Entertainer Archive
Thread: Suggestions about mind enhancement abilities
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Hypatian
Mon Aug 25, 2003 2:05 am
#1
Since we've now discovered how mind enhancement works, it seems like there's going to be a lot of interesting opportunities opening up for the Musician and Dancer professions to participate more actively in the field, and to gain more respect in the cantina. But I have a few concerns about how it works, and think it could be improved a bit. I'm posting this in the Entertainer forum, since I believe most people who read the Musician and Dancer forums also read this one, and since it applies to both equally, not only to one or the other.
Summary of suggestions, since the message went long:
1) Provide feedback to the buff recipients--so they know that something is going on and can then ask and find out how it works.
2) Consider increasing (with skill level) performance-time-to-buff-length ratio to around 6:1, and increase the maximum length to either 60 or 90 minutes--so that cantina buffing is useful, and so that field entertainment buffing doesn't require too much downtime for most people to find it worthwhile.
3) Possibly consider adding a buff of 10% of the maximum amount *while* enjoying the performance--so that there's some feedback to patrons of what they're going to receive, and so that minor "healing" support in camp while in downtime is possible.
4) Check if performers can receive their own or groupmates' buffs while performing, and consider fixing it so they can self-buff if they cannot--so that people who perform *and* fight aren't handicapped in not being able to have mind buffs.
The first issue is that many people don't know that these mind, focus, and willpower buffs are even being applied, not to mention their effectiveness or length. The first thing I thought about recommending was some mention in the Tuesday Tips this week: but, well, that only reaches the people who read the forums--which is in fact probably a small percentage of the player base. I can explain it to people in game, but it's somewhat complicated to explain how big the buff will be, how long it lasts, etc. And if I explained it a lot in public cantinas, it would practically be spamming, which I abhor.
So the first suggestion is to make mind enhancement buffs report in the system area when they are applied. Something like: "Your mind will be enhanced by 450 points for the next 30 minutes, thanks to Hypatia's performance." (That might be a little wordy, but it should note the amount, duration, and the person the buff came from.) Just reporting this would make people sit up and ask the entertainer where that buff came from. Right now, the only response to the buff is bemusement when the blue numbers flicker over your head as the buff is wearing off. "Another weird bug" is what I though when I first saw that.
My second suggestion is to triple the duration of the buff, perhaps based on the skill level of the performer. Doctor buffs have the potential to buff all other stat bars for (so I have heard) an hour and a half. While doctor buffs do require resources to make, they do *not* require the sort of downtime that entertainment buffing requires. To make good use of entertainer buffs in the field right now, you'd have to bring along a master musician and a master dancer, set up camp just before wherever you're going to attack, then take 15 minutes of downtime. After that, you break camp, stop listening and watching, and for the next thirty minutes, the mind stats are improved. Unfortunately, after those thirty minutes are up, you have to stop the action, set up camp, and have another fifteen minute performance. You could choose not to do that, and just go on fighting--but most people I know neither want to take a 15 minute break every 30 minutes, nor do they want to deal with the ups and downs of "sometimes we are buffed, sometimes we are not buffed". This is especially true about hunting in very dangerous areas, and about factional fighting.
And while people might say that you need periodic downtime to deal with wounds in any case: I guarantee to you that a group with a high level doctor, dancer, and musician is *not* going to need fifteen minutes to heal wounds after a half hour of fighting.
What I'd recommend is ramping the entertainment-time-to-buff-time ratio up from 2:1 at novice dancer/musician to 6:1 at master dancer/musician, and increase the maximum buff length by the same amount. At this point, ten minutes of performance provides an hour of buff, and fifteen minutes provides an hour and a half. These lengths compare favorably with the best doctor buffs I've heard of--if they're too long, using the same rate (6:1) but maxing out at one hour would be sufficient to make the tradeoff useful: 10 minutes entertainment, an hour's work. An hour or an hour and a half is also long enough for people who visit public cantinas to be able to make use of the buffs: as it stands, getting out from the city to a mission or interesting hunting area takes almost the full duration of the buff.
