Ranger Archive

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JBMat wrote:

Reading the SWG mail thingy that I get ( dunno why, mayhaps I subscribed to it or forgot to check a box that said no thanks)

AFK - unattended macroing This will be going away soon. There will be some issues around losing the ability to do things with recursive macros or while AFK, which need to be addresses as part of this effort, but overall it is better for the game environment to not have this as a sanctioned behavior.

JB

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Yeah, they told us that two publishes ago or more. I'm beginning to suspect it's a bit like "improved client stability" and "addressed an issue that results in CTD", it may have a grain of truth in it, but its difficult to pin down how or what was done.

Still, it'll be nice to see the afk pest control officers gone from outside the towns.

I'm 95% glad they're gonna come down on AFK stuff. It'd be good to see entertainers that aren't zombies, but on the other hand (hologrind and things we shall never speak of again!!) I know that being an entertainer is a horribly BORING and irritating profession. They crack down on AFK entertainers, and we're going to have far, far fewer in the galaxy, until they do something to make the profession enjoyable, and worth sitting down in the chair.

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DaveG wrote:

Perhaps recursive macroing should just be an entertainer skill (or conversely, recursive macros should only permit entertainer abilities).

AFK Entertainers in the middle the night when you're the only one insane enough not to have gone to bed are a real save sometimes. Also, look at the entertainer profession, how much fun can it be for them?

I think my above quote speaks volumes. The only alternative I can think of are NPC enterainers which only appear when a cantina is empty.

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I play a few Entertainer characters and I find them very fun. The thing I don't find fun is the hordes of afk entertainers, spam, bots, etc. No one likes it when the entire profession they work hard for can be replaced by someone who doesn't even have to try. When I play my entertainer characters I rarely go to a cantina anymore for this reason.

The no entertainers thing is a difficult problem and there have been a lot of suggestions of how to fix it, including ideas similar to yours. However, do we then say that we want NPC docs to appear in the med center when no one is there? Or an NPC vendor who sells houses when no vendors are stocking the type we want? (I was recently victim to a frustrating 3 hour search for a small correllian - you'd think at least one COronet vendor would have one!) Its hard to justify getting NPCs to replace one profession and not replace them all.

The best bet, in my opinion, is still to find that one crazy Entertainer who is up at weird hours of the night and make aquaintences. I am sure they are as desperate for healing xp as you are for healing.

I admit I am a little afraid of this thread - they usually turn ugly.

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JBMat wrote:

Ok, a number of statements -

I still think no recursive macros is fine, dandy, and better than sliced white bread (but only if the bread is without peanut butter).

The AFK clowns outside of town killing and harvesting - (insert whatever here). Sorry, that is plain pure and simple stealing. If you are that freaking lazy you need a macro to make your sorry azz money while you sleep, you need to quit the game, pull your little pointed head out of your 4th point of contact (guess what that is) and wake up. You are taking up space real spawns can be using and worse, you are stealing kills that a noob can be getting. How many of these clowns are off fighting Nightsister Elders while AFK - not freaking many if any. Personally, I mess with AFKs as much as possible and when time allows.

The Survey macro clowns in town/bank areas/starports. Oh freaking please. See entertainers. It is not worse than our camping requirements - PLURAL and theirs is singular. I have been told an AFK surveyor can bring in as much as a decent harvestor. This is another thief, of spawns mainly.

Saving the best til last -

Entertainers - has to be the most gawd-awful boring mind numbing profession in the game. I toodle into a cantina and I see 15 AFK zombies and one live dancer (said Hi, or some other non macro thing, talked usually) and guess who gets the XP? Should we allow macros - maybe. But what do they say about us and camping? Also, dancers can have other professions they can master, and still have points. We are pretty much stuck with our triple master, counting scout and a weapon and Ranger and a dabble novice.

My guild is multinational. The Brits are on at one time, the Aussie at another, and the few Yanks (which is odd as we started the guild) are on at other times. We have enough entertainers to keep our BF healed - 2. All it takes. Maybe the lack of macros will get people back into tipping entertainers. I NEVER tip AFK zombies. I /addignore the ones spamming for tips - or I say rude things in spatial - Like don't play in traffic. That is the height of rudeness, spamming for creds while AFK. I always tip or heal or both the live entertainers I use.

Ok rant off. Dave did have a good point. But all in all, I think no macros is a freaking great idea.

JB

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Is it sad that I've come to wait anxiously for his posts?

That said... I think getting rid of AFK macros is great. There might be negatives... but the whole point of the game (I thought) was to interact with others in a Star Wars setting. Now Entertainers have to interact and "work" for their money.

Now that's a novelty.

For Vorpaks and JB,

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Vorpaks wrote:
...
The no entertainers thing is a difficult problem and there have been a lot of suggestions of how to fix it, including ideas similar to yours. However, do we then say that we want NPC docs to appear in the med center when no one is there? Or an NPC vendor who sells houses when no vendors are stocking the type we want? (I was recently victim to a frustrating 3 hour search for a small correllian - you'd think at least one COronet vendor would have one!) Its hard to justify getting NPCs to replace one profession and not replace them all.

...

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Message Edited by DaveG on 01-28-2005 01:11 AM

I just want to point out that alot of live entertainers avoid the cantinas because of the zombies (there tring to eat my head! ahhhhh! run away) When/if recursive macro's are removed I and maybe a few others might filter back in