Musician Archive
Thread: I quit musician and heres why
Let me first just say I have been playing since launch day, and up until about 2 weeks ago had been a musician for a good part of my stay here. I can't really remember exactly why I chose to be a musician, part of it may have been that combat just got bored and tiresome to me, but thats another thing.
When I was a musician in training, it was very fun. I loved the atmosphere in the cantinas, I especially loved chatting it up in the entertainer group. AFK entertainers were not put up with, and if I was the group leader would get the boot quickly and painlessly. Even though some musicians would gripe about having to play low level songs for the newcomers, I never minded, because I wanted EVERYONE to have fun. I looked forward to new songs, new instruments.
At some point I even joined a loose group of masters and we occasionally played at party events and whatnot. It was just a fun time all around.
They say things change, and oh my have they.
Holo-entertainers make up 90%, if not more, of every cantina now. That in itself doesn't bother me so much, as every profession is getting bombarded by them. But the change it has brought to the groups is devastating. I felt out of place in the cantina groups, as I knew most of these people didn't really give a **edit** about what they were doing. The entertainers used to entertain because they liked doing it, but the groups devolved into feeling like I was among children who were being punished by their parents. That stung. But it wasn't the killer for me. But it did clarify that thing.
The killer to me, though I knew it to be true all along, is the absolute non-attention from the developers to the entertainers. I guess even though I knew it, I was still having fun playing music with other people who liked doing the same. With the above mentioned group change, I lost that last ounce of enjoyment.
Sure the devs dangled those new instruments and music promise in front of us, and still do after 6 months. They have thrown us two bones in the entire patching evolution of the game. Deny Service, which is next to completely useless, and an at first buggy, and still incomplete buffing system. I would be surprised if musicians get anything else for another 6 months, if even then.
Its a shame that the developers have chosen to ignore the most important background element to every city. People scream for content, well music is content. And by showing us their backs, the developers have effectively killed all true entertainers.
Maybe I'll pick it up again one day, if all entertainers get the attention they so much deserve, but I find it hard to believe that will ever happen. And even if it did, the sins of the past are hard to make up for.
As a socializer, it's difficult to find reasons to stay in the game. That's certainly true. While I could go play a combat character or a medic (and have), I still can't shake the same feeling that you have- the developers care more about their current number of accounts than they do about providing a satisfying experience for each of their professions. I remember hearing from developers prior to launchthat this was a game for casual players, that Entertainer was among the most popular of all professions in beta, that all segments of the Bartle test would find something for them in the game. Well, I suppose I could find some social interaction as a fencer; I'm certainly not finding much as a dancer or musician.
Rather than continue to look elsewhere in the game, however, the apathetic attitude of SOE is making me seriously consider other options. The beta for another MMO starting with "W" is going to start in 20-some days, and that is beginning to look awfully appealing. Is it probably going to be more of the same? Sure. Mindless hack'n'slash, some quests, some crafting. At least I'll be able to recapture that lost feeling of hope for a little while, though; those developers haven't utterly failed me yet.
I just started feeling like quitting and I've been playing a total of almost a month now. I chose the entertainer profession because I wanted to try to get to know people first, and get a feel as to how the game's played. I worked hard through December and got to know some pretty good people, made some ok tip money and got a lot of little perks here and there to help make my performances better... clothes, etc.
Then, hey, my hard work paid off and I became a novice dancer and a novice musician since I didn't know which way I wanted to go, but I knew I wanted to stay an entertainer as it was still fun and I liked hearing all the stories and jokes from folks coming in from the field. I always figured I could pick up novice marksman or what-not later if I wanted to join my friends in hunts and see the galaxy...
