Entertainer Archive
Thread: AFK Musicans and Dancers who Macro
If AFK macroing using the IN GAME macros was bannable, then why can you do it? C'mon now...
That is the problem, you can read the Agreement you have to click each time, in two ways.
Does this only applies to 3rd Party Macro-Programs or not? While I don't like the idea that everyone and their mother is macroing to Master I can't really blame them for doing this. You just write a few lines ingame, loop it - and that's all.
And I don't know why there isn't an official Statement to clarify this issue from the Dev's. Right now, when I look into some cantinas there must be almost no fear to get caught and banned. (And I never heard anything that someone got banned or a warning or so)
You probably misunderstood .. With warning I meant just that, a warning not to do it again, Soulmark or whatever you want to call this.
You can get an email for an example or something like that, I doubt that yougetbanned right away.
Thank you for your explanation of outside macros emulating mouse movements and clicks. I was unaware.
It is possible to have the macro be like /flo 1;/pause 20;/flo 2 without being AFK. I have a 5-minute macro that goes through most of my action bar. Someday I will craft a macro that allows the proper pauses for me to stim myself back up. Of course, if I do that, then I am stepping closer to the treacherous road of AFK dancing.
Why do I have such a macro? I don't want to have to type /flourish 2 every 30 seconds. I don't want to glance down and happen to notice that oh no, I am only getting 3 Dancing experience. I enjoy talking with the patrons while my macro grinds.
Although, I have all the dancing needs I could want. I have the pizzazz want, and I will soon have Wound Healing IV along with my Fatigue Healing IV. I no longer need to practice for my character concept. Yay! One milestone reached.
Itoo am so sick of afk entertainers, and i mean ones who have been macroing for hours on end not just a few minutes. Its not macros that are wrong its UNattended macroing thats wrong. I have a macro and i use it all the time so i can talk to people and not have to worry bout missing messages or thanking someone for a tip.
Theres an entertainer in talus dearic cantina thats been afk for 4 days, 5 if shes again there today - everyone i ask says yes shes been there since they got on and she'll be there til i log off. And still there the next morning. There's no way that this is right, i can not believe that its allowed.
I feel like the only way to compete is to stoop to that level too. Can a creature handler get master by going afk for days on end? a smuggler? bounty hunter? why can dancers/musicians get master without ever evening playing the freaking game.
Its supposed to bea journey not a destination and i have fun making friends i meet along the way, I dont understand the point - do they just not want to play at all til theyre master? Then what?
Is this a bannable offense? God i wish they would make it one if its not.
Sorry for the rant but I'm getting sick of it, glad to see im not alone at least.
OK, so you have a nice DSL connection that doesn't tie up your phone line. You log in for a solid week. You park your novice entertainer in a corner of the cantina and she AFK macro dances for 8 days straight. You get her all the way up to Master Dancer in that time period without once being at the keyboard.
What is the point of this? I could see it for other professions. If you could AFK macro combat, you can get to master shoot-em-up-guy in a few days and then go overt and have maxed out skills for PVP.
But for a dancer? The whole point of the profession is to be social and RP. And guess what? A total novice can do that just as well as a master dancer. So what in the galaxy do you need ranking for? Just to "be uber?" What does it prove, other than that you have a kick-butt internet connection and a tiny amout of macro-writing ability? Again, I could see buffing yourself to make yourself good for PVP combat. In NWN they have special modules where you can max yourself out to 20th level and +5 (max) equipment before you enter the PVP arena because, well, 1st level PVP is pretty weak. But... for dancing? Am I missing something here? Is there PVP dancing I don't know about? Can you kill other dancers by doing lots of flourishes at high levels?? If not, what in the world do you need it for?
I guess I must just be really missing something. It seems to me the dancer profession in particular is most strongly linked to RP and socializing, and by AFKing you are avoiding the whole thing that should make it enjoyable. I don't look forward to the day when my Dancer III entertainer is a master dancer... I dread it. Because I worry that things might get boring after that, and I don't want to stop enjoying her as a character. And because of that I am really glad that it will take hundreds of thousands of flourishes over many nights to get her there. I enjoy playing her... and that's the point, isn't it? Or maybe I am just strange...
