tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65565757580109031632024-03-19T02:48:39.963-06:00Eight Years in AzerothMemoirs of a Casual / Hardcore Raiding Guild LeaderShawn Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05110605868875966328noreply@blogger.comBlogger231125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-27591815253870259012021-06-10T10:15:00.003-06:002021-06-10T10:16:11.789-06:00I'm Back<p>Achievement unlocked: <a href="https://thefamouslastpull.com/im-back/">https://thefamouslastpull.com/im-back/</a></p>Shawn Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05110605868875966328noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-26263159618568680932019-03-30T16:34:00.001-06:002019-03-30T16:34:07.572-06:00Everybody Loves A Happy Ending<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/DHQ5eDCczgCnGdBM8" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wO6nbLqNnCI/XJ_ugc1Bb6I/AAAAAAAAZps/cDn5VrbnU3o7pdkrMCiIZqOxzC8s3PGwwCLcBGAs/s320/WoWScrnShot_092016_214006.png" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/DHQ5eDCczgCnGdBM8" target="_blank">Click for the Slideshow</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Shawn Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05110605868875966328noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-2340603665688724732017-02-14T10:33:00.001-07:002017-02-14T10:33:15.132-07:00Where Are They Now? - DalansDear readers, I hope I can persuade you to become <i>listeners</i>. I've just launched the <a href="https://soundcloud.com/shawn-holmes-5/tracks" target="_blank">Eight Years in Azeroth Podcast</a>, where we spend some time reminiscing about the blog, WoW, video games, leadership, and other vitally important things. Each episode features a special guest that you (if you're a devoted fan of the blog) will recognize as a major player in the story.<br />
<br />
The first episode is up and features one of my very favorite druids: <b class="">Dalans</b>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="no" height="300" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/307711701&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe>Shawn Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05110605868875966328noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-6959637520121381542016-06-16T00:00:00.000-06:002016-06-20T15:47:07.220-06:004.76. Epilogue: Onward and Upward<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YFsPxAQ4YxE/V17-SyukQsI/AAAAAAAAOq8/NG83-4LfvlAMmggDpK67q6iakb6RZM0jQCLcB/s1600/pic1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YFsPxAQ4YxE/V17-SyukQsI/AAAAAAAAOq8/NG83-4LfvlAMmggDpK67q6iakb6RZM0jQCLcB/s320/pic1.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mature arrives in Pandaria,<br />
The Jade Forest</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
At Least I Got Chicken</h2>
Two years passed. By the spring of 2014, there'd been a lot of change. Jul was back to being a full-time stay-at-home Mom. I didn't have kids...I had <i>teenagers</i>. In games, Flappy Bird was dominating much of the <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/the-flight-of-the-birdman-flappy-bird-creator-dong-nguyen-speaks-out-20140311" target="_blank">mainstream muggle news</a>, while the majority of us glanced over with a troubled, concerned look. It would be a few months before Destiny released to mixed reviews, revisiting the hotly contested topic of <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/videos/the-point-destiny-the-hardcore-gamers-slot-machine/2300-6425852/" target="_blank">addiction-by-design</a>. Streamers were the new normal, with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PewDiePie" target="_blank">Felix Kjellberg</a> leading the pack in what many of us still consider a profoundly bizarre turn of cultural events.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
The hotly anticipated Diablo III finally launched, complete with its real money auction house. Gamers around the world converged on the infamous franchise, only to walk away a short time later with a very bad taste in their collective mouthes. Something was missing from the carpal-tunnel inducing game that Blizzard was famous for. The thrill of the treasure hunt was gone, a cruel side-effect of the alleged necessity to ensure items had some real money value. Uniques in Diablo II came at just the right time -- when they dropped from the hands of zombies or demons, they filled players with newfound uber-power, renewing the player's descent into clicking madness. By contrast, "Legendaries" in Diablo III were but shadows of their predecessors. The <i>end</i> end game lacked any semblance of balance, nigh impossible to master -- a shoddy design bent out of <a href="http://us.battle.net/d3/en/forum/topic/5149181408" target="_blank">fear that players would clear it too quickly</a>. Eventually, Blizzard admitted defeat, and promised to make things right.</div>
<div>
<br />
Blizzard released a free card battle game, Hearthstone, which saw immense popularity and growth. I immediately recognized the battle mechanics, mirroring an older, lesser known game for the NeoGeo Pocket, <a href="https://youtu.be/POaXyhIndKM" target="_blank">SNK Vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash</a>. It made sense, considering how often Blizzard employees were self-proclaimed fans of SNK's various fighting game franchises, particularly Samurai Shodown. I'm sure it only took them a matter of minutes before deciding it was a game they could do better. Just like Dune II. Just like EQ. Just like Team Fortress.</div>
<div>
<br />
Of course, the WoW landscape continued its evolution. Eight months after the 25-Man progression team threw in the towel, Mists of Pandaria was released. Many familiar faces returned to DoD, each of them displaying varying degrees of interest in a radically changed game. For a great majority, they came, consumed all that MoP had to offer, then left. Only the <i>truly</i> hardcore stayed on, tending to their farm on every single alt.<br />
<br />
During that initial burst of interest, stories about former guild mates trickled back to me. I discovered (not to any great surprise) that our server's #1 raiding guild, Enigma, floundered and retired only a week or two after us. I can't say for certain what the root cause of their collapse was, but I suspect many of the same variables that affected DoD were involved.<br />
<br />
I also learned of Herp Derp's fate, which wouldn't be fair to keep from such a loyal readership. Shortly after Ben acquired Tarecgosa's Rest, the legendary staff, his computer broke down. To keep things moving forward (as we know Drecca was an expert at), HD's infamous leader purchased and shipped a MacBook to Ben to immediately get him back into progression. Shortly after this -- and without Drecca's knowledge -- Ben up and switched servers, leaving his Herp Derp guild mates behind. In his inimitable style, Ben was off to PvP in a new battlegroup, armed with a fantastical staff and a shiny new laptop to power it. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Things did not go too well for Herp Derp after that. Rumor has it the guild finally imploded under the weight of a forum argument. The topic? Star Wars. DoD may not have been perfect, but at least we were able to keep things running for more than a single tier of raid content.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rK4SNA69LeQ/V17_lxmQUWI/AAAAAAAAOrI/Dn6mFraNXY0dNMF6RgC7n_4c9ghsR6rkgCLcB/s1600/pic2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rK4SNA69LeQ/V17_lxmQUWI/AAAAAAAAOrI/Dn6mFraNXY0dNMF6RgC7n_4c9ghsR6rkgCLcB/s320/pic2.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Many months after the end of the 25-Man,<br />
Mature's mediation continues,<br />
Valley of the Four Winds</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
<h2>
Achievement Unlocked</h2>
One thing had not changed, however: I was still at the same job. Now celebrating my three year anniversary, things hadn't quite played out to my favor. My new boss didn't possess that same set of nurturing, mentoring genes I'd enjoyed in previous managers. My current project was embroiled in a daily design-by-committee battle, its most important goals now lost to petty arguments among the "experts" at the table. I longed for a new challenge.<br />
<br />
An email arrived from a familiar name. Dave, my former boss -- the same one who <a href="http://eightyearsinazeroth.blogspot.com/2013/05/3-5.html" target="_blank">shared an airplane flight with me while I typed up a guildy's "dismissal" letter</a> -- posed a question to me.<br />
<br />
"Read this, call me."<br />
<br />
I navigated the job description, skimming past the buzzwords and perusing for anything concrete. <i>Health Data and Analytics company</i>. <i>Corporate website and SharePoint intranet</i>. <i>Lead a team in development and maintenance</i>. <i>Work with the business to establish and implement ongoing vision, ensure best practices.</i> The company was looking to hire a Senior Manager of Web Services.<br />
<br />
<i>Senior</i> Manager.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
"You know they use SharePoint in Hell, right?"<br />
<br />
Dave laughed, running with the joke by rattling off an ad-hoc sales pitch, "Hey, 'If it's good enough for Satan, it's good enough for HR'."<br />
<br />
We both laughed.<br />
<br />
"Good times, good times," Dave replied, then cut the looming awkward silence, "So, <i>other</i> than the CMS from Hell, whaddya think?"<br />
<br />
"Well, I mean...it really reads like your old job, back when I was <a href="http://eightyearsinazeroth.blogspot.com/2013/12/3-47.html" target="_blank">missing meetings on account of dragons</a>."<br />
<br />
"Actually, it <i>is</i> my old job. I moved to a different department, another guy came in...then <i>he</i> left...and now they need someone."<br />
<br />
"I'm honored that you thought of me, but this 'manager' thing, I mean..." I hesitated, "It's like...you, Allison, Dawna, Diane, you all keep saying it, but..."<br />
<br />
"It'll be fine," Dave dragged the long 'i' out, as if to make it sound like a thousand acre forest ablaze was merely a campfire that 'got a little crazy'.<br />
<br />
"Hey, I appreciate the support. But let's face some facts. You've got a degree in business admin. I took, like...two years in liberal studies and dropped out. I'm just a code junkie. I've never professionally managed or lead anything."<br />
<br />
"Remember that flight back from Dallas? You know, the one where you were typing that thing up for that guy in your guild?"<br />
<br />
<i>All too well.</i><br />
<br />
"You cared more about your guys in that WoW guild of yours than I've seen from most of the professional managers I've worked with in my career."<br />
<br />
I stayed silent, took a deep breath, letting the impact of Dave's compliment soak in.<br />
<br />
"Look. What is it? It's <a href="http://eightyearsinazeroth.blogspot.com/2014/10/4-9.html">tactics</a>. It's <a href="http://eightyearsinazeroth.blogspot.com/2014/07/3-74.html">managing up</a> <a href="http://eightyearsinazeroth.blogspot.com/2015/02/4-27.html">and down</a>. Right? It's <a href="http://eightyearsinazeroth.blogspot.com/2013/02/why-raid-teams-fail.html">motivating a team and keeping them happy</a> and <a href="http://eightyearsinazeroth.blogspot.com/2013/06/3-7.html">making hard decisions</a> when you need to. Ok? It's <a href="http://eightyearsinazeroth.blogspot.com/2013/06/3-14.html">mentoring</a>...<a href="http://eightyearsinazeroth.blogspot.com/2014/03/3-57.html">negotiation</a>...knowing <a href="http://eightyearsinazeroth.blogspot.com/2014/05/3-65.html">when and where to pick your battles</a>. It's <a href="http://eightyearsinazeroth.blogspot.com/2013/04/3-1.html">delegating</a> and <a href="http://eightyearsinazeroth.blogspot.com/2012/12/2-19.html" target="_blank">taking care of rockstars</a> and <a href="http://eightyearsinazeroth.blogspot.com/2014/06/3-72.html">knowing when to say no</a>. It's giving a shit. Like I said...it'll be fine!"<br />
<br />
I stood in silence a moment, still clutching the phone, contemplating the possibility. The <a href="http://eightyearsinazeroth.blogspot.com/2013/04/3-1.html">feeling was not unfamiliar</a> -- fear of the unknown, of complete and colossal failure. But like all of the things Dave named, my first experience of that feeling was perhaps the most important lesson I had as leverage. It was the one key take away from guild leadership that was most important: failure is only one potential outcome; it's a <i>possibility</i>, not an <i>inevitability</i>. Once you embrace that, a logical conclusion falls easily into place: there's a chance you might actually succeed.<br />
<br />
So, why not?<br />
<br />
"Fuck it. Let's do this."</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
~~~<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wg7fPpCF07s/V2CG3BjKk4I/AAAAAAAAOsM/-Lr9JQTUJ0QNhQ4hW6Qm7O0_3WuUVF8LgCLcB/s1600/office.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wg7fPpCF07s/V2CG3BjKk4I/AAAAAAAAOsM/-Lr9JQTUJ0QNhQ4hW6Qm7O0_3WuUVF8LgCLcB/s320/office.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Shawn Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05110605868875966328noreply@blogger.com82tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-53698493805354169202016-06-09T00:00:00.000-06:002016-06-15T23:33:28.597-06:004.75. Songs About Bikes, Gnomes, and Scarecrows<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-96GTBTJbO9w/V1cLyK2-CXI/AAAAAAAAOnE/8SkRR9mgiqot4kM8sIJZRJDf6rlFr5WogCLcB/s1600/pic1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-96GTBTJbO9w/V1cLyK2-CXI/AAAAAAAAOnE/8SkRR9mgiqot4kM8sIJZRJDf6rlFr5WogCLcB/s320/pic1.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Descendants of Draenor's final 25-Man raid,<br />
December 9th, 2011</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Out of Options</h2>
Three weeks went by. December 30th/January 1st was also a wash -- too many people with New Year's Eve plans to assume the raid would get off the ground. In their minds, committing to a "maybe" raid was a foolish endeavor. They played it safe and bowed out, forcing me to begrudgingly cancel the raid from the sign-up sheet. It was the longest DoD had ever gone without raiding in seven years.<br />
