Entertainer Archive
Thread: What's So Wrong?
The real problem was not Battle Fatigue, it was the swarming hordes of AFK macroers who filled the Cantinas, spamming for free unearned cash, and annoying the hell out of anyone who entered. The majority of people doing this are, I think, either grinding for FS experience - or to do the Master a Profession part of it with no effort at all - and trying to grab a quick buck while they are at it. There is a good chance that some of them are simply farming for credits to sell on Ebay etc. If SOE had had the cojones to deal with that problem and make afk macroing impossible then I think that the Cantinas would be much more pleasant place, and you would see more people in them getting their buffs. As it stands though, for a mere 10% exp buff, its not really worth it. When you are going out grinding for 5 hours already in an evening, whats an extra half-hours worth of experience to you? Thats what you would save with the buff. Not worth it.
The Battle Fatigue game element was an elegant mechanic that simulated the real life need to relax. It might have been a bit annoying to some players, but overall since it only required a bit of regular time spent dealing with your battle fatigue it was a nuisance more than anything else. It forced to be at least nominally sociable with other people in the game - and the people who object the most to it in concept usually seem to be the diehard soloers who resent being forced to socialize in any manner. It was a minor negative, and games need some negative elements here and there to present obstacles that must be overcome. This game has relatively trivial obstacles as it is, removing BF just means the players path is made all the easier and lets them grind more. Very few people seem to talk about playing this game as something that is enjoyable - to them its just "back to the grind". I think the subscribing population has been reduced to those people who enjoy the predictability of combat grinding in many cases. Those who value challenging gameplay have gone elsewhere (although I am not sure where exactly since so few games have any challenges in them these days. City of Heroes perhaps).
So now the performing trades are left without any necessity to visit them, are unable to visit the field effectively and serve no purpose if they do, can't perform their entertainment functiosn effectively if they want to be combat capable at all, and have no function in game whatsoever. I think they have every right to be upset.
If they want to reduce performer to being a trivial unimportant and inneffective roleplaying only skillset, then they should reduce or remove the skillpoint costs for these skills, at a minimum make them cost 1 point per box like FS skills. They should eliminate AFK macroing entertainers (any macro that includes an entertainment skill can't be recursive) and probably combine Entertainer, Musician and Dancer into one comprehensive profession that includes all 3 of them (and possibly Image Design as well) and it can be a nice add on to a persons regular combat or crafting skills.
Epofa wrote:
They got rid of bf, so there is no more healing bf via entertainment. Okay cool, I see how that is upsetting.
Er...apparently not, or you wouldn't be asking, in effect, "What's your damage? Why are you being so pissy?"
But, before you needed to have someone to watch you to get xp for the healing branch, for the prop use you don't need anyone to watch you. All the entertainers who are afk aren't in anyway at a loss. The entertainers, who are entertainers for the social aspect should be happy, now they have cool props.
That's one of the problems right there -- there's now no need whatsoever to ever interact with anyone ever again to get to complete Master in all Entertainer disciplines. You could AFK all alone in a private house, only visiting an NPC trainer to level up. You can grind out Image Designer completely on yourself, if you want. And the cool props? Yeah, they're great...for dancers. They're optional. My instrument is not a "prop." That really frosts my hiney. The cool factor of the props will become nothing more than lag-inducing clutter in short order.
I am an entertainer on an alt, and I really don't see what's so wrong. I keep seeing many threads about how people are feeling bad for the entertainers, but I don't fully understand. I have read the threads from start to finish. I really don't get what's so bad. If anything, this is good. The only thing I have mixed feelings about is removing bf since it was kind of a setback. Which made swg more difficult. Like a medic/dr couldn't heal as well if your bf was too high.
Therein lies part of your confusion with how important this change has been to those of us who played performers as their main characters. I've been a Musician with my main character since beta. It's an integral part of my character. And I felt like I had a purpose outside of being social. I don't need to be an entertainer to be social. I could do that with a character of any profession at all. Once upon a time, there was supposed to be interdependency throught the game. It was supposed to be more than a grindfest. Just feels like that vision has been blinded with a red-hot poker.
I've been handicapped in combat the entire time the game's been live, because there's something about being a Musician I love. But I used to be able to work around that. I can't anymore. My handicap is visible to everyone, it inhibits my ability to make credits outside of performing ('cause performing don't cover the maintenance, honey) and I feel like I'm an idiot for hanging onto my Musician skills (what I have left...I dropped Master when the FU hit, and lost even more when the professions were gutted). I loved healing creatively. I loved feeling like I had something tangible to contribute. (Well...tangible as you can get in a computer game!) That was enough to offset the sacrifice I was making, being a hybrid performer/combatant. It was enough to justify the skillpoint investment.
The only thing I love anymore are the friends I've made. They're why I'm still here. The only thing left that keeps me playing music in the game is stubbornness.
I have always been a entertainers, I loved playing the music for people, helping the ones that needed healed I felt like I was needed, not only for the heals but the plesant words I gave.
I have played well over a year, I enjoyed entertainment so much I started a secound account and Irishrose had a twin Irisheyes, she too was a entertainer, and doc, we set up busness in our cantina and we had worth. People came to our cantina, they like our style of music (the twins and their 2 droids) not once in that time did I ever ask for a tip nor did I ever play afk, you seen Irishrose/Irisheyes you know there was someone there too help and talk too you.
But they have taken so much from entertainment now there is no reason to go out of your way to go see a entertainer. Yes we have that great exp buff, (smiles) yes I know some of you like it, but beleave me I am a entertainer I know, most people could care less if they had it or not. I have spent hours in a cantina sense the CU and played all to myself. Sense the CU alot of the cantinas was bugged so you couldn't listen or watch a entertainer, they took there sweet time in fixing that, now this morning I log on and none of my play back droids work, they are half of our band and worthless now. How long will it take them to fix them, please don't get me wrong my friends but I hope the bug effects alot more then entertainers or we will never get them fixed.
I refuse to respec to any other class, if I wanted to be a killer I could go to any of the other hack and slash games and be one of best. Entertainment was special, no other game has a class like it, I could play my music and talk to people, give them good cheer, help them with questions, heal there wounds. Its getting very hard to find resasons too stay, I keep hopeing the next patch, (sighs) and nothing, I use to make up to a mill a day, now I have to go to space and play killer to make money.
I hope I haven't steped on anybodys toes, but I do beleave we are as usefull now as boobys on a bore hog. People say if you don't like the game then just quit, but thats the trouble I love this game and the class of entertainment so I stay and hope. I have rambled on enough, but this is my thought on whats wrong