Musician Archive

I have been a master musician and entertainer for quite some time. I like a lot of us in the beginning paid for a lot of my training, and was lucky in my latter stages to find a location with the only masters on the server.

I brought my new title back to my home town where 2 others and I were hammering away and helped them out. But I had to locate myself somewhere to earn some credit to allow myself to travel so I went to the closest big city. Eventually set up a shop and started to collect what I needed to sell anything musical.

The first thing I got was high quality minerals...this move turned me into a capitalist.

On a few occasion I have tried to go back to the music world now that I no longer need to bust ym hump for credits. I have a good system set up and I get to travel a lot. I drop by the local Cantina's where ever I go, but I have become increasingly depressed...

Nothing has changed...

Half the entertainers are on AFK macros, a bunch of them and a few more are begging for tips because it is the only form of income (been there, and I understand...however there are very easy ways to make credits in this game). I tried a entertain mission and laughed at the absurdity of the reward for these things. I have failed to see any form of organization amoungst entertainers...like bands, private clubs...

I think the 3 entertaining professions have such potential, but nothing is beign done with it. I refuse to give up my skill points, but I have seen soooo many others already do it, that it saddens me.

Maybe these things that are not happening are only like this on radiant...the question is where does the master musician go after they hit master? Jam in the cantina with random people training? Yah it's cool for a bit, but then it gets boring. There needs to be excitement injected into this...people player driven or development driven.

I offer nothing but a state of mind I am finding popular amoungst most master ent/dancer/musicians I have found.And I am looking for suggestions to conquer it. I have tried creating a band to no avail (mroe due to availability than anythign else), I have tried a lot fo different avenues...

I am a MM/ME as well. I'm also working on a combat skill. I get asked to go on several hunts to help with healing and such. So ...I'm hardly ever playing in cantina/tavern's any more unless that's where the action is at. You are more likely to see me in a camp on Dath or somewhere like that. I'm loving it!!! Oh...and the money....those missions pay well Don't get me wrong..there needs to be some changes on the money issue. I just pray it doesn't including having to watch underwear dancers begging for tips any more. Oh...sorry.....wrong thread.

As an ex-Master Musician, all I can say is stay with it as long as you can. If there comes a point that you just cannot see keeping the skills....well the inevitabledoes happen, just go with it because if you reach that point you are just looking for an excuse anyway. Good luck.

I havn't even made it to master yet due to the capitalist draw for me. I even started up the merchant tree (although it's a very modest start). I'm only about 200k from master and i'm getting there eventually, but for about a month straight most of my time was spent finding and lowering the bottom line while trying to raise the going price on instruments.

I have yet to get in to factories and all that. But you're right, the travel is great when you start selling outside the glutted mass markets of Coronet and Naboo, etc. All I ever sold was instruments and I intend to stick to my line in music, but it will take a long time to get there.

I'm not worried by this. I don't think you should feel down about it at all. Stick with the music and have fun with that when the muse calls you. Then go buy low and sell high when Adam Smith rings up.

oh, I'll add more since it's late and you have nothing to do but listen to me. ...

I hear you on the AFK/tip begging musicians. I don't like it, but in the places I play, it's not a problem. so I have no comment.

You mention the lack of entertainer motivation to make bands. I see that it became difficult after two months of game time and many kids back to school (also, many people cancled accounts) for bands to keep going. I know there are still a few out there since I last logged on.

My band had the unfortunate problem of having almost all of the members have major bugs with the game itself all at the same time. These problems lasted for a few weeks and a bunch of people quit.

It will be a while before I jump head-long into another band. best to build up a little momentum first this time around. back then we were all learning it as we went anyway.

meh,
my 2 cr.

I hear ya Dice. But I think it's derived from the game mechanic.

SWG isn't designed for players to ever only do one thing. It's also not designed for players to exist entirely within the confines of their collective skillsets.

What you may be seeking is a way to broaden your horizons beyond the songs and instruments. There's only so far you can go with that. Even the most hardcore dedicated groups don't have gigs lined up hourly with practice in between. Even the most dedicated CHer isn't hunting 24/7.

After a certain point, what you do with your skills has to grow beyond what those skills mean to the game world. It's not so much what you are as much as what you choose to do.

Go with diversity. You may find that bringing Music to the Masses can be just as enjoyable as waiting for them to show up. Keep the skills too, because absence does make the heart grow fonder.

I rediscovered my love for the Music in this game, and my enjoyment for Cantinas when I effectively did neither for a month.

The thing is I have diversified. I am very happy with a diverse character. I am a MM and ME, but also have survey 4, business 3, I have pistol 4 and I am working in the rifleman skill tree. I hunt with my buddies a lot (tried a krayt hunt last night, but our mighty party of 8 foudn squat till all but 1 left, then he found 5

The problem is so much diversity...it's what do do once "mastering". Getting to be a master...yes it has a purpose as people spend long hard hours in cantinas. Here' is what I have done since I became master (only music related)

I train anyone who wants for free. I feel guilty doing this unless I am the only one around qualified as I am taking apprentice points away from those who need, I have been maxed for quite some time. There are very few cantina's that I walk in and been the only qual'd trainer, but i make a point of stopping by anyway just in case.

