Entertainer Archive
Thread: AFK Dancing Right Now
Fyorra wrote:
As far as don't use a macro or get out. I'm not even getting into that argument. You have missed my point on this post completely. Try going back and reading that entire paragraph again. Put all of what I say together and quit taking bits and pieces of it. I use macros to save my fingers but if I'm not very talkative I'm as good as AFK just without the title. So am I just as bad? That is my point and I do believe I actually say that in the paragraph. And when I say "I" that means it only applies to me. The only part I generalized is the fact that a LOT of entertainers I have met use macros.
Are you "just as bad"? Good question. First, you have to define what "bad" means.
To me, "bad" doesn't consist of a single macrobot here and there. "Bad" is when I run into the Moenia cantina, there are six entertainers grouped and EVERY ONE is AFK, even the ones that don't have the tag over their head. The best argument I can find to reach master musician is that I could then have the clout to walk into a place like that and draw the attention away from all of those macrobots.
If you're watching your screen but not interacting with the game, then I'd question why you are bothering with the profession. However, I wouldn't call you "bad". I presume you'd respond to a direct question or you'd greet one of your friends if they walked in or offer training if someone asked. If the group leader asked what tune to changeto, you'd have a preference.You'd be "there" even if you were on autopilot. A macrobot doesn't do any of those things. It just just grinds XP and spams for tips.
You see, macrobots aren't evil in and of themselves. What's evil is the creeping spread of the macrobotting. There will always be players who take the easy route to the "end game". You see it in combat classes also. Take a trip to Kadaara someday and take a stroll on the beach. Bring your pistol because the beach is infested with mummers and other riff-raff. What you'll find is that it's also infested with AFK vigilantes. These citizens pick a spot on the beach, equip their best weapon and go to bed or go to movie. While they sleep, the game spawns mummer after mummer that then attack the AFK vigilante. Since the vigilante has decent pistol skills and a top-end pistol, his auto-defense kills the gangster in one or two shots and he stands there waiting for the next one. After several hours, he's acquired thousands of points of risk-free experience.
Nobody really cares if someone macroes their way to master in the privacy of their home. What rankles is the number of people that do it in full view of the customers and take up valuable real estate while they're doing it. They're advertising to non-entertainers that there's nothing more to our profession than pressing "start" and walking away from the computer. That's "bad".
To the original poster: If you don't engage in socialization, why did you choose to be an entertainer? Or more importantly, why did you continue to entertain? (It's one thign to try it out, it's completely another to master the skill.)
At it's heart, the entertainer is the social butterfly of the SWG environment. If you aren't socializing, then I don't see how you are entertaining (organized performances aside). And if you aren't entertaining, then what's the point?
Personally, there are days when I want to be very social, and those are the days I entertain. I chat it up and the cantina is quite lively. It can be an enjoyable and rewarding way to spend your in-game time.
Other days I don't feel as social. I might play medic, I might mine, I might run missions. But the last thing I'll do is entertain. Becuase you are right, justsitting there, hitting flourish keys, is truly boring.
I've only been entertaining a short while, but I hear almost every night, that with me in the Cantina, it's not boring. People like coming to visit, and they wish it was like this all of the time. Most only stay for 10 or 15 minutes, but some stay for an hour or longer. It's a different kind of fun, to be sure, but that's the beauty of this game. There are lots of ways to have fun. If something isn't fun for you, I certainly wouldn't suggest doing it.
Cher (ShadowFire -- Mos Eisley)
I wouldn't go so far as to discourage discussion. The devs are very interested in getting creative ideas from us here in regards to what we find to be acceptable solutions. I'd encourage people to read some of the old threads on the topics and then find something new to add.