Entertainer Archive
Thread: Posted on the corr forum: State of the entertainers game
enderwig01
Fri Jun 11, 2004 7:14 am
#14
Yes We rangers are a very low populated group. We estimated at one point when the jedi Message board ran a population count and we did that too that there were more Jedi then rangers.
Ironic? they all had to master Ranger or an entertainer professionI bet at some point to get to Jedi.
Ironic? they all had to master Ranger or an entertainer professionI bet at some point to get to Jedi.
Beery
Fri Jun 11, 2004 9:37 am
#15
Great post! This stuff needed saying.
I bought this game becausethe entertainer professions supposedlyoffered me more than the tired old mindless violence that most games offered the player. Sadly I found that entertainers weren't self-sufficient - it's virtually impossible to prosper in the game without taking on some violent profession in addition to entertainer. I became gradually more disillusioned as the entertainer classes became more and more prone to abuse, and as it became clear that the professions weren't fully functional and their role was not clearly defined. Added to this, the way entertainers make money makes the class despised by the community in general.
The entertainer class has needed serious attention since shortly afterPublish 1 (when off-planet missions were deleted from mission terminals). As a result, there is no incentive for entertainersto travel, so many just stay in the same high-traffic cantinas. AFK macros are a direct result of that, as entertainers become bored with the day-in, day-out grind. Added to this, the buff-bots and holo-macroing towards Jedihave made things that much worse.
I hope the developers listen and get moving towards fixing the problems quickly. It doesn't take a genius to fix the class. It just takes someone willing to pay a little honestattention, use a bit of insight,and toactually do some work on the issue. Heck, just putting back well-paying off-planet cantinamissions would increase the social aspects of the class by a lot (as long as the missions don't send us to Hotels or casinos as well as cantinas - the last thing we need is to be spread so thinly that we don't see another entertainer).
Message Edited by Beery on 06-11-2004 12:54 PM
Warplex
Fri Jun 11, 2004 9:53 am
#16
Great post, but there is one problem: You are the entertainer correspondant. Sadly, i had to drop master entertainer (i'm still master ID/musician)... a skill i've had for 4 months. What you desperatly need is for the elite profession correspondants (kwee, new jedi, and pathnu) to back you, if they haven't. Other wise, you will get the same response as the scouts and marksman have: You are not an elite profession. What we need to do is write letters (not emails) to SoE... Which gives me an idea for a project...
Message Edited by Warplex on 06-11-2004 09:55 AM
Kyorlana
Fri Jun 11, 2004 11:15 am
#17
Well I read every single word and have to say that you have written down exactly how I feel about the state of entertainment AND the nature of the boards at the moment. I've been saying to my other half how bitchy and negative the entertainer, dancer, and musician boards have gotten of late. Never used to be like that because we believed (foolishly) perhaps that the devs cared about our profession and there would be great things coming.
As you say, it's nearly a year since there was talk of the new motion captures for dance... the new musician songs are apparently in limbo somewhere... the devs need to rethink their attitude to the entertainer profession.
As you say the new player experience must be dire.
Something I think that many of the devs (and players) forget is this:
For a casual gamer, they will buy a game and maybe get 20-50 hours gameplay out of it before they buy another and move on.
In MMORPG terms that translates to one-two weeks of in-game time.
What this means is that if things aren't improved quickly for the entertainer professions is that there will be less coming through the profession, more leaving it... and a huge gap to fill.
We WANT to fill that gap.
Just make it fun and rewarding for us to do so.
PLEASE!
As you say, it's nearly a year since there was talk of the new motion captures for dance... the new musician songs are apparently in limbo somewhere... the devs need to rethink their attitude to the entertainer profession.
As you say the new player experience must be dire.
Something I think that many of the devs (and players) forget is this:
For a casual gamer, they will buy a game and maybe get 20-50 hours gameplay out of it before they buy another and move on.
In MMORPG terms that translates to one-two weeks of in-game time.
What this means is that if things aren't improved quickly for the entertainer professions is that there will be less coming through the profession, more leaving it... and a huge gap to fill.
We WANT to fill that gap.
Just make it fun and rewarding for us to do so.
PLEASE!
nvoigt
Fri Jun 11, 2004 11:45 am
#18
I don't really have anything to add. I started out enthusiastic,happy and with a full friendlist of people to join and I ended up cynical, bitter and with a ton of scripted spamming "buddies". Tiaga's post is probably the most civil version of what I would say. Thank you for posting this Tiaga.
Goldshadow
Fri Jun 11, 2004 1:44 pm
#19
Tiaga -
Thank you for the post. I'm especially glad that you shared it with us. I have to say that you and the other Correspondents (including the former Ravenmist) are absolutely fantastic. It amazes me that you 4 don't lose your minds.
Keep up the good work and if there is anything that WE can do, please let us know.
Roho
Warplex
Fri Jun 11, 2004 1:44 pm
#20
I agree with you nvoigt. i started off with lights shining in my eyes, happy that i was having fun... now look at me... the holo (pun intended) shell of an entertainer. Even the CSRs are seeing a general lack of optomisim in the few ents. who stay in chat.
Shaizann
Fri Jun 11, 2004 2:23 pm
#21
Well said, Tiaga, well said. I trust you will be able to provide us with some feedback on how this post was taken by the developers in the correspondent's forum. Also, I think Carpathia (warplex) is correct. You should probably get Kwee, Panthu, and NewJedi to post some concurrence messages to give it some more weight. I would be willing to bet that this has already occured, however. Those guys are always on the ball. 