With these changes to make mind enhancement more generally desirable, I think there would be a *lot* more demand for the services of high level entertainers in the field, and a lot more respect for high level entertainers in the public cantinas. I know that my friends and I (many of whom are master dancers and master musicians who have turned to a life of occasional adventure) are likely to use these field entertainment buffs regardless--but I think that the majority of the population needs a little more urging to take it up.
One final suggestion would be to *possibly* give a partial (perhaps 10% of the "real" amount) buff while a person is enjoying a performance. This is a nice perk for medics to keep their mind up in camp, provides a bit of "mind damage healing" in camp when you're in a tight spot and want to make sure everybody's up to snuff in case something big jumps out of the underbrush, and also gives a little feedback to the audience about what they're abou to receive.
Anyway, these are my thoughts. Any opinions?
Oh, oops. I thought of another thing: at the moment, it seems like a performer might not be able to receive a buff while they're performing themselves? This is a big big big drawback for a performer/fighter in a group: not only have they sacrificed skill points (combat abilities) to become a high level performer, they also can't receive buffs if they're going to be giving them. Doctors certainly don't have that problem. I haven't investigated this throughly, however, so it's possible that I've just missed noticing the buffs somehow.
If this restriction *is* in force, it should be lifted: the fact that you don't get the buff (or in the case of the 10% while doing buff I suggested as a possibility: you only get a small amount of it) until done performing means (in my mind) that the possibility of exploiting self-buffing in some way is low.
Summary of suggestions, since the message went long:
1) Provide feedback to the buff recipients--so they know that something is going on and can then ask and find out how it works.
2) Consider increasing (with skill level) performance-time-to-buff-length ratio to around 6:1, and increase the maximum length to either 60 or 90 minutes--so that cantina buffing is useful, and so that field entertainment buffing doesn't require too much downtime for most people to find it worthwhile.
3) Possibly consider adding a buff of 10% of the maximum amount *while* enjoying the performance--so that there's some feedback to patrons of what they're going to receive, and so that minor "healing" support in camp while in downtime is possible.
4) Check if performers can receive their own or groupmates' buffs while performing, and consider fixing it so they can self-buff if they cannot--so that people who perform *and* fight aren't handicapped in not being able to have mind buffs.
The first issue is that many people don't know that these mind, focus, and willpower buffs are even being applied, not to mention their effectiveness or length. The first thing I thought about recommending was some mention in the Tuesday Tips this week: but, well, that only reaches the people who read the forums--which is in fact probably a small percentage of the player base. I can explain it to people in game, but it's somewhat complicated to explain how big the buff will be, how long it lasts, etc. And if I explained it a lot in public cantinas, it would practically be spamming, which I abhor.
So the first suggestion is to make mind enhancement buffs report in the system area when they are applied. Something like: "Your mind will be enhanced by 450 points for the next 30 minutes, thanks to Hypatia's performance." (That might be a little wordy, but it should note the amount, duration, and the person the buff came from.) Just reporting this would make people sit up and ask the entertainer where that buff came from. Right now, the only response to the buff is bemusement when the blue numbers flicker over your head as the buff is wearing off. "Another weird bug" is what I though when I first saw that.
My second suggestion is to triple the duration of the buff, perhaps based on the skill level of the performer. Doctor buffs have the potential to buff all other stat bars for (so I have heard) an hour and a half. While doctor buffs do require resources to make, they do *not* require the sort of downtime that entertainment buffing requires. To make good use of entertainer buffs in the field right now, you'd have to bring along a master musician and a master dancer, set up camp just before wherever you're going to attack, then take 15 minutes of downtime. After that, you break camp, stop listening and watching, and for the next thirty minutes, the mind stats are improved. Unfortunately, after those thirty minutes are up, you have to stop the action, set up camp, and have another fifteen minute performance. You could choose not to do that, and just go on fighting--but most people I know neither want to take a 15 minute break every 30 minutes, nor do they want to deal with the ups and downs of "sometimes we are buffed, sometimes we are not buffed". This is especially true about hunting in very dangerous areas, and about factional fighting.
And while people might say that you need periodic downtime to deal with wounds in any case: I guarantee to you that a group with a high level doctor, dancer, and musician is *not* going to need fifteen minutes to heal wounds after a half hour of fighting.