<br />
I took every opportunity to hammer home our restart date, there was to be no guesswork nor excuses when it came time to verify the date as players meandered around in-game. Announcements in big, bold letters were plastered all over the forums and sign-up sheet. The guild message-of-the-day was updated: <b>January 6th/8th - Dragon Soul</b>. I whispered people. I texted people. My harassment went to such extremes, I felt like a headhunter demanding attention on LinkedIn. When notifications alerted me that players were logging in, I'd re-edit the Guild MOTD just to make sure it flashed on their screens -- that single line of green text, telling you to pay attention to something important.<br />
<br />
<i>Please. Sign-up. Do whatever you have to do. Don’t let it end like this.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>---</i></div>
<i><br /></i>
<b>12:31pm, January 2nd</b> -- four days before the return to raid progression.<br />
<br />
Amatsu's still in-flux work schedule risked keeping him from being available at the start time. Fred was out for surgery and was playing the weekend's sign-ups by ear, though he promised to keep me apprised of his situation. I desperately needed him, but assured him that we would make it work if he wasn't well enough to arm his keyboard and mouse. Thankfully, Fred didn't ask me <i>how</i> I would have made it work.<br />
<br />
I wouldn't have had an answer.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>1:52pm, January 4th</b> -- two days before the return to raid progression.</div>
<br />
I was treated to a PM from Goldenrod offering up his two weeks notice, stepping down from raiding and officership. <i>Fuck.</i> But, wait...that was still two weeks away, right? We were still short only on account of his not signing up for <i>this</i> week's, right? Quickly, I flipped to the raid signups and noted his original sign-up, then cancellation. <i>Oh, I see how it is.</i> The subtle yet important distinction was just enough fuel for me to fire off a response I'd later regret.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was going to write up a "sorry we're losing you, best of luck to you with your schooling, we're very grateful for having you thus far" post, but then I noticed your note on the cancellation of Friday's Raid, which hasn't officially been announced either way.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was disappointed.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Officers are expected hold themselves to a slightly higher standard than the remainder of the raiders -- not "everyone's gonna go do this one thing so I might as well..."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Especially someone who was granted a legendary first-in-line above everyone else on the basis of said officership.</span></blockquote>
With or without Goldenrod, I still couldn't complete raid rotations. At least ten people were missing.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
<b>9:53pm, January 5th</b> -- one day before the return to raid progression.<br />
<br />
My tone on the forums shifted from diminutive pleading and harassment to flat-out commands dressed up in passive-aggressive guilt,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It's up to you. I can't make people magically sign-up. Holidays are over. It's time to return to progression.</span></blockquote>
Turtleman made an off-hand joke alluding to Star Wars: The Old Republic as the reason for everyone's absence. Not amused, I shot back a response,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It's nice to know Star Wars was the reason behind flushing a successful seven year run down the toilet with a bunch of random no-shows and no communication to me about their departure.</span></blockquote>
Blain called me out on my digital temper tantrum,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Actually, with the exception of Insayno and Amatsu (who just forgot to sign up), the rest of our normal raiders quit the game before the holidays. That, along with a massive number of unexpected cancellations. It really has nothing to do with Star Wars.</span></blockquote>
He was right. But it was much easier to blame Star Wars. Much easier to fire off a hateful PM to an officer who'd been dedicated and loyal to DoD. Much easier than facing the now unavoidable, grim truth.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D71oWDWzJag/V1g8P7xpLTI/AAAAAAAAOnc/IrXZeKCgduUaizBOK9S2uWNFl5X9fz0fwCLcB/s1600/pic3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D71oWDWzJag/V1g8P7xpLTI/AAAAAAAAOnc/IrXZeKCgduUaizBOK9S2uWNFl5X9fz0fwCLcB/s320/pic3.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fred shares his raid availability with Mature,<br />
Darkmoon Faire</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
The End</h2>
<b>6:55pm, January 6th </b>-- five minutes before first pull.<br />
<br />
Fifteen of us were online. Every Friday and Sunday for the past seven years, like clockwork, DoD had enough players in-game to field a raid. Even under the most dire circumstances, <i>someone</i> was still available. Unlike those countless raid days gone by, however, there were no more fillers on this evening. No more people to call, no remaining bench to text. No crazy PvPers hanging out in another Vent channel that we could lean on in a pinch, and no fresh recruits waiting patiently, eager to prove their worth on the front line of 25-Man raid progression. All that remained was an incomplete contingent, a mere handful of players. But a handful does not a raid make.<br />
<br />
The final roll call consisted of:<br />
<br />
<b>1 tank:</b> Blain. DoD's longest running raid leader, forced in year six to cut over from melee DPS to tank, due to an overwhelming shortage over a role nobody wanted to play.<br />
<br />
<b>5 melee:</b> Lead diligently by Bonechatters, he took the reins from Jungard and wrung as much blood from a stone as his strength allowed. Hells, Dewgyd, Insayno, and I rounded out the melee.<br />
<br />
<b>3 healers:</b> Still partially out-of-commission from a surgery earlier in the week, Fred nonetheless mustered the strength to be ready to give us what he could. Joining Fred was Sir Klocker, one of DoD's longest running vets (and longest running healers). Last, but certainly not least, was Vexx, a healer that felt DoD was important enough to be a part of that she was willing to withstand a sixteen-hour time difference and the latency that comes with playing on a North American server from Australia.<br />
<br />
<b>6 ranged:</b> With no officer leading them, the six ranged present were disciplined enough to sally forth and carry the 25-Man torch. Mangetsu, the waifu loving warlock; Turtleman, the veritable master of fire; Littlebear, the once-green-now-competitive Hunter; and Blackangus, our sole Boomkin, stood ready for the return to Dragon Soul. Even former Eh Team members Larada (via his mage Doja) and Bulwinkul (via his Shadow Priest Stimpi) were present, demonstrating a stalwart dedication that far outlasted their Wrath-era critics.<br />
<br />
These final fifteen players were all that remained; not enough to power through. In our heyday, we snuck by with 24...on a very rare occasion, 23. But not tonight, not with a raid as aggressively overtuned as Dragon Soul. Weeks earlier, a full heroically-geared 25-man battalion, armed with the legendary staff Tarecgosa's End <i>still</i> wasn't enough to defeat a normal-mode Spine of Deathwing. We weren't getting anywhere with fifteen raiders, no matter how well played.<br />
<br />
I stood in Orgrimmar a moment, staring out across its once busy streets, waiting for the reality of the situation to set in. The activity of the horde capital had always conveyed the immediacy of World of Warcraft's success: a city packed full of residents going about their business reflected a thriving, robust server population. Dragon's heads were plunged onto massive stakes and you might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a server-first raider decked out in gear so powerful, the only thought filling your mind was <i>how can I get my hands on that?</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
In the place where Orgrimmar's streets once bustled, there remained only ignorance and depravity. The top-end raiders were long gone, replaced by players hopping stupidly between the auction house and the bank, the names floating above their heads unapologetically disrespectful. These players of unknown origin bore the armor and weaponry of Dragon Soul, of LFR, and either belonged to guilds of one or swore allegiance to no guild whatsoever. I stared at them in seething contempt, imagining them chatting away with their friends about nothing of importance, mindlessly rapping on their space bar while blathering on about bikes and gnomes and scarecrows. They personified everything World of Warcraft had become.<br />
<br />
My jaw relaxed. I took a deep breath and spoke into Vent.<br />
<br />
"Ladies and gents, it's been an honor. Based on the circumstances...and the hand dealt to us today, I think it is time we officially close this chapter on DoD. For those of you who stuck it out, I thank you. The 25-man progression team is done. Thank you for your loyalty and your service."<br />
<br />
The response was equal parts denial, bargaining, and anger -- emotions typically reserved for that moment one stares into the abyss. The guild was moved at the loss of something that, at the end of the day, we all agreed was just a video game. But their seriousness didn't match the situation -- nobody I know ever shed a tear over their last game of Civilization or Dungeon Keeper. Why would they, or anyone, demonstrate such alleged grief over the loss of a game. We'd been losing (and winning) at games our entire lives!<br />
<br />
Your mind clouds over with a million thoughts. You find yourself brokering internal deals like <i>this can't be happening</i>, <i>I wasn't prepared</i>, <i>there must be something I can do, someone I can call, one more switch in the roster I can make</i>. <i>Perhaps we could have called another person we didn't think to call. Perhaps we might have tried a little harder to find a filler, some random pug we knew nothing about that was geared and ready to go.</i> Before long, you realize you're not internalizing it at all. Those aren't voices in your head, they're human beings on the other side of Ventrilo, struggling just the same as you. In that moment, you're reminded that it isn't the loss of World of Warcraft that's sending you spiraling down this path, it's the loss of the people you play it with.<br />
<br />
For a group of individuals known notoriously to be awkward, anti-social loners, a loss of online gaming relationships hits with the force of a nuclear blast, its impact all-consuming, and its mercy relentless in its choking grip. We won't admit we care, opting instead to take to the forums or the comments section and double-down on our denial. But the empty isolation of absent relationships is something gamers know all too well -- it's why so many of us turned to gaming in the first place. We leave the confines of the physical where we are nobody, unaccepted and ridiculed, and join a virtual fantasy world where we are somebody, accepted and have a social status. In a world that fails to acknowledge our leadership ability, we can be guild leaders.<br />
<br />
I don't condone a gamer's tendency to violently defend their hobby, but I can understand it.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
I stood up from my desk, dropped my headphones on the chair and walked out to the living room. Julie was watching some TV, and glanced up at me as I spoke.<br />
<br />
"It's over."<br />
<br />
At first, her brow furrowed, working through my melodramatic ambiguity.<br />
<br />
"...'It'...is over?..."<br />
<br />
<i>Click.</i><br />
<br />
"...Oh! The guild. Oh, <i>no</i>. Oh, I'm sorry...what happened?"<br />
<br />
It all spilled out. Fury. Rage. Guilt. Frustration. Disgust. Disappointment. I blabbed on about what must have sounded foolish, referring to a "journey cut short." Everything I'd attempted to keep things together and how it all ended in a colossal failure. The ignorance of former guildies. Blizzard's new fangled framework that made it nigh impossible to repair the damage. How a hole in my stomach was growing, a hole in which all the self-doubt and mistakes and guilt was drawn in, vacuumed into a ball of queasiness that grew worse as I continued to spit on the furniture. The weight hadn't been lifted from my shoulders -- it merely changed places, now resting comfortably in the bowels of my gut.<br />
<br />
I had to give her credit. My relationship with World of Warcraft over the span of seven years and two months was contentious, particularly when considering how often it drove a wedge between my wife and I. Yet through this entire emotional collapse, she was never cruel or dismissive. There was never a snide "grow up" or "It's just a video game." She of all people had every right to verbally assault me -- God knows she'd earned it. Thanks to my decision of being a WoW guild leader, I forced her into putting up with its constant presence in our lives, always taking precedence...far more than it needed to.<br />
<br />
But she did not deliver any such verbal assault. On a day where my wife had at least a thousand different openings to take a cheap shot, Julie took none. Any relief she felt at the announcement of my guild's end she kept to herself. Instead, she sat and listened, taking it all in, bearing the full brunt of my barrage on unfairness amid an inferiority complex. And when the chamber was empty, she stood up and offered a sympathetic embrace. After everything I'd done, all the jeopardy I'd put our family in, this act of unconditional compassion and support overwhelmed me. I hugged my wife tightly, and broke down.<br />
<br />
<i>No, Julie. <b>I'm</b> sorry.</i><br />
<h2>
Life After WoW</h2>
<i>Skip, skip, skip.</i><br />
<br />