Then, the Holiday Holos came out... thank you VERY much dev team... now I am thinking about dumping the game completely. It has gone from a decent profession, where I'd get some occasional company, and meet interesting people not only to entertain with, but to heal as well, to where I now see the cantinas filled with some 90-95% macro-grinding idiots because everyone's gotta make jedi. This has killed my income and my socializing. The spam msgs that go back and forth clutter up the room and make it difficult to hold conversations... groups are tough to get into now because either the leader, oh and I love this, is either AFK or on another PLANET?? So, since most groups are now AFK, ppl feel no need to try to converse with you, tip you or even pay attention to you... why should I bother playing a social role when there is no more socialization?
I have logged on only a couple times this week, as opposed to dying to get home and playing til 2am or so, just cuz I'm having a blast.... seriously debating keeping this going or not.... The shame is I am so close to Master Musician now, but I've almost lost all of my faith in players because I was stiffed the last time I logged in twice by two people who promised payments for buffs... helped one other person after that, but it was money up front... and I hate the way that sounds...
Should I keep playing?
no reason to give up though. and heres why. sure everyone got a fee holo, and a bunch of em said ent/musician/dancer but look at it this way. 75 - 85% of those people are gunna finish that holo and not be able to get ahold of another one cause they dont have/never had the combat skills, or they simply dont have the money/resources/friends etc to get another one.
point being, give the holo's a month to run out, people to finish grinding, and they are out of the way and things are back to normal. aside from that, i hear people complain about full cantinas but the only ones ive ever seen really really swamped are theed and corenet. pick a less busy cantina, on a planet still hunted (i.e lok right now b/c of the meat) and go have a ball entertaining with friends of yours that you know ent because they want too.
I haven't been in a Cantina for months and I can't think of many reasons to go into them anymore with player cities. People use most NPC city cantinas to grind out xp, not for the socialization etc. It is very sad to me, but when nothing was done about the afk entertainer situation and now with holos, that's just the facts of life. I have been in some of the less traveled Cantinas and those can get a few people who like to play music and such.
My best experiences have come from players who truly enjoy entertainer. I've had the pleasure of working on and off with various people who do gigs for player parties and work at the various player cantinas. I have seen these player groups really attempt to be creative. One way I've seen this is the lyrics that people have created to go with various songs we play. We have also used pause music to highlight various insturments for solos and moves.
I've also played music for a dance troop. Now I must admit that dancers migth have a leg up on creativity because they can create some pretty cool looking dance routines with costume changes, lights, and dance changes during a number.
Yes I'd like to see more done with the entertainer professions to make it even more fun, but what the players can create out of the tools provided in game, from cantina dectorations to interesting musical acts, really can make a fun game. Players that think outside the simple musical numbers and flourishes I think can have the most fun.
This has been a huge problem for me too. Now that I've reached master, I always look for people to talk to in the cantina, several times I've walked into a cantina, and asked "Who is not AFK?" Out of two full groups + I've gotten an average of 3-5 responses.
My advice to you is to find the other entertainers on your server who enjoy to entertain. They are out there... somewhere. We as, the TRUE entertainers need to unite, so we don't become an extinct profession due to mass boredom.
I do agree, entertainer class has taken a complete nose dive since the holo craze started (well before the x-mas free holo I might add). Go to the coronet or theed cantina, doesnt matter what server, go take a look and if you can say that what the entertainer class is supposed to be like then you are dillusional. But then again what class isnt getting screwed royally these days? Sorry for my ranting, but it seems no matter what I work for in this game (ie what I liked) gets screwed over by SOE.
Atleast I see I have plenty of company in this feeling.. I too along with others have been debating on quitting the game in general, just not the profession... I didn't join SWG to be some forced PvP GCW combat wonder that appearantly SOE wants me to be..I wanted to get into the non-combative careers that were promised to be fullfilling and enjoyable to play.. I see now that those terms are truely subjective as I define those much different then SOE devs..
- We still can't buff ourselves, which is a total unexcused flop by SOE
- Player cities are bugged for healing when a simple hotfix could of remedy this well before it went live.. You ask how? Camps are outdoor and allow wound healing.. I know this isn't a cure all to all the problems PC theaters have,,, However to code theaters the same as camps would of allowed wound healing.. Why this wasn't done is beyond me.. I guess this is just another fine example how SOE devs don't give a DA.MN about non-combative professions..
