Entertainer Archive
Thread: AFK Entertainer Idea
I think we can all agree that there are 2 main classes of AFK-robot entertainers:
1) Those who set up robots in remote locations because there aren't usually any other entertainers there.
2) People who set up robots in Theed, Anchorhead, Coronet, etc, because they want to "get in on the action" but they don't actaually want to be bothered with playing the game.....
Although some people feel that #1 is OK, I think we can agree that #2 is really bad form, makes the cantinas more crowded, and discourages people who want to play entertainers.
In order to eliminate robots in crowded venues, the developers could implement some variation on the following:
If an entertainer is AFK (defined by inactivity, not by the AFK flag) then they will only be able to gain experience, receive tips, and heal people if there are no non-AFK performers in the same venue. And even then, they should only get 1/4 experience. (If any)
This would reward those of us who actually play the game by giving us full experience all the time, as opposed to AFKers who will be shut down if another entertainer starts performing in the same place. If they want to provide a service when no other entertainers are around, that's one thing. But if a REAL entertainer shows up, they shouldn't have to compete with a robot.
-Cebo
-Entertainer/Medic - Shadowfire
Okay, after more thought, it would be better to have the /startmusic and /startband have the /dump command attached to them.
This way the at-keyboard macroers can still have their flourishing going while their hands are free.
What happens is that whenever you /startmusic it dumps your macros. /startband dumps everyone's macro in the band. An AFK macroer could type /startmusic and then hit a macro for flourishes, but when they get tired they stop. If they have a rest period in their macro and a /startmusic at the end, then when the /startmusic command is executed all macros get dumped. They will still start the music, but without flourishes, and when they get tired this time they will not have the macro running to get them started again.
People will still be able to AFK macro for several minutes, and just type /startmusic or /startdance then hit their macro again...but at least it requires their attention every few minutes.
Ok, fine, you guys go entertain on endor, lok, dathomir, remote places in Tatooine, where you get one customer an hour and see how bored you get talking to yourself all evening.
ANY entertainer is welcome there. They can pop in heal their wounds bf and get buffed and head back out. There just isnt enough traffic to actually stay non-afk.. geez i macro all nite and come back in the morning 15k richer..
I get tipped just for being there and providing a badly needed service to people on the advanced planets, rather than the star port sitters on theed who just died to some mauler 1km from town..
That's not a bad idea at all Wemi, but I hope they fix the animation for lyrical/formal in the same patch with /start doing a dump command. Since other people see those 2 dances as random shuffling unless you're flourishing, I've got a macro with /startdance (name); /pause 1; /flourish X just to keep the bugged steps from kicking in. 
Waho wrote:
Okay, after more thought, it would be better to have the /startmusic and /startband have the /dump command attached to them.
This way the at-keyboard macroers can still have their flourishing going while their hands are free.
What happens is that whenever you /startmusic it dumps your macros. /startband dumps everyone's macro in the band. An AFK macroer could type /startmusic and then hit a macro for flourishes, but when they get tired they stop. If they have a rest period in their macro and a /startmusic at the end, then when the /startmusic command is executed all macros get dumped. They will still start the music, but without flourishes, and when they get tired this time they will not have the macro running to get them started again.
People will still be able to AFK macro for several minutes, and just type /startmusic or /startdance then hit their macro again...but at least it requires their attention every few minutes.
sorry to break this to you but that won't stop anyone here is why .
simpified code version actual macro would be longer
macro1: startmusic xxxx
macro2: florurish x number of times and type
action toolbar slot startmusic
action toolbar slot flourishmacro
oops add a pause between starting first macro to avoid the dump.
now to stop Lame AFKers I think deny service would have to be the default (that way you have to actually be at the keyboard to gain any healing XP) (regular musician xp would still be earned though).
PsychoGeek wrote:1) Those who set up robots in remote locations because there aren't usually any other entertainers there.
2) People who set up robots in Theed, Anchorhead, Coronet, etc, because they want to "get in on the action" but they don't actaually want to be bothered with playing the game.....
Although some people feel that #1 is OK, I think we can agree that #2 is really bad form, makes the cantinas more crowded, and discourages people who want to play entertainers.
(out of character)
No, I don't think that #1 is OK either. Any AFK robot, even in remote locations, kills business for real entertainers. If in every remote cantina there is a robot, how many people will still bother to travel to the cantinas the real entertainers are performing in? If robot healing in remote cantinas would be OK, I believe there would be healing terminals or NPCs, don't you think so? :-)
ChaosL00 wrote:
Waho wrote:
Okay, after more thought, it would be better to have the /startmusic and /startband have the /dump command attached to them.
sorry to break this to you but that won't stop anyone here is why .
simpified code version actual macro would be longer
macro1: startmusic xxxx
macro2: florurish x number of times and type
action toolbar slot startmusic
action toolbar slot flourishmacro
This doesn't work, because the dump command stops ALL paused macros, not just the current one.
When "startmusic" is exectuted, macro2 will be killed before it has a chance to run the flourishmacro.
Please ignore my previous post. (I wish I could delete it.)
As long as people use a "flourishmacro" which is designed to keep them from draining their action faster than it can be replenished, then there will never be a need to run startmusic again, and the flourishmacro can continue indefinitely. I thought the proposal was for the two macros to be called from a third macro, not for them to be started by hand.
-Cebo
Anshe_ wrote:
No, I don't think that #1 is OK either. Any AFK robot, even in remote locations, kills business for real entertainers. If in every remote cantina there is a robot, how many people will still bother to travel to the cantinas the real entertainers are performing in? If robot healing in remote cantinas would be OK, I believe there would be healing terminals or NPCs, don't you think so? :-)
I didn't mean to imply that I think AFK robots are OK. I agree that they hurt business no matter where they are set up. Even though we both agree on this point, I don't think everyone here agrees on it.
On the other hand, I think that there is near-universalagreement that AFK robots in the same cantina with a non-AFK entertainer hurt business for the non-AFK entertainer.
Rather than try to convince people that any robot is bad, I thought I'd propose a compromise solution so that people could discuss it.
-Cebo