Musician Archive

Yesterday I filed a brief follow-up to my initial Report.It's only been a few days since I filed my first Report, but now I understand that Q wants reports on Fridays, so I felt I should report on Friday to be safe. Think of this as sort of an interim Report, almost a recap of my first Report.

The only substantive change is that I inserted a new "pet peeve": targeting of the nalargon and ommni box, and a related concern that those instruments can be stolen. Q did say we Correspondents could insert our own "pet peeve" every week, but my intention is to base my "peeves" primarily on commentary from fellow musicians in this forum and in-game. I've received lots of complaints about targeting those instruments. (Now that I have the mando, incidentally, I seem to have the same problem, unless I'm mistaken.)

My hope is that my third Report, due next Friday August 8, will have more significant changes. I say that because a big new content patch is coming soon, and it includes at least one important change for musicians: new gig mission terminals.

Anyway, my second report is the next post in this thread.

Dear Q3P0,

I hear from other Correspondents that you'd like our reports each Friday, so here you are. Again, my list is based primarily on the feedback I've received in the Musician forum and from other Musicians in the game. I've changed only one item on the list -- item 6, my personal "pet peeve" -- so I'll keep this brief.

1. Eliminate duplicate sounds. I.e., make each instrument sound unique.

2. More songs and flourishes.

3. Tipping: an option for audience members to tip the whole band, or just one member of the band, at the listener's discretion.

4. Content: better gig missions, and more high-level content. The coming patch (which apparently features gig mission terminals) may moot some of this. But increasingly I hear Musicians asking, "What do you do after you make Master Musician"? There's one such thread in the Musician forum now.

5. Integrating newbies into bands. Some players feel that newbs ought to be able to join in any song, albeit for reduced or no XP. But just as many musicians seem to see no need for change.

6. As you requested, my weekly pet peeve, one shared by a number of other Musicians: it's annoying that you have to keep the nalargon and ommni box targeted in order to play them. Also, some people say that these instruments can be stolen by other players; this hasn't happened to me, however. (FYI, last week's pet peeve was that /changeband is bugged.)

I hope this is helpful. When would you like my next report? Next Friday, August 8?

Regards,

NewJedi
a/k/a Ricky Starwalker, Master Musician, Chilastra

Good work, NewJedi.

A comment on #6: One cannot use ventriloquism while playing the ommni box or nalagron (well, you can, but it's very tricky) since that effect requires the target be targetted (wouldn't be so bad if you could specify a target in the command).

Also, clarification on the latter part of #6: It is only applicable to the nalagron and ommni box which are placeable instruments. In other words, you first place them on the ground, then play them. What happens is other people (even non-entertainers) can target the instrument and "use" it from the radial menu while the musician is playing it. When they do so, the nalagron or ommni box moves to that persons location, leaving the musician playing in thin air. It's REALLY annoying when people do it, because there are some that do it intentionally.

A comment on #3: There is a command that allows a person in the group to split credits among the group. However, it is currently broken (has been for as long as I can remember). It is /group split #. Getting just that command working in the interim would be a plus, though still not be the complete solution.

I also have another petition for ya NewJedi and something for my fellow musicians to consider signing up for.

I've always thought the lighting effects were...lacking. They take a large amount of action, last for 3 or 6 seconds at a time, require advanced skill boxes to learn, and offer no reward beside 3 or 6 second visual distraction. My wish is that the lighting effects are #1 more plentiful, #2 persistent, #3 more condusive to stage performances. I was disappointed when spotlight wasn't a spotlight at all, but rather just a flash of light. A *real* spot light that you can turn on and off on yourself would be more appropriate for putting on a dramatic stage performance, which I imagine would draw more entertainers to the theaters. The same goes for the other effects.

I agree with pendarin a lot of exp's for a few seconds flash

tips still I dont think are a top 5 for me

if were doing this for money then were in the wrong profession

I would defently drop that from the lists and in its place or higher add the new idea people have

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On reaching Novice Musician or Novice Dancer, you get a Music or Dance Crafting Tool. You can use this to cut and paste together loops, in the manner of a program like Acid Music, or MTV Music Generator (both of which have really easy interfaces). You won't be able to upload your own music or samples... that would be chaotic, and raise those licensing questions... but you will have a 'palette' of samples to work with, which grows as you advance in Musician or Dancer levels. Then you could save the loop sequences as Music Schematics or Dance Step Schematics on your datapad, and trade or sell them... Wouldn't that be great? Also, by using samples, you won't actually have to know how to play music, you'd just need an ear for 'what sounds good'. I don't think the MIDI keyboard thing is a good idea, cuz, as someone said earlier, it would result in lots of sub-class music.

