Entertainer Archive
Thread: L.A.M.Er (Longterm, AFK, Macro, Entertainer)
Unfortunately, I walked in tonight to a cantina, and ask to join the group of 3 performers there. One of them was afk, another afk flag timed in as I asked, but the third didn't have the AFK flag...so I started asking her questions.
No response.
So I asked the crowd, "Am I the only non-AFK entertainer?"
"Looks like," says a medic...who then heals one of the AFK flagged entertainers. I'm noticing the other medic in the crowd is healing the OTHER AFK entertainer.
Ok, the is a cue for me to log off and go to bed. If the audience is not only not caring if the entertainers are AFK, they don't care if I'm there or not, and since I don't need the xp, it's all a matter of rp for me right now. No caring=No one to RP with. Me tired=not coherent enough to be creative enough to hold their interest, anyways.
But what really got me, as I had 5 secs left before disconnecting, was the non-flagged AFK dancer who was still not responding to ANY outside stimulus or questions says something akin to "We that you for your kind patronage and any who tipped." Yes, she had that in her macro.
Blargh.
On one side, AFK'ers can be a necessary evil. For those who are actually playing, at the time, they can add to the group so your exp return for flourishes is higher. So long as they dance in a corner or if they are playing and allow for the leader to change music, that's fine.
On the other, many come in and see so many AFK's that they get annoyed. I gather some even avoid tipping, altogether, because of this. However, I do like alot of people posting that they just ignore the AFK'ers and tip the players. Those of us who do go to the cantina to dance and enjoy the game like the interaction. I mean.. it's why we're there, isn't it?
However.. In light of the nigh Insane exp it takes to get to even Novice Dancer from the Entertainer tree, I have come to terms with macro'ing necessities. BUT.. I won't macro in a cantina. That's what my small house is for. 
I even leave it public. That way, if I am AFK macro'ing and you are wandering around a town that is nigh deserted, hey! Look! A Dancer who we can watch (even if AFK) and heal BF and mind from!
And can they blame me for bing AFK? I wouldn't. If the same were true, elsewhere, I would even tip the AFK'er in that case! 
Sure, the return for exp isn't the same, dancing solo, but if I am going to be a LAMEr as the new epithet is going, I'll be doing it somewhere people might not mind so much. Then, when I go to the cantina, I can have more fun just playing and changing up dancing.
Who wants to Formal dance to the jazz beat, anyway?
RageGods wrote:
You could also say, "Well, I would just wait and find one that isnt (AFK)." but what if yourHAM was down to just 1and you were stuck in Wayfar, Tatooine where there isnt a shuttle thereso you have to run to the towns that are 2000+m away and would probably die along the way. That (AFK) entertainer just saved you.
Ive been an entertainer for just a few days to see what it was all about and quickly droped it. It was VERY VERY boring. I dont know how yall stick with it and reach Master. Thanks for not dropping it like i did so you can heal me.
About the Wayfar comment, I can only say, "Life's hard." The purpose of Wayfar is that it is a pain-in-the-butt location. Many entertainers do not make that trek because they do not have the Scout or combat skills to make the 4-km run.
However, I do. I regularly run between Bestine and Wayfar (my character did grow up in that region, after all). And one reason I make the run is because Wayfar is so desperate for entertainers and medics. Luke said that Tatooine was the farthest spot from the bright spot of the civilization (paraphrased). Wayfar is even farther. And I love the excitement when I show up. People thank the maker that I'm there. They let others know that the cantina has an entertainer. It's rather thrilling.
Yes, the AFK bot may have saved someone in Wayfar, but it has ruined the atmosphere of the town. Same with Lok, Dathomir,and Yavin. What's the point of playing in a dangerous, desolate region when there is no real risk. Which of the following scenarios better represent the deadliness of Lok?
"Well, gee, I just got killed four times. Let me just sit in this cantina for 10 minutes, and then I'll be ready for the med center."
"I got killed twice already?! Is there anyone who can entertain? No? I don't know if I can go back out there just yet. This is murder on my rifle skills. Let's go to the med center and hope that there is an entertainer when we get back!"
AFK heal bots are just as detrimental to the risk of the game as the auto-insure. People are taking these things for granted. If I make the long trek to Wayfar and find an AFK dancer, I sigh and go hunting instead. People don't ooh and ahh over an entertainer in Wayfar if a healbot made its way there.
