Image Designer Archive
Thread: So, I'm getting ready to log off tonight...
The Image Designer's Manefesto
I am an Image Designer. I am one of few in a profession that should have many. I am one of the angry in a profession that should be noted for it's cheer. How did I get to this point?
It started not too long ago when I decided to reactivate my account. The reasons I canceled are irrelivant, and so I shall not belabor them here. I decided that I wasnted a non-combat character like my last one, seeing as SWG offers so much for the non-combat inclined. A full quarter of the in game professions do not have weapon certifications. No other game offers that, and this is what brings me back.
After getting my new medic character sorted out on Tatooene ( a place I didn't want to go ) and self-migrating my stats well over into the mind columns, I started healing wounds for tips. Later I managed to travel to Theed and set up shop in the medical center. Hours of healing wounds and getting nothing for it decided me that I needed to do some kind of missions. I picked up a fetch and carry and went city hoping only to discover that this paid next to nothing as well. For a while, I sat and thought. I thought long and hard about what to do. I did not want combat, it wasn't why I was playing. If that is what I wanted, I have a house full of games that contained it, I needed not pay extra for this one. Finally I decided that it was going to be nessissary, and that I would give it a try. I went to the nearest Marksmen trainer and plunked down a few hundred of the credits I had found in my travels, and along comes a droid to give me a nifty CDEF rifle.
I picked out a nearby Nuna, and started to do my shooting thing. Needless to say, it incapped me. After getting back up, I saw that it was almost dead and that I could most likely kill it with one more shot. This got me incapped again. At this point I decided that combat still wasn't all that it was cracked up to be, and that I wasn't going to survive in my current condition. I needed to get my stats migrated if I wanted a chance of survival.
I sent some in-game E-Mails, and some tells, and discovered that the community I lived in had no image designers. IDs were now required to change your stats. Thinking to myself, hmmm... I could do that. I could fill a role that people needed, and be useful to my community in the process! I traveled back to Theed, and picked up Novice Entertainer. That is where the relivant portion of my story begins.
I quickly learned that asside from the pretty new UI I was seeing and holoemotes which I couldn't do, IDs had recieved no new content since launch. Nothing. Nada. Ziltch. I was not overjoyed with this, but I plugged on. I was not naieve enough to think that I would actually get a customer at the Entertainer level, as I had done this before. I self ID'ed up the boxes, taking whatever assistance I could get from those who whould _allow_ me to practice on them. I didn't find anything too disturbing about this, as it was the way it had always been. I didn't aggree with it, but the status quo is a powerful force. And so I plugged right along, and out of the first fourty one thousand experience points I recieved, only three hundred near the end were from actually performing my intended function on an idividual that paid me for it.
Here I was, Novice Image Designer! I could actually do something useful now, right? Alas, that was not to be. The only thing that I had that people wanted was stat migrations, and that is where all the problems started. From the get go, I had a hard time with it. PEople were unresponsive while I spoke to them, because they had no incentive not to go do something else. People were disgruntled, because they now had to pay for something that was previously free. People were unsatisfied, because I couldn't do anything else that they wanted at the same time, meaning that they had to wait through more timers from other Image Designers of more skill. And some people were downright nasty, thinking that the Entertainer professions were somehow fully populated with... people of loose morals.
I don't know about you, but I do not jump out of cakes, and I don't have a habit of removing articals of clothing in public places.
I am an Image Designer.
So I trudged on, stat migration after stat migration. Frequently I had to take breaks because of the constant effort of getting people to be interactive. I trained up to 1-0-0-0 and still there were stat migrations. 1-0-0-1 came and went and still there were migrations. Along came 1-1-0-1 many days later, and more migrations awaited me. I was begining to lose my composure earlier and earlier in my sessions, which never seems to contain anything but stat migrations. Finally I had enough exp from all the stat migrations to train to 1-1-1-1. I had managed to train the lowest four ID boxes after days and days and days of casual non-grind mental exertion.
I was shaking in my computer chair. The effort of the endevour was so considerable that I actually could not at that time put a sentince together. After sitting there and staring at the ID trainer for some time, I just logged off. I couldn't do it any more. I went to bed totally unsatisfied with myself and the game.
I have logged in since that fateful day. I haven't done any more Image Designs. No more stat migrations. I usually ended up sitting around in the cantenea afk, or wandering around my player community like some sort of braindead fiend. I have played a bit of slitherhorn to fill the time, alone in my village's cantena, or shot a nuna or three to see some movement on my screen...
