Entertainer Archive

I just got my very first tip this morning.... 5 credits!

After running several gig missions which turned out to be lengthy, dangerous to an unarmed entertainer, and not very rewarding credit wise, and one delivery mission, for which I was not paid, even though the message said money was in my bank, I was thrilled to be earning something.. anything for my primary work.

I do believe the situation will improve. With any new game, there is lots that the players don't know about yet. The other thing is that a player culture evolves. I have seen this in other MMORPGs that I have been in. As a beta tester for EQ, it was interesting to see how the social dynamics change due to the rules of the game that are implemented. For example, Dark Age of Camelot has evolved into a co-operative, low commerce game, compared to EQ.

In a game that more closely resembles SWG as far as the healing professions, Gemstone III, people come to certain central places for healing and healers are compensated very well.

The big difference in healing in GS III is that healers choose whom they will heal, and you can be sure that they heal their regulars and those known to be good tippers first! It would even happen that real griefers could not find anyone to heal them, thus rewarding "good" behavior.

I would suggest that if.. say in a month or two time, if players have not realized the importance of tipping healers, that the DEVS change things so that a healer can choose not to heal a player. Using the /ignore command would prevent a player from gaining as fast a rate of healing.

Even to me, that sounds like complicated programming, but maybe they can find a way.

Perhaps their healing could be reduced by 20% for each entertainer that is /ignore - ing them.

And good tippers and customers could be rewarded by a command that would award them 20% increase in healing for each entertainer that approved of them, up to a cap of say 100%.

That would encourage customers to tip earlier in the healing cycle.

I sure don't want to heal the guy thatganked me and incapacitated me as I stepped off a shuttle in Corellia trying to perform a gig at the local hotel!

Sabine, dancer in Daoba Guerfel

No. Role Playing and life wise it's music, you can't make some people not hear your music if they're within ear shot. If they are within ear shot why should I be able to turn off my healing? Coming from a power gamer perspective I can see your point, it's just too bad I left that behind 2 years ago. It makes no sense what you're asking in any kind of world except a control/power/greeedy freak world.

I've found that the best tips come when you're the only one on stage and you're conversing with the people coming in, those guides that 'tell' you how to play the entertainer classes is actually true (the first few days I played I was suggesting aloud that tips were acceppted). Luckily I enjoy the music aspect of it, so I stuck it out; got some more songs. I jumped on stage one night with a few song macro's and the new knowledge of the /changemusic (/changedance works too ) commands. So now that I'm able to instantly jump from song to song it's non-stop. I'm talkin with people, they're talkin to me, my music actually sounds like a song you would actually hear instead of just random things. Made 9000creds that night, a night of 10 hours though, yeah I'm a freak , couldn't believe it myself, and I had been so busy having fun that the only acknowledgement I gave tips was thanks aloud to the person (tips of cash or healing ).

Some people told me they felt bad they could only tip 10 credits or whatever, I'd let them know that any tip is a good tip, and that it's the gesture that counts. I'm doing this for fun and necessity; tips are just gravy.

All of that said I think musicians got it a little easier because music leads to the soul, and if you get the right song goin for the right people stick with it, they stay around and come back even when they have 20 BF . And music represents itself better than dancing because it's both visual and audible. When you dance that's all you're doing, and with no music it lessens the impact of the performance. So I can see that at the lower levels tipping be hard to get (you have to remember that there countless other people doing your same thing, and it seems you do realize this ). In a large band it's hard for everyone to get tips, as they go to one person in specific, personally when I get a tip I try to split it up over the group if it's giong to be 20credits+, but if I get a 50cred tip I don't bother in a group of 20 entertainers.

Anyway, keep on playing and dancing, stick to one cantina and people will recognize you. They get more friendly with their talk and wallet when they recognize someone . Sympathize (or Empathize which I can now do ) with the hurt people, talk to the medics and thank them for letting your performance go on. Don't ever talk in tells unless the person isn't in the cantina, make it a more life-like situation where you can be heard always (use /whisper if you wanna only have people close to you hear, /shout or /yell when excited etc...). Just have fun, that's all it boils down to.

When you obsess over something it doesn't come, ever. This is very true in the real world (obsess about how to do something at work better, you won't figure it out, obsess about a new person in your life and you're more likely to turn them off, obsess about money and you're more likely to have less), and apparently true in this game. Obsess about tips in this game and you'll find you're more focused on getting the tips than the actual act of what your profession is, putting on a good show (which automatically leads to good tips. Obsession leads to linear thinking and stops creativity; so loosen up and have fun, you probably be suprised.

Gosh! I didn't *think* I was obsessing! I guess I didn't make my point clear.

I have a long, long RP experience in MUDS and MMORPS, as well as having worked in a profession that relies on tips (waitress) to pay my way through college. And if there was a special RP server on that game, that was where I was.

And when I moved to a big cantina in a big city, I got great tips today.

My point is to modify human (or rodian);D behavior in the same way a server/waitress does.

If a regular customer never tips or tips poorly or behaves badly, a server will give his or her attention to the other customers first, all things being equal.

If a regular customer is a good tipperand awell behaved person, servers will fall all over each other to serve them.

I admit I didn't think about music being heard by all, but I am a dancer and dancers can't be seen by all.But I will have to think about that aspect a bit more. Is it like attending a concert, and some people sit up front and can see and hear very well, and others sit farther back and don't have quite the same experience? They get a little less of an experience, but then they payed a little less money for the concert.

All I know is that it worked very well in the one game I have played where people came to the healers to be healed (as opposed to healers following the troops like in EQ). Healers never "charged" people in advance, were empathetic, entertaining and friendly.

Personally, I don't like thanking people aloud for a tip. I don't want to make anyone who didn't get a tip feel bad. But I do thank those who heal my energy, and of course, greet those who come in.

