On the heels of my conundrum yesterday, a trailing thought, lost in a daydream, walked right into the front of my head. Has that ever happened to you? It didn’t hurt, don’t worry about me. And the thought is in good shape as well. Some of us are fortunate enough to play WoW and other games with their RL friends. Together they can form groups, raids, guilds, activities, premades, whatever. Others come in solo, but are able to latch on to guilds, sometimes for better other times for worse.
Then sometimes we require, or at the very least desire, change. For those who raid seriously or who PvP seriously, there is often a process whereby they are accepted into a new guild. It’s called an application process. Although I’ve never gone through it personally, I believe that applications are used by high-end guilds and not your average, ordinary, everyday, run-of-the-mill raiding/PvP guild. Classify it how you like, there are guilds that do and guilds that don’t.
In the real world we do similar actions when searching for a new job. There is usually some application process involved, followed by an interview, which results in either acceptance or rejection. When I was in college, I was taught that a great resume stood out from the rest. A potential employer will only look at for about 15 seconds or less. That’s it. That’s often how long you have to impress, to sell them on you as a candidate that they need to take a closer look at. So how does one accomplish that? I’m not going to give away my secrets (because my resume absolutely rocks the house). What I will say is that they need to be able to quickly see what you’re good at and what you achieved. Therefore, your information must be obvious.
With the need to impress, and the belief in many that they are capable of doing the job if only given the chance, some are led to exaggerate a little; some exaggerate a lot, although I’ve never been counted among those. They oversell themselves in the hopes that they can land the interview and then perform “well enough” to be considered for the job. If they don’t know something Mr. Exaggerate will say “just give it to me and I’ll get it done, sir.” While that may indeed work in some professions, it doesn’t work as well in a raid situation.
“Just throw me in the raid and I’ll DPS.”
Well of course you will, idiot, you’re a hunter. You are literally incapable of doing anything except DPS. Tell me something that will impress me, something to prove that you know what you are doing AND that you can do it better than the hunter I’ve got waiting in the sitting room flirting with the receptionist.
How would someone attempt to oversell themselves? They could make claims on their application of having reached certain damage output on a certain fight, but have no logs to back them up because their previous raid leader, in a fit of rage, deleted all the logs. How could the new guild verify the accuracy of the statement without taking that player for a trial run. But just like the “just give it to me and I’ll get it done, sir” guy, a trial run is what the person was seeking. This is an interview, in effect, a chance to prove himself. But in the attempt he opens himself up to ridicule if he doesn’t produce at the rate he claimed to. In the end, Mr. Exaggerate is rejected either because the guild had strict rules about presenting logs (which this guy could not), or was given the benefit of the doubt, offered a trial run, and performed miserably.
What happens when there is an interview process, and Mr. Exaggerate answers the questions but, according to the guild the answers are wrong. Out of desperation Mr. Exaggerate says that “according to all my theory-crafting, this has proven to be the optimal stat setup for my class/spec”. Once again, an oversell that’s difficult to prove. If Mr. Exaggerate doesn’t have the simulation data to present, it’s his word against the recruiting guild’s. And his attempt to oversell his knowledge is foiled once again.
The more I think about it, the more it seems that it’s incredibly difficult to oversell yourself to an organized, strict guild. Application processes tend, from what I’ve read, to challenge a player to prove his experience, skill and knowledge. Unable to do just that, the applicant won’t even get a sniff at a probationary period to prove himself.
In life we can use other intangible skills to get a job. Charisma, influential language, determination, short skirts or expensive suit (oh, people use what they’ve got, and I’ve known many a pretty lady use her body to influence stupid men to get a job before). We can give rehearsed answers to common interview questions. There are a lot of “tips and tricks” to a good interview – but one thing you’ll never see in any guide is “just be honest and be yourself”. No, it’s always about putting on a good show, because evidently employers are stupid and can be tricked. But an intelligent raid leader looking for a competent Holy Priest will have a hard time being duped by someone overselling themselves. Either they know what spells are optimal for fight X and encounter Z or they don’t. Either they know the mechanics of every phase of the LK fight or they don’t. And usually all that stuff gets flushed out in the application process.
In conclusion, I have come to believe that for those guilds with strict application processes, it’s nearly impossible to oversell yourself. Funny, because out in the real world, in places that pay you $60K a year, it’s far easier to trick your way into a job just by using some flattering words and coy misdirection in your conversations to keep on topics where you are strong and stay away from subjects you know little about.
I’ve never lied on a resume or in an interview. I’ve never lied to a RL just to get in either. But if I were given the choice of trying to dupe somebody, I would stay away from that guild who requires an application and go for the CFO position at Bank of America (who, btw, is a significant investor in ATVI).
What do you think? Is it possible to be accepted into a high-end guild by fudging your way through an application process by overselling your skills? Have you ever tried it? Shame on you if you did, but you can still admit it – it’s good for the soul and all.
Have an absolutely wonderful weekend. I’ll be working on my song still and planning the destruction of my employer, who laid me off yesterday. CURSE THEM!