This is not the way it should be. And the problem isn't the Image Designers. No, the problems is the Players. Too short of sight they are to realize that we didn't ask for this, and we don't want it. Too short of sight by far to realize that just because I am the one you see doesn't mean that I am the cause of your discontent. Far far too short of sight to realize that I too would like a nice house full of nice things, and beautiful clothes to wear. Far far too short of sight to realize our value; not only to them personally, but to the game as a whole.
I begin to feel at times like the continuity Jedi. When things were prosperous, they were looked apon with admiration and praise. All was well, untill a small group of people figured out how to trivialize them. This group of people shared with all the dreaded weakness in the system, and brought Image Design to it's knees. Forgoten was the good times in the Cantenas. Forgotten was the socal interaction between people just trying to have fun. Real Image Designers became unneeded and unwanted because just anyone could master it in half an hour and then cast it aside like yesterday's newspaper. And a great many people did.
Then things changed, and not for the better. No longer could you zoom through the ranks of Image Design, but now no longer you you do a simple task like get a new hairstyle without having a quite obvious artificial barrier thrown in your face. As a customer your question of "Why can't I accept it?" is met with "I am sorry, but I am not allowed to hit commit for another 45 seconds." What kind of experience is SOE trying to create here? Better yet, who do you respond to "I'll be able to hit commit in nine and one half minutes."? Most seem to respond with "Well in that case, I am going to get some food or something. I'll see you shortly." Is this supposed to be fun?
Even SOE CSRs feel that Image Designers are a waste. ( I have chat logs ) So where does your profession fit when even the people paid to ensure you have a good game feel that you are a useless profession? And where does your profession fit when you cannot offer the players anything that they couldn't get at launch? What do you offer players who have already image designed themselves a month ago in twenty minutes and have no desire to ever interact with you again? How do you deal with players who are angry with the game, and at SOE and you are the only visible target? Where do you belong?
Hello? Sony? Are you listening? Hello?
Message Edited by Just_Bri on 06-03-2004 12:36 PM
FuschiaD wrote:
When I get a tell. Now, if I'm not wearing my ID title, I'm not working. I had on my 'Gunslinger' title (Gawd, I love that title) and had just said "Ok, goodnight all" when I get this tell asking if I can do a stat migration. I reply with "I was just about to quit for the night. Sorry!" To which he replies with "plz". Now, I don't know about any of you... but I HATE THAT.I do not play this game for someone to argue with me when I tell them I can't do something. So I say "No, I'm logging, goodnight." To which he replies with "I tip good... I'll pay you 10k."
I'm not able to do stat-migrations since I'm just an entertainer, but I get similar tells like this one due to my master musician title. Quite often when I'm busy doing something else, or when I'm about to leave I recieve tells from people wanting buffs. I always reply in the same way that you did, and more often than not I get a tell back saying that they will "pay good, 10k". Most people are quite understanding when I tell them that I really can't due to me being busy or loging out, but there are some people who'll just get rude. Someone even tried to tell me that it was my duty as an entertainerto go out of my way to help him. Heh.
Anyway, the whole "I tip good... I'll pay you 10k" is priceless. 10k might have been alot of money last august, now it's coffee change. 
Seems alot of ID are becoming power mongers. Im not shure if i should laugh or cry...............
HAHAHAHAHAHAH ! 2 funny
Exsanguinate wrote:
Seems alot of ID are becoming power mongers. Im not shure if i should laugh or cry...............
HAHAHAHAHAHAH ! 2 funny
No, not really. We are all just extreemly frustrated right now, and taking the oportunity to vent a bit.
And I appologise on behalf of the ID community foryou gettingone-starred. That practice lacks class.
Yeah. I had the same thing the other day.'Hi Chiaa. Can you...blah blah' just as I was logging. I was about 1/2 hour late for something in RL, and really needed to get off. 'Sorry, I am already late so I need to log.' 'But Chiiiiiiaaaa. There aren't any other IDs on.' (How this person knew I was an ID when my novice pistoleer title was on is kinda bothersome) I felt like saying something rude but I didn't. Instead I said 'Try one of the other cities with an ID tent in it.' He says: 'I did. There isn't any one else.' *sigh*
I tend to put a different title on alot now.Especially when Iknow I want to log soon. I feel like an npc sometimes....like I am always supposed to bethere or in ID mode...I think I need a round circle with an 'I' above me head. 
I don't think we have big egos, but we *do* have the right to say no.
You could ask them if they knew any Master Musician buffbots online?
Then tell them to maybe get the buffbot to break out a violin?