What I'd recommend is ramping the entertainment-time-to-buff-time ratio up from 2:1 at novice dancer/musician to 6:1 at master dancer/musician, and increase the maximum buff length by the same amount. At this point, ten minutes of performance provides an hour of buff, and fifteen minutes provides an hour and a half. These lengths compare favorably with the best doctor buffs I've heard of--if they're too long, using the same rate (6:1) but maxing out at one hour would be sufficient to make the tradeoff useful: 10 minutes entertainment, an hour's work. An hour or an hour and a half is also long enough for people who visit public cantinas to be able to make use of the buffs: as it stands, getting out from the city to a mission or interesting hunting area takes almost the full duration of the buff.
With these changes to make mind enhancement more generally desirable, I think there would be a *lot* more demand for the services of high level entertainers in the field, and a lot more respect for high level entertainers in the public cantinas. I know that my friends and I (many of whom are master dancers and master musicians who have turned to a life of occasional adventure) are likely to use these field entertainment buffs regardless--but I think that the majority of the population needs a little more urging to take it up.
One final suggestion would be to *possibly* give a partial (perhaps 10% of the "real" amount) buff while a person is enjoying a performance. This is a nice perk for medics to keep their mind up in camp, provides a bit of "mind damage healing" in camp when you're in a tight spot and want to make sure everybody's up to snuff in case something big jumps out of the underbrush, and also gives a little feedback to the audience about what they're abou to receive.
Anyway, these are my thoughts. Any opinions?
Oh, oops. I thought of another thing: at the moment, it seems like a performer might not be able to receive a buff while they're performing themselves? This is a big big big drawback for a performer/fighter in a group: not only have they sacrificed skill points (combat abilities) to become a high level performer, they also can't receive buffs if they're going to be giving them. Doctors certainly don't have that problem. I haven't investigated this throughly, however, so it's possible that I've just missed noticing the buffs somehow.
If this restriction *is* in force, it should be lifted: the fact that you don't get the buff (or in the case of the 10% while doing buff I suggested as a possibility: you only get a small amount of it) until done performing means (in my mind) that the possibility of exploiting self-buffing in some way is low.
Hypatian
Tue Aug 26, 2003 8:10 am
#2
Last night my friends and I did some missions from town after buffing in the local cantina. The general feeling was that: yes, the duration of the buff let us all three finish our missions before the buff wore out, but nobody was enthused about the idea of going in to spend 15 minutes in the cantina again afterwards.
I also did some testing:
1) The buffs seem very difficult to get "right" when you're grouped with someone. I was in a group with a near-master dancer and a novice (no boxes) musician. I received only the buff from the musician--it wouldn't let me /watch the dancer after I listened to the musician. In general, this works better when not grouped. It would be very nice if this behavior was more predictable.
2) A buff of type X *will* stack with itself to increase effectiveness while the duration overlaps. This seems rather unfortunate, since it means that increasing the duration would make it easier to get ridiculous amounts of mind points.
3) There is no increased effectiveness from enjoying a performance with multiple performers of the same type. In fact, if there are a master and a novice musician in a group and you listen to the novice, you don't get the benefit of the master's buff.
Based on these, I'd suggest making changes to decrease the time it takes to buff, remove the ability to stack and re-stack from one performer, make in-group watch and listening work right, and either cause multiple performers to stack with diminishing returns or make them not stack and always use the best performer's buff.
I also did some testing:
1) The buffs seem very difficult to get "right" when you're grouped with someone. I was in a group with a near-master dancer and a novice (no boxes) musician. I received only the buff from the musician--it wouldn't let me /watch the dancer after I listened to the musician. In general, this works better when not grouped. It would be very nice if this behavior was more predictable.
2) A buff of type X *will* stack with itself to increase effectiveness while the duration overlaps. This seems rather unfortunate, since it means that increasing the duration would make it easier to get ridiculous amounts of mind points.
3) There is no increased effectiveness from enjoying a performance with multiple performers of the same type. In fact, if there are a master and a novice musician in a group and you listen to the novice, you don't get the benefit of the master's buff.
Based on these, I'd suggest making changes to decrease the time it takes to buff, remove the ability to stack and re-stack from one performer, make in-group watch and listening work right, and either cause multiple performers to stack with diminishing returns or make them not stack and always use the best performer's buff.
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