Friday, October 22, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
How Do Introverts Find Guilds?
Pain. Agony. My lonliness burns through the cavernous caverns and this awful smelling cave..."Hold on, wait just a second! Did you see this place? I mean, really, get an interior decorator in here and give me a new lyricist cause these words are just, DANG!"
Ok, enough making fun of the Cataclysm Cinematic. Yes, the writing could have been better. I am not here today to talk about that. I'm looking for a bit of advice, and maybe your soul too, if your offering. A couple or few months back, I can't remember exactly, I realm transferred my levl 80 DK from my main's realm (Malfurion-US) to Llane-US. I had to change his name, bummer, but he now rocks that joint as the only Trezzoth in all of Azeroth. Go figure!
I sent him there for two very specific purposes: 1) to help my boys level their characters by providing them with occaisional mats, gear purchases (I don't give them gold, I work with them if they need a big upgrade, but it'll always be nothing more than a green item of the AH that is more appropriate for their level). And what else? Let's see, oh yes, I brought many of the heirloom gear items from my main's realm - which, by the way, I have but all replaced for my Worgen whatevers that I'll be rolling in Cata. Reason #2) To get away, find some peace and quiet, free of guild chatter, social pressures, raiding requests, and so forth.
For these months everything has worked out perfectly. Although my play time is far more casual as a non-raider (currently), the whole peace and quiet thing is pretty easy to come by any time I want. Because of that, something else has taken it's place, anxiety. My DK is beginning to become anxious about Cataclysm. Why? Because he stands guildless. The anxiety is not due to the loss of guild perks that many others will enjoy, I believe rather that it stems from a desire to want to get to know new people on a new realm but I'm really scared to do so.
Despite my putting myself out there on this blog for all you hundreds of thousands of readers to see, I am still quite introverted and incredibly shy. My main's guild grew out of a merger, and my initial guild that I joined when I hit 80 was as a result from a compelling recruitment post in Icecrown general chat. I had responded to the post and talked with the GL for 30 minutes before joining. Everything else just flowed from there. But here I am now, a max level toon on another server, and I don't know a soul. I no longer feel peace but emptiness when I log on to Trezzoth. I really do want to talk to people, to come out of my shell more, but the same anxiety that drives me to meet people keeps me away from them. Each force pulls simultaneously and equally strong, and I'm being ripped apart.
So, what do I do? I tried going online and checking a couple popular sites (including the official forums) for any guilds recruiting for anything that isn't HM1CC25/RS (Need Holy Priest, Feral Druid w/0/33/3 spec). Plus, and this is where the forums are messed up, the recruitments aren't sorted by realm, that I can see. What else have I done? Well, I try to pick up the weekly and try to be somewhat conversational during the 10 minutes I'm with people of the same realm. My thought is that maybe I'll click with someone or I'll be asked why I'm guildless or I'll be inspired to speak up to someone who impresses me. But so far I've had no inspiration or any conversation that would lead to becomming part of a guild.
I also keep my eyes posted to chat, because I've noticed that guilds have started recruiting again in preparation for Cataclysm. Knowing that numbers are good, the more the better in many cases, I'm keeping my eyes out for a guild that meets my needs. Which are:
*Mature (knowing when and where it's appropriate to use certain language)
*Friendly (I will not stand for a guild with people who troll)
*Allow and encourage any/all activty (raiding, pvp, RP, laughing, etc)
*Active - One thing that bugged me that I learned while leveling is that many casual guilds recruit heavily only to find their players never logging in. So one week you'll have 15 people online, and a month later you are flying solo day after day. I don't want that kind of guild.
*A guild with connections, friendly with other guilds who raid. Even though I don't raid right now, I'm rehabbing my back so that one day I'll be able to get back into it. I'm terribly excited to raid in Cataclysm, I don't want Wrath to be my only experience. Especially considering that by the time I was raiding seriously, Naxx & Ulduar were obsolete and ICC was the new IT thing to do (ToC remained something that people did who were desperate for 1 more thing or just really, really bored). I want to be able to experience the first tiers of raiding, but I need time to be phycially strong enough to do it, which means I need a guild who is casual enough to let me hang but progressive enough to want to raid as well...eventually.
I know, I'm a hard case at best. I have strange and diverse needs, and they often are conflicting and don't make much sense. But there they are, as murky as ever. I've seen what happens to people who post in chat "LF Guild", as they get lambasted and told to 'be specific', etc. Do I post a reverse recruiting message of my own with my own requirements (shortened, of course)? It's a possibility. Are there other resources that I don't know about that I can tap into to find guilds that may meet my needs and I theirs? If I knew, I wouldn't be asking.
It's remarkable to me how I've gone from someone who didn't want interaction with anyone to somebody who craves it as much as I do now. I wonder if other people go through similar things in their games. Have you had a change like this before? How did you resolve it?
Introverts want interaction with others, I believe, they're just too afraid to make the first move, like me. Yes, some may always feel like they want to be left alone, but I think even those fine folk want to feel like they are a part of something, something that involves the good will of other people.