I make instruments. I have done my best to maintain a market created by the very first master musician who sold insturments on Radiant. Unfortunently as of late other musicians have destroyed the market for most instruments, leaving only nala's and mando's going for anywhere near the set prices. it was onlya matter of time, but it is still sad.

I have discovered the only stat that matters on insturments when it comes to percentage is OQ. I have done my best to collect as much of the best OQ Copper, Steel, Alum and Soft Wood (still looking for some wood to call awesome, got a lot fo 750-800 stuff). But I have with experimentation got a Omni Box @ 99% and a Nala @ 96%. I have not really done too much more experimenting since currently it's pointless, but I am sure I can do likewise with other instruments no problem. If percentage ever matters in this game, I know I will be able to be cutting edge.

I have created various songs, tried organizing a band, preformed at private parties, played for troops in remote locations (rebel base, endor, lok, y4 etc). I am excited with the BE fixes that we should be getting any time now in the next big patch, as I have made nice with a master BE and Tailor to hook up the entertainer skill enhanced clothes.

I was I guess hoping entertainer missions would improve with your skill level. Perhaps setting a goal for entertainers to earn badges, or to give them something that the everyday player cannot get from the average person (skill buffs being one idea floated around, perhaps invitation to play for prominate figures in the game (peeps from the movies) ).

I know there are far more important things to be dealt with in this game, but I wonder if these issues will ever be important enough to address.

Till then I will hunt, work on my rifleman, visit the odd cantina and keep my resources and vendor as stocked as I can. Cheers!

I think that's a primary issue with the game right now, a matter of expectations. In most MMOGs, getting to the top is the game. Here, that's when the game can be said to begin.

In a way, it's a bit like real life. Nobody's ever "done" learning. But what and how they learn changes throughout their life. At first, it's learning from parents, at their whim. Then it's learning from a formalized academic setting. Once you achieve your highest desired "level" (grad, post-grad, masters, doctorates), you either begin applying that knowledge to reverse the revenue flow, continue learning or some combination thereof. But, it's entirely up to you how to proceed.

I consider SWG a virtual lifestyle first, a "game" second. It's an unstructured sandbox for all ages. What the skills allow us to do are sort of an introduction to what's possible in the game.

Unfortunately, certain skill lines are wholly incomplete. Those least complete requires players to fill in their advanced uses, and not many really want to do that. The Entertainer missions, well, I can't quite figure out what they were thinking. But the fact that the remain as they have been for almost two months indicates to me they're a very low priority.

I'd love for them to scale. TwoShoe's idea thread over at Gameplay Discussions is a great way to enhance them. They should spawn content, should scale to level, should be many more things than the current joke consider them to be now. I know that's a harsh assessment, but honestly, taking them costs more money than they reward. When someone can spend half the time to gain twice or three times the in missions that require no skill (deliveries), Entertainer missions become an nice anachronistic footnote.

Anyway, I am holding out hope that we'll get the attention. Someday. But until then, we get to invent ways to have fun with it

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DiceBlackflame wrote:

I have tried creating a band to no avail (mroe due to availability than anythign else)

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Thanks for a thoughtful post. For what it's worth, joining a band has really invigorated me. We have a regular weekly gig, but we also have rehearsals at which we try to work on new things -- timed flourishes, costume changes, solos, call-and-response, that sort of thing. The only trouble with our rehearsals is that we have so much fun just jamming that sometimes we don't get as much work done as we'd like. Still, at our most recent gig -- a repeat venue -- we tried something different (all but two or three of us joined the dancers on Ceremonial), and audience members actually noticed it was a new "routine" for us. That kind of things makesmusic lots morefun.

Anyway, I'd encourage you to put together a band that does a gig once a week just for fun -- even if you have to play for free. Musicians are more likely to commit if you don't ask them to show up more than once a week or so. If you can't find a paying gig, then just throw a party at someone's house and invite everyone on the server (using these boards). Keep it short:announce that you'll perform for 45 minutes, and plan a couple of encores in case the audiencewants more. Toss in a little dice game (use those chance cubes!) or wrestling or gun-dueling, and you've got yourself a fun evening. Heck, you could do it at a hotel and addroulette and slots to the mix.

Well NewJedi my friend I am beyond happy you've been able to do this...but on Radiant it has been very difficult to organzie this. Most MM have rather gone to focus onto other things or are afk 90% of the time. I woud love to get into a band, but then there is the problem of time requirements. Be it with me or with other people. To more or less be part of a band you need to commit a "timeslot" to a video game. A lot of people have an issue with this. I've been in real bands, and it was a significant commitment, and from what i remember you know what I am talking about. I just don't want to feel like I have to schedule RL around a timeslot. Video games for me are played when I can squeeze in the time (though my GF would disagreed ). Most people feel the same.

So I tip my hat to you my friend. I hope one dayI can enjoy this experience. Cheers