I did not do well in the weeks that followed. Trying to stay busy to keep my mind off of World of Warcraft was like trying to take a test during the blast of an air raid siren. I was constantly interrupted at work, but not by co-workers or muddling micro-managers. No, my own fragile psyche compelled me to continually alt-tab to iTunes and skip to the next track. Every ten minutes it happened, though honestly, it seemed twice as frequent. The reason? I couldn't get through ten fucking minutes of my own iPod without coming across a piece of music from World of Warcraft. A little over <i>two-thousand individual tracks</i>, all hand-extracted from WoW's MPQ data files, continued to come up during random play. Hearing them made me sick to my stomach.<br />
<br />
<i>Skip, skip, skip.</i><br />
<br />
Weekends were the worst. As the clock ticked up to 6:30pm Friday evening -- the time we'd be getting logged on and ready for invites -- a gaping absence emerged, ripped from my once structured schedule. I wanted to play something else, but all gaming paths led back to my PC, back to a filthy keyboard and mouse whose insides were caked with years of grime, dead skin, and sweat. Even clicking on the desktop was an ordeal. Launching another game meant glancing at a sea of icons, which in turn, meant giving the Battle.net launcher more attention than it deserved. I couldn't set foot in my computer room without instantly thinking of what used to be, what we had. What we lost.<br />
<br />
I took solace in the familiar voices that gamed on through defeat. True, WoW had been our mutual online gathering location for years, but so too had our Ventrilo server. If nothing else, I could log in and hear their voices without having to step into Azeroth. There, familiar conversations carried on, unaffected by the collapse of the 25. Annihilation going off on one of his rants about people being too uptight. Hellspectral's recognizable self-deprecating style layered underneath a thick Brooklyn accent. Jungard's familiar warm, friendly tone as he and Team Starflex sallied forth into 10-Man Dragon Soul. I didn't even want to hear the words "Dragon Soul" at all. But I stayed and listened. Their camaraderie trumped my contempt.<br />
<br />
Both Julie and an <a href="https://twitter.com/codinghorror" target="_blank">old friend</a> urged me to put a digital pen to paper. So, when Friday and Sunday rolled around, instead of wallowing in self-pity, I wrote. I wrote and wrote and wrote. The first document I drafted, aptly titled "<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mHHgQ0NFhiDGJp2w8nbRwK3TTEZynAbUtGMVKrIdvzE/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">The End</a>," was a concentrated outpouring of emotion, a result of the death of the 25-Man progression raid. It may not have been grammatically correct, or even coherent. But it was accurate. It was a start.<br />
<br />
Eventually, my computer room nausea waned. I returned to keyboard and mouse (now cleaned), looked at every single video and computer game that had been released since November 2004 and vowed to play through all the games I'd ignored as a result of World of Warcraft's dominance over my attention. There were plenty to choose from: <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/agecheck/app/22370/" target="_blank">Fallout 3</a>, <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/agecheck/app/7670/" target="_blank">both</a> <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/agecheck/app/8850/" target="_blank">BioShocks</a>, <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/agecheck/app/12210/" target="_blank">Grand Theft Auto IV</a>...I even commandeered my son's <a href="https://minecraft.net/en/" target="_blank">Minecraft</a> account for awhile. He still bugs me to finish Borderlands. <i>I'm getting to it! Have you even played Bastion yet?</i> As is the life of a gamer, the list of games to play continues to grow. There are far more unplayed titles in my Steam library than completed ones. <i>All in due time.</i><br />
<br />
I received a generous gift: a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Squier%C2%AE-Fender%C2%AE-Stratocaster%C2%AE-Guitar-Controller/dp/B004MF102G" target="_blank">Rock Band 3 Squier Pro</a>. <i>Time to take it to the next level. Put down the plastic toys decorated with multicolored buttons and learn to play a real guitar.</i> I picked up enough of the basics that the constraints of RB3's interface felt like they worked against my progress. So, with all the nervousness of a teenager buying his first car, I threw down a wad of cash at Guitar Center, bought the <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/VFdtG7eLDYLCCa4N9" target="_blank">real deal</a>, and plugged directly into <a href="http://rocksmith.ubi.com/rocksmith/en-us/home/" target="_blank">Rocksmith</a>. I'm terrible, to be clear, but on a good day I can knock out a <a href="https://twitter.com/Hanzo55/statuses/480859597062684673" target="_blank">94%</a> on <a href="https://youtu.be/chhi46EDQaM" target="_blank">Muse's <i>Supermassive Blackhole</i></a>. When the imposter syndrome creeps in, I'll unplug from the XBox and go directly to an amp, just to make sure what I've learned is <i>applicable in the real world</i>.<br />
<br />
And yes, World of Warcraft's music found its way back into my playlist where it remains to this day. No skipping necessary.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Paj-2etuYOw/V1cK8gLi_zI/AAAAAAAAOm4/YAIpxAKG91wdC79rK9nENIPyVXNVs9OkgCLcB/s1600/pic2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Paj-2etuYOw/V1cK8gLi_zI/AAAAAAAAOm4/YAIpxAKG91wdC79rK9nENIPyVXNVs9OkgCLcB/s320/pic2.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Months after the end of the 25-Man,<br />
Mature returns for unfinished business,<br />
Dragon Soul</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
We Slew Dragons</h2>
I've moved on. Whatever loss I felt at the collapse of the 25-Man is now long behind me. Telling my story was immensely therapeutic, so if you're reading this, give yourself a round of applause. Also, let's cut the shit: writing for yourself is great, but stories can't be told if there is nobody to listen. If you're a gamer, you probably picked a side long ago. I've had plenty to say that's alienated both sides of the casual / hardcore spectrum, so if you made it this far, kudos to you. And if you're not a gamer, I hope my story gave you some perspective into this bizarre culture that keeps creeping up in the media. It's not just about gamer rage and cleaning yourself of Doritos overflow...though that <i>does</i> take up a pretty significant margin of our time.<br />
<br />
Not a day goes by that I don't think about Descendants of Draenor. Thankfully, those memories no longer encumber me. To the contrary, I look back with fondness about the entire experience. What we accomplished fills me with a great deal of pride and satisfaction. The things we saw, treasure we collected, and dragons we slew are all testaments to the dedication a bunch of random online strangers had toward one another. When I consider the logistics of it, how an online game renders personal responsibility nearly impossible to enforce, the fact that each and every one of DoD's members could flip it on and off like a light switch -- <i>but chose not to</i> -- is the biggest achievement one could hope to ever unlock.<br />
<br />
My four months of EverQuest in the fall of 1999 were awful, not because EQ was a bad game, but because I didn't <i>get the MMO genre</i>. I'd come from Donkey Kongs and Outruns and Sonic the Hedgehogs and Street Fighters and DooMs and Quakes and Team Fortresses and Counterstrikes -- all games that can be played with "friends optional." Those in this list that <i>are</i> playable with friends share an interesting trait: the fun factor tends to go up. But, as any good introvert knows, sometimes its best (even preferred) to be alone. Having that choice is important, whether your game of choice is a platformer, a racing game, a fighter, a first-person shooter, or even a strategy or puzzle game.<br />
<br />
MMOs are <i>different.</i><br />
<br />
The MMO genre was never meant to be experienced in isolation. The clue you seek is buried in the acronym, self-describing this key requirement: It is a game that is massive, is multiplayer, and is online -- three words that, when combined, are the very antithesis of single-player. My own gaming ego couldn't reconcile the dissonance I experienced in EQ. I considered myself a hardcore gamer, but any player wandering the vast polygonal Norrath -- absent guild mates to group with and internet dragons to slay -- was <i>not</i> hardcore, not by any definition. There is no single-player mode in EQ.<br />
<br />
An MMO comes alive <i>because</i> of its players, not despite them. Whatever a game company's motivation eventually becomes when attempting to grow its customer base, take comfort in knowing that the motivation <i>began</i> in the right spot; they needed us before we needed them. Once I became a guild leader in World of Warcraft, the importance of the players themselves immediately became clear -- they were as integral to the game as the steering wheel on a racing game. And every day I worked to ensure that there were guildies present, to keep that raid machine well-oiled, I gained invaluable insight into the motivations and the nuances of the human beings behind the paladins, the warlocks, the warriors and the rogues.<br />
<br />
Game designers have a tough job. Trying to land a role at a AAA game development shop must be a lot like becoming a famous Hollywood actor -- you keep waiting tables while auditioning for that one big break that makes you a celebrity. If you're one of the lucky few, congratulations, you're now cursed to balance the weight of your corporate overlords with the "needs" of a furious, entitled horde. Fold in nearly year-long crunches, along with your public life scrutinized for every misstep you make balancing a game, and you get a job that reads more like a punishment than a career. I'm thankful they do it. I have a great deal of respect for the people who man the ship, and even more respect for those whose tight grip on the wheel can keep the boat steady through storms of discontent.<br />
<br />
The motivations of game companies to innovate and change their product, much like the motivations of players to raid in guilds (or not), aren't always clear. <i>People</i> aren't clear. Intent stated in public isn't always true, just as a player's commitment to the raid can't always be as easily confirmed as checking a box off a list. Continually trying to convince yourself that you're entitled to know is, to quote myself, <i>a complete waste of time and energy. </i><br />
<br />
There is another way.<br />
<br />
Arm yourself with <a href="http://eightyearsinazeroth.blogspot.com/p/eight-years-of-reading.html" target="_blank">knowledge and tools</a> to stay out of the fire. Just as add-ons help with whack-a-mole healing, the info we've data-mined on human beings thus far is a great aide to keep us sharp when dealing with other people. Come to terms with the fact that while people <i>can</i> change, <i>you</i> can't change them...and attempting to do so is fated to end poorly (for you). Instead, use the tools you've acquired to construct appropriate guard rails, keeping them on a fixed, straight-and-narrow path. And above all, practice being critical without being disrespectful; being inclusive and demanding excellence are not mutually exclusive -- a point that both gamers and game developers should make note of. Whether we prefer the speaker-breaking screams of a 40-man raid, or the quiet isolation of Farmville, eventually, we <i>all</i> have to deal with other people, and when that day arrives, I firmly believe it is in your best interest <i>not</i> to attempt to hammer any nails in with your bare hands.<br />
<br />
You're going to need that clicking hand when the internet dragons arrive.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7jMlFXouPk8/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7jMlFXouPk8?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />Shawn Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05110605868875966328noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-68244507191120847322016-06-02T00:00:00.000-06:002016-06-02T09:15:17.542-06:004.74. A Series of Unfortunate Events<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/GFWh9aY4pas/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GFWh9aY4pas?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://youtu.be/GFWh9aY4pas" target="_blank">Preach's LFR experiment</a>, in an attempt to determine how</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">far he can get by doing absolutely nothing</span></div>
<br />
<h2>
Picking Cherries</h2>
"Q. Why not just let casual players get rewards comparable to those from raids?<br />
<br />
A. It would be almost impossible for us to do, and this is a philosophical decision. We need to put a structure in place for players where they feel that if they do more difficult encounters, they'll get rewarded for it. As soon as we give more equal rewards across the board, for a lot of players it will diminish the accomplishment of killing something like Nefarian."<br />
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- Former WoW Lead Content Designer Jeff Kaplan, on why raids like Naxxramas aren't intended for a casual audience.<br />
<b>The New York Times</b>, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/28/sports/othersports/28vide.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1" style="font-weight: bold;">Kill The Big, Bad Dragon (Teamwork Required)</a> <i>January 28th, 2006</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
"Dungeons too, we wanted them to be a much more hardcore experience, we wanted only groups in there, and so on. The dungeons are there to serve more of the core market. It's something to strive for, a bridge for the casual players to become a little more hardcore."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- Former Blizzard VP of Design Rob Pardo, speaking at the Austin Game Conference on WoW design strategy.<br />
<b>Raph Koster's Website</b>, <a href="https://archive.is/iL2fn" style="font-weight: bold;">AGC: Rob Pardo's Keynote</a> <i>September 6th, 2006</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