- So much lack of professional content to actually do anything other then to pretend to play a NPC is boring as hell... This would be like someone playing a "soulbinder" in EQ as a profession.. There have been so many great ideas that would NOT take long to put in the game, it's not even funny anymore, and YET we still do not hear anything from the Devs.. Even our beloved correspondent gets ignored and dissed 99% of the time..
In conclusion.. I feel that unless you are a top dev, none of us truely have anything that they will listen to.. They believe they are GOD, and know everything about anything.. Faction offers nothing of true value to entertainers.. OH so we get to heal 10% faster being faction inside a faction base.. BIG stinking whoop.. So it takes me 54 seconds to heal you instead of 60.. That is NOT a benefit worth the risk and effort to get TEF's as a non-combatant.. Instead of logging on every day to do what I started out to do and hoped that it was getting better.. I only get on every so often to keep up with maintainance until my well goes dry, then will quit.. I will not treat this game like a job, and I given up all hope that SOE plans to do anything at all worth a darn.. I bet when the end of June comes around for the 1 year aniversary, we'll still be in the same boat arguing the same problems and still NOT confirmed promises from SOE.. The holo's are killing this game, the PvP minded Devs are killing this game.. The more they try to make something of the GCW, while ignoring professions in general will drive people away.. I'm have one last nerve in this game, and SOE devs are on it..
God, I couldn't agree more.
I started and mastered Musician long before the Hologrinders got a hold of everything. Used to, I'd chill with my small group of other entertainers and we'd be at Eisly or Theed - even back then there was a big crowd of entertainers, but only 20% of them were ever AFK - and that was for legitimate reasons.
Went into my old haunt in Theed today - and damned if 85% of everyone wasn't AFK. Being the only master in there, I got one tell asking if "I could buff someone". How quaint. Glad to know I COULD BE OF FREAKING ASSISTANCE. *sigh* I wonder what ever happened to Pam D'Monium and the rest of the people I used to hang out with in Bestine on Tempest...
Because entertainers are taken for granted. They are there in the cantinas to heal mind wounds and BF, and that's all people care to find out, because that's all they need. Most people have never had a dancer or musician buff, so don't know how useful it is. More than half the time I join a group and offer a buff, I have to walk them through how to get it. Even those that know about entertainer buffs, I mention buffing mind and the response is usually "Oh yeah, that's a good idea."
Furyion wrote:
Entertainers are useful to everyone, so why aren't they of a higher priority?
I am a master chef (chosen) and used a holo by accident (have mouse wheel button set up for double click) and was doing some crafting when a friend flew by on a speeder so I quickly went to hit spatial to say "hi" and double clicked the holo in inventory and noticed I saw "a strange voice says musician" or whatever crap it states. Decided to chase it alongside with keeping chef and WOW, musician is soooo fun. Not sure if that's because I've been in bands/played guitar for about 15 years or so and it's the music side of me coming back out but it is **edit** fun to sit in a cantina, play music and healing people.
It is very social and I feel sorry for all people who holo grind entertainer/musician prof because it is very fun. I am yet to do any buffs because basically, I decided to chase the profession after a week or so of getting told musician in holo and that was last night. Just a couple hours before I went to sleep. So all I did was play songs and flourish a couple friends for that time who needed healing (thats why I decicded to get entertainer earlier than I expected). This is one fun profession and very social. I'm thinking about AFKing while I am work in our guilds cantina because bascially, our guys scream out for entertainers in our cantina and only one other person is an entertainer and they are hardly ever in our cantina. I have yet gone to a NPC city's cantina to play music and stuff but it looks fun as. I just hope there is a non AFK group there I can join and converse with, alongside all the people getting healed/buffed by entertainers.