KeyTokikoMima wrote:
You could ask them if they knew any Master Musician buffbots online?
Then tell them to maybe get the buffbot to break out a violin?
If you're logging, then you're logging. They need to suck it up, and deal. You've closed your line, and RL should almost always come first.
> (a) A better thing for them to ask is when you'll be back.
> (b) A better thing for you to tell them is when you'll be back. If you have the time to do that and if you have any idea when that will be, of course.
> (c) Tell them to gmail you, and you'll get back to them.
Well, the problem I had with informing him when I would return is that he'd already insulted a friend of mine, and I really wasn't in the mood to do anything to help him. Here's the thing: I'm loaded. I don't need to ID for money. Thanks to very good friends and my tailoring business, I make decent money. So if someone messages me when I'm unavailable and is polite and understanding about the fact that I'm not working, I'll either refer them to a friend or I'll let them know when I will be available. But if someone treats me like my only purpose in the game is to migrate his stats... he can kiss my shiny pink... NAME.
I'll edit this as necessary to blow off steam. For now I'm just not playing my ID; I haven't even logged her on for a week 1/2 or so.
FuschiaD wrote:
And people wonder why players who have been ID's since launch are now finding something else to do. So, who else has to vent? I know I cannot possibly be the only one. We have thread after thread here of "ID's are teh suxxors"... I think now it's OUR turn to blow off a little steam!
Have at it.
*shrug* I haven't worn my ID title since I tried out the changes on Test. I have avoided the tents entirely, and am only IDing friends. I still get random "can you stat migrate me" tells and then grief when I politely inform people that I don't do stat migrations. Not much I can do except hide and hope people forget about me 
FuschiaD wrote:
Well, the problem I had with informing him when I would return is that he'd already insulted a friend of mine, and I really wasn't in the mood to do anything to help him. Here's the thing: I'm loaded. I don't need to ID for money. Thanks to very good friends and my tailoring business, I make decent money. So if someone messages me when I'm unavailable and is polite and understanding about the fact that I'm not working, I'll either refer them to a friend or I'll let them know when I will be available. But if someone treats me like my only purpose in the game is to migrate his stats... he can kiss my shiny pink... NAME.
Grayluvsmari wrote:
Yeah. I had the same thing the other day.'Hi Chiaa. Can you...blah blah' just as I was logging. I was about 1/2 hour late for something in RL, and really needed to get off. 'Sorry, I am already late so I need to log.' 'But Chiiiiiiaaaa. There aren't any other IDs on.' (How this person knew I was an ID when my novice pistoleer title was on is kinda bothersome) I felt like saying something rude but I didn't. Instead I said 'Try one of the other cities with an ID tent in it.' He says: 'I did. There isn't any one else.' *sigh*
I tend to put a different title on alot now.Especially when Iknow I want to log soon. I feel like an npc sometimes....like I am always supposed to bethere or in ID mode...I think I need a round circle with an 'I' above me head.
I don't think we have big egos, but we *do* have the right to say no.
Be careful what you wish for.. I'm sure there's a Dev somewhere that will read your post and say 'Hey! Round circle with an "I" would make a great Holoemote' and that will be our next patch.'
And most definately, certainly, and always, youhave the right to say no. At *any* time for *any* reason. Despite what people say, Grocery Stores, Malls, Department Stores, etc.don't HAVE to cater to you as an individual. They don't have to sell because you want to buy. There's no law that says Albertsons has to sell Bill Jones a sausage because they sell to everyone else.
Being an Image Designer doesn't make you'An_Image_and_Migration_Vender006.' It's a service profession. You provide a service people want for XXXX. If they want it, they buy it from you. Make their time pleasant enough, and they may come back. If the customer is rude to you,then youreally reallydon't need their business.
Image Design is actually GREAT for these situations. It costs you nothing to back out but your time. If a Tailor crafts a bunch of clothes for a customer, but then their customers begins to swear at them about the price the Tailor is in a bind. If the Tailor is rude back, there's a good chance those clothes won't be sold, and they'll take a loss.
Image Design can be backed out of at any time and never costs you anything. Sometimes I think that's why these guys come and rant about how we should use resources. It's because they want to feel like they're costing us something if we don't agree to a sale.
There's a lot of people that go around life thinking that they are entitled to a lot of things they are not. This is the crux of the problem. If you want to make a change about this then thenext time someone is rude to you, remember you don't have to take it. "/addignore <person>" prevents more fights then it starts, woks instantly, and you can argue for hours with someone that thinks you are 'stealing' his free Stat Migrations.