Image Designer Archive
Thread: Strange People
I realized yesterday that Image Designers are strange people. I met one yesterday that I offered 500-1000 credits to for a new hairstyle. I figured since she was a master then she would be very interested in the credits.
I WAS WRONG...
Instead she said she did not want to help me out because she had all the Experience she needed and was no longer 'cutting hair.' She turned me away because she was a master? Does that make sense to anyone else?
-Atev Ite
Ahazi - Naboo - Theed
I'm finding this occuring elsewhere too.
Someone was upset because he had mastered doctor and now had nothing to do, since he no longer needed medical experience.
<BOGGLE>
I thought the whole point of training a profession was to BE that profession. If you master Image Designer, woot! You can now do anything you want! People's appearance is putty in your hands! Master Doctor? Great! You can clear out a medical center full of invalids in no time! Accompany an expedition of explorers or hunters into the darkest, most forbidden places and keep them all alive!
I think when people feel a sudden lack of fulfillment when they reach a pinnacle, it's due to the achiever mindset that MMPORPGs have been based around for so long. The point of the game isn't to master aclass/profession in orderdo a job really well. The point IS the mastery in and of itself.
We need to break this mindset and realize that point of SWG is to have fun. It's not a race to the top like other games. It's not a quest for Uber loot. The sooner we do this the sooner we'll be free to just enjoy the majesty of this game.
I've seen many posts from people who have had an epiphany about this game. That is,when they stop trying to race and achieve...when they shut off the experience meters and just have fun...vary their activities, make friends, get out and explore...they have 10 times as much fun.
Hope this helps someone.
I've seen many posts from people who have had an epiphany about this game. That is,when they stop trying to race and achieve...when they shut off the experience meters and just have fun...vary their activities, make friends, get out and explore...they have 10 times as much fun.
Hope this helps someone.
Can I leave my XP bars on though? This helps me keep track on when I do need to train. I have almost completly forgotten bout my Riflemen skills, because I am still 65000 short of getting novice, and now I focus on Bio-Engineer. However, I realize that my overall goal is to explore the world and sample and create the best creatures I can for the people out in the world. I have established my home, built a farm, made friends, and train mercilessly because I understand all those poor people in the world that need it badly. I also know that when I master my trait I would never stop doing it, though I think I would open a school for people that need training in those classes. After all, what would be the point to having the character if I just went, "Ok, I am a master this and a master that, I am done with this character. Might as well switch servers."
-Atev Ite
This is SO true. I can vouch personally.
Stop worrying about how you're going to make your next 10k credits and have some fun.
Force yourself to an hour of NO grinding, NO spending money, NO missions, and just kick back and soak up the atmosphere and make some friends.
You could learn alot from a game.
"Can I leave my XP bars on though? This helps me keep track on when I do need to train."
You bet! The point is to play how you want. I only referred to the XP bars because too many people (myself included for the longest time) used them as a measure of my achievement, and my whole game was around getting them filled up. UGH.
Foxmoon wrote:
"Can I leave my XP bars on though? This helps me keep track on when I do need to train."
You bet! The point is to play how you want. I only referred to the XP bars because too many people (myself included for the longest time) used them as a measure of my achievement, and my whole game was around getting them filled up. UGH.
Oh Yeah, I agree. The XP bars is a bit of a crutch. Then again, I also find them to be a bit of a deturent because needing 125,000 XP just for a novice spot will almost make you not want to do it.
-Atev Ite
(This is to the original poster)
I think Image Design (and the people who do it) is/are something that no one could understand, until you have done it yourself.
I love Image Design, I love working on the people who get so excited because I just gave them the "look" they wanted, but could not do at creation. THAT is why I became a Master Image Designer.
I have no idea why the ID who did that to you, acted that way, but I can maybe guess. And I can tell you why I and many other Image Designers are now spending more time on Missions and building other skills.
Well, just like everyone else in this game, I like nice "things", and I think all Image Designers should look their best, after all, our first name IS "Image".
Well guess what? Those nice outfits that only the Master Tailors can make are 10K each, and since there are very few Master Tailors out there, if you really want that nice outfit, sometime this decade (because they are so swamped) you have to pay them extra to "hold" the outfit you ordered, until you can get there, because there is always someone else that can get their first!!
And yes, just like everyone else, I want a HOUSE with a nice little studio room to work, andNICE things to go in it. Well most everyone knows how much houses go for, and the "better" furniture, so I wont list prices.
OK, so what in the heck is my point??? My point is this, you offered her $500 - $1000 for a haircut, if you know the EXACT cut you want, well then sure that is fair enough, however, VERY FEW people know the exact cut they want, and even if they do, they still want to see EVERY style just to be sure. To be honest I have no problem showing someone every style, after all I want them to be happy. But think of this, unless you do know exactly what you want, depending on lag (for me and/or the customer and/or game) an appointment can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, especially if you want several changes. Which usually happens, even if you started out with "I just want a quick haircut" it usually turns into well since I am here, can I get a tan?? Oh and how about my eye color....and ummmm yeah can you make my mouth smaller??? Then when you are finally done with all that......(customer says) "you know what, I think I liked that other hair style better, you know the 7th one you showed me" YEAH.....I remember THAT...that was only 2 hours ago!!! ROFLAO!!!!!
So now for all that you have aGREAT new look and I have a whopping extra $500 (or maybe $1000) in my bank!! Wooohoooo.....only 10 - 20 more people (and HOURS) and I can get that new dress!!!
But yet YOU, can go out and run missions and make 10K in 30 minutes...well you know what, I can go out and run missions and make 10K in 30 minutes too, get that dress I want....or what ever.....