RageGods wrote:
Why do you care if they are (AFK) or not? You still get healed. Just dont tip the ones who are (AFK) or donttip them as much.
When running by a (AFK) Artisan sampling away for resources, do you think to yourself...look at that lazy artisan, afk sampling. Well I'm never buying anything from them or anything made with their resources they got while akf sampling. The leastthey could do is be there whiletheirsampling for hours and hours and hours and hours...
You probably have bought resources from artisans who (AFK) sampled them all day,so whyare (AFK) entertainersdifferent?
That's his point. They *shouldn't* be any different. Right now artisans have a little pop-up that occurs every once in a while when sampling, effectively ending your macro (granted there are ways around this). That could easily be implemented into the entertainer role as well.
I'm not recommending it be done, justpointing out that your counter-argument doesn't work.
I heard something the other day while sitting in the cantina... Onedancer said that she only receives half experience while her/AFK is up. I'm not an entertainer so I can't verify it, just thought it was an interesting tidbit if it's true. I mean,if itdoes work like that, then it would still allow players to be /afk but would encourage them to play while they're logged on.It's actually not a bad idea.
Who are u to insult people ?
... Tsssk... Too easy to say every people dont play like u are lamers.... Ok ok.. If u want to play this little game with me: all players who arent RPing are lamers, and all players who use the "e" letter too. Nah !
More than once, while I was playing, someone has logged in, positioned themselves in front of me, turned on a macro, and gone AFK. In fact, they just did it to me before I came over to the forums. They're almost always female, and almost always close to naked. Now, since I'm Master, experience doesn't matter to me. But what about people still working on it the hard way? You think Joe Newbie is going to get any kind of musician healing experience with Sally McNaked standing in the middle of the floor? Not a chance.
It's becoming more and more common, and more and more annoying. I highly doubt this is what macros were intended for.
SciguyCO, I love the idea 
Unfortunately, it's not an option for dancers since we can all do a different dance and not affect each other (even though it looks like crap).
I have another idea. If AFKers are going to be a permanent fixture, let's just ditch the entertainment professions altogether. The Devs can insert NPC bots in all the cantinas with the ability to heal and solve the problem. No need to tip them, they never spam or flirt, and the rest of us can run missions and get rich like everyone expects us to do.
*sigh*
I ignore people that are doing something AFK. I dont see why everyone has to be up in arms about something like this? I will never tip an AFK entertainer.. when I see them I just avoid them. Same with any artisan who is AFK doing ANYTHING.
Who cares how other people play the game? Are you jealous of them is that why this subject keeps coming up? Why is it that this has to be such a HUGE issue? No one tips AFK entertainers.. this has been beat to death many times on these forums.
If you arent secure in yourself.. how can you ever be satisfied with anything? Keep the jealousy out please.. this is just silly.
D.U.M.B. (Dull, Unrelenting, Mindnumbing, Boredom). This is the acronym that best suits this thread.
Just drop it already.
The reason it's an issue is because NOT everyone ignores the AFKers. You may not know it, but in order to advance as an entertainer, you have to get entertainer healing experience points. That's hard to do when naked female macros are in the middle of every cantina getting all the listens/watches.
nuterr wrote:
You think Joe Newbie is going to get any kind of musician healing experience with Sally McNaked standing in the middle of the floor? Not a chance.
It's becoming more and more common, and more and more annoying. I highly doubt this is what macros were intended for.
As annoying as that is, the up-and-coming at keyboard entertainers do have one shred of hope: most of the LAMErs I've seen include a /join in their macro in the hope that someone is looking for a group and they'll get the bonus xp. But then that brings in the moral quandry of being associated with these entertainer-bots just so you can play your profession properly. Hmm, I may have just thought of a valid use for those horse-sized pets wandering around the cantina. Can anyone suggest an under CL 15 creature that gets big enough toengulf a character's avatar? I might have to pay a visit to my local BE or CH...
And if a grouped "musician" goes LAME, I've found the most entertaining way to deal with them is to /stopband; /startmusic song-they-can't-play. Nothing like seeing an idling avatar with a big AFK over its head, and knowing there's nothing their macro can do about it.