Entertainer Archive
Thread: To all the AFK entertainers... do it in small towns!
First off, I'll admit that while I sit here 15miles from my main computer, Bacacuba is busily mining iron outside of Cornet. That said, there are times it is good to be able to do SOME things while afk. If I'm paying my money to play this game month after month, I'm going to get the most of every minute of it, no matter where I am. That said...
I disagree in having 2/3rds of the entertainers in the Cornet (and other largely populated cities) being afk while others are trying hard to make the most of the game and their time at the game. If you're going to run an afk macro do it somewhere that you're not going to find many entertainers. More than half the time I go into the Keren cantina there is no one. Not a single novice entertainer all the way up to the masters. I'd pay good money to have someone there when I need them and not have to trek all the way to theed and back to get healed. I typically tip well, less if they are afk, but I never leave w/o tipping something. If you are the only one dancing in a cantina, people will come by, you will get XP and you will get some tips. At the same time you are leaving those who are at the keyboard to enjoy the game as it's supposed to be played.
Also, if you're a entertainer/medic -- GO TO NASHAL or KEREN or anywhere that is often empty of those professions. I am considering picking up one or both professions on my next character simply because I enjoy the person to person interaction and when I'm in a smaller town I will be in demand.
That's my two cents... coming from a smuggler who alwas needs a heal when he picks on the BH andtheir loud mouth.
I think that is a great idea as well, I know I often can never find a Dancer on Talus (Starsider) the hours I play and I would love to have an entertainer there grinding away all night.
This may be unpopular for some entertainers as I know it is evil to use a macro *shudder*, or that it "cheapens" the profession. but to a person in need of such as that it does not seem bad at all.
More over, you are not going to put a stop to people macoing, SOE could I am sure the way the UO guys cracked down on it (silly waste of a CSR's time in my opinion) but you are not going to put a stop to it. SO why not embrace the differences between the two sides of the debate, encourage them to AFK macro dancing just ask them to please visit one of the less populated cities.
Just my thoughts on the matter.
Bacacuba wrote:
>GO TO NASHAL or KEREN
Oh please do not send them to Keren. We have a nice active group of entertainers and medics there now... it'd be a shame to see it all go the way of the AFK.
I think this plea is going to fall on deaf ears. The AFK Macro-tainers are looking for gobs of XP. They can't get that AFKing solo in a deserted cantina. They can only get that in groups. This is why the big cities with the huge 20-ent groups are so full of AFKers -- they all have the same goal (fast XP gain), so they congregate in the largest venues.
C
ok... ALL AFK ENTERTAINERS GO TO FLURRY's KEREN BETWEEN 5pm-1am CST! lol.
I appricate the entertainers that are actually there, and will usually check to be sure the person I'm about to watch is there before I start doing so. Plus I double the number of cheers (not to mention tips) when I know the person is there. But the times I've walked into Keren's cantina and had no one there... almost makes me want to join ya'll ranks. Seriously though, if anyone is on flurry during those hours, we would like to see some more people out towards Keren. There are at least 5-10 in Theed. Keren is such a nice area and I'd love to see it grow. But without entertainers and docs to fix us reckless wild spirits up when we get in over our head... we just move to where we do. Just a hint... when I find one lone entertainer in a town I'm visiting, I usually tip very very well and know most other people will do the same. The time it takes for me to head over to Theed is worth the extra 500-700 credits I usually tip. But the whole non/low tipping thread rant can be saved for another time. And I try to spread the word to every noob I find that 50 credits is not acceptable unless that's half of the total in your pocket.
Chess I did not know this...
I draw a distinction bewtween macroing in general which I have never had a problem with for a number of reasons, and Macroing in a way that either takes away from someone elses game play or profit.
As an example I would not approve of someone setting up shop in front of an entertainer who was at the keyboard workign the room, this is just bad form. I find it rude and it is done often intentionally to make money or get experience. This impacts in a tangible negative way another player.
In closingno AFK macro types go to Keren please 
Small towns are okay, but not cantinas...do it in the hotels or something. Better yet, buy a house and do it there.
probably because they dont know any better.. i get loads of healing when im afk on endor.. because the people there WANT be to keep playing to heal them.. i get loads of tips as well just for sitting my character there rather than in my house. Besides.. with the novice medic skill and use of /tend we can easily macro heal ourselves at the cost of a few mind wounds (hahaha) for free 
Vaywen wrote:
Afk dancers pick the big cities to macro in because there are big groups to leech xp off and many medics to heal their action while they grind out the xp. I doubt this will change until something is done to prevent the afking in the first place.