If you know anyone on Llane-US (Alliance side, I'm not faction changing), let me know so I can given them a shout-out. Thanks!
Ok, enough making fun of the Cataclysm Cinematic. Yes, the writing could have been better. I am not here today to talk about that. I'm looking for a bit of advice, and maybe your soul too, if your offering. A couple or few months back, I can't remember exactly, I realm transferred my levl 80 DK from my main's realm (Malfurion-US) to Llane-US. I had to change his name, bummer, but he now rocks that joint as the only Trezzoth in all of Azeroth. Go figure!
I sent him there for two very specific purposes: 1) to help my boys level their characters by providing them with occaisional mats, gear purchases (I don't give them gold, I work with them if they need a big upgrade, but it'll always be nothing more than a green item of the AH that is more appropriate for their level). And what else? Let's see, oh yes, I brought many of the heirloom gear items from my main's realm - which, by the way, I have but all replaced for my Worgen whatevers that I'll be rolling in Cata. Reason #2) To get away, find some peace and quiet, free of guild chatter, social pressures, raiding requests, and so forth.
For these months everything has worked out perfectly. Although my play time is far more casual as a non-raider (currently), the whole peace and quiet thing is pretty easy to come by any time I want. Because of that, something else has taken it's place, anxiety. My DK is beginning to become anxious about Cataclysm. Why? Because he stands guildless. The anxiety is not due to the loss of guild perks that many others will enjoy, I believe rather that it stems from a desire to want to get to know new people on a new realm but I'm really scared to do so.
Despite my putting myself out there on this blog for all you hundreds of thousands of readers to see, I am still quite introverted and incredibly shy. My main's guild grew out of a merger, and my initial guild that I joined when I hit 80 was as a result from a compelling recruitment post in Icecrown general chat. I had responded to the post and talked with the GL for 30 minutes before joining. Everything else just flowed from there. But here I am now, a max level toon on another server, and I don't know a soul. I no longer feel peace but emptiness when I log on to Trezzoth. I really do want to talk to people, to come out of my shell more, but the same anxiety that drives me to meet people keeps me away from them. Each force pulls simultaneously and equally strong, and I'm being ripped apart.
So, what do I do? I tried going online and checking a couple popular sites (including the official forums) for any guilds recruiting for anything that isn't HM1CC25/RS (Need Holy Priest, Feral Druid w/0/33/3 spec). Plus, and this is where the forums are messed up, the recruitments aren't sorted by realm, that I can see. What else have I done? Well, I try to pick up the weekly and try to be somewhat conversational during the 10 minutes I'm with people of the same realm. My thought is that maybe I'll click with someone or I'll be asked why I'm guildless or I'll be inspired to speak up to someone who impresses me. But so far I've had no inspiration or any conversation that would lead to becomming part of a guild.
I also keep my eyes posted to chat, because I've noticed that guilds have started recruiting again in preparation for Cataclysm. Knowing that numbers are good, the more the better in many cases, I'm keeping my eyes out for a guild that meets my needs. Which are:
*Mature (knowing when and where it's appropriate to use certain language)
*Friendly (I will not stand for a guild with people who troll)
*Allow and encourage any/all activty (raiding, pvp, RP, laughing, etc)
*Active - One thing that bugged me that I learned while leveling is that many casual guilds recruit heavily only to find their players never logging in. So one week you'll have 15 people online, and a month later you are flying solo day after day. I don't want that kind of guild.
*A guild with connections, friendly with other guilds who raid. Even though I don't raid right now, I'm rehabbing my back so that one day I'll be able to get back into it. I'm terribly excited to raid in Cataclysm, I don't want Wrath to be my only experience. Especially considering that by the time I was raiding seriously, Naxx & Ulduar were obsolete and ICC was the new IT thing to do (ToC remained something that people did who were desperate for 1 more thing or just really, really bored). I want to be able to experience the first tiers of raiding, but I need time to be phycially strong enough to do it, which means I need a guild who is casual enough to let me hang but progressive enough to want to raid as well...eventually.
I know, I'm a hard case at best. I have strange and diverse needs, and they often are conflicting and don't make much sense. But there they are, as murky as ever. I've seen what happens to people who post in chat "LF Guild", as they get lambasted and told to 'be specific', etc. Do I post a reverse recruiting message of my own with my own requirements (shortened, of course)? It's a possibility. Are there other resources that I don't know about that I can tap into to find guilds that may meet my needs and I theirs? If I knew, I wouldn't be asking.
It's remarkable to me how I've gone from someone who didn't want interaction with anyone to somebody who craves it as much as I do now. I wonder if other people go through similar things in their games. Have you had a change like this before? How did you resolve it?
Introverts want interaction with others, I believe, they're just too afraid to make the first move, like me. Yes, some may always feel like they want to be left alone, but I think even those fine folk want to feel like they are a part of something, something that involves the good will of other people.
If you know anyone on Llane-US (Alliance side, I'm not faction changing), let me know so I can given them a shout-out. Thanks!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
One Million Reasons!
"Terrell has 25 million reasons why he should be alive."