"The whole point for a lot of hardcore players is to show off your advancement. So we chose the best gear to be from raids, so we can recognize someone’s achievements based on their gear. The tradeoffs is that you lose everyone looking different and users expressing creativity. And if you try to have both, you'll end up muddled and somewhere in the between."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- Former Blizzard VP of Design Rob Pardo, speaking at the Austin Game Conference on WoW design strategy.<br />
<b>Raph Koster's Website</b>, <a href="https://archive.is/iL2fn" style="font-weight: bold;">AGC: Rob Pardo's Keynote</a> <i>September 6th, 2006</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
--- </div>
<br />
"[Game] designers need to understand human psychology, sociology, and philosophy behind design. They need especially to understand how persons and groups behave when anonymous...Balance is in the eyes of the player. It doesn't have to be balanced; the average player just has to feel like it is balanced. Totally balanced PvP means losing half the time. Losing half the time is not necessarily fun....the community is good at identifying problems. The community is bad at designing games and generating workable solutions. The community disagrees tremendously but does not recognize its disagreements. The community, though, is always right."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- Ethan Kennerly, recalling a talk given by Jeff Kaplan at USC's Videogame Production class (ITP 280).<br />
<b>Fine Game Design</b>, <a href="http://finegamedesign.com/worldofwarcraft.html" style="font-weight: bold;">World of Warcraft Content Design</a> <i>October 10th, 2007</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
"I think it's a great idea...The only caveat for me is that I feel that the highest-tier zone at a given time should start off as a 25-man-only experience and then have the 10-man version unlocked once the zone is defeated on a server, or once a given amount of time passes, whichever comes first...I do feel that 10-man-only players should get to experience the same lore and ultimately see the same content, but I don't think that the easier alternative should be available right away."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- Gurgthock, on the introduction of 10/25 raids in WotLK.<br />
<b>Curse</b>,<b> <a href="http://mods.curse.com/news/world-of-warcraft/2914-interview-with-the-guild-leader-of-elitist-jerks">Interview with the Guild Leader of Elitist Jerks</a></b> <i>June 27th, 2008</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
"I'm not super interested in compromising LoL design in the name of accessibility. Yes, League is obnoxiously hard to learn if you don't have a friend showing you the ropes. That sucks, but it's not worth stripping away the depth or potential for mastery for our core audience -- you guys -- in order to attract new players. That's not an approach every game can or should take, but it's the right call for League."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- Former WoW Lead Systems Designer Greg Street, addressing the League of Legends community speculation about his charge at Riot Games.<br />
<b>Manaflask</b>, <a href="http://manaflask.com/articles/ghostcrawler-on-wow-s-casualization-accessibility-and-raiding" style="font-weight: bold;">Ghostcrawler on WoW's casualization, accessibility, and raiding</a> <i>August 26th, 2014</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
"First and foremost, I learned that you must put game quality and player experience first in everything that you do. Gamers are not driven to buy games because they have a clever business model, they buy games that are fun and immersive that deliver on what was promised. I also learned that being a trend chaser or first mover is not a key to victory...force feeding a development team to chase a business model or game type trend when the team doesn't love it is a likely losing proposition."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- Former Blizzard COO Paul Sams, reflecting on lessons learned.<br />
<b>GamesIndustry.biz, <a href="http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2015-06-05-blizzards-paul-sams-joins-ready-at-dawn-as-new-ceo">Blizzard's Paul Sams joins Ready at Dawn as new CEO</a></b> <i>June 8th, 2015</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
--- </div>
<br />
"We would have been in bad shape had we not done that,"<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- Current WoW Game Director Tom Chilton, commenting on what state World of Warcraft would be in had Blizzard not embraced casual-centric features.<br />
<b>Polygon</b>, <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2013/8/23/4650246/world-of-warcraft-would-be-in-bad-shape-without-embracing-the-casual" style="font-weight: bold;">World of Warcraft would be 'in bad shape' without embracing the casual revolution</a> <i>August 23rd, 2013</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
--- </div>
<br />
"How is your gaming experience diminished by it? I can't honestly understand what's the big deal on people that isn't you doing something that you don't want to do...Perhaps we should just tell the devs that we should close all raids until the Top 10 guilds clear them on heroic, so that they can feel superior to everyone else as they are seeing content that you, the raiders not-as-good-as-them aren't seeing."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- Blizzard Community Manager Draztal, responding to community concerns over a lack of staggered endgame content between LFR and traditional raids.<br />
<b>Battle.net Europe Forums, <a href="http://eu.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/4879017939?page=207#4132">we consume content too fast?</a></b> <i>March 8th, 2012</i></blockquote>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WA_GenGGV6U/V07_O6cMHvI/AAAAAAAAOdo/1_TX085kL4MR5JYgCdTMn-qJJ3ppzMNLACLcB/s1600/capitalismii.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WA_GenGGV6U/V07_O6cMHvI/AAAAAAAAOdo/1_TX085kL4MR5JYgCdTMn-qJJ3ppzMNLACLcB/s320/capitalismii.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "strategy game of money, power and wealth,"<br />
<a href="http://www.enlight.com/capitalism2/" target="_blank">Capitalism II</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Whatever Fits the Narrative</h2>
"For a developer to acknowledge that their TWO YEAR OLD game is still one of the best multiplayer games around, to continue to support it through a FREE online system...and STILL patching the damn game? How many games don't get a single patch? For Blizzard delevopers [sic] to still be updating and fine-tuning a game this long after its release, and for people to STILL enjoy playing it is fucking incredible."</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- Slashdot user Trillian_1138, commenting Blizzard's dedication to its community.<br />
<b>Slashdot, <a href="https://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=83903&cid=7332773" target="_blank">Diablo II 1.10 Patch Finally Released</a></b>, <i>October 28, 2003</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>---</i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
"Outside resources don't play into it - no gold buying, etcetera. We take a hard line stance against it. What you get out of micro-transactions is kind of the same thing and I think our player base would feel betrayed by it."</div>
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- Former VP of Design Rob Pardo, on Blizzard's philosophy regarding in-game purchases.<br />
<b>Eurogamer, <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/micro-transactions-betray-players">Micro-transactions "betray" players</a></b> <i>February 21st, 2008</i></blockquote>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
"In an industry full of passionate gamers, Kotick stood apart: the guy who never picked up a joystick."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- <b>Forbes</b>, <a href="http://www.forbes.com/global/2009/0216/056.html"><b>Guitar Hero</b></a>, <i>February 6th, 2009</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
"In the last cycle of videogames you spent $50 on a game, played it and took it back to the shop for credit. Today, we'll (charge) $100 for a guitar. You might add a microphone or drums; you might buy two or three expansions packs, different types of music. Over the life of your ownership you'll probably buy around 25 additional song packs in digital downloads. So, what used to be a $50 sale is a $500 sale today."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- <b>The Escapist</b>, <a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.151292-Activision-s-Bobby-Kotick-hates-developers-innovation-cheap-games-you"><b>Activison's Bobby Kotick hates developers, innovation, cheap games, [and] you</b></a>, <i>October 23rd, 2009</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
"Bobby, you're not on the fucking Death Star. You're Palpatine...You didn't get there by accident, you got there by the decisions you made."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- Game Lawyer Tom Buscaglia, responding to Bobby Kotick's involvement in the Infinity Ward fiasco.<br />
<b>The Escapist</b>, <a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/99196-Game-Lawyer-Calls-Bobby-Kotick-Emperor-Palpatine" target="_blank"><b>Game Lawyer Calls Bobby Kotick "Emperor Palpatine"</b></a>, <i>March 17th, 2010</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
"Well, he makes a big deal about not liking games, and I just don't think that attitude is good for games in general,"<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- Tim Schafer, when asked why he thinks Activision/Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick should care more about how gaming consumers perceive him.<br />
<b>1up.com</b>,<b> <a href="http://www.1up.com/news/tim-schafer-activision-ceo-bobby">Tim Schafer: Activision CEO Bobby Kotick is a 'Total Prick'</a></b> <i>July 4th, 2010</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
"Huge deal. The Chinese claim that they will put up between 1-2[billion dollars]...The boys are meeting with [Warren] Buffett on weds in Omaha. We are the only pe firm. Super confi[dential]"<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Ex-Activision director Peter Nolan commenting on the stakes of the then-proposed buyout of Activision/Blizzard from Vivendi Universal.<br />
<b>Bloomberg, <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-07-16/vivendi-considered-firing-activision-s-kotick-over-buyout">Vivendi Considered Firing Activision's Kotick Over Buyout</a></b> <i>July 16th, 2014</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
--- </div>
<br />
"Q: Will there be any management changes at Blizzard as a result of this deal?<br />
A: No, there won’t be any management changes at Blizzard as a result of the combination."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20071204043239/http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=3168513659&sid=1"><b>Activision / Blizzard FAQ forum post on Battle.net</b></a> <i>December 2nd, 2007</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
"This is an important change as it will allow me, with Thomas, to become more deeply involved in areas of the business where I believe we can capture great potential and opportunity..."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, in a memo to employees, on his reassignment of Mike Morhaime's boss, Thomas Tippl, to COO.<br />
<b>Los Angeles Times</b>, <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2010/03/activision-quietly-restructures-senior-management-and-internal-organization.html" style="font-weight: bold;">Activision quietly restructures senior management and internal organization</a> <i>March 30th, 2010</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
"In short, he has to either break even or make money to get the stocks, and he has to maintain that for the next four years."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- Ben Gilbert, commenting on the Tippl Amendment that outlines the requirements of his financial reimbursement plan as COO.<br />
<b>Engadget</b>, <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/30/activision-cfo-thomas-tippl-now-coo/" target="_blank"><b>Activision CFO Thomas Tippl now COO</b></a>, <i>March 30th, 2010</i></blockquote>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
"[Franchise fatigue] is something that I have not bought into...I think it's an excuse for lack of innovation. If you have a great franchise and you stop innovating, then yes, you will lose your fan base."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- Activision Blizzard COO Thomas Tippl, on his opinion regarding franchises getting too old to retain consumer interest<br />
<b>Gamasutra, <a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/29010/Activision_COO_Tippl_Franchise_Fatigue_Is_An_Excuse.php">Activision COO Tippl: 'Franchise Fatigue' Is An 'Excuse'</a></b> <i>June 17th, 2010</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
"We're happy to announce that through the wonders of modern gnomish engineering, you are now able to change your characters' names."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- <b>Engadget</b>, <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/26/finally-paid-name-changes/"><b>Finally Paid Name Changes!</b></a> <i>October 26th, 2007</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
"Blizzard just announced that StarCraft II's single player campaign would be split into three separate products."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- <b>Kotaku</b>, <a href="http://kotaku.com/5061980/starcraft-ii-single-player-is-a-trilogy"><b>StarCraft II Single Player Is A Trilogy!</b></a> <i>October 10th, 2008</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
"In short, for a fee of $15, you can rebuild your character, with some restrictions. You can change your gender, face, skin, hair, and name, but not your race or class."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- <b>Engadget</b>, <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/10/character-re-customization-available-for-a-small-fee/"><b>Character Re-Customization available for a small fee</b></a> <i>December 10th, 2008</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