Eh ?
You will find most groups won't let you join just to leach and I have NO problem at all leaving the busy cantina for the completely empty other cantina because there I get higher tips, greater appreciation, lots of healing XP and I get it all for myself.
I performed in the empty cantina for hours last weekend, sometimes I was just dancing on my own for 30 minutes or so without anyone watching and sometimes I shouted that I was there if anyone needed healing. The few people that actually came in and watched were very friendly and asked why I was here and wondered if I didn't like meeting other people but they all admitted that they were happy that I was there, near their hunting spots instead of the main cantina which is alot further away for them. Some were really surprised that I was actually at my keyboard because I greeted them by name upon entering, unlike a AFKMer
Go this route (the AFKM xp leach from active player route) and you will not make many friends among the players who really want to live out their character, such as me and alot of others on these boards.
To quote a popular phrase:
It's about the journey, not the destination.
I am here for the journey, having fun building up my character, making friends, socializing with other dancers, with the people who come watch me and/or the band I happen to be in. AFKMers are here for the destination, but they forget that this is a MMORPG and not a single player game, this game has no destination or ENDING sequence.
I will very much enjoy my master entertainment healing, master dancing, master musician and master image design skills when I eventually reach them in a few weeks/months time. I see it as a reward for my effort of logging out when I go to bed and socializing with the people I meet when I am logged in.
Im sorry if you are on Eclipse server Do Not Come to Nashal!
No!
I have been 'living' there since day one driving out the afk macroers. I have never once afk macro'd and I've gotten the locals to support me in anti afking in our cantina.
Dont do it! Please. Its rude and disrespectful to those of us who 'work there'. Buy yourself a home and dance or play afk there if you must, if you really must. Dont hurt our image anymore by afking. We have little enough respect as a profession as it is.
Niemhe Master Dancer Eclipse
Aprilstorme wrote:
I have been 'living' there since day one driving out the afk macroers. I have never once afk macro'd and I've gotten the locals to support me in anti afking in our cantina.
Heh, if your town is effective at driving out AFKers, maybe people on Eclipse should send them your way. You are able to get a message to them that some of us cannot (I could consider an e-mail barrage but I won't).
But congrats in chasing out the AFKers. Usually, I find that the AFKers are unaffected by anything said to them (since they usually aren't there anyway).
Bacacuba wrote:Seriously though, if anyone is on flurry during those hours, we would like to see some more people out towards Keren. There are at least 5-10 in Theed. Keren is such a nice area and I'd love to see it grow. But without entertainers and docs to fix us reckless wild spirits up when we get in over our head... we just move to where we do.
It ain't gonna grow with just an AFK macroer or two in the cantina. They're no better than NPCs... may as well ask for the devs to put 4 more NPCs in the cantina to spout random chats like the ones in Moenia for that.
What you want, Bac, is to hire a live dancer. So, there are 10 at a time in Theed? OK... here's what you do. Get together with the other combat-types in search of Keren healing. Get together a pool of whatever money you can afford... a few thou, whatever. Now get in a shuttle and head to Theed. Go to the 10+ entertainer party there, and offer to pay the collected money to any entertainer willing to go to Keren and entertain for the evening.
If an entertainer takes you up on the offer, put him or her on your friends list. Go back to Keren with them. While they entertain you, be nice -- as you imply you do (cheering, etc). Chat them up a little so they feel appreciated.
Later on -- next day or whatever -- when you are online and need a heal, if that person is on, send a /tell. Offer to pay his or her round-trip ticket back out to Keren for some healing, and then get your buddies from Keren to tip the entertainer. Most importantly, assuming the entertainer is a nice person and reasonably friendly (if not, pick someone else next time and keep going till you find one who is), make friends with the entertainer.
What you want, to get Keren's cantina occupied, is to make the entertainer(s) who come there to service you feel welcome and look forward to going there. Soon, they might start just hopping over to Keren when they log in, and before you know it they will start considering Keren their "home cantina."
Now, I'm not saying you HAVE to do this... by all means you can go to Theed to heal instead or just do other things (get ent yourself, etc). But if in fact you really want to get Keren to have a more active cantina with live performers, this is a good way to try doing it. I bet it'll work.
C