C
Chessack wrote:
I don't look forward to the day when my Dancer III entertainer is a master dancer... I dread it. Because I worry that things might get boring after that, and I don't want to stop enjoying her as a character. And because of that I am really glad that it will take hundreds of thousands of flourishes over many nights to get her there. I enjoy playing her... and that's the point, isn't it? Or maybe I am just strange...
C
If I were you, I'd be more worried that people won't take you seriously as a Master Dancer.
Knowing how easy it is to macro your way up to Master Dancer (except for apprentice points--good post!), other entertainers may look at a Master Dancer or Master Musician and wonder if he actually deserves the title.
And if you turn on your AFK flag for whatever reason--no matter how valid--some other entertainers may harp on you, saying, "Oh, so that's how he became Master Dancer." It may not be justified, but I'm sure it will happen.
So, the proof is in the pudding. If you see a Master Dancer come in and just dance and spam, ridicule the snot out of him. If the Master Musician comes in and chats people up, then you know he's worthy.
Thank you - this is a really great discussion! As a Wookiee I've often wished I had the ability to pick up an AFK-macroentertainer and move him/her to the corner. Or better yet, out of the catina, out of the city, and next to the nearest lair. *grin* I'm glad you guys are showing people that not all Entertainers support AFK macroing!
- Paks
*Novice Scout*
Raruk wrote:
Thank you - this is a really great discussion! As a Wookiee I've often wished I had the ability to pick up an AFK-macroentertainer and move him/her to the corner. Or better yet, out of the catina, out of the city, and next to the nearest lair. *grin* I'm glad you guys are showing people that not all Entertainers support AFK macroing!
- Paks
*Novice Scout*
Oh definitely not.
The serious entertainers will actually be present at the keyboard.
I encourage people to tip only if they are talked to or emoted to by the entertainers.
You could be subtle about it like, "Boy, that was a tough fight." Wait for an entertainer to take the bait and say, "What happened?" The problem with this is that if there are a dozen patrons, an entertainer may not be able to pick up on passive conversation.
But you could do a direct approach. Watch/listen and say, "Long night, Bob?" If Bob is there, he'll give a response. If no answer is coming, /ponder Bob and maybe make another mention. If there is still no answer, then he’s likely AFK. Go ask someone else. In fact, someone else may say, "I think Bob is AFK." Well, there you go. Someone who cares enough about your conversation to say something.
Also, I may suggest experiment tipping. Say you want to tip 500 credits. Start out with a 200-credit tip. If he thanks you or otherwise acknowledges (I /beam and do a /dazzle), then give him the rest of the tip. If he does nothing, then you paid him for his healing services, at least.
I am also inclined to think that serious entertainers travel to the out-of-the-way places. I normally walked to Wayfar on Tatooine because it was so low on entertainers (but I was grouped with two other people with Dancing Technique one day; it was weird). Just recently, I flew out to Yavin 4. Oh, desolate doesn’t even describe it. I got 700 in tips, which is still pretty good. I told a patron that only serious entertainers would even think of putting on shows way out there (6000 credits round-trip too). I was hoping to make back my money flying out there. Maybe I will, maybe I won’t. At least I have a fallback profession of creature handling, so my trip to Yavin will not be wasted.
Grexor wrote:
For those of you who live a sheltered MMORPG life there are programs that can macro mouse movements, mouse clicks, etc. Those are the macro programs they are referring to. Those programs allow say unattended crafting of complete items.
AFK use of the Star Wars built in macroing environment ala /flo 1;/pause 20;/flo 2 is not illegal or prohibited. If it was why in gods name would the function be there. For that matter why allow in game macro's to be of significant length. For that matter why allow the loading of alias text files.
Expand your scope of understanding regarding what they mean about "Macro programs".
No, macros were built into the game but the TOS specifically states that using in game or 3rd party macros to gain xps is prohibited. Macros are there for a whole variety of reasons. I use them to macro tunes, initiate combat sequences, etc. It is not there formeto make xps I neither earned nor deserve.
Start reporting afk musicians and dancers and after a few suspensions you'll start to see fewer.
"the TOS specifically states that using in game or 3rd party macros to gain xps is prohibited."
FALSE.
The TOS says that using "Macros or ANY OTHER third party program." What that means is that said "Macros" are a third party program, hence the use of "ANY OTHER." In game macros are there for you to use.
Don't argue with me about it, ask a CSR or send SOE an email.