Warryyr
Fri Jun 11, 2004 2:30 pm
#22
/applaud Tiaga
All I can say is, wow. This says it all. Bravo, it reflects my exact feelings on this entire style of gameplay in SWG.
I humbly request, that in a show of solidarity between all social professions involved - all those who enjoy the social style of gameplay but know it needs someserious help and attention - this post in it's entirety be presented to Thunderheart for each 19 questions session from here on out, until something is done to make us feel like we're the forgotten professions of SWG. Honestly, folks - what have we gotten fromthese 19 questions sessions,except more frustration and increased bitterness from being ignored and shot down.
Entertainers, unite - for the good the game!
OK, honestly, who am I. Nobody. Just another average entertainer in this game. Just like all of you, I'm tired of being treated like we are. I'm concerned for our style of gameplay. And I want something done about it. Do you agree? Let's all join together, it'll be great!
Though I don't know how popular this would be, but what if we all purposely stood outside - OUTSIDE of Theed and Coronet Cantinas, and performed. And we could do our own repetitive spam - solely with ideas to improve our profession! C'mon, it'll be fun. On second thought, maybe take it in front of the starports, for more attention! Everyone in a big, gigantic Entertainer group - partying it up, and asking for some attention for our $15/month!
Anti-AFK messages, anything goes! Meet me in front of the Theed Starport on Starsider, I'm the big brown Wookiee in a black hood - playing the Nalargon Post thoughts/ideas on this. Let's make a statement, here!
Post thoughts/ideas on this. Let's make a statement, here!
Warryyr
Fri Jun 11, 2004 2:32 pm
#23
Sorry, you can see what was foremost on my mind!
Warryyr wrote:
/applaud Tiaga
All I can say is, wow. This says it all. Bravo, it reflects my exact feelings on this entire style of gameplay in SWG.
I humbly request, that in a show of solidarity between all social professions involved - all those who enjoy the social style of gameplay but know it needs someserious help and attention - this post in it's entirety be presented to Thunderheart for each 19 questions session from here on out, until something is done to make us feel like we're *NOT the forgotten professions of SWG. Honestly, folks - what have we gotten fromthese 19 questions sessions,except more frustration and increased bitterness from being ignored and shot down.
Entertainers, unite - for the good of the game!
OK, honestly, who am I. Nobody. Just another average entertainer in this game. Just like all of you, I'm tired of being treated like we are. I'm concerned for our style of gameplay. And I want something done about it. Do you agree? Let's all join together, it'll be great!
Though I don't know how popular this would be, but what if we all purposely stood outside - OUTSIDE of Theed and Coronet Cantinas, and performed. And we could do our own repetitive spam - solely with ideas to improve our profession! C'mon, it'll be fun. On second thought, maybe take it in front of the starports, for more attention! Everyone in a big, gigantic Entertainer group - partying it up, and asking for some attention for our $15/month!
Anti-AFK messages, anything goes! Meet me in front of the Theed Starport on Starsider, I'm the big brown Wookiee in a black hood - playing the Nalargon
Xyrdre
Fri Jun 11, 2004 2:53 pm
#24
Bravo, Tiaga! You're my new hero for the week. Maybe even two weeks.
Auraveda
Fri Jun 11, 2004 2:54 pm
#25
As a former Master Musician/Master Entertainer/Master Dancer I applaud your post. I really loved it, but between the AFKers and the general lack of content I had to move on. If these issues are ever addressed and real content is added I may just have to pick my Nalargon back up! But I won't hold my breath.
NewJedi
Fri Jun 11, 2004 3:49 pm
#26
I applaud Tiaga on a very thoughtful post, one that reflects the views of virtually every Musician who interacts with me in the Musician forum.
Ours is the only playstyle that has gotten *worse* since launch. Crafters, combat types, Politicians -- they can all fairly be said to be better off than they were 10 months ago. We Musicians have receivedonly two upgrades of any significance since then: our buff, and our music droids. But we have also seen our playstyle decline as AFK'ers have swamped cantinas, as buffbots replace live performers, and as Musicians and audience members alikehave tired of hearing the sameten songs over and over. The devs seem to think the demise of the Holocron will improve this situation. It won't. It will have, at best, a marginal effect.
We Musicians have submitted dozens of proposals to spice up our gameplay. The most obvious fix would be to give us far more *music* to perform, so that people might actually want to listen to us. If we had another couple dozen songs, we'd actually have a *repertoire* to choose from when we performed, and people might actually make requests for particular tunes. Other suggestions include entertainer-oriented quests, better gig missions, crafting experimentation, a more robust crafting game generally, craftable holostims, some role in the GCW, post-Master goals, bandleaders, working player theaters, greater flexibility in performing flourishes, greater ability to customize one's performance more generally, and other features to encourage people to play at-the-keyboard. None of this has come to pass.
But honestly, to me, if the devs are committed to making Musician a worthwhile part of this game, they need to give us more music. A Musician is, in the end, all about the music.Right now, 11 months after launch, we still don't have much music to play. What kind of Master Musician only knows ten tunes? I play piano in RL, and I probably know thousands of pieces. We can't have thousands in SWG. But how about a few dozen?