population now believe that the buffs you can offer don't need to be paid for anymore. Effectively ruining 80-90% of your business, even if you master your profession.
This is the current state of the union with the entertainer profession. Every single buffbot entertainer makes the profession that much more difficult for people who are starting up. They destroy the set way of life that has worked for so long, and most of all they miss the entire point of our chosen field: ENTERTAINMENT
Our job is not to write, or I'd think in most cases download a macro to play over and over for 8-10 hours of afk goodness a day. Its to entertain. Thats why we have such a broad range of abilities to do so. Holoemotes, special effect droids, lightshow abilities, a whole range of dances and now revamped flourishes to boot for quite a few of them. Above all, being social is key. If the person your healing is just sitting there bored, why would they come back to you again as apposed to an afker if they're no more entertained with you than a buffbot?
I think this can be beat with a combined effort. I know a lot of veteran entertainers know what it used to be like, and most likely its that reason that keeps us in our field now. No more buffbots in training, we need to show these people starting up what a real entertainer does and how fun it can be for both sides.We need to make live entertainers as saught after as they used to be.
Your post actually caused me to turn forumstar ratings back on just long enough to 5-star you. Very good analogy... and I sometimes wish we could come up with strong analogies for all of the other professions along these lines, so perhaps some of those players could more clearly understand why AFKing and buffbots are the problem that they are.
/cheer BlackKnight1018!
Novoseth
Mon Oct 25, 2004 7:18 am
#19
We got a lot of thick people.. I feel for the docs/muciscians/dancers....
my alt will soon join you in your pain.
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