Musician Archive
Thread: Musician buff FAQ: version 1.5
The devs have replied to my request for clarification about various aspects of our buff, and I'm going to amend the FAQ to reflect them. I'm also going to repost this in a separate thread to highlight it, in case people aren't following this thread. Here is the information:
Q. Does flourishing affect the duration or power of the targeted (/setperform) buff?
A. Flourishing affects how fast you achieve maximum duration and maximum power. Flourishes will not, however, increase the maximum duration or power of the buff. In effect, flourishing cuts down the time you need to perform the targeted buff.
Q. Does flourishing affect the duration or power of the passive (grouped) buff?
A. No.
Q.Does song or instrument choice affect the duration or powerof the targeted (/setperform) buff?
A. Yes. As with flourishing, song or instrument choice will affect the time at which you achieve maxium power and duration with the targeted buff. If you play a higher song or instrument, the time required to buff is, in theory, shorter.
Q. Does song or instrument choice affect the duration or power of the passive (grouped) buff?
A. I am still seeking clarification on this, but the answers above strongly imply the answer is no.
Q. Do "lighting effects" (Firejet, Colored Lights, etc) affect the duration or power of the targeted or passive buff?
A. No, not currently. I have asked the devs to implement such a feature, and I'm hopeful they will do so.
Q. Does instrument quality affect the duration or power of the targeted or passive buff?
A. No, not currently. Again, I have asked the devs to implement this feature; I don't know what the prospects are for implementation.
Q.If I stop playing in mid-buff, say to change instruments, does that interfere with the buff, or prevent it from "taking"? Does it matter how long I stop?
A. Stopping for a short time should not interfere with your buff.I've tested this repeatedly over the past few days, and my "main" can buff my "alt" even if the main stops playing for 30 seconds. The buff is triggered when the recipient stops listening, whether via radial, command-line, or walking out of range; it's not triggered by a cessation of the performance. That said, some players say it's safer to play continuously if possible.
Q.Precisely what is the amount of time a Master Musician must play to confer the maximum-length targeted buff (i.e., /setperform)?
A. As the answers above indicate, it varies depending on the song, instrument, and flourish amount. Players have reported that six minutes is the minimum time for a Masterto confer the maximum buff power and duration, butitmay be possible to reach the maximum in as little as four minutes; more testing is required.
What "level" is a mandovial? I'd also like to go on the record and state that Master Musician should be able to play ALL songs and instruments. (It's also good to know the role flourishes play in buffing). Thanks for the information NewJedi.
NewJedi wrote:
Q.Does song or instrument choice affect the duration or powerof the targeted (/setperform) buff?
A. Yes. As with flourishing, song or instrument choice will affect the time at which you achieve maxium power and duration with the targeted buff. If you play a higher song or instrument, the time required to buff is, in theory, shorter.
You get the same experience for flourishing with a Mandoviol as you do with a Traz (if I recall correctly) so I would guess they rank each other. Note that the reply Jedi got was that the song OR the instrument choice affected the max power/duration over time for the targetted buff. So I would hazzard a guess that it works like experience. Following that logic, you could play Virtuoso on the Mandoviol and still acheive max buffage in least amount of time...though I hear it sounds awful. After hearing Virtuoso, I can believe it. 
I've never had ME & MM both at the same time to check for myself, though. (Hanging onto that Master Bio-Engineering by the skin of my teethin the hopes that it will not suck quite so vigorously shortly! /wriggles with anticipation )
I personally love the Chidinkalu Horn...the way it looks, the way it sounds, that I can keep playing it for longer periods when I don't have Doctor enhancments.... The Bandfill is a close second. Fortunately, both of those sound great doing Virtuoso. 
NewJedi wrote:
Q.Does song or instrument choice affect the duration or powerof the targeted (/setperform) buff?
A. Yes. As with flourishing, song or instrument choice will affect the time at which you achieve maxium power and duration with the targeted buff. If you play a higher song or instrument, the time required to buff is, in theory, shorter.
Jigglethehandle: I think Echinacea is right -- the mando is roughly on a par with the Traz, in terms of "level." As for the issue of who gets Ceremonial and the mando, the devs are quite aware that a large number of Musicians feel that Master Musicians should get them. But the devs are also aware that another bloc of Musicians thinks it's okay the way it is -- that Ceremonial and the mando create the only realincentive for anyone to take Master Entertainer. Thus far the devs have shown no inclination to change the current setup.
Echinacea: I think I agree with your interpretation. Gah, in my first draft of questions to the devs, I listed song and instrument separately, and now I wish I'd kept it that way to avoid any ambiguity. Still, the devs have told me pretty clearly that both songs and instruments affect how long it takes to confer thetargeted buff.
x) The FAQ at <URL here> says that musicians who are both declared and registered will receive elite bonus faction perks when they play at Detatchment Headquarters. What is the bonus faction perk they talk about?
A) This is an excellent question. Rumors abound that buffing under those circumstances gives you an additional 25% on your current buffing abilities and that you heal from your action deficits faster. However, this does not appear to be the case.
<As in, as far as I know, this is still an active question, yes?>
DLB
Yep, that is an active question. I did post it in the Correspondent forum, and while I got responses from fellow Corresponsents, I never got a dev response. I'll bump my thread and try again.
I take it you've tried buffing in a factional HQ and didn't see any 25% bonus?
Perhaps this needs its own threed (or perhaps it's a dead horse), I say let Master Entertainers Juggle! Everyone loves to watch juggling! I do not plan on keeping ME much longer, but I won't miss the ONE song and ONE instrument too much. I'm optimistic that the MM box will have some instruments and songs added in the next few months....(not holding my breath though)
NewJedi wrote:
Jigglethehandle: I think Echinacea is right -- the mando is roughly on a par with the Traz, in terms of "level." As for the issue of who gets Ceremonial and the mando, the devs are quite aware that a large number of Musicians feel that Master Musicians should get them. But the devs are also aware that another bloc of Musicians thinks it's okay the way it is -- that Ceremonial and the mando create the only realincentive for anyone to take Master Entertainer. Thus far the devs have shown no inclination to change the current setup.
NewJedi -- thanks for this! I've given a few buffs here and there, and never felt like I understood the process. This goes a long way to making me able to do a better job for my customers!
Falryx, I'm glad I could help.
I just received one further clarification from the devs about the buff works. Apparently song and instrument choice affect the speed at which the passive buff is applied -- not just the speed at which the targeted buff is applied. I'm updating the FAQ accordingly.
You can add the players name after you type the setperform command.
Example: /setperform Moira
This is pretty handy when playing the omnibox.
Hi Moira,
I've used /setperform <playername> successfully too, but after the mount patch didn't that functionality become less reliable? If either you or your target has been on a mount recently, the game sometimes doesn't recommend command-line emotes. E.g., sometimes you can /wave Moira, and sometimes you can't. My suspicion is that the same wonkiness afflicts /setperform and may be one reason people sometimes have trouble buffing.
For that reason, my FAQ recommends that if you're playing ommni/nalargon, you click your target, ask them to listen to you,type /setperform, and then start playing.