Musician Archive
Thread: Take a look at Dancers' #1 Issue It involved Musicians too!
Hello fellow entertainers! NewJedi mentioned to me that you guys were talking about your #1 issue here, just as we've been doing in Dancer forum. What we've come up with could be a major boon for all of us, if SOE goes along.
Here's Ravenmist's official thread:
http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=dancer&message.id=5971
And here are my comments taken from another thread (sorry for the cut/paste but I'm running late and don't want to make all of you click over if you don't have time):
"Actually, my ONE biggest gripe could be addressed in such a way as to solve several problems.
As it stands, Entertainers seem to have the image of "the Sims" of SWG. We have very little effect on the Civil War and nothing tangible to offer players other than BF heals. I think we can be both the social class of the game AND offer something valuable -- in one fell swoop, reducing the desirability of AFK Macroing and improving our accessibility to tip income. It could also help alleviate one of the biggest complaints in PvP right now - mind damage.
All they have to do is alter the existing Mind Buffs we already give to players. Make them targetable, so that we can select who gets them. Let Novice Dancers give lower level mind buffs, too. And extend the duration of our buff to something competitive with Doctor buffs. As a Master Dancer, why is my buff only 30 minutes to a Master Doctor's 2 hours? If it's by target selection and /command only, AFKers are going to find it much more difficult to justify and continue their practice.
In a nutshell? My biggest gripe is that our Master-only mind buffs aren't worth much. They could be so much more."
If SOE "gets it", the Focus/Willpower buffs of Musicians will be extended to work the same way. Imagine not only having higher Mind pool for PvP, but having an increase in regen thanks to /listening to a musician at the same time. To me, this is a win/win idea, but I wanted to bring it up to you folks as well. Maybe if we're all on the same page something good will actually happen?
But...but...if they did this, I'd actually have to *listen* to Ricky!
- Pooz
Heh heh, Pooz and Sinda, nice to see you both here. And yes, fellow Musicians, it is worth noting that Dancers seem to regard a better Mind buff as a top priority. I for one would certainly like to seeimprovements to the scope and especially duration ofthe Musician's Focus and Willpower buff. And yes, Pooz, I'd be willing to listen you to get that buff 
Ricky Starwalker, Chilastra
/agree Hijo
Not that it wouldn't be fun to go out into battle... But that's why I've got Pistoleer training 
I'd rather not be pestered to join a combat group to twist buff songs while hoping not to get shot in the eye.
Buffs are great, sure,..but lets keep it in the cantinas,..
my 2 cents PEace
I personally would become such a Bard if they rolled in such a system. But in lieu of that, I have Carbineer and Scout for my combat needs.
It shouldn't be about making a profession be able to do more in more situations. It should be about making that profession complement the other choices a player makes.
I'd love to see Image Designers be able to make camo or illusion kits for Smugglers (can they?).
I'd love to see Dancers and Entertainers get the ability to actually mesmerize (to match their title) mobs and players (with, of course, counter abilities available as well, and within very specific environments and situations).
I'd love to see Musicians be able to write their own music after a fashion.
But except for that last, all radically change the nature of the original intent. Professions entirely devoid of combat will appeal to those who have zero interest in combat. Believe it or not, there are some that really don't care at all about the GCW, mobs, PKs, etc. They are really enjoying their entire game doing nothing but entertaining.
The rest pick up combat skills
Hijo wrote:
Just curious - did anyone actually start an entertainer because they thought they would have a big combat role? I pretty much understood before even buying the game that entertainers weren't intended to have a big impact on the GCW nor on the battlefield in general. Cantinas were to be a place that people healed after they were done fighting. As such, I would like to see them develop that aspect of the game before giving us any type of combat role. If anyone wants to have a role in combat, then use some of your skill points to get a second profession there. Anyone else?
Hijo, at no time have the Dancers ever asked that we be given combat roles. In fact, the current stingy 30-minute buff duration promotes combat involvement MUCH more than would a 90 minute to 2-hour buff. Players will want to bring their entertainers closer to the PvP arena to keep the 30-minute buff going.
