Musician Archive

First things first, I'm not defending or attacking afk entertainers in this post. I'm merely explaining why I personally have been afking, and what I think would have prevented me from doing so.

The simple reason is this: levelling up is boring. In order to become a master in a time period less than half a year, you've gotta play with the groups in frequented areas. In doing so, you don't have the freedom to really create a unique band with special performances. For one, you aren't levelled up enough to play some of the instruments or songs (you're always limited by the lowest level member of the group as to which song to play). Secondly, since the process of levelling is so boring, everyone wants to get it over with as quickly as possible, so bandflourishes are scolded, and everything reverts to the lowest common denominator that will give the most xp.
The biggest problem is that there's no variety. Once you get a skillbox, you maybe get a new song to play, which you probably won't play because you want to keep levelling till you can play that omni box or the nalargon, so you stay with the group in Coronet and stick to rock or starwars1. Combat characters don't necessarily gain many new abilities with each skillbox either, but they have 100s of species of enemies to encounter, each with different resists and AI, leading to much more variety than the same exact cantina on one of two planets. When I levelled up my combat medic, I was having fun from the very beginning because I could go with my small group of friends on their hunting trips, take potshots at enemies, and heal the members of the group. Each fight brought a unique experience of trying to stay alive while keeping my friends alive too, since the enemies would attack in different ways. And all the time I gaining lots of XP while enjoying myself.
My post title is probably misleading. I've levelled up my music knowledge so that I can play all the songs and instruments apart from the master musician box. I'd be more than happy now to use this variety to form a band and start playing for the sake of playing and listening to the music, gaining xp however slowly it comes. It's too bad I couldn't have done this on my way to where I am now, gaining xp at a reasonable rate so that I wouldn't feel like it'd be months before I could play the bandfill.
I think the solution is this. It is more important that lower level players be able to have fun than it is for higher level players. Higher level players will be happy because of the sense of accomplishment, and the access to better opportunities. But if the only fun in the game comes when you become a master of an elite profession, you're asking everyone to find the cheapest fastest way to get there, wasting their time to reach that level before they can even start to have fun.
Sorry for the long post. Just my thoughts.
-Scipionus Mentus

I was anticipating the "if it's boring now it'll be boring later" responses, which I tried to cut off by describing my plans as a higher level musician.
I don't believe this is true in my case. Now that I've reached a high enough level, I don't intend to just sit my char down in the most populated cantina and wait for whatever fun people come by while I'm levelling up. As I stated, I like the idea of forming a band with coordinated acts, and as a low-level entertainer, a) I wouldn't feel like I was an asset to the band (which I'm sure could be untrue.. to be fair, I didn't inquire about this when I was low-level), and b) I personally wouldn't like the songs I'd be able to play. Starwars1, rock, starwars2 just don't do it for me. I'm on the verge of designing a new city with some of the friends I've met, and intend to be part of the local band, with performances that will knock your socks off.
But besides that, I do have fun with the social aspect of the game when I am at the keyboard. There are various regulars at the Theed cantina who will tell you I've become their friends, and that I like to have fun conversing with the passers by. The fact is though, I can be social with any aspect of the game, and it's just the fact that my character has to stay put in the same type of location, not even being able to use animated emotes to interact with other people.
I totally respect those for whom hanging out in the cantina is enough to stay happy. For me personally, it's very fun, but not quite enough. I just wish I felt I had some opportunity to explore different ways of using the profession when I was a lower level. I still think the devs are not focused enough on creating content for the novice professions.

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Cudayn wrote:

Not sitting at the computer while you are leveling your character in any profession is, IMHO, the cheap and easy way out. You do not "learn" about your class and its almost as if someone has handed you something that you don't deserve, yet you will take it anyhow.

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I agree with many of your sentiments Cudayn, but I have to take issue with one statement. I'd argue that, unfortunately, there's not all that much to learn about the musician profession. Don't get me wrong, I'd *LOVE* for there to be more to learn. But as it is, you don't learn much more from the X number of hours between skill boxes than you do from the first hour per skillbox.
I very much enjoy what I can learn, and what I have learned. I just took the approach that when I'm home, at the computer, I'll play around with things, and when I'm asleep or at work I'll let my character continue progressing. What I miss in the meantime I'll learn when I get back.
I did make Master Musician last night, and have no plans to ever leave the profession behind. I'll be enjoying what there is left to learn, and how to work with bandmembers to put together some great shows. Maybe even start up my own cantina.

-Scipionus Mentus