-- Kim Etheredge, Terrell Owens' publicist
To sports fans, you'll recognize this quote. After it was reported that Cincinnati Bengals Wide Receiver Terrell Owens (not playing for Bengals at the time) allegedly attempted to committ suicide, Owens' publicist, in a statement to the press, made the above remark in reference to Owens' recent signed contract.
I've hired Kim here at Deuwowlity to make another statement, this time on behalf of goblins and gold-lovers alike: "Now you have one million (1,000,000) reasons to play WoW."
That's all I could get from her, oh well. She makes a point, which she probably got from checking out MMO-Champion today, where a reminder of sorts was given to us that the gold cap has been raised to One Million. While technically, it seems the actual cap is 999,999g 99s & 99c, we'll round up by one copper and make it an even Million.
Me
What does this mean? For me it means very little, as I've never even approached the gold cap that was in place currently. I guarantee, even if I play this game for 5 more years, I will never have 1M gold in my backpack, or even a total of 1M gold spread out over every alt of every realm, faction, or race, etc. I don't place much value on playing the gold game. There have been exactly three times where I have played that game, and each time it lasted no longer than a week.
The first was when I decided to save up for my epic flying training. It took about 2-3 days to get 5K gold, and I played the game for a few days past that. The second time was when our guild truly became a raiding guild, I wanted to save money for the large amount of gemming/enchanting/other stuff that was going to be needed, so I played the gold game for another 5 days and made tons of gold (per my standards - given I only was online a couple hours a day). The thrid and final time was after I stopped raiding and decided to save for Cataclysm. For a week I played the gold game on an even more limited basis (an hour a day or so), and within that time I earned nearly 10K for each of my two mains (YES I HAVE TWO MAINS, AND SOON I'LL HAVE THREE, WHACHA GONNA DO?).
So, it's not that I don't know how to make gold, it's that I choose not to.
Gold Sellers
-- Kim Etheredge, Terrell Owens' publicist
To sports fans, you'll recognize this quote. After it was reported that Cincinnati Bengals Wide Receiver Terrell Owens (not playing for Bengals at the time) allegedly attempted to committ suicide, Owens' publicist, in a statement to the press, made the above remark in reference to Owens' recent signed contract.
I've hired Kim here at Deuwowlity to make another statement, this time on behalf of goblins and gold-lovers alike: "Now you have one million (1,000,000) reasons to play WoW."
That's all I could get from her, oh well. She makes a point, which she probably got from checking out MMO-Champion today, where a reminder of sorts was given to us that the gold cap has been raised to One Million. While technically, it seems the actual cap is 999,999g 99s & 99c, we'll round up by one copper and make it an even Million.
Me
What does this mean? For me it means very little, as I've never even approached the gold cap that was in place currently. I guarantee, even if I play this game for 5 more years, I will never have 1M gold in my backpack, or even a total of 1M gold spread out over every alt of every realm, faction, or race, etc. I don't place much value on playing the gold game. There have been exactly three times where I have played that game, and each time it lasted no longer than a week.
The first was when I decided to save up for my epic flying training. It took about 2-3 days to get 5K gold, and I played the game for a few days past that. The second time was when our guild truly became a raiding guild, I wanted to save money for the large amount of gemming/enchanting/other stuff that was going to be needed, so I played the gold game for another 5 days and made tons of gold (per my standards - given I only was online a couple hours a day). The thrid and final time was after I stopped raiding and decided to save for Cataclysm. For a week I played the gold game on an even more limited basis (an hour a day or so), and within that time I earned nearly 10K for each of my two mains (YES I HAVE TWO MAINS, AND SOON I'LL HAVE THREE, WHACHA GONNA DO?).
So, it's not that I don't know how to make gold, it's that I choose not to.
Gold Sellers
I realize there are gold sellers out there who were just made happier that they can now horde more gold per account, but I don't really see this as a buff to gold selling. My opinion is that there will always be people seeking to break the law, and no matter the gold cap, those folk will find ways to sell gold just as they have done in the past. So while they may find the increase of the gold cap a benefit, I don't see that it will boost or curtail gold selling. The only thing that will curtail gold selling are strict regulations and even more strict enforcement. I'm not very tech savy, so I don't know exactly how to police it well, but there must be a way to enforce it better than whatever Blizz is currently doing (if anything).
Goblins
This group, more than any, should be excited about this change. They can now treasure approximately 4 times as much gold as before. What they will use it for I have no idea, but I'm sure they'll be able to find something. Maybe there will be a race to gold cap, perhaps one of these days we'll see some gold-making website claim that they hit 1M gold and they are the new, self-proclaimed Master of the Universe.
I say fine, let 'em have their glory, let 'em have their day in the sun. I'm all for free markets, and if they can achieve the new gold cap quickly without doing anything against the official Blizzard rules, then I say go for it! There are many legitimate and creative tactics out there for making loads of gold, and those that value that activity will be great at it and I applaud them for it.
Not Terrell
If given a choice, I'd rather be in Terrell's shoes than be first to gold cap. $25 Million real world dollars would be infinitely more welcome than $1M virtual gold. But I'm not Terrell, so I'll have to make due with a fantasy for now.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Let's Ride!
