Entertainer Archive

Had to suffer through the coronet cantina scene for a few nights, here are a few thoughts on the matter:

Panhandling
Yes, when you entertain, you’re performing a service to players, but you also benefit from them. Even if you’re AFK, they can get mind heals, and you get that much-elusive entertainer healing XP. From talking to many players, I’ve found that they’ll generously tip dancers that interact with them (a simple greeting, maybe a chat, maybe a simple response to their emotes). Many of them will still pay an AFK’er, UNLESS THE SPAM ANNOYS THEM.

Spam panhandling is counterproductive. I’ve seen players stop watching spammers for non-afk’ers. I’ve listened to the complaints as the chat server lagged. It doesn’t help. People don’t suddenly think “oh, yeah, I should leave something….” Those that tip will tip- unless they’re annoyed by the spam.

The Band leader’s bane: Join macros
Band leaders hate join-request macros. We have the double-edged task of NOT going AFK and trying to keep our group as close to maxed out in size as possible. We have to scan through the chatter in the room, searching for legitimate requests, then invite those people to join.

Join macros make this much more difficult, and while leaders hate leaving a group half-full, I know many of us have been tempted to add all users to /ignore lists. One of the “informal” rules I’ve seen is to disband “join request macro” players for any live player, if the group is full. After all, with the request, SOMEONE will pick them up eventually, right?

Solicitation Spam
Ah, yes, the shout that announces that DJ so-and-so is in the house, broadcast repeatedly, for all to hear. Over and Over and Over. Here’s a helpful hint, shouting this is not going to make a player suddenly realize “hey, there’s a cantina here! I can get rid of battle fatigue!”

The first time, this might add to atmosphere. In an empty cantina, this might have a nice feel, but in a mob of other entertainers, with even a few doing the same thing, and it becomes overbearing. It doesn’t make people seek you out in the room, it doesn’t sound kewl or unique when in a crowd. Let it rest.

A question of range:
A shout has a longer range that a say. A whisper has less range, but still enough to reach most corners of a cantina’s dance population. They all appear in the chat system identically.

If you’re going to request access to a group, at least use the least intrusive method of doing so. If a /whisper will cover the range- use it. Stop spamming half a city block.
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To summarize;
1) Don’t expect tips while AFK’ing. If you get them, all the better, but don’t spam for them and don’t be upset when you don’t get them. Expect tips when you interact with a client- greet them, be friendly, even if it’s just a few emotes. Connect with your client, and you’ll be rewarded.
2) Don’t use solicitation spams (the DJ announcements) in the cantina crowds. DO use them in the sparsely populated areas, where entertainers are rare or to add atmosphere to these performances. What’s atmosphere in one place is overwhelming elsewhere.
3) Don’t resort to /join request macros until you first try to join. Make it a separate macro from your dance, and check back often to TURN OFF the macro when you’re actually in a group.
4) If you have a message you absolutely MUST spam, use the least necessary range for your intended audience. If it’s in the general area, a whisper will do fine. No need to shout.

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BooshkaUK wrote:

It'll never happen, be nice if it did, but too many are too stupid to understand its annoying. I've never tipped an AFK entertainer and never will, they aren't there playing the game, not like someone interacting with people coming in etc. Infact lets get the devs to make it.. (grabs spoon and begins to stir) if your AFK you can't talk in spatial or receive healing XP. Lets reward the real entertainers for actually contributing and say "stuff you" to the others.

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Um, taking stuff away from AFKers isn't rewarding ATKers, it's punishing AFKers.

AFK entertainers aren't real entertainers, the ones that contribute by chatting (not spamming) are real entertainers, they deserve rewards, the AFK spammers don't.

So how exactly is taking something away from somebody else a reward to you?

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testify4 wrote:

Here's what I do:

1. Enter cantina, sit down.

2. Start watching and listening.

3. Anyone spamming gets /addignore.

4. Watch the spatial. If I see any entertainer talking with non-macroed spam show up in spatial, /tip atkplayer 1000.

5. If the entertainer acknowledges me and is friendly, /tip atkplayer some more.

6. Repeat 4 until healed, thank the ATK entertainers, and run like mad out of there.

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That's what I like to hear. Unfortunately, the afk player never seems to get the message. I even overheard people trying to figure out better "attention getters."

Keep rewarding the non-afk'ers, keep ignoring the afk-macor'ers.

If it wasn't so much effort, I'd mail each afk-macro something like:

"Due to your repeated use of the afk-macro "please let me join a group" you have been added to my /ignore list. You will bnot be invited to any ent groups I, or my allies form. Please do not spam."

or

"Due to your repeated use of the afk-macro "tips are appreciated" you lost a tip for your service, and I will direct my attention to other entertainers. I was forced to add you to my /ignore list just so I could enjoy my time in the cantina. Please do not spam."

Maybe end it with:
"This e-mail has been sent by a member of the 'entertainer etiquette coalition.' We share our ignore lists to insure an enjoyable gaming experience for all players. If you decide to remove afk-spams from your macros, I will gladly remove you from our ignore lists."

I think anyone that sits there and honestly finds it fun to do nothing but flourish on a slow profession(And they are slow) needs to get out and see more of the game.

Just exactly how do i /report someone spamming? Is it /report (name) ?

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Vincentarasin wrote:

I think anyone that sits there and honestly finds it fun to do nothing but flourish on a slow profession(And they are slow) needs to get out and see more of the game.

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That's why you tip us dear, so we have reason to stay there for when you need us.

Yo Vincent, not everybody has the same playstyle, you know? What you find fun somebody else would find equally boring, and there's nothing wrong with that. Go read Bartle, this game (and the very concept behind the entertainer professions) was based heavily off it.

I like how you outlined the different spammer types.

The jaded in me says, "Don't bother." But I do know that change is possible.

I performed in Bestine for a while, and there was an annoying spambot musician. She kept doing stupid things at an alarming frequency. She became a constant statue, so we always joked about her and responded to her spam with smarmy remarks. One day, she was quiet. I made some comment about that, and she answered! She said that she got some e-mail about her spam, so she quit it. Turns out she had no idea how annoying it was (and being AFK, she would lose touch with the cantina crowd).

Of course, not all requests end so nicely. I saw one who spammed, and when I saw that she was actually back, I politely told her that her spam was getting on some people's nerves. Her response was that everyone else was doing it, so she was going to as well. I told her that I'd hate to /addignore her to avoid the spam, especially since she was my trainer on my road to Image Design. She shrugged and told me to do what I felt was best. After a couple lines of spam, I felt that ignoring her was best.

Here's to hoping you discover most spammers are the first type and less the second type. *toast*