And I never ever EVER beg for tips, let alone hint! ;D

We are in a service profession!

Dont like this idea.

I dont like any idea where people are forced to tip.

A tip is a gratuity.

Be a good entertainer and people will tip. Of course some never will but we will be performing there anyways.

I totally agree with you AprilStorme that no one should be forced to tip. And I also agree a tip is a gratuity.

I guess I am just looking for a way to reward the good customers and discourage the griefers.

If you have another way, I would love to hear about it.

I am *not* in favor of tipping in advance, requiring tipping or any such thing.

Penstar:
A great idea for medics, and they can already deny service if they get organized enough (doctors and teachers have the most powerful unions IRL too).

I don't know if it would work well for musicians like the previous posts said. i agree that there should be a way to reward good patron behavior and punish poor behavior, but I think it should be with interaction, not by cutting off interaction.

We should, as a profession, make an effort to go out of our way for our good customers as you described for the waitresses. When 13 yr. olds complain, we should /addignore them untill they tip perhaps. It's slow going but if we all compliment the ladies with red dresses every time we see one then we will soon see many red dresses.

You're no more entitled to free cash than anyone else is for just sitting in one place with one button pressed & the occasional F6 jab. You already get XP for almost zero effort. The whole idea of

The title of your thread is "...to improve tipping..." so I'm assuming you are suggesting this primarily to make more money.

My first comment to that would be: you need to learn to bea better entertainer. Just because you are an entertainer doesn't entitle you to a tip! Just cuz you're up there hitting buttons or macroing away all night doesn't mean that anyone owes you anything. There are plenty of us out there making a great living being an entertainer, so why do you assume that people are just lousy tippers and not that you are just a bad entertainer? If you think you are a good entertainer, and care so much about getting tips, then go to a more populated city. If you still can't make tips, chances are you aren't a good entertainer. Doesn't mean you can't get to master and still have fun, but maybe you will just never make a lot of money doing it.

Second, who is to say that someone else isn't getting a tip from the person stiffing you? Should we all have to announce when we get tips to you so that you can keep track of who is going on your ignore list or not? Or is everyone who doesn't tip you specifically going on the list?

A tip is something you earn, not something you automatically deserve. Some players are very nice and give out tips even when you haven't earned them. Occasionally I'll run to take my dogs out while I'm playing, and when I come back I scroll up and see a couple of tips in there. Those kinds of tips are nice, but should never be expected of someone. Other times we will put on a show, sync up, use lights, and interact with the crowd - yea we expect a couple of tips. If for some reason we didn't get them, then no one liked the show enough to give one and we either don't do it anymore or we do it better next time. Personally, I try and do it better next time, not blame it on the game and thinking that I should be able to force people into tipping a lousy show.

BTW, I disagree with this idea to deal with jerk players as well. I can /ignore them and not have to listen to them - so can everyone else. Trolls dry up if you don't feed them.

PS - Someone "ganked" you getting off the shuttle in Corellia? Either you are doing faction quests, in which case it is your own fault for getting killed, or you stepped off the shuttle in KOR and got killed by the NPCs which spawn right there. They look like players, but they aren't.

Hijo

Your PS was exactly right! I have since found that out and there is no way I will go there again except by starship. I am now making a fabulous living by entertaining.

What is different? Did I become a better roleplayer with 10 years 2 weeks experience as opposed to 10 years experience? No. The answer is very simple. I became a better dancer. People tend to tip the best dancers. Why? Because they are doing the majority of healing. Fair or not, the best tips go to the best dancers <shrug>

I still favor a bit of help for that beginning entertainer. It is pretty hard to earn that first 1000 credits, without spending a lot of time in non-skill raising pursuits, like missions.

And expecting a tip for training is just silly IMHO.

Believe you me that I can understand where you are coming from Sabine. Many is the night I've spent wailing on my horn, working the crowd for a few measly credits...

But for me, it's all about the music baby. And maybe I'll never get rich, but when I'm up there on that stage, gettin' jiggy with my music, I can see it in my audience's eyes. And for a moment - just that one moment... It's likeI'm a, a...a Supahstar! And nothing, nobody can take that away from me.

So if you find yourself on Tatooine's Mos Espa catina and you want to ROCK, just look for Dizzie, I'm not playing my music, I'm living it...

-Dizzie Jay, Bria

PS. Please feel free to come check me out at the "Battle of the Slitherhorns" next week in Bestine!

I think a good idea for rewarding the good tippers is that an entertainer should be able to single out an audience member for bonus healing. Call it a "dedication" or something (maybe even a serenade for musicians?) You know something like "this song is for the lovely bothan in the second row!" Maybe have it cost more action points per pulse to single someone out for bonus healing.

I think rewarding the good tippers is more beneficial than punishing bad tippers, as of course, tipping is a gratuity.

By the way, gig missions don't pay out much if you don't do local missions! Abort any mission that's in another town (unless you were headed there anyways) and grab another one.

Nifty, I think your idea of a dedication is great! And wonderfully in character. Bravo!

here it goes

T

he fighters resent the down time they even resent further afk entertainers or worse yet entertainers arguing in the opening with one another

i have done very well where i have been and even travel some and talk to my customers say hello strike up conversations and have supported myself and training and helping train others well

however last night i lost it with a group i discovered every singal one of them was afk and i left the group went into a cave room did my thing and the customers came to me cause they knew i was there at the key board

They can tell if youre working for points enjoying the part or afk.

At this point not sure how i feel about a big group the exp is wonderful but i like chatting and i like talking with my customers and feel if youre going to be an entertainer put on a show otherwise find another profession and something else to do

there are theaters taverns and other locations to go to if you find bad behavior in groups and there are ways to progress and excell in this profession just by being friendly