"...players wanting to 'switch teams' will only need to shell out [...] $30 USD before applicable taxes."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- <b>Tom's Hardware</b>, <a href="http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/blizzard-warcraft-horde-alliance-faction,news-31822.html"><b>Paid Faction Change Now in WoW</b></a> <i>September 4th, 2009</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
"Purchase queues began forming soon after the virtual item went on sale, with players in the forums reporting upwards of 12,000 folks waiting at the virtual cash register at one time for a chance to purchase the translucent flying mount. Wow.com reported yesterday that at one point the number topped 140,000."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
-<b> Kotaku</b>, <a href="http://kotaku.com/5519154/blizzard-is-selling-world-of-warcraft-mounts-because-players-demanded-them"><b>Blizzard is Selling World of Warcraft Mounts Because Players Demanded Them</b></a> <i>April 16th, 2010</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
"'They can also claim that by bringing in the secondary market under their umbrella, they will be providing a better quality of experience for their players. And that's true, certainly, but it's also certainly true that if there was no additional money to be made, they wouldn't be interested.'"<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- <b>Wired</b>, <a href="http://www.wired.com/2011/08/diablo-3-auction-house/"><b>Sold! Hawk Your Diablo III Loot for Real World Cash</b></a> <i>August 1st, 2011</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
"On the heels of Hearthstone®: Heroes of Warcraft™ surpassing 50 million registered players, Whispers of the Old Gods™, the third expansion for Blizzard Entertainment's award-winning online strategy card game, is now live."</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- Activision Blizzard Press Release,<br />
<a href="http://investor.activision.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=966955" target="_blank"><b>Whispers of the Old Gods™ Takes Hold of Hearthstone® as Registered Players Top 50 Million</b></a>, <i>April 26th, 2016</i> </blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
--- </div>
<br />
"...there's a lot of distrust out in the community, because I think a lot of players have felt like they've been burned in the past."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- Jeff "Tigole" Kaplan, on his observations regarding pricing skepticism following Blizzard's announcement of Overwatch<br />
<b>GameEspresso, <a href="http://www.gamespresso.com/2015/12/blizzard-still-debating-microtransactions-for-overwatch/">Blizzard Still Debating Microtransactions for Overwatch</a></b> <i>December 11th, 2015</i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6SS3_Vu11gM/V09jK4o9zOI/AAAAAAAAOeA/2jkFWdo0FpAc5kvteDbl6xiNTOtL-LznACLcB/s1600/WoW-Cash-Shop-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6SS3_Vu11gM/V09jK4o9zOI/AAAAAAAAOeA/2jkFWdo0FpAc5kvteDbl6xiNTOtL-LznACLcB/s320/WoW-Cash-Shop-01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In-Game Store,<br />
World of Warcraft<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PTVbdLiTu-A/V09jrEYW4CI/AAAAAAAAOeY/vHYPfoNeKN4yuNoQgExkYFBcJ48i_suxgCKgB/s1600/d3-rmah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PTVbdLiTu-A/V09jrEYW4CI/AAAAAAAAOeY/vHYPfoNeKN4yuNoQgExkYFBcJ48i_suxgCKgB/s320/d3-rmah.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">In-Game Real Money Auction House,<br />
Diablo III</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l-ikfNm1DPc/V09jLHLg1qI/AAAAAAAAOeI/NtFYfQb8H6wZPSP8qbtBwxQT-KCsgZKSgCLcB/s1600/hearthstone.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l-ikfNm1DPc/V09jLHLg1qI/AAAAAAAAOeI/NtFYfQb8H6wZPSP8qbtBwxQT-KCsgZKSgCLcB/s320/hearthstone.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In-Game Store,<br />
Hearthstone</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--UP-ZkP88W4/V09jLOM3ujI/AAAAAAAAOeE/U6ffYKQX8AkkP3UWoL-HJz75jw-TinFpACLcB/s1600/heroes.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--UP-ZkP88W4/V09jLOM3ujI/AAAAAAAAOeE/U6ffYKQX8AkkP3UWoL-HJz75jw-TinFpACLcB/s320/heroes.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In-Game Store,<br />
Heroes of the Storm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Nt4R7rQEoqk/V09j_-i73hI/AAAAAAAAOeU/J5sn_HZ0wIATz5JaoQPlnlkLtcIYiWHwQCLcB/s1600/Overwatch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Nt4R7rQEoqk/V09j_-i73hI/AAAAAAAAOeU/J5sn_HZ0wIATz5JaoQPlnlkLtcIYiWHwQCLcB/s320/Overwatch.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In-Game Store,<br />
Overwatch</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Context is King</h2>
"I know that if something is instantly gratifying, it will be repeated."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- Casino Mogul <b><a href="http://realvipsuccess.com/real-business-advice-steve-wynn/">Steve Wynn</a></b></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
"Each year [casino] revenues in the US yield more profits than the theatrical movie industry ($US 10.9 billion) and the recorded music industry ($US 7 billion) combined. Even the $US 22.5 billion combined revenue of the four major US sports leagues is dwarfed by earnings from the commercial casinos industry."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- <b>The Conversation</b>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/losses-disguised-as-wins-the-science-behind-casino-profits-31939"><b>Losses Disguised As Wins, The Science Behind Casino Profits</b></a> <i>November 3rd, 2014</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
"(High-rollers) drive business. They drive revenues. They drive profits."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- <b>Las Vegas Sun</b>, <a href="http://lasvegassun.com/news/2002/apr/22/lv-casino-host-spoils-his-big-time-losers/"><b>LV Casino Host Spoils His Big-Time Losers</b></a>, <i>April 22nd, 2002</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
--- </div>
<br />
"Of the 4,222 casino customers, just 2.8% -- or 119 big losers -- provided half of the casino's take, and 10.7% provided 80% of the take."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- <b>The Wall Street Journal</b>, <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304626104579123383535635644"><b>How Often Do Gamblers Really Win</b></a>, <i>October 11th, 2013</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
"In general, [Casinos] need [whales] to stay in business. Atlantic City can no longer survive on a steady stream of casual east-coast gamblers."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- <b>The Economist</b>, <a href="http://www.economist.com/blogs/gametheory/2012/05/casino-gambling"><b>Making the House Beat Itself</b></a>, <i>May 5th, 2012</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
--- </div>
<br />
"I told [Microsoft Co-Founder Bill Gates] 'The most I can make from you is $10,000 a night -- my guy bets that on his first hand. You can move now or security will be here in an hour.'"<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- Steve Cyr, on courting high-rolling 'whales' that become big spenders at his casinos<br />
<b>Sabotage Times</b>, <a href="http://sabotagetimes.com/life/the-las-vegas-whale-hunter" target="_blank"><b>The Las Vegas Whale Hunter</b></a>, <i>June 26th, 2013 </i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
--- </div>
<br />
"And if you are a whale, we take Facebook stalking to a whole new level. You spend enough money, we will friend you. Not officially, but with a fake account. Maybe it's a hot girl who shows too much cleavage? That's us. We learned as much before friending you, but once you let us in, we have the keys to the kingdom. We will use everything to figure out how to sell to you."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>- TouchArcade</b>, <a href="http://toucharcade.com/2015/09/16/we-own-you-confessions-of-a-free-to-play-producer/" target="_blank"><b>We Own You: Confessions of an Anonymous Free to Play Game Producer</b></a> <i>September 16th, 2015</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
"It's a weird hybrid of gambling addiction and more traditional video game addiction, neither of which is anything new, but the combination of the two is a relatively novel emerging phenomenon, and one all the mobile games giants are taking advantage of to full effect."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- <b>Forbes</b>, <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2014/03/01/why-its-scary-when-0-15-mobile-gamers-bring-in-50-of-the-revenue/#4d98e56a1ad8"><b>Why It's Scary When 0.15% of Mobile Gamers Bring in 50% of the Revenue</b></a>, <i>March 1st, 2014</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>---</i></div>
<i><br /></i>
"...if you're the CEO of McDonald's, you should not feel good about your job, you should feel ashamed. We don’t have that in the games business -- we don't have that sense, because we feel like they're 'just entertainment.' We don't feel like we can do things we can be ashamed of yet..."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- Jonathan Blow, on the ethics of certain reward systems in video games<br />
<b>Gamasutra, <a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/107343/MIGS_2007_Jonathan_Blow_On_The_WoW_Drug_Meaningful_Games.php">MIGS 2007: Jonathan Blow On The 'WoW Drug', Meaningful Games</a></b> <i>November 28th, 2007</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
--- </div>
<br />
"I'd use birthday money, I'd eat cheaper lunches, I'd ask my wife to pay for dinner so I'd have a spare $10-$20 to spend in the store."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>- Gamasutra, <a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/195806/chasing_the_whale_examining_the_.php">Chasing the Whale: Examining the Ethics of Free-to-Play Games</a></b> <i>July 9th, 2013</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
--- </div>
<br />
"The illusion of control is a crucial element in the maintenance of gambling addiction … [as it] instills a feeling of skill or control...there are a number of in-game features [such as the boosters in Candy Crush] that allow players to believe they are affecting the outcome of the game, and in some cases they are, but those instances are rare."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- <b>The Guardian</b>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2014/apr/01/candy-crush-saga-app-brain" target="_blank"><b>This is What Candy Crush Saga Does to Your Brain</b></a>, <i>April 1st, 2014</i> </blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
"More effective treatment is increasingly necessary because gambling is more acceptable and accessible than ever before...Today you do not even need to leave your house to gamble -- all you need is an Internet connection or a phone."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- <b>Scientific American</b>, <a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-the-brain-gets-addicted-to-gambling/"><b>How the Brain Gets Addicted to Gambling</b></a>, <i>November 1st, 2013</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
"[World of Warcraft] didn't even account for the majority of sales. For the first time, that honor went to a batch of different titles: Diablo and two new brands, Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- <b>Fool.com</b>, <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2015/08/18/activision-blizzard-inc-doesnt-need-world-of-warcr.aspx"><b>Activision Blizzard Inc. Doesn't Need "World of Warcraft" Anymore</b></a>, <i>August 18th, 2015</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
"There are other metrics that are better indicators of the overall Blizzard business performance."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- Activision Blizzard, at the Q4 2015 earnings call, after revealing that World of Warcraft's subscription numbers had dropped to 5.5 million.<br />
<b>Gamespot, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/blizzard-will-no-longer-report-world-of-warcraft-s/1100-6431943/">Blizzard Will No Longer Report World of Warcraft Subscriber Numbers</a></b> <i>November 3rd, 2015</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
"These companies were really smart around analytics and monetization and very light in terms of product and content creation. I'm not sure any of those things are particularly sustainable. The future lies in going into the larger part of the market which is people that self-identify as gamers, and where the user acquisition and long-term value creation comes from making great games."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- Paul Thelen, CEO of Big Fish, on the decline of profitability in the casual gaming market,<br />
<b>GameIndustry.biz, <a href="http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-12-12-monetizing-games-crucial-advice-from-key-players" target="_blank">Gamers rule: Only 10% of the industry's $50 billion comes from casuals</a></b> <i>December 12th, 2012</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
"He's like my dad,"<br />
<blockquote>
- Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, referring to the influence and impact Steve Wynn, Casino Mogul, has had on him<br />
<b>Kotaku, <a href="http://kotaku.com/5559201/a-delightful-chat-with-the-most-hated-man-in-video-games">A Delightful Chat With the Most Hated Man in Video Games</a></b> <i>June 14th, 2010</i></blockquote>
</div>
Shawn Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05110605868875966328noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-70734720704677748812016-05-26T00:00:00.000-06:002016-05-31T08:52:24.507-06:004.73. Temporary Hiatus<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EDi860a-YvM/VzOODj4HieI/AAAAAAAAOMs/Hg8VoykV0QgwaPmcY2RD0ZVC789dzI0zACLcB/s1600/pic6.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EDi860a-YvM/VzOODj4HieI/AAAAAAAAOMs/Hg8VoykV0QgwaPmcY2RD0ZVC789dzI0zACLcB/s320/pic6.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Members of DoD prepare for another <br />
pull on Warmaster Blackhorn,<br />
Dragon Soul</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Treat the Disease, Not the Symptom</h2>