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this is very much like the flourish system but there would be a lot more of them and we could piece them togeather before we play save the song and then play it

trade and sell and find new little cuts and expand our choices

give a man a song and he plays for one gig

allow a man to make songs and he plays forever!

so if they cant wont let us play note adn totaly make songs thsi would be a great consolation prize

it avoids the copyright problem and add themost bang for the dev buck!

a lot of people think ehter the dev wont bother or cant becouse of internet speed problems or becouse of copyright problems

some people think I dont have the talent to make songs I cant read or write sheet music

well nether can I

I will try but I dont think I can make my own songs

but I can buy them from people who can! I can trade for them find them on killed npc's and I can get them off the net from here and other sites

Newjedi I think that everyone would put as there #1 making our won songs but we feal that it is a waste top even ask as it cant/wont be done and if more people know that the DEV did consider it adn Q3po actualy fought for it that it is more possible than we think

maby a poll on all the ideas would help and let people know that it could be done and was talked about and fought over making our own songs

anyway keep up the super work Newjedi

great stuff!

Faydra

I'd like to see some way for us to do something in the GCW as

Damnit, sorry.....

I would like to see some way to participate in the GCW as Musicians, rather than be forced to take up a fighting profession to take part.

Meybe we could be part-time spies or something, or maybe we could play SWG1 for Darth Vader until he goes insane, I don't know, but my character is optimised for entertaining with very low health and very high action, so fighting is not an option for me, except very briefly.....

Also, I would like my avatar not to spin violently around when I smile/emote at someone, especially when I am playing the Ommni-box.

Marjaliisa, it's funny you say that;I just took certain steps toward participating in the GCW myself, and I find myself wishing I could do something musical for The Cause. Now, I have actually gotten gig missions for each faction, but that's not quite what you have in mind, I suspect. Likewise, the devs are about to add mission terminals for entertainers, but again I don't think that's what you're thinking of. Someone else floated the idea of a Theme Park for entertainers; perhaps that could have a GCW link.

Pendarin, I also was disappointed with the Spotlight effect. The Ventriloquism effect does at least allow you to target a person for a light, but the light doesn't last very long (and is hard to target at all if you're on nalargon or ommni box). I actually like the other effects quite a bit, though. They seem to bring in the tips.

The lighting effects work very well for some things I have planned for band use. Not so well in a cantina playing with the buds. Perhaps add some lighting better suited for pick-up play in the cantina----great idea.

But don't take out what we've got. maybe move the current ones down to entertainer or master entertainer and give elite musician new better ones? I don't know.

And turning around to face someone behind me every time I target them for an emote is becoming slightly irritating. People ask me why I play in the corner, and I think that's why; so I don't look like a fool standing in a line of musicians facing backwards or sideways. It doesn't do this for all emotes, so maybe just make it so it doesn't do that while playing music. (sorry can't animate while already animating. ..)

A quick idea for muscians participating in GCW, why not simply award faction points for healing overt members of a faction? It would have to be fairly slow to prevent abust but I think 1 faction point for every 500points of wounds or battle fatigue would be fair. Perhaps also require the entertainer to be overt as well, so thatpeople don't just have points fall into their lap,that way those who go out of their way to support the cause would be rewarded for their loyalty.

One quick thing about the new sounds...

Too many sounds = Bad. I suggest like many people have said a change in pitch. Lower octave instruments would sound okay with the same sound. Right now, the FanFar sounds the SAME as the Slitherhorn. I think that the fanfar should be a low-pitched "slitherhorn" sound. This sound covers the wood group. I know a few instruments also sound like the Fizzz, and a low-pitched fizzz instrument would be cool. Note that the fizzz is like a brass instrument.

Anyone see what I'm getting at? Keep the sounds, change the tone.