Entertainer Archive
Thread: In Concept Inspiration Buffs
http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=in_concept&message.id=24840#M24840
Please feel free to discuss inspiration buffs in this thread also.
Inspiration Buffs
An Inspiration Buff will be the replacement for Mind Buffing for Entertainers post Combat Upgrade. Players will have improved XP (experience) gains, improved faction point gains, and increased crafting successes. An Inspiration Buff will be applied in a similar method to the current application. The only change is that to both the entertainer and player the process will be transparent. No action is required from either other than listening or watching the entertainer and the entertainer to dance or play. This is to provide a simple and easy system for both involved.
What is an Inspiration Buff and how long can it last?
Inspiration Buffs are the replacement for Mind Buffing post Combat Upgrade. Inspiration buffs will increase one's crafting successes, faction gains and XP gains. All Inspiration Buffs will have the same effect regardless of whether they come from a Novice Entertainer or a Master Dancer. This means that an Inspiration Buff from a Novice Entertainer and Master Dancer will be the same. The maximum duration of an inspiration buff will be 3 hours. The time it takes to get to this maximum will depend on the entertainer's skill level. A novice entertainer may take a minute to give you a 30 minute inspiration, but the same minute spent with a double master dancer/musician with +25 skill tapes will yield a 3 hour buff in that same minute. The buff is a steady application and not in the old system chunks'. There will be no artificial time listened' breakpoints that have to be met for certain gains. It will be a simple system of the longer you listen the more buff time you will get, up to a maximum of 3 hours. You can even leave an entertainer's session and come back to resume the buff increase without having to start over. (I.e. if you got an hour buff and then had to go to a bazaar terminal for a bit, when you return the buffing session would start from whatever you have currently.)
How does an Entertainer give an Inspiration Buff?
Entertainers will give an Inspiration Buff exactly the same way that they current give Mind Buffs. When a player watches or listens to an Entertainer, each successive "Entertainer pulse" will result in adding more time to the buff in progress up to the maximum amount of time just like the current Mind Buff mechanics work.
What does an Inspiration Buff affect?
An Inspiration Buff will affect the following things::
1) XP gain
2) Faction Point gain
3) Crafting Success
The planned bonus will be set during the Combat Upgrade Beta but it will probably be around 10%. When under the effects of the buff an Icon will show in the buffs window with the duration remaining.
Where can I apply Inspiration Buffs?
Inspirations are applied using the same mechanics and restrictions as Mind Buffing previously did. You get Inspirations in Cantinas by watching or listening to an Entertainer, Dancer or Musician for a period of time.
Message Edited by LeBob on 04-04-2005 11:25 AM
that sounds really really cool Sincerely congrats to you all !!Message Edited by canova on 04-04-2005 06:34 PM
On the credits issue, there should be a simple way for an entertainer to make money via these new buffs, the UI like the IDs have is a good idea, and perhaps being able to get like a 'table' (see: group) to be able to be intiated in this UI for the buff.
Example:
A group going out to grind on some faction/xp comes in for a dance, the dancer approaches and greets the group and asks who the group leader is, then the dancer brings up the UI and everyone in the group may tip what they feel and the dancer feel is agreeable. The dancer then performs (or musician, band, etc). This could even work group to group IE a group of entertainers (you mean a band!) could come up and do this, and it could NOT be done AFK if you make it a UI only, no console commands.
Also perhaps something useful for PVP would be nice too, like say we get a musician or dancer to come to the raid with us and be able to basically be a bard for us, we should be able to get a small bonus to say ability points or regen, the entertainer would have to be overt if the group was and would have to be close, but the benefit would be worth it, of course this would be a prime target at the start of the battle, and /gasp you could pay an entertainer to come with you into one of these battles. (though this isn't very likely some benefit to PVP and to tie in entertainers into the GCW would be nice, the non-neutrals ones of course).
Anyway that's my thoughts and proposals as a simple combatant who remembers tipping when it was considered necessary to both med and mind healers.
(Posted from my post in the in concept post lol)
Make a Image-Design-like Interface.
http://www.imagedump.com/index.cgi?pick=get&tp=230288 - Very quick sketchy thing.
Basically; the interface contains; (from the entertainers point-of-view, resizeable.
- an image of the performing entertainer.
- the ones listening/watching (in this case, a lot of swoops)
- a graphical view of how long time there's left to get full 3-hour buff.
- at the top-most swoop, there is a number (2000) - this is how much he has entered into a required tip field.
- the entertainer can enter an amount in the "Required Payment" field - this is the minimum amount of credits that the customer can offer (viewable by customers).
- when the red bar is filled, an ATK accept button pops up to the left of the one who's buff is finished. You have to click that to apply the buff and get your tip.
- if a customer stops listening/watching your required tip (or the tip he has offered) is divided by how big a % Red Bar he filled. You still need to press an Accept button.
This cannot be macroed.
(The Entertainer Accept Button Mini-game. 
)
Sir_Voor wrote:
This could be a great way to get Entertainers into the war, just have neutral give 5% Faction Point gain, match Factions give 10% Faction Point gain and non-match Factions give 0% Faction Point gain.
How does an Entertainer give an Inspiration Buff?
Entertainers will give an Inspiration Buff exactly the same way that they current give Mind Buffs. When a player watches or listens to an Entertainer, each successive "Entertainer pulse" will result in adding more time to the buff in progress up to the maximum amount of time just like the current Mind Buff mechanics work.
Now, does this means... we still have to do /setperform or not? little confused on this part....
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I have the following concerns:
1) Buff bots. Same mechanics as before will lead to buff botting. I'm concerned that we will just go from mind buff bots to inspiration buff bots, and this will not do anything to alleviate the #1 concern of the communities.
2) Not enough of a functional benefit to being a master. You can get a full buff from a novice, it just takes longer. Not enough bang for your skill point buck. In general, not enough content to justify the skill point costs.
3) Professional overlap. Dancer and musician will do essentially the same thing with different aesthetics. In other professions, you get some sort of bonus for having two professions, whether it's stacking of abilities or diversity of abilities. This combo has neither because of the duplication of abilities.
4) How will entertainers be able to gain money from this? ID's got a secure interface, but I'm concerned that customers running off and stiffing someone will be no better than before.
5) ID's have had their "essential function" taken away without compensation. What is in the works for them?
6) CU group limits of 8 harm entertainers because it limits patrons for a buff and it limits XP gains.