The forum thread was up to 188 pages. I read through each post, telling the tale of how wonderful the changes were, and how grateful the players were. Long-held frustrations with the pre-existing system were no longer an issue. The barrier to entry was gone. Blizzard happily acknowledged this shower of compliments on a job well done. Blizzard's goal of making a great game that was fun for everyone looked to, at last, be complete. Mission accomplished. After seven long years of iterating, they had finally achieved a fun, great game that everyone could enjoy.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Everyone in this thread, at least.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
LFR was that last piece, the dangling outlier that answered the question: "What if I don't want to be in a guild? Can I still raid?" Wonder no longer. With just the press of a button, any player, regardless of their in-game affiliation, could queue for a raid, slaughter a boss, and walk out with loot. The tech behind LFR was a huge step forward in WoW's evolution.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
One huge step forward, two huge steps backward.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I read on, though I really didn't need to -- the title of the forum thread said all that needed to be said: "<a href="http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/3657613297?page=11#205">I will never go back to normal raiding again</a>."</div>
<div>
<br />
A far less trafficked thread (28 pages) had <a href="http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/3077867904?page=3#54">a very different stance</a>. Blizzard's response to "Raid Finder destroys communities" was that it was never Blizzard's intent to have LFR replace traditional raiding, yet there were no clear lines indicating where <i>precisely</i> they'd taken steps to ensure players didn't flock to LFR <i>en masse</i> to solve their guild membership woes.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I shook my head at those famous last words, "never our intent..." After this many years in the video game industry, knowing the volatility of their customer base, hadn't they learned their lesson by now? Just because you intend for something <i>not</i> to be misused...doesn't mean it won't be. Weren't all those years of rolling back exploitative raiding guilds for "clever use of game mechanics" enough of a lesson? What about all the DDoS's that Battle.net had suffered? The reason Blizzard had to build a Warden just to keep cheaters at bay, a fight that (even now) rages on?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Why not just <a href="https://blog.codinghorror.com/designing-for-evil/" target="_blank">design for evil</a> by default?<br />
<br />
<i>That</i> was the real answer, in the end. Allowing more people through the raiding floodgates wasn't evil, not by Blizzard's standards...it was the very opposite. At the end of the day, more players experiencing raid content was a win, not a loss. The difference was: it was a short-term win. Over the long-term, however, knowing gamers like I did, there was bound to be repercussions. <a href="http://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304840904577422090013997320" target="_blank">If we can take the easy way out, we will</a>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It was never a raiding problem. It was <i>always</i> a guild problem. Players <i>said</i> they wanted an easier mechanism to raid; in reality, the request masked their real issue: they didn't want to be forced into guild membership. Players wanted the freedom to come and go as they pleased, no longer bound to the rigid schedule dictated by a faceless college kid with a misogynist streak and a propensity for dick jokes.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That really <i>was</i> the perception around guilds: huge collections of nerds with no social skills, a knack for cursing, and a chip on their collective shoulders for all players not geared to the tooth. This little experiment we were trying called "Descendants of Draenor" only represented a grain of sand in that vast desert of awful guilds; our ideals were not at all the common tongue. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I can't blame players for not wanting to deal with all of that. But I absolutely <i>can</i> blame Blizzard for the band-aid that patched up the symptom, while the disease continued to fester. I can blame them, and I do.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
LFR was easier for both parties. Easier for players to raid, and easier for Blizzard to implement, rather than attempting to shoulder the social issues of toxicity and personal accountability prevalent in WoW guilds.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Easier, but not necessarily right.</div>
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7X1kT4IK0jI/VzOOe44dslI/AAAAAAAAOM0/MBuVLp8I7b8zRvDKc88NBqJ8TX272crUACLcB/s1600/pic7.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7X1kT4IK0jI/VzOOe44dslI/AAAAAAAAOM0/MBuVLp8I7b8zRvDKc88NBqJ8TX272crUACLcB/s320/pic7.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kerulak attempts a 10-Man kill of Spine of<br />
Deathwing, after the 25-Man is put on hiatus,<br />
Dragon Soul</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Hemorrhaging</h2>
</div>
<div>
The 2nd weekend of Dragon Soul did not look promising. After completing the rotations early Friday morning, we were in a bad state. While Friday's sole absentee could be compensated for, Sunday's four-player deficiency was a showstopper.<br />
<br />
Mortalsend was out, as were the shaman brothers Gunsmokeco and Deathonwings, and Sarge rounded off the missing persons list. Reasons were varied: Guns' new work schedule conflicted with our raid times, while Wings claimed he'd finally hit his threshold -- after six long years of raiding, he'd had his fill. Sarge's interest waned as well, and Mortal had holiday-themed family matters to attend to. <i>Merry Christmas to us.</i></div>
<div>
<br />
Neps was my first plan to tourniquet this gushing wound. I'd been in contact with him over the remaining weeks in 4.2. He was in the process of piecing together a new computer, one adequate for progression raiding. Neps' return to 25-Man progression would be a godsend, if he could pull it off.<br />
<br />
There was a time where I was so dependent on Neps that I couldn't conceive of the 25-Man moving forward without him present. Of course, this wasn't true at all: DoD held the fort down throughout Firelands while still granting Neps much needed recovery time. In hindsight, this was another one of my inadequacies as a leader rising to the surface. I grappled with kicking Ben out of the guild and the risk of losing Neps in the process. In the end, we were able to press on without him. It sucks to lose people...<i>good</i> people...but losing them doesn't mean the end.<br />
<br />
I held out hope that Neps' new PC would be assembled in time to make up for the massive healing deficiency that now jeopardized progression.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>---</i></div>
<br />
On December 9th, 2011, the 25-Man progression team returned to Dragon Soul for its 2nd week of work. Extending the raid lock, we bypassed all bosses killed the week previous, went toe-to-toe with the Warmaster Blackhorn encounter, beating the boss by the end of the night.<br />
<br />
By Sunday we'd found our replacements and returned to pick up where we left off. Deathwing was such a massive threat that Blizzard had to split him into two separate encounters. Before facing the dragon's maw itself, we'd have to weaken the great aspect of death. That episode played out in the Dragon Soul's second-to-last encounter, Spine of Deathwing.<br />
<br />
We lept off Blackhorn's airship, plummeted through the sky, and landed conveniently atop Deathwing himself, mid-flight. As the dragon scorched the ground below, the 25-Man steeled itself for attempts on a brutal fight.<br />
<br />
The basic jist of the fight consisted of positioning ourselves in a spread across the breadth of Deathwing's back, while working through certain fire elementals that spawned as we ripped up the dark iron plates covering his burning flesh underneath. Killing all the elementals was too difficult an endeavor, so the tactic called for shifting the entire raid to one side of Deathwing's back. Noticing we were all near an edge, Deathwing would then barrel-roll, tossing the elementals to their death while we held on for dear life.<br />
<br />
Deathwing rolled and bucked; we clung to his burnt metal blades. The 25-Man progression raid unleashed hell on the Spine with every bit of focus and energy I've ever witnessed from the team. On that night of work, the discipline present had a military feel, though I can't honestly claim to know what that is like from experience. How it played out in this raid was as follows: No complaining. No petty bullshit or ribbing. Blain made adjustments and the team responded. It was brilliant. It <i>felt</i> brilliant.<br />
<br />
It seemed as though something otherworldly was driving the 25-Man that night. They were gunmetal polished and determined to see this thing through. If I didn't know any better, it felt as if extrinsic motivation has finally broken through, that the team had transcended the need to acquire simple golden banners and digital baubles of a game.<br />
<br />
Maybe the team genuinely feared losing something important to them.<br />
<br />
Try as we might to rip the great dragon apart and pull him from the sky, it wasn't enough. At the top of the fourth hour, we weren't even close to breaking into our final phase. No famous last pull would get us any closer. We called it for the night.<br />
<br />
"Thanks, everyone," I spoke into Vent, "Keep your eyes glued to the rotation post on the forums and we'll let you know what the holiday schedule is looking like."<br />
<br />
I logged off, removed my glasses, and put my head in my hands.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h1bLvTLyJvg/Vz4YRJqIQ2I/AAAAAAAAORo/6SkD3yu8j68455ZjPBy9qV5n2mpZoyu7QCLcB/s1600/bastion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h1bLvTLyJvg/Vz4YRJqIQ2I/AAAAAAAAORo/6SkD3yu8j68455ZjPBy9qV5n2mpZoyu7QCLcB/s320/bastion.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A wonderful game that tugs at emotional strings,<br />
<a href="https://www.supergiantgames.com/games/bastion/" target="_blank">Bastion</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
The Force Awakens</h2>
"Bovie here. This'll be my last report."<br />
<br />
"The 10's finished?"<br />
<br />
Elaboration was unnecessary, but Bovie did so anyway. His team's reasons were the same as Zedman's, the same as Joredin's. Loss of interest. Burnout. Holidays. <i>Whatever</i>. Three teams with a combined size of thirty (plus) players were retiring from WoW for an unspecified amount of time. With them went any hope of their alts being available to fill the gaping wounds of the 25-Man.<br />
<br />
I scoured forums throughout the week and pinged guilds in-game, trying to get a feel for recruitment without coming across as desperate. Just more of the same. Where once guilds might collapse and produce a swarm of stragglers we could scoop up and house, Deathwing-US was now just a blank faceless sheet of non-committals, forever hopping through Orgrimmar in their search for nothing.<br />
<br />
Without a leg to stand on, I kicked off an early holiday for the raid. For the first time in nearly seven years, we broke for Christmas <b>two</b> weeks before normal. Both raid weekends that followed (Dec 16th/18th and Dec 23rd/25th) were pulled from the sign-up sheet. My last remaining ounce of positivity hoped that this extended vacation would center the team. Reinvigorated, they'd return in the new year, ready to clear Dragon Soul and put an end to Deathwing.<br />
<br />
That 2011 holiday was surreal. I spiraled into a brooding state of unease. Most of the guild kept themselves busy with the hotly anticipated, freshly released MMO, <a href="http://www.swtor.com/" target="_blank">Star Wars: The Old Republic</a>. A respectable contingent of the 25-man roster spent time in there, even Blain. I recused myself. A new MMO was the last thing I could stomach. My bitter cynicism would ruin the fun, and for all they gave to DoD, they didn't deserve that from me.<br />
<br />
Instead, I spent a lot of those evenings in solitude, off of Vent and out of WoW. While the majority of them light-sabred it up, I treated myself to a game I'd been meaning to play for a few months, and picked up Bastion off of XBox Live.<br />
<br />
Bastion's setting was surreal, both gorgeous and depressing. I took control of a white-haired boy that swung weapons to bash monsters' skulls in, wandering a desolate landscape. Each isometric area was beautifully drawn in a cartoonish-style, and appeared as if torn from the planet's surface, now suspended mid-air. The game's environments bore all the markings of a civilization abruptly vaporized. Each new area hinted at the lives that once played out here. Markets and streets abandoned. Empty houses with doors flung open. Lives interrupted.<br />
<br />
Friends and support were scarce. Bastion's unique narrator calmly read back to me the details of the gameplay as they unfolded in real time, his southern twang also seemingly out of place in this cartoonish wasteland. When I finally managed to hook up with other characters to carry the story along, my trust in them ended up misplaced.<br />
<br />
I beat Bastion over the 2011 holiday, but given all the circumstances, I don't know that it made me feel better...or worse.</div>
</div>
Shawn Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05110605868875966328noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-6918773383124536332016-05-19T00:00:00.000-06:002016-05-24T07:37:06.142-06:004.72. The Out Run Test<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IupudaphbeA/VzyC3yC_hpI/AAAAAAAAOQ4/kJtF1xrmMzwwEx7-fncOAGPv9CkDJ48ygCLcB/s1600/outrun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IupudaphbeA/VzyC3yC_hpI/AAAAAAAAOQ4/kJtF1xrmMzwwEx7-fncOAGPv9CkDJ48ygCLcB/s320/outrun.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sega's 1986 classic game,<br />
Out Run</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<h2>
Checkpoint</h2>