As for your impression that we weren't supposed to have a big impact on the GCW, where did you get that idea? We're players too, just like the bounty hunters and riflemen, no? Surely there is a way for us to influence the civil war WITHOUT requiring us to step outside of our role as entertainers -- and that's precisely what this proposal is supposed to do.
More than anything else, the intent here is to enhance the entertainment classes so that we are:
1) More desirable to play
2) More respected as a class by offering something tangible to other players
3) Less macro-able so more of us are actually playing instead of botting.
4) Have a signficant role in the balance of power by offering our side (whichever side we may prefer) a way around the current Mind pool problems in PvP.
5) Give us a "product" thatcould have a monetary value to the community beyond just looking good or sounding good.
Where in all of those reasons do you get the idea that we're trying to push entertainersinto the field of battle?
NewJedi wrote:
Master Musicians get +7 to Melee Defense and +7 to Ranged Defense. In fact, one reason I ultimately opted for Carbineer rather than crafting is that my musical background gives me a small leg up on combat -- a leg up that helped me win my first brawling duel. (Seemy separate thread on that!)
Note: Dancers also get +7 to Melee and Ranged defenses. Which is what led me to branch into TKA as my secondary profession.
That said, I agree that I don't want Musicians to be EQ bards. Sinda's not proposing that. She's proposing a better version of the buff we already have -- and, as she says, a longer-lasting version of the buff actually means it's less necessary to bring us out to the battlefield.
Many of the dancers I know have about 100 hit points. Most of their HAM bars are invested in Action. Do they want to get near a shooting match or stomped by an AT-ST? I don't think so!
A separate, and somewhat more controversial, proposal is to allow entertainers to heal mind damage in the thick of battle. Holo himself said the devs were thinking about giving mind heals to entertainers, medics, or Squad Leaders. But even this proposal doesn't have to be implemented like an EQ Bard. I don't want to see anyone drumming in battle either, and I very much doubt that's what Holo meant with his comment.
One of the ideas I keep seeing - and which I really like - is that Dancers and Musicians can make holo recordings of our performances. These would have tobe difficult to make, have no Usage XP (we don't really need it), and have a diminished healing benefit for the user. But they WOULD give players the ability to remedy their mind wounds in camps close to the battlefield.
But I wonder whether Musicians would support a mind heal conferred by entertainers who are *already*in combat mode --wielding a weapon, or attackingunarmed,as the case may be. The ideais that it would boost squad morale, at least somewhat, if a famous celebrity (Bruce Springsteen,Princess Leia, Marilyn Monroe) were fighting the evil Empirein the foxhole next to you. By the same token, Squad Leaders could have significantgroup-wide mind heals.
I don't have a problem if Squad Leaders can increase group mind regen in the field, but only if it involves some sacrifice on their part, such as incurring mind wounds themselves every time they do it.
Princess Leia is l337! Bruce suXXor!
Darniaq, the game design has always envisioned some combat-support role for Musicians and Dancers. We heal Battle Fatigue and Mind Wounds. Musicians have a Focus and Willpower buff; Dancers have a Mind buff. Master Musicians get +7 to Melee Defense and +7 to Ranged Defense. In fact, one reason I ultimately opted for Carbineer rather than crafting is that my musical background gives me a small leg up on combat -- a leg up that helped me win my first brawling duel. (Seemy separate thread on that!)
That said, I agree that I don't want Musicians to be EQ bards. Sinda's not proposing that. She's proposing a better version of the buff we already have -- and, as she says, a longer-lasting version of the buff actually means it's less necessary to bring us out to the battlefield.
A separate, and somewhat more controversial, proposal is to allow entertainers to heal mind damage in the thick of battle. Holo himself said the devs were thinking about giving mind heals to entertainers, medics, or Squad Leaders. But even this proposal doesn't have to be implemented like an EQ Bard. I don't want to see anyone drumming in battle either, and I very much doubt that's what Holo meant with his comment.But I wonder whether Musicians would support a mind heal conferred by entertainers who are *already*in combat mode --wielding a weapon, or attackingunarmed,as the case may be. The ideais that it would boost squad morale, at least somewhat, if a famous celebrity (Bruce Springsteen,Princess Leia, Marilyn Monroe) were fighting the evil Empirein the foxhole next to you. By the same token, Squad Leaders could have significantgroup-wide mind heals.