Do you understand yet???? So many people have said to those ID's that charge 10K per session, no one will ever pay that....well then guess what....the ID's will be out running missions and makeing money for the things they want instead of working on YOUR TIGHT A**!!!!
Now personally, I do not charge 10K per session, but that is ONLY because I don't take that many customers anymore, because it is just not worth it (even at 10K it would not be worth it). I have more fun now, just working on my friends when they need it, and past customers who were thankful and appreciated the time and effort it took to get to Master and give THEM the look THEY wanted Also, I am usually a far distance from anyone...lol...Like at the Emperors Retreat, or Jabba's Palace, doing missions, so if people do want me to work on them, they have a far distance to travel. So far, all of my reqular customers don't mind, expecially since now they know of a new cool location they did not know of before.
So you know YOU were right, there is sooooo much more to this game than "power leveling" to get to the top and be a mighty Master (sarcasm) ...and now that I am not sitting in a corner somewhere working on idiots who think 10k is too much to pay for a haircut, I am loving every minute of everything ELSE this game has to offer!!!
Thanks for being such a cheap-o, otherwise I would have missed so much!!! And oh, sorry that you are stuck with that "Homer Simpson" look, while all the ID's are out having fun!!!
Kleidouchos,
Ouch, you had some mean things to say, but thats ok, I forgive you. I understand completly your point behind the pricing quotes. Yeah, I 'offered' 500-1000 credits, but hey, if I knew that it was a hassle then I would have offered more. That and it was only an offer, they could have offered more. However, the main point of the original post was to mention that they had maxed out their XP and they did not want to do any more work with the Image Designer class. I am a buisness man, and I fully understand cost/benefit analysis and so on. So if time was a concern (even though all I want, stricly, is a haircut, the face is how I wanted it from the begining), then they could have mentioned. I could easily pay a 'hourly rate.' Something like 500-1000 per hour, afterall, business people in a non-structured, player based enconomy, should be more than willing to negotiate, and know the arts of negotiations. If my offer was considered set in stone then the other person clearly knows nothing about offer/counter offer tactics. Hope all this was not to over your head.
-Atev Ite
I agree, Image Design people are strange. I am one of those strange people myself. I am currently only a novice ID but I still really enjoy what limited things I can do. I am currently trying to set up a customer base and to do so I have been offering ID sessions at low rates. I do intend to increase my rates as I progress and my name is spread around but I do not intend to turn people away either. To tell you the truth I would be thrilled if people were willing to pay me 1K for a simple haircut. I do agree however that sometimes people get carried away after they see the change a haircut can make and are then shocked when I ask for more money for the "extra's" that THEY requested. I don't think that customers of ID's realize that we have to gain XP the same way they do and that our profession costs lots of money as there are so few Masters to train the up and comers. As far as the original topic of this post, I think it is horrendous to turn people away because you don't need the XP. If it is a difference in opinion over how much the service is worth, well that's another story.
With that said, I would like to offer my services to anyone on the Ahazi server. I may not be the best (yet) but I will ask a fair price for any job you may need. I am not really too worried about when I will level up or when I will be able to afford any of the fancy things in the game, I am more concerned with making my character the most popular ID in the galaxy. I think that is a better thing to shoot for than Master anything.
Sorry, I guess I have just become too jaded. But no worries, I have fixed the problem.
1.) Title is gone (has been actually)
2.) My new "afk" message now reads " Hello! I am off doing missions, making money and xp. Unless you want to pay 10K for my Master Image Design Service,so I can survive andbuy some of the really neat things this game has to offer,please find someone else. If you are still interested, send me an email and I will get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks and have a GREAT day! "
3.) I am working on other skills and when I get to the point where I need more skill points, I am droping ID. By that time there should be enough Masters that my services will not be missed.
Again, sorry...maybe it is me, or maybe I just picked the wrong server or something. I don't know, but I do know there is no point in being so frustrated all the time,that is just not fun.
The only bad thing is I really love Image Design and all the people that DO appreciate it, what we do, and are willing to pay what we are worth, because they value or work and time put into training AND making them look exactly as they wanted.
By the way, your message was not "over my head". I did understand what you were saying in the first place as well. I was just trying to let you know that maybe, just maybe the Master ID you ran into was feeling the same way I was, and that was possibly what happened. I know I am not alone in being so frustrated, as I know several people who I trained, have already quit, because of the same frustrations I was having.
By the way, your message was not "over my head". I did understand what you were saying in the first place as well. I was just trying to let you know that maybe, just maybe the Master ID you ran into was feeling the same way I was, and that was possibly what happened. I know I am not alone in being so frustrated, as I know several people who I trained, have already quit, because of the same frustrations I was having.
Well, bitterness spawns bitterness, so my message was a bit mean spirited, sorry bout that. I met an Novice-ID last night, and the two of us sat in my home town as she gained mass XP by me accepting each and every style she suggested till I decided on the one I wanted. Even though she said the XP was enough, I still offered to pay her, though she refused it. Instead I paid her with locations for her to hunt for her Ters Kasi XP and gave her a nice Bearded Jax for her home as a pet. It was the least I could do.
-Atev Ite
I do think you sound like a more than reaonable client though, and I imagine the situation you first posted about was caused more by bad experiences in the past than your offer. I would have done your hair, but can see there are reasons why someone else might not have.
As for a fair price, I usually tell the client that I accept tips based on what they can afford. The amounts I have been paid range from zero to 8k per job so far, and have also included bartering of items I might need. I've spent half an hour with someone to be paid 100 creds, and have had someone ask for a specific hairstyle while I was waiting for a shuttle and pay me 5k for it.
For the other image designers out there. I think that anyone who offers a service rather than a product either needs to develop a strong pricing system, or an indifference to being paid. No point blaming the customer for being uninformed, all you can do is help them out by letting them know what you expect.