Greetings from the Wild, Wild, West! That’s right, boys and girls, I’m all Cowboy’d up and ready to ride (but not into the sunset). As RL settles as the dust about my feet, I’m suited up in my finest leather, my horse is strapped, and the path before me is now clear. Deathwing, I’ve conquered every watering hole from the Mojave to the Rio Grande. I’ve dueled with the biggest and baddest roughnecks this side of the Mississippi. I’ve seen my enemy use fire and ice, shadow and flame, so what makes you think I’m going to be at all intimidated by you?
Groooooooowl! Because I’m huge, and I just ripped the world apart!
What was that? A little wolfie growl? Surely not a big, bad, fire-breathing dragon! Yesterday I was scared of you, but the myth has faded just as your name shall fade from the history books of Azeroth when I am done with you. Ladies and gents, I ride into the Cataclysm, not away. Who’s with me?
My love of Priests cannot be overstated, because today I feel Renewed as I never have before. Perhaps it’s the simple life joy of having all my family again under one roof after a week of torment and distress. No, it’s definitely that, and a renewed hope that this time around there are new and bright paths before us, a faithful certainty that my wife will not have to go back into the hospital. How that changes a person! A renewed vitality has strengthened my love for the game I play, and for the people I play it with (and talk about it with).
What is in the past but things we cannot change? Memories, unalterable except through coercion and disease, refresh me, give me clarity as to the good things that come out of playing and out of blogging, of being part of a community that teaches each other and supports each other. All of this out of some strange common bonds that we share, bonds that shouldn’t exist if I gave myself to deep thoughtfulness. But they do exist, because we share, to whatever degree, small or large, an interest in a game that has spanned the continents and sailed the mighty seas.
And so we play on, riding towards a destruction of the world as we know it with fervor and anticipation unguarded. The world is slowly groaning beneath the feet of people who have changed, some believe for the better and some believe for the worse. Always there will be those that cry foul when a parent takes their ball away from them, and sometimes they do not accept the gift that is a new car or Hawaii vacation because they loved their ball infinitely more than any other gift that had been or could ever be given to them. Perhaps slowly they will begin to see the need to take the ball away from them. Maybe it was made in China and the paint used had lead in it, something the parent knew but the child was oblivious to. There’s a level of trust that exists, then, between player and dev. For all the feedback that we, the players, give, discretion will always remain in the hands of those who wield the power…for good or ill. If change happened just for change sake, I may stand and fight, but although I wear stained glasses, I can still see that change is a-happening for a reason, and it’s incumbent on me to do my part to make sure the change benefits as many as possible.
Cataclysm will change many, many things that we know and love. Changes to our own selves have been drastic in come cases (Paladin), less so in others (Resto Shaman – they were already nearly perfect). Let’s not stray into paths of ill-reason and high expectations, however. We will still be playing World of Warcraft, and many of the basic principles of the game are unchanging, as are my memories still. Rest assured that you will still do battle with Hogger, albeit in a slightly different setting than before. You’ll still wield the power of fire, frost, nature, arcane, and the Light, though you may pass through times of comparative power that you did not experience the first time around.
I’m an old fashioned New Englander, frugal and independent as any good New Hamshire-ite could ever be, and yet as I find myself on my homestead in the Wild West of the Mojave Desert, I’m now influenced by the past and the deeds of the great and even notorious Cowboys the Southwest has ever known. All the fear of the future that I once had is now gone. The trepidation of facing perhaps the most powerful dragon Azeroth has ever seen is assuaged, and the Rebel that I am (UNLV Alumn) is ready and willing to ride into the fire of a bright sunrise and take dead aim at those who would bring hurt and destruction to the world I love. The changes are inevitable, the path is clear, so on I ride into that chasm that is the unknown future, but not without hope, and not without light, and not without all of you. Let’s ride!!!
Groooooooowl! Because I’m huge, and I just ripped the world apart!
What was that? A little wolfie growl? Surely not a big, bad, fire-breathing dragon! Yesterday I was scared of you, but the myth has faded just as your name shall fade from the history books of Azeroth when I am done with you. Ladies and gents, I ride into the Cataclysm, not away. Who’s with me?
My love of Priests cannot be overstated, because today I feel Renewed as I never have before. Perhaps it’s the simple life joy of having all my family again under one roof after a week of torment and distress. No, it’s definitely that, and a renewed hope that this time around there are new and bright paths before us, a faithful certainty that my wife will not have to go back into the hospital. How that changes a person! A renewed vitality has strengthened my love for the game I play, and for the people I play it with (and talk about it with).
What is in the past but things we cannot change? Memories, unalterable except through coercion and disease, refresh me, give me clarity as to the good things that come out of playing and out of blogging, of being part of a community that teaches each other and supports each other. All of this out of some strange common bonds that we share, bonds that shouldn’t exist if I gave myself to deep thoughtfulness. But they do exist, because we share, to whatever degree, small or large, an interest in a game that has spanned the continents and sailed the mighty seas.