When Out Run was released in 1986, it was not the first racing game. It wasn't the first to set the precedent of a third-person driving perspective -- that honor went to Turbo, some five years earlier. It was not the first to offer force feedback through its steering wheel, nor was it the first to allow players the freedom to choose their route. It wasn't even the first to pseudo-scale sprites at high speeds, making the player feel like they were racing down a real speedway. In fact, the only new feature that Out Run brought to the table was to allow players to pick their own background music. Wikipedia lists at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racing_video_game">least a dozen racing games</a> that were released before Out Run. In the halls of video game history, Out Run wasn't the first to do many things.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But it was the first to do them <i>well</i>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
To Yu Suzuki, the whole was greater than the sum of its parts, so long as each part received special treatment. He carefully chose the right elements from previous racing games, polishing each as it was added to the mixture. When Suzuki's refinements came together in just the right mixture -- not too much of one or too little of another -- the result was a video game racing experience vastly different from anything seen before.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
What's so special about Out Run, when compared to its competition at that time?</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Humor was injected throughout. Racing games ended with a "Congratulations!" and not much else. Meanwhile, Out Run's <i>five</i> endings all featured a comedic skit played out by the driver and his girlfriend. When the player hit an obstacle at high speed, the Testarossa flipped out of control, launching its cartoonish passengers into the air.</li>
<li>Video Game music had yet to leave a memorable footprint among gamers - Out Run's three main selections (chosen on a virtual radio station) were written by Hiroshi Kawaguchi, one of the most prolific composers in Sega's history. Kawaguchi was a member of the "S.S.T. Band", Sega's in-house rock group, known to play at festivals and conferences during the late 80's and early 90's.</li>
<li>Although Out Run was unmistakably a 2D experience, Yu Suzuki conceptualized his entire game design process in a three-dimensional perspective, stating "I calculated the position, scale, and zoom rate in 3D and converted it backwards to 2D."</li>
</ul>
<div>
Out Run was memorable, not because of its innovation in any one area, but rather, through the combination of all the fine details that breathed life and character into a genre, which -- up until that point -- had been primarily about boxes of pixels driving a track, over and over and over. It was the best selling arcade game the year of its release, went on to win countless awards, and is permanently chiseled into a myriad of lists that recount the greatest video games of all time. Out Run raised the bar to which all future racing games would be measured against...</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
...including itself.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
At the end of his career, nearly two decades after the launch of Out Run, Yu Suzuki returned to oversee the production of Out Run 2.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xhzWar-tBpU/VzyDIXUhu6I/AAAAAAAAOQ8/u0yEA8YgvccKY8eaUTy1Pmzmm4U0_5gawCLcB/s1600/OutRun2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xhzWar-tBpU/VzyDIXUhu6I/AAAAAAAAOQ8/u0yEA8YgvccKY8eaUTy1Pmzmm4U0_5gawCLcB/s320/OutRun2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">There is only one game this could be:<br />
Out Run 2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Changing the Formula</h2>
The video game industry bears the weight of Moore's Law more than perhaps any other; technological advances that span eighteen years are better compared to the journeys of ancient civilizations. The mind-numbing power of twin Motroloa 68000 CPUs (in Out Run's 1986 arcade cabinet) is mere flint-and-sticks when compared to the CPU in an iPhone 6. You can't really compare the speeds of architectures so vastly different, but a flat clock comparison yields a difference of about 11,000%. It's like they came from an entirely different world of hieroglyphics and clay pots.<br />
<br />
"Super-scaling" sprites gave way to polygons, shaders, and riggings. Arcades rose and fell as home consoles and PCs obsoleted the need for bulky, rigid cabinets and expensive real estate. Even the medium itself moved from the dead language of archaic taped chips to instant downloads on internet-ready consoles. Our network connections today boast such available bandwidth that entire games can be streamed, complete with real-time voice over IP -- the long road of arcade cabinet manufacturing must have been like building the pyramids, in comparison.<br />
<br />
But it wasn't just the technology that changed. After two decades, the competition not only drove circles around Out Run, few even remembered its existence. Entrenched franchises battled each other for market dominance: Need for Speed, Gran Turismo, Burnout, and more. Out Run wasn't even on the map.<br />
<br />
Yu Suzuki could've made significant changes to an already winning formula in order to compete. And there <i>were</i> changes: A new drift mechanic, multiplayer challenges, a time attack mode, to name a few. They were the sorts of changes that, if done incorrectly, risked taking away the identity that made Out Run what it was.<br />
<br />
Mr. Suzuki did not disappoint.<br />
<br />
He took the features Out Run was known for, all those years ago -- the music, the humor, the candy apple red Ferrari Testarossa, the feel of all those outdoor zones, and simply made them <i>better</i>. The new maps felt like Out Run maps, kicking off with a contemporary version of the original Coconut Beach starting area. New cars were added, but true to Out Run form, it was a selection of only Ferraris. Even the casuals got a break: Out Run 2 allowed players to select automatic transmissions, if manual was too much to handle. He even tossed in a few new radio stations to choose from, but Out Run wouldn't be Out Run without remixes of its three original tunes: all three -- Magical Sound Shower, Passing Breeze, and Splash Wave -- were present.<br />
<br />
When it came time to fold in some innovation, he did so with great care. Drifting wasn't nearly as complex as it was in those juggernaut franchises, and felt awesome...it felt like Out Run. Multiplayer challenges didn't force the game into a traditional racing pigeonhole -- other racers were represented via ghost cars, keeping the original challenge of "best time" being the true opponent, not the drivers themselves.<br />
<br />
Out Run 2 may not have sold millions and millions of units like its contemporary competition, but it is undeniably Out Run. Everything that made the original great is also true of its sequel. For everything that was added, and what tiny adjustments were made to the original formula, the result is conclusively a return to greatness for fans of '86 title. It. is. <i>fun</i>.<br />
<br />
Out Run 2 feels like Out Run. Other sequels aren't as lucky.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zLBDKYfBlZE/VzzP2lreYvI/AAAAAAAAORU/xhD_E2BARtA_HwoRhUDjwQSn5oKv6GqGwCLcB/s1600/sonic.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zLBDKYfBlZE/VzzP2lreYvI/AAAAAAAAORU/xhD_E2BARtA_HwoRhUDjwQSn5oKv6GqGwCLcB/s320/sonic.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"So for your next game, we're going to put you in a<br />
three-dimensional city and see if players can have you<br />
not collide with furniture for more than three seconds."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Sonic the Disappointment</h2>
</div>
</div>
<div>
A <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2016/2/8/10756318/sonic-the-hedgehog-great-rocky-history" target="_blank">polygon article</a> on the history of Sonic quotes developer Bob Rafei as considering Sega "brave" for all of its attempts to breathe life into the franchise, himself believing, "If you stay the same, you stagnate, and that's a slow death." The irony of such a statement is not lost on fans of the series. Rafei co-developed one of the <i>worst</i> iterations of Sonic the Hedgehog in the franchise's history: <i>Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric</i>. The game's a mess: at the 2014 E3, GameCentral described it as "so unspeakably awful we couldn't force ourselves to play through the entire demo."<br />
<br />
The blue hedgehog's glory days concluded at the end of the 16-bit era. No platformer could compete with Sonic's dizzying speed at the height of his popularity. But the advent of 3D rendering in consoles like Nintendo 64, Sony PlayStation, and Sega Dreamcast put the brakes on Sonic, hard. Fans of the series struggling with awkward controls and an overabundance of cute partners "helping" Sonic thwart Dr. Robotnik were <i>themselves</i> thwarted at every step Sonic took. A series that once defined itself as a hedgehog with attitude that blazed across Moebius had somehow gained too much attitude, sacrificing control in the process.<br />
<br />
It was not fun. More accurately, it was not Sonic.<br />
<br />
In an ironic turn, some of the greatest Sonic the Hedgehog games released since the end of his golden age <i>weren't even made by Sega</i>. The fan-based Sonic projects <a href="http://sonic-before-the-sequel.en.uptodown.com/" target="_blank">Before The Sequel</a> and <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/sonicbtsbooth/" target="_blank">After The Sequel</a> are extraordinary pieces of work (considering they were built by kids in basements rather than professional development teams). If you have an ounce of interest in Sonic, I urge you to try them: the levels, artwork, music, and game design are all new, built from the ground up. Yet, these home-brewed titles immediately invoke the feel of the original, early 90's games. They <i>get it</i>.<br />
<br />
There are even <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/248310/" target="_blank">indie games that have no relation to Sonic whatsoever that <i>get it</i></a>. Within seconds of playing them, you know exactly where they draw inspiration from and what they pay homage to. You see it. You hear it. You feel it.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It is telling that basement-bred Sonic games and no-name indies blow the pants off of officially sanctioned sequels -- they possess something that those Sega sequels lack.</div>
<br />
<i>Heart.</i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
If you're a game designer being pushed to innovate an existing title, the Out Run test is excruciatingly important to complete. Take your latest iteration and strip it of all identifiable assets that tie it to the franchise's brand: no more blue hedgehog, no more red Ferrari. With no celebrity to coast on, the game must now stand on its own. Put it in the hands of your current customer and let them play, then ask them, what does it <i>remind</i> you of? What game does it <i>feel</i> like? What game do you think <i>inspires</i> this unrecognizable mess?<br />
<br />
Then, listen. What's the first title they name? Is it your game's origination? Does it take them back to where it all started? Do they nail it in mere seconds, and does identifying it come naturally?<br />
<br />
Or are they puzzled? Do they rattle off titles you'd never expect to hear (or, worse, do they name the competition?) Are they hard-pressed to even identify it at all? Do they struggle?<br />
<br />
And if it is this latter scenario that plays out, go back to your bloated feature list and your options now lying on the cutting room floor. Review. Figure out which one it was...what was the thing you added or removed...that allowed the magic to slip away. Restore it. Repeat. Continue until it feels as it should.<br />
<br />
You can't have Out Run without the Magical Sound Shower.</div>
Shawn Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05110605868875966328noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-44567763543740118052016-05-12T00:00:00.000-06:002016-05-17T07:43:54.676-06:004.71. That Dragon, Deathwing<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m5yrZHo2rlY/VzONUX-myhI/AAAAAAAAOMo/xEVblhRuC7EJ8ukWR6RdCl0sR1aKQ8XpACKgB/s1600/pic4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m5yrZHo2rlY/VzONUX-myhI/AAAAAAAAOMo/xEVblhRuC7EJ8ukWR6RdCl0sR1aKQ8XpACKgB/s320/pic4.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10,000 years into the past, Neltharion goes rogue,<br />
Well of Eternity</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Grains Through The Hourglass</h2>
Patch 4.3: Hour of Twilight was released to the World of Warcraft community on Nov 29th, 2011. It was an enormous patch. Three new heroic-only dungeons and a new raid. Transmogrification. Void Storage. An overhauled Darkmoon Faire. Legendary daggers for Rogues.<br />
<br />
...and a little thing Blizzard called "LFR."<br />
<br />
The fork stabbed in. We would not go down without a fight.<br />
<br />
Blizzard carefully stitched End Time (the future), Well of Eternity (the past), and Hour of Twilight (the present) together so that players running the three dungeons would end where the raid began: Wyrmrest Temple. Our first night in Dragon Soul was Dec 2nd, 2011, entering the instance to witness a siege already in progress. The sky was filled with all manner of drakes blanketing the surface of Dragonblight with flame, while empowered earthen elementals emerged from twilight portals freshly ripped open. We cut these elementals down, working our way toward the first boss.<br />
<br />
Morchok bore the familiar humanoid-mountain shape of a creature that could have been a distant relative of Lord Rhyolith. If fire burned within him at one time, however, those fires had long since died out. The burning glow of red hot lava was replaced with a deep violet color that complemented this walking mass, and he ran large, clumsy boulders through the strands of his phototrophic beard.<br />
<br />
