CUEmu - Thread Posts

Electro

Thu May 13, 2004 1:57 pm

Xyrdre wrote:

This is definitely encouraging! I know that there are still going to be a gazillion things they'll do before getting around to us, but this is the strongest indication I've seen yet that one day, unattended game "play" will be fixed. It shows me that even if it has been allowed to date that at least in the mind of the Lead Developer, unattended AFK macroing is recognized asharmful to our professions and wrong for the health of the game.

I don't think it is particularly encouraging at all. All it shows is that the game designers realize that AFK macroing has hurt entertainers. But that's like saying that they realize fire is hot, of course they have realized this since it isobvious to anyone.

Jaxian

Thu May 13, 2004 9:12 pm

#41

LeBob, no one is saying that they want Entertainers to be nerfed, nor is it necessarily a bad idea to let some pure dancing and playing time count toward the dancing and musicprofessions. All professions have downtime. But the fact that you can masteryour buffbotby leaving her afk andplaying yourprimary characteris appalling to thosewho spent time at the computer building up their entertainers.

Now I'm not saying we should nerf dancers at all, but I do think we should nerf how simple it is to get experience. My hopes, and I think most entertainers' hopes are that a patch will be released which not only makesthe methods of gaining experienceas an entertainermore interesting and diverse, but alsowhich will makeentertainersmore usefuloverall.

Using the Image Designer patch as an example, it was made difficult or impossible to macro the image designer profession while afk, and also image designers were given more abilities, making them more useful to players. I personally do not think image designers are useful enough, but my point is that a patch like that is something that would be useful to dancers and musicians.

-Ciate Quindinar

Master Dancer on Eclipse - Bestine Cantina

Jaxian

Thu May 13, 2004 9:13 pm

#42

Oops, I meant to direct that to ArthurP, not LeBob.

-Ciate Quindinar

Master Dancer on Eclipse - Bestine Cantina

TB868GT

Thu May 13, 2004 10:29 pm

#43

As a doctor first, and dancer second, I agree that entertainer class should be able to buff themselves. One thing that is different, is that as a doctor I have to go hunt all over the galaxy for my supplies. Harvesting Lokian wild wheat, Dantoonie berries, Avian meat, Talusain water, tatoniee fiberplast, and much more. Thats one thing in favor of the entertainer, not having to go hunt or buy supplies.

As for the AFK grinding, well thats something that most professions can do and its the fault of the Devs. Why do people AFK macro? Because the game play is boring over the long haul. Maybe if the leveling was more fun there would be less afk. Just a point of view.

The Force is like duct tape. It has a light side, a darker side, and it binds everything together.

Jaxian

Fri May 14, 2004 2:36 am

#44

[quote]

I grinded my profession mostly AT the keyboard - and in the Theed cantina - babysitting and healing all the afk performers many late nights to keep them going. Seeing them there was not and is not 'appalling' to me, as a Master Muscian/Entertainer. This was a blanket statement, and I understand you are more or less speaking for yourself - and I accept it that way.[/quote]

I didn't mean to refer to you in particular, more along the lines of you or me or anyone else. I mean that some people put a lot of work into dancing while watching others simply accomplish the same thing while afk. It ruins any sense of accomplishment that might come from mastering dancer. While you yourself may not have been disturbed by it, most entertainers I have spoken with in-game are. My statement refers to them as well as myself.

[quote]

What was more disturbing to me and many I spoke with - more than those afking thru the profession to BE a dancer/musician/etc... were the hologrinders who afk'd thru and left it behind. It was the intent that created a problem.

On thier way thru the profession, they changed the mindset of those who needed our services. People stopped talking and tipping as much - because it was now 'understood' that many if not MOST perforners were now likely very rich players who were grinding toward Jedi and didn't care for socializing or making money at the profession of entertainer.[/quote]

I don't believe that was the case at all. I had played before hologrinding began, and tipping was not very common at all. Players I have spoken with have stated their reason for not tipping as they do not think that people who are afk should get their money, which makes sense. Others state that dancers are simply dancing for experience. They get rewarded with entertainer healing experience while the watcher is rewarded with healing. From this, it doesn't seem to me that hologrinders are causing the low tipping, but that it has simply always been a part of being an entertainer.

[quote]As an entertainer community, we need to join together after the recent jedi grinders. Let's stop complaining about HOW someone became an entertainer - if they did so in good faith, with every intention of being a good entertainer. Rather than bemoan the afk system - let's encourage each other, and reeducate the new players what entertaining is supposed to be about.[/quote]

Well, let us remember that we are indeed playing a game, and part of the fun of the game is advancing our characters. By the logic you use, we might as well make mastering combat as simple as going afk for a few days, then returning to be a master. I don't think anyone would agree with that. As Runesabre said, being able to afk through entertainment professions removes the intended social environment,lessens the value of the skills, lowers the sense of achievement, and damages the appeal of the profession.

[quote]I get discouraged when i see TRUE entertainers jammed into a large cantina - with no one talking. Meanwhile player cities are in need of entertainers to breath life into the social hub of the city.[/quote]

Well, this is very true, but it brings up another problem completely, I think. There really isn't motivation for dancers to move to low-populated areas. In player cities, there are few people who would visit the cantina, and there would be few other dancers, so most of a dancer's time would be spend staring at the wall. It would be difficult to get tips or healing experience as well. And if motivation was added to move there, well the social environment of the big city cantinas would be lost if everyone spreaded out. So why should dancers move to player cities? I don't rightly know.

Anyhow, as for afk macro'ing, I definitely agree with Runesabre. It is a problem. I hope you see my points at least.

-Ciate Quindinar

Master Dancer on Eclipse - Bestine Cantina

Jaxian

Fri May 14, 2004 2:37 am

#45

In retrospect, I should have previewed that post... Well, hopefully it is clear where I was trying to quote.

-Ciate Quindinar

Master Dancer on Eclipse - Bestine Cantina

Kreistor

Fri May 14, 2004 5:52 am

#46

LeBob wrote:

It would not be too hard to fool the client into thinking one was ATK when one was actually AFK....

Well, I'm obviously not going to ask how because I don't want that info to get out.

I still believe that it would alleviate alot of the AFKing that's going on. And, if it's easy to fool the client into thinking you're not AFK, then that's a bug (or exploit in this context) that needs to be fixed.

Ub-ick Esava
----------
Bria - Working towards Master Dancer one fall at a time

Lowca - Master Dancer Extraordinaire
*CENSORS* Cantina, Honor's Keep, Corellia,

LeBob

Fri May 14, 2004 7:02 am

#47

I mean it would be easy to fool any software into thinking a person was ATK... it's just something that's hard to code for...

SWGEntertainer.com
Emperor Palpatine (from "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith"):
"Every single Jedi is now an enemy of the Republic. Do what must be done. Do not hesitate. Show no mercy."
-I support ATK people and playstyles.
Account cancelled as of June 23, 2005

LeBob

Fri May 14, 2004 3:09 pm

#48

I have also been here nearly since launch (I actually started one month after launch)... I started on Talus (or Rori?) on accident as I meant to click Mos Eisley, Tattooine... it was not long before I made some friends that frequently visited Tatooine and very easily talked me into coming with them next time... I arrived in Mos Eisley on borrowed travelling fees and being an Entertainer and a big Star Wars fan, the first thing I did after arriving in the star port was a prompt burst run to the cantina... during all of this, I am still grouped with three friends from my starting planet that were helping me along... I was flabbergasted at the bustling of the thirty or so people in the cantina, and, without my group mates knowing where I had gone and my proclaiming in group chat "OH MY GOD!", there was no delay from my friends in replying in group chat that "he found the cantina lol"... I spent most of my time learning Entertainer in the Mos Eisley Cantina.... next I made my way to Anchorhead... by this time most of the Mos Eisley Cantina frequenters had also moved on to Ancorhead, so it was rather lively too... I miss those days no less than any of the rest of us...

I agree with everything you have said... and I am pleased to have one of your 113 posts since June in my thread...

SWGEntertainer.com
Emperor Palpatine (from "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith"):
"Every single Jedi is now an enemy of the Republic. Do what must be done. Do not hesitate. Show no mercy."
-I support ATK people and playstyles.
Account cancelled as of June 23, 2005

NinjaPizzaBoy

Sat May 15, 2004 12:24 am

#49

Bob -

I've been here since launch. Cantinas were amazing, social places where you could sit down, watch a good show, and hear some great stories (maybe even have a cute entertainer /smile at you =). Cantinas were fun!

The hologrind has killed that. Cantinas are now places where people can master a set of professions while they are asleep or at work. Think of it this way... My fifth holo was silent.....so I might as well master the entertainment professions while I'm not playing.

It's horrible. I can't believe cantinas changed from such a wonderful thing into the AFK spam-bot house that they have now. I am firmly against anyone afk macroing ANYTHING in SWG.

That post TH made in here about letting all entertainers afk macro made me feel really bad for the entertainment community.

I'm no entertainter and I probably never will be, but the hologrind needs to stop. Moreover, there needs to be a little window that pops up that says, "You hit the last move perfectly. What to try a special follow up for the crowd? Cost - 300 Action" Or something like that. Then we can have cantinas back.

It's just so sad... The main reasons players go to non-players cities these days is for healing and trading. The cantinas are filled with afk entertainers and the medical centers with afk tumblers. When did the game get like this?

Mariki

Sat May 15, 2004 1:25 am

#50

I don't see anything encouraging. By the time they fix this, a good percentage of musicians and dancers will have given up their profession or the game. Then if it is ever fixed, any that may want to actually come back will be forced into the kind of overboard grind like they did to the ID profession.

Its a no win situation the way I see it. At first this skill points system seemed like a cool idea to me but I have grown to hate it... I see no joy in having to relearn a profession I enjoyed because the devs that broke it finally get around to fixing it. Big woopy, they admit they borked it... Maybe they should be playing this game to get a clue.

Mariki Lee, Ex Rifleman
Last day Dec 2nd
Death by NGE
- All Hope Gone

ArythBandar

Sat May 15, 2004 9:29 am

#51

The SWG Dev team necesitated AFK grinding when they instituted the "to get Jedi you need to master a lot of professions". Granted, Jedi are suppose to be rare in the time period that the game takes place in, so becoming a Jedi should be tough. But, on the same note, b/c becoming a Jedi is so hard it's apealling to ppl who want/need a way to "win" a game w/o an ending.

With the intruduction of the new Jedi system in the next couple of months we should, hopefully, see less AFK grinders in the cantinas (unless, the quests you undertake will require you to master a certain profession in order to accomplish it).

Erelas

Sat May 15, 2004 10:29 am

#52

Just a note, as I was reading the post, SEVERAL new players have recently told me, and I am not an entertainer, I gave that up after week 2 of live

that they believed SOE paid musicians/dancers/entertainers somehow for being in the cantinas. I raced to correct them on this. Get the word out folks, you entertain for tips, from players not SOE. I would have discounted this, but when 6 players from newb to a month old told me the same thing, well, I was shocked.

Erelas Ry'Alcar

N Skull k Bones N

FS Master Bounty Hunter | Master Carbineer

Entertainer Archive

Thread: Runesabre Speaks Out About AFK Macroing!