And so we play on, riding towards a destruction of the world as we know it with fervor and anticipation unguarded. The world is slowly groaning beneath the feet of people who have changed, some believe for the better and some believe for the worse. Always there will be those that cry foul when a parent takes their ball away from them, and sometimes they do not accept the gift that is a new car or Hawaii vacation because they loved their ball infinitely more than any other gift that had been or could ever be given to them. Perhaps slowly they will begin to see the need to take the ball away from them. Maybe it was made in China and the paint used had lead in it, something the parent knew but the child was oblivious to. There’s a level of trust that exists, then, between player and dev. For all the feedback that we, the players, give, discretion will always remain in the hands of those who wield the power…for good or ill. If change happened just for change sake, I may stand and fight, but although I wear stained glasses, I can still see that change is a-happening for a reason, and it’s incumbent on me to do my part to make sure the change benefits as many as possible.
Cataclysm will change many, many things that we know and love. Changes to our own selves have been drastic in come cases (Paladin), less so in others (Resto Shaman – they were already nearly perfect). Let’s not stray into paths of ill-reason and high expectations, however. We will still be playing World of Warcraft, and many of the basic principles of the game are unchanging, as are my memories still. Rest assured that you will still do battle with Hogger, albeit in a slightly different setting than before. You’ll still wield the power of fire, frost, nature, arcane, and the Light, though you may pass through times of comparative power that you did not experience the first time around.
I’m an old fashioned New Englander, frugal and independent as any good New Hamshire-ite could ever be, and yet as I find myself on my homestead in the Wild West of the Mojave Desert, I’m now influenced by the past and the deeds of the great and even notorious Cowboys the Southwest has ever known. All the fear of the future that I once had is now gone. The trepidation of facing perhaps the most powerful dragon Azeroth has ever seen is assuaged, and the Rebel that I am (UNLV Alumn) is ready and willing to ride into the fire of a bright sunrise and take dead aim at those who would bring hurt and destruction to the world I love. The changes are inevitable, the path is clear, so on I ride into that chasm that is the unknown future, but not without hope, and not without light, and not without all of you. Let’s ride!!!
Friday, October 15, 2010
Expressions
Introverts are a funny sort, I should know. We keep things bottled up until they explode, and when that happens good things DON'T tend to follow. But can they? Will they ever? A variable longed for in my life is hope.
I've been out of sorts this week. Preoccupied. My thoughts have been scattered and remote. I've been unable to think clearly; lack of sleep does that to you. Where are my friends? Where did my heart go? What happened to my inspiration?
Disclosure: I'm going to speak of incredibly personal things, so if you don't want to know or are not in the mood for that kind of stuff, please don't read on. I will do better next week.
Out of the Darkness - Or Into it?
Anyone who has read my little sliver of the blogosphere for any semi-significant amount of time know that I merge the personal with the game. I am a person playing a game, that there would be crossover is natural and inevitable, and each person experiences the merging of life and game to varying degrees.
Not long ago I stopped blogging for about a week, perhaps slightly more or less, because my wife had been hospitalized. Much to our shock, it's happened again this week. If it were just me and her that would be one thing, I may cry myself to sleep at night and not think twice about it. But I've got two kids who live to love their parents, and it's incumbent upon me to keep them calm and help them understand that their mother isn't going to die, will be able to come home, but unknown to us as to when. To help them deal the best way possible I need to present a strong exterior, or they will get scared. I need to encourage them to talk to me about their feelings, knowing the good that comes from expression. But I cannot reciprocate, I cannot lay my worries on an Eight-Year-Old child. It's not fair to him because he's not emotionally equipped to handle the stress of caring for an adult.
But my heart burns.
I have my parents living close by, and I have a friend that is in a position to help me as well. My wife's best friend helps by picking up the kids from school and such, so there's no lack of support in my life. But still I'm an introvert, and in order to function at all at work and around my kids I need to put on a cold exterior - if I don't I know I'll break down and absolutely lose it!
Music & Writing
I've changed directions with the song I'm attempting to write. Wait. Are you saying that you're going through with this thing, Gronthe? Go and be with your family, it's ok. As I was saying, I'm still attempting to write, and the reason is so that I can channel this emotion in a way that will be both meaningful to me and allow me to tether myself to the real world that I enjoy. Writing, blogging, is what I do because I wish to express myself, not to become popular and have 1,000 readers a day. So I'm continuing to write a song, but don't be surprised if it sounds familiar to my own life, but with obvious WoW overtones.
I play because it's fun and it helps to clear my mind. I play because it's something I can do with my kids, especially since soccer is out of the questions. I play because of my childhood, my teen years, and my adult experiences. I write because I have a hard time expressing myself vocally. Usually when I make the attempt I break down emotionally or end up stuttering myself into incoherent nonsense. Writing, though definately not a master, let's my fingers talk, let's my mind say those things I need to say when saying those things aloud would mean certain tears.
The Song/Musical
I'm still gonna do it. Out of the darkness that is the unknown fate of my wife has come feeling. If I fail to express this feeling it would result in negativity. I need to be allowed to be creative on my terms, and even at night when I know she's resting comfortably and safely, I will be channeling myself into song.
The music I cannot vouch for, I'm not a great musician, but the lyrics at the very least will have meaning, as much for you as they do for me.
Apology
I apologize for not being myself lately, I just can't help it. There are things happening in the game that I have opinions about, and I'll share those as both time permits and inspiration abounds. I may be working on my song project a little longer than I first imagined, but it'll definately be done before Thanksgiving, and possibly as early as next week. Time right now is never-ending. Days run into nights which turn into hours of waking and sleeping and confusion.
To everyone out there, I hope you are enjoying the changes in the patch. Late at night when I can't sleep I too have had the chance to feel the power given to many spellcasters, and it's a sight to behold. May your weekend be filled with good moments, memorable sights and sounds, and simple joys such as a fine game with fine friends. Good morning/afternoon/evening/night to you all!
I've been out of sorts this week. Preoccupied. My thoughts have been scattered and remote. I've been unable to think clearly; lack of sleep does that to you. Where are my friends? Where did my heart go? What happened to my inspiration?
Disclosure: I'm going to speak of incredibly personal things, so if you don't want to know or are not in the mood for that kind of stuff, please don't read on. I will do better next week.
Out of the Darkness - Or Into it?
Anyone who has read my little sliver of the blogosphere for any semi-significant amount of time know that I merge the personal with the game. I am a person playing a game, that there would be crossover is natural and inevitable, and each person experiences the merging of life and game to varying degrees.
Not long ago I stopped blogging for about a week, perhaps slightly more or less, because my wife had been hospitalized. Much to our shock, it's happened again this week. If it were just me and her that would be one thing, I may cry myself to sleep at night and not think twice about it. But I've got two kids who live to love their parents, and it's incumbent upon me to keep them calm and help them understand that their mother isn't going to die, will be able to come home, but unknown to us as to when. To help them deal the best way possible I need to present a strong exterior, or they will get scared. I need to encourage them to talk to me about their feelings, knowing the good that comes from expression. But I cannot reciprocate, I cannot lay my worries on an Eight-Year-Old child. It's not fair to him because he's not emotionally equipped to handle the stress of caring for an adult.
But my heart burns.
I have my parents living close by, and I have a friend that is in a position to help me as well. My wife's best friend helps by picking up the kids from school and such, so there's no lack of support in my life. But still I'm an introvert, and in order to function at all at work and around my kids I need to put on a cold exterior - if I don't I know I'll break down and absolutely lose it!
Music & Writing
I've changed directions with the song I'm attempting to write. Wait. Are you saying that you're going through with this thing, Gronthe? Go and be with your family, it's ok. As I was saying, I'm still attempting to write, and the reason is so that I can channel this emotion in a way that will be both meaningful to me and allow me to tether myself to the real world that I enjoy. Writing, blogging, is what I do because I wish to express myself, not to become popular and have 1,000 readers a day. So I'm continuing to write a song, but don't be surprised if it sounds familiar to my own life, but with obvious WoW overtones.
I play because it's fun and it helps to clear my mind. I play because it's something I can do with my kids, especially since soccer is out of the questions. I play because of my childhood, my teen years, and my adult experiences. I write because I have a hard time expressing myself vocally. Usually when I make the attempt I break down emotionally or end up stuttering myself into incoherent nonsense. Writing, though definately not a master, let's my fingers talk, let's my mind say those things I need to say when saying those things aloud would mean certain tears.
The Song/Musical
I'm still gonna do it. Out of the darkness that is the unknown fate of my wife has come feeling. If I fail to express this feeling it would result in negativity. I need to be allowed to be creative on my terms, and even at night when I know she's resting comfortably and safely, I will be channeling myself into song.
The music I cannot vouch for, I'm not a great musician, but the lyrics at the very least will have meaning, as much for you as they do for me.
Apology
I apologize for not being myself lately, I just can't help it. There are things happening in the game that I have opinions about, and I'll share those as both time permits and inspiration abounds. I may be working on my song project a little longer than I first imagined, but it'll definately be done before Thanksgiving, and possibly as early as next week. Time right now is never-ending. Days run into nights which turn into hours of waking and sleeping and confusion.
To everyone out there, I hope you are enjoying the changes in the patch. Late at night when I can't sleep I too have had the chance to feel the power given to many spellcasters, and it's a sight to behold. May your weekend be filled with good moments, memorable sights and sounds, and simple joys such as a fine game with fine friends. Good morning/afternoon/evening/night to you all!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
What is the benefit of Casual? Is there any?
Have you ever written a blog post containing nothing but questions? I wonder, would it even work? How many readers would be driven crazy by the incessant ramblings of a person who couldn’t formulate an articulate opinion and relied on the imagination or input from readers to draw conclusions?
How many of you laughed at those in trade chat last night as they asked “when do Assasination Rogues get Mutilate”, and be told “level 82”? How many of you felt sympathy for those players who had no idea not only that patch 4.0.1 would drop but about all the changes contained therein? Could there be an easier way to assist these needy souls and help them through what happens to be the biggest changes to class play since who knows when? Wouldn’t it be great to have a HELP channel? That’s a silly question, for don’t we already have forums for that purpose?