The encounter was a standard tank-and-spank, so Blain and Amatsu took turns eating stacks of Crush Armor. Red globes called Resonating Crystals spawned toward the outer edges of the attack zone, latching on to players and forcing them to converge in anticipation of soaking AoE damage. Occasionally, Morchok produced massive rock fragments along the perimeter of the fight. Then, Black Blood of the Earth oozed out from under our feet. We sped towards those fallen fragments and used them as a line-of-sight defense, repeating this process until he collapsed in a pile of lifeless boulders and rubble.<br />
<br />
Next on the hit list was Warlord Zon'ozz. The raid descended into a fleshy, tentacled pit that jutted out from the surface of Dragonblight near the base of Wrymrest Temple. Zon'ozz was a nightmarish lobster-humanoid mix, invoking visions of General Vezax from the depths of Ulduar. An unmistakable servant of the old gods, Zon'ozz quickly became known as the "ping-pong" boss.<br />
<br />
The encounter's core mechanic involved an orb called Void of the Unmasking. This orb needed to be bounced back and forth between several groups in the raid (melee and ranged were the obvious choices), delivering increasing damage with each impact. The key to both survival and victory was keeping the orb on our teams as long as possible. When the healers could no longer withstand the damage output, we lobbed the orb back to Zon'ozz himself. It struck the boss, weakening and enraging him, allowing us to blow our cooldowns and concentrate both damage and healing throughout the tantrum.<br />
<br />
Blain coordinated the movement of the teams responsible for bouncing the orb. After several attempts, Zon'ozz was dead...along with a huge portion of the raid, unable to withstand his final tantrum. On the one hand, new content <i>should</i> have been challenging. On the other, I stood amongst a roster of players geared nearly head-to-toe in heroic Firelands gear. A 25-Man normal should not have been cutting it <i>this</i> closely, no matter how bizarre the mechanic. If you know the drill, you go through the motions, the boss dies. We knew the drill, we were going through the motions...and nearly all of us were dying.<br />
<br />
Not at all comforting.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8oKZhJyQGWE/VzOM6IdlSXI/AAAAAAAAOMQ/J1YF1pYIiGsc0u8U4gfq4sLHh2p99tIVQCLcB/s1600/pic2.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8oKZhJyQGWE/VzOM6IdlSXI/AAAAAAAAOMQ/J1YF1pYIiGsc0u8U4gfq4sLHh2p99tIVQCLcB/s320/pic2.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mature and fellow DoDers defeat Archbishop Benedictus<br />
at the conclusion of the new heroic dungeons,<br />
Hour of Twilight </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Taste the Rainbow</h2>
The old gods were not done assailing us yet. Another creature of insanity blocked our way: Yor'sahj the Unsleeping. Yor'shaj was a void beast with long, octopus-like appendages and razor-sharp teeth exposed below its mask. Its armor style seemed Uldum-inspired; coppers, deep maroons, purples -- all fashioned into beveled shapes along its golden edges. Beautifully symmetrical and ornate, Yor'shaj's armor was a contradiction to the tentacled horror it protected.<br />
<br />
The encounter began as any other tank-and-spank, but Yor'shaj soon brought multicolored globules of slime to the table, spawning towards the outer circumference of his underground domain. Each spawn constituted a set of three different colored oozes; Yor'shaj had a total of six to choose from. The rainbow of oozes worked to thwart us in clever, contradictory ways.<br />
<br />
Purple caused heals to detonate after reaching five stacks, while green caused proximity damage to players standing near one another. Yellow empowered both Yor'shaj <i>and</i> the raid with faster, more significant attacks, and red caused us to take increased damage the further away from the boss we stood. Some oozes even produced new enemies: blue summoned mana voids, leeching mana from the casters and healers; black summoned Forgotten Ones that fixated on the raid and had to be AoE'd down.<br />
<br />
While working through most combinations of oozes was trivial, others sets brought great pain and suffering upon the land...and the raid. Most notably, a spawn of green (don't group up!), red (group up near the boss!) and yellow (everything does more damage!) was particularly torturous. Each attempt spawned them in new, random orders. Early green/red/yellow spawns would wipe us quickly, freeing us to restart our attempt with haste. Late green/red/yellow spawns would turn an otherwise clean attempt into a wash, wasting precious time. We filled the better part of an hour on Yor'shaj before he met his deserved end, but were still on track to complete half of Dragon Soul by the night's end.<br />
<br />
From here, we left the battle at Wrymrest Temple, and flew (via red aspect escort) to Malygos' domain, The Eye of Eternity. This time, no great blue aspect gone mad awaited us. In his place stood a single female orc, waiting to deliver our doom. The moment I saw lightning crackle off those instantly recognizable lionhead shoulder pieces, I knew we were up against a Shaman. Hagara was draped in a replica of Ten Storms off-pieces, mixed with a "wolf-head" helm synonymous with a shaman as far back as Warcraft II. Each hand clutched its own axe, and each axe bore the bright white glow of a Frostbrand effect, glimmering from snowflakes that fell slowly from each blade.<br />
<br />
"I guess we get an ice phase first, eh?"<br />
<br />
Hagara was divided into three phases: a main phase, and two enchantment phases (lighting and ice). Preparing for the appropriate phase involved a single step: noting the visual effect applied to her weapons. If snowflakes fell, an ice phase was due, but jagged streaks of electricity warranted preparation for a lightning phase.<br />
<br />
While in her main phase, various players would be marked and frozen solid, requiring the team to break their incapacitated partners free. Focused attacks came in fifteen second intervals, locking Haraga in place while she swung her axes in a violent blur. Both Shattered Ice and Ice Lance worked to slow the raid's pace down, each constituting various degrees of damage.<br />
<br />
In ice phase, Hagara protected herself with an impenetrable Water Shield while waves of ice chased the raid in a clockwise direction. To shut her down, the raid rushed to the outer edge of the platform, positioned themselves between the rotating waves, and destroyed their source: frozen crystals along four equidistant points. All this, while dodging bouts of falling ice, kept the raid occupied as Hagara mocked us safely from afar.<br />
<br />
Ice phase caused much death amid its clockwork chaos. Many attempts ended poorly due to deaths in a phase dragged out far too long.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jdZw8Q_mYfk/VzONHXpPcXI/AAAAAAAAOMU/eCFZYNY8HXkAP-_Uq_uIxc_82Ad0cxIrwCLcB/s1600/pic3.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jdZw8Q_mYfk/VzONHXpPcXI/AAAAAAAAOMU/eCFZYNY8HXkAP-_Uq_uIxc_82Ad0cxIrwCLcB/s320/pic3.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DoD barely pulls off a kill of Hagara<br />
on the first night of raiding in 4.3,<br />
Dragon Soul</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Overtuned</h2>
Lightning phase wasn't much better. The same water shield protected Hagara, but this time the raid aimed to blow it apart. To do so, the roster formed a chain that conducted lightning from the outer edges into her protected area in the center, blasting the shield away and stunning the orc, leaving her vulnerable to a burst of damage. In order to form this living lightning rod, we first had to defeat a spawned Lightning Elemental, ensuring the creature was killed near a conductor. Wasting one by killing it in the wrong spot was a huge loss, as this was our only opportunity for a damage boost against the orc shaman.<br />
<br />
Though the mechanics of the fight were relatively straightforward, the tuning was such that any excess time spent in ice or lightning phases seriously impacted our ability to beat Hagara. After polishing both phases, the remainder of attempts ended with Hagara enraging, slaughtering the roster in a span of several seconds. Every possible trick had to be pulled in order to squeeze out the last remaining points of health.<br />
<br />
When we finally bested Hagara, it was during one such enrage. Players with the highest aggro frantically kited her in an attempt to tack on desperately needed seconds -- just enough to see her through. The "Siege of Wyrmrest Temple" achievement flashed up on our screens to indicate our arrival at the 50% mark. There were only seven of us alive.<br />
<br />
"I may suck at math, but our heroic gear isn't going to sustain this."<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
We returned to Dragon Soul for our second night of work on Sunday, Dec. 4th. For our fifth encounter, we ascended Wyrmrest Temple and cleared numerous whelps and drakes that guarded the perimeter of the tower's apex. Then, we positioned ourselves in a small group only inches from the lip of the temple's edge, faced north, and awaited the arrival of a dragon.<br />
<br />
The fight operated much like Algalon's Big Bang of Ulduar fame...though it borrowed a bit of flavor from the Majordomo Staghelm fight, too. Ultraxion was a twilight, like Valiona and Theralion, two tiers earlier. And, like Valiona and Theralion, his realm played an important role: we would have to fight him in the twilight realm for the entirety of the encounter. <i>Most </i>of us would. A select few, however, would have to step out. Who and when would be determined by Ultraxion's abilities.<br />
<br />
Hour of Twilight was the first, which hit us every 45 seconds. All but three of us needed to click our new "Heroic Will" buttons in order to shift out and survive the blast. Those three players that remained blew whatever cooldowns were necessary to survive the onslaught of shadow radiation Ultraxion bombarded them with. Juxtaposed with those 45 second intervals were debuffs of Fading Light, applied to the current tank and several other random players. Those debuffs varied between 5 and 10 seconds in duration, demanding the afflicted's attention in order to gauge the appropriate time to click Heroic Will. Eating a Fading Light in the twilight realm meant instant death -- there was no negotiating. If you were fading from the light, you <i>had</i> to "click out."<br />
<br />
This was the Ultraxion test: deal with the staggered swapping in and out of the twilight realm, ensure soakers that remained had the tools to withstand Hour of Twilight, and burn that enormous purple dragon as fast as possible.<br />
<br />
Again, and again, and again, we smashed our faces against the Ultraxion wall. Our players bore the most powerful heroic weapons and armor in the game (at the release of the patch) -- the result of our successes in Firelands. It didn't matter. The 25-Man raid team pushed out every last ounce of DPS it could muster. But Ultraxion just sat there, laughing, spraying us with twilight bursts, the ever increasing unstable monstrosities coming faster and faster. It felt like we were all wearing greens.<br />
<br />
In a moment of wakeful sleep, eyes glazing over after hours of attempts on Ultraxion, I thought back to DoD's initial steps in 25-Man (Normal) Ulduar, and how we dug in with our nails and peeled back those bosses like so much rubbery skin off an orange. The daydream channels flipped, and there was that godforsaken Blizzard development panel, claiming over and over, "Ulduar was still too hard, not enough people got to see it." The constant contradiction infuriated me.<br />
<br />
Tuning in Dragon Soul was absolutely out-of-control. A heroically geared raid should have plowed through normal, ready to hit heroics by week two. I didn't see how that was going to happen here. But the raid never gave up. Blain spent the next four hours adjusting, tweaking, moving some people forward, others back (to gain buffs from the aspects), first preferring less healers, then more. I trusted him, but each adjustment just felt like we were rolling dice. The message was clear. <i>Congratulations on all the work you did in heroic Firelands. It doesn't mean a damn thing.</i><br />
<br />
At the top of the fourth hour, we gave Ultraxion one famous last pull. Blain tweaked our positions a bit further, re-synchronized the groups to change at different times, and hoped for the best.<br />
<br />
The dragon fell.<br />
<br />
"Great. Atramedes all over again."<br />
<br />
Exhausted and relieved, we exited Dragon Soul with 5 of 8 defeated, and a grim outlook on what was to come.Shawn Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05110605868875966328noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-9036606346647765832016-05-05T00:00:00.000-06:002016-05-09T12:45:06.238-06:004.70. These Eyes<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y3vwzpDLb0E/Vx6HykOSSiI/AAAAAAAAOAA/pxywYTCi6YszufqlRCWG8mtBGvjH-KFywCLcB/s1600/pic1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y3vwzpDLb0E/Vx6HykOSSiI/AAAAAAAAOAA/pxywYTCi6YszufqlRCWG8mtBGvjH-KFywCLcB/s320/pic1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You should have to beat Sid Meier's Colonization<br />
before you are allowed to colonize the new world and<br />
declare independence from the King.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Hopeful Parents</h2>
Something about the Mind's Eye test continued to bug me, days after I'd taken the online quiz. I really wanted to believe it! As much if not more so than the <a href="http://eightyearsinazeroth.blogspot.com/2015/10/4-48.html">previously debunked Myers-Briggs "personality sorter"</a>. After all these years of pulling strings behind virtual avatars, the thought that I might possibly leave with some marketable skill was endearing. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to thumb my nose at convention and prove to naysayers that, yes, a video game <i>did</i> have the capacity to teach a real world skill. It was a lesson many needed to hear.<br />
<br />
There was no shortage of dismissive commentary from the public whenever the topic came up. "Video games teaching real world skills" has long been the subject of debate, though "debate" is often code for "mockery". Gary Larson's <a href="http://farside.wikia.com/wiki/File:Hopeful_parents.jpg">infamous "Hopