Entertainer Archive

I did what I said I'd never do.

I ground my way through Musicianship 4. I felt incredibly dirty.

Why did I do it? Two reasons.

1) The 'starwars3' song is, in my opinion, quite bad. After the relaxing 'folk' song (which is really good, kinda jazzy, some nice effects, got lots of player compliments on it, helped me WANT to play for people), which sounded great on my fizzz, I get 'starwars3', which, I'm sorry, sounds like 3rd grader playing the Addams Family theme song on his $40 Casio synthesizer.

2) If I want tohave aGOOD performancein cantinas, I'll play the same song as the other minstrels. Unfortunately, that song is inevitably the drunken kazoo that is 'starwars1'. Admitedly, the fizzz version of this song adds a significant amount of pep to the mix and turned my head when I heard it for the first time. However, the main issue I have here is that the xp gain on this is, of course, the same as it was at Musicianship 1. When I'm pursuing the end of Musicianship 4, which is 45k xp, and then want to nail Novice Musician, another 50k, I stutter in frustration when I see 10 xp trickling through the hopper.

No, this is not the act of one man trolling. I have a simple solution that will make musicians everywhere smile and nod.

Simply make XP gain level dependant, not song dependant. Meaning, if I'm at Musicianship 4, and I tootle out a couple of flourishes off of 'starwars1' or 'rock', may I please see 15xp (solo) instead of 6?

This also adds the important ability to continue playing a song one actually likes to play and/or hear and not inhibit his/her XP gain. Songs are not simple upgrades like "Bodyshot2" to "Bodyshot1". There's an entirely different mood for each song, some of which simply will not be liked by some minstrels/audiences.

I understand that actual songs for all the different instruments, including 'flourishes' for all of them, take time to write or have written. I'm not asking for new music this early out of the gate. However, please don't disable the growth potential of the Musician-bound Entertainer who wants to perform in public cantinas with the requisite newbie majority, but still yearns to get make new instruments and play them with old songs in good bands.

Let us make a bigger, bettersound in the Galaxy. Let us finally, proudly soothe the blaster ravaged ears of the player populous. Please, give us flat rate, level-based XP gain for the Musician.

Thanks for reading.

Are you playing a kloo horn? Fanfar and kloo horn give better exp than Slither and fizzz on the lower level songs.

I think you are missing the point, Anga. We musicians are tired of being penalized for grouping with weaker musicians. We would like a way to help the newbies out while still gaining the maximum XP. It was simply a design flaw to tie XP into instrument and song rather than into skill. I realize that using a higher-level instrument will raise XP gain, but I'd rather get a flat XP gain for my skill. BTW, I am just at tier 2 musician and am already running into this problem, both as I am hindered by newbs and myself hindering higher-level musicians. There shouldn't be this problem at just the send tier.

Though I kind of like how hard it is to gain music xp (not many higher-up musicians on Naritus) I do agree, for the most part.

While I do agree that it can be difficult sometimes, you have several options open to you to increase your xp gain. You can either play your most difficult song OR your most difficult instrument. I use my highest instrument and it doesn't matter which song I play. Also you can gain Musicianship exp buy crafting instruments. I think there are plenty of methods to improve your musicianship skill... Making all the songs have the same exp bonus is not realistic, either. As a musician in real life, I find that this follows the path most students take in their own musical development. They start on a simple instrument, with a small collection of songs, that increases with time and become more difficult. Take "Mary Had a Little Lamb" vs. Mozart's Symphony #49. A musician would learn more, at a faster rate practicing the Mozart over "Mary."

I suggest that you use your most difficult instrument. Flourish in a entertaining way to draw customers( you get a bonus for more guests listening to you)...ask your patrons to /cheer, and /applaud for you... this gives you a bonus as well.

I hope this helps you out and if you ever are on Bria, look me up.

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BardtheBowman wrote:

While I do agree that it can be difficult sometimes, you have several options open to you to increase your xp gain. You can either play your most difficult song OR your most difficult instrument. I use my highest instrument and it doesn't matter which song I play. Also you can gain Musicianship exp buy crafting instruments. I think there are plenty of methods to improve your musicianship skill... Making all the songs have the same exp bonus is not realistic, either. As a musician in real life, I find that this follows the path most students take in their own musical development. They start on a simple instrument, with a small collection of songs, that increases with time and become more difficult. Take "Mary Had a Little Lamb" vs. Mozart's Symphony #49. A musician would learn more, at a faster rate practicing the Mozart over "Mary."

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The XP gained by making instruments is decidedly low - plus, it means taking the time to go and mine, which is decidedly non-musical. Please note that I've spent a great deal of time mining and crafting musical instruments, because I'm the only one in the whole of Scylla who makes Fizzzes available to the public.

I, too, have been in jams in real life. I've learned a great deal just by jamming simple blues licks with different people. Note that there is no "Mary's Lamb" song in the SWG repetoire. None of these songs would be 'simple' for the starting 'real musician' to play. Anyway, the whole point of higher XP gain in groups, and even higher in live, performing, public groups, is that you're learning by doing.

Please note that while I was grinding my way through 3 and 4, the Fizzz WAS my hardest instrument. No one else on the server was making anything.

In overall game mechanics, SWG is slowly trying to veer everyone towards grouping, giving better group combat xp, making mobs spawn faster and in larger, more difficult packs. If they're going to do it for fighters, let them do it for Entertainers, too. Different dancers of different dance levels can group with no problems, using their highest dance, gaining max XP. Musicians, on the other hand, have to work around the "you can only /start the music that is currently being played", and when we do, we sound awful.

This shouldn't be a choice. Even the casual gamer will agree that "hey, you know, I'm moving pretty slowly." 50k XP is going to take a while no matter what you're doing, so they may as well make it fun to play the old songs with newbies.

Thanks again.

First of all, Nevlik, I also make Fizzzes on Scylla and sell them for half what you do. Second, to add a little more to this argument about using higher-level instruments, I have Musicianship II and can only play a slitherhorn or a fizzz. Even using a fizzz, I only get 14 XP max per tick, and that's in a group of12 musicians (the highest number I've ever found in one cantina)and me flourishing my Trandoshan but off. This is a little ridiculous, don't you think?

Xp is helped greatly by a big crowd. I'm getting 40 xp per tick with a fizz on starwars2 and 35 for rock about (plus or minus, not sure on rock there). This is in a crowded cantina witha huge audience and over ten sometimes 20 musicians. the guys with Kloo horns and Trazz's are making 80 and 90. This is in the cantina in coronet, a quite crowded cantina. Bella Vistal, Tyrea, Verni Island, and the rest are much less populated, making for a better playing environ when I finally reach master, but for poor exp.

I hope that after some of us reach master this will level off and the musicians will spread out to new cities and venues. But for now the best exp is in the crowded towns.