Who will champion the cause of helping the casual? You? Me? Nobody? Are there not already a plethora or resources for these players to access that give them valuable insight and proven, tested methods that will help the player achieve high dps, high threat, or high throughput? But are these people not called casuals for a reason? What could possibly motivate a casual to log on to the internet and perform a search for the best, new Unholy DK DPS rotation?
So when these casuals logged in, or tried to, did not they and you sit face to face with a blizzard downloader and then a new WoW Launcher? Did they not say to themselves, “oh, look at that, a new patch, I wonder what it has for me”? Are you in a position to deny that they said this to themselves?
So to you, Mr./Ms. Casual, what was the biggest shock to your system when you finally saw your character standing there before you with your talents reset? Did you quietly search your talent tree for those comfortable, safe talents that boost Shadow damage by 2/4/6%? Or did you open your heart in trade chat, admit your ignorance and ask for help from the general populace? Did you regret your decision to ask for help from strangers when you were told that the Mage class was being discontinued? Did you fire off a frost bolt just to prove those trolls wrong?
Alas, Mr./Ms. Casual, what shocked you the most? What did you say to yourself when you found that it would take you a month’s worth of heroics just to purchase one PvE heirloom item? Were you mad or were you pleased (for some strange reason)? Did you cry to see all your hard earned stone keeper shards disappear only to discover that they had been converted into Honor Points?
Are you a Druid? Did you mourn the loss of Tree of Life Form as you have come to know and love it? Are you a Paladin and are totally confused at how your DPS can go from 8K to 4K overnight, realizing that now you may have to actually do something to do competitive DPS? Are you a Shaman, realizing that all your abilities to clean yourself, save it be curses, was stripped and torn from you violently? Did you lash out to your family, your guild, other trolls?
In the end we learn a valuable lesson, do we not? Did we not learn that Mr./Ms. Casual has one advantage over all of us who learned about all this stuff beforehand? Did we not learn that to be casual and ignorant is one way to remain innocent and allow us to be truly surprised and have true emotional responses when changes (major or minor) come our way?
I don’t really have any answers, so I’m asking, what do you think?
How many of you laughed at those in trade chat last night as they asked “when do Assasination Rogues get Mutilate”, and be told “level 82”? How many of you felt sympathy for those players who had no idea not only that patch 4.0.1 would drop but about all the changes contained therein? Could there be an easier way to assist these needy souls and help them through what happens to be the biggest changes to class play since who knows when? Wouldn’t it be great to have a HELP channel? That’s a silly question, for don’t we already have forums for that purpose?
Who will champion the cause of helping the casual? You? Me? Nobody? Are there not already a plethora or resources for these players to access that give them valuable insight and proven, tested methods that will help the player achieve high dps, high threat, or high throughput? But are these people not called casuals for a reason? What could possibly motivate a casual to log on to the internet and perform a search for the best, new Unholy DK DPS rotation?
So when these casuals logged in, or tried to, did not they and you sit face to face with a blizzard downloader and then a new WoW Launcher? Did they not say to themselves, “oh, look at that, a new patch, I wonder what it has for me”? Are you in a position to deny that they said this to themselves?
So to you, Mr./Ms. Casual, what was the biggest shock to your system when you finally saw your character standing there before you with your talents reset? Did you quietly search your talent tree for those comfortable, safe talents that boost Shadow damage by 2/4/6%? Or did you open your heart in trade chat, admit your ignorance and ask for help from the general populace? Did you regret your decision to ask for help from strangers when you were told that the Mage class was being discontinued? Did you fire off a frost bolt just to prove those trolls wrong?
Alas, Mr./Ms. Casual, what shocked you the most? What did you say to yourself when you found that it would take you a month’s worth of heroics just to purchase one PvE heirloom item? Were you mad or were you pleased (for some strange reason)? Did you cry to see all your hard earned stone keeper shards disappear only to discover that they had been converted into Honor Points?
Are you a Druid? Did you mourn the loss of Tree of Life Form as you have come to know and love it? Are you a Paladin and are totally confused at how your DPS can go from 8K to 4K overnight, realizing that now you may have to actually do something to do competitive DPS? Are you a Shaman, realizing that all your abilities to clean yourself, save it be curses, was stripped and torn from you violently? Did you lash out to your family, your guild, other trolls?
In the end we learn a valuable lesson, do we not? Did we not learn that Mr./Ms. Casual has one advantage over all of us who learned about all this stuff beforehand? Did we not learn that to be casual and ignorant is one way to remain innocent and allow us to be truly surprised and have true emotional responses when changes (major or minor) come our way?
I don’t really have any answers, so I’m asking, what do you think?
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Pre-Cataclysm Events Link
Here's a nice write-up of the pre-cataclysm events quests. It's practical and informative, I'd give it a read if you're interested.
Find it here.
That's all for now, have fun!
Find it here.
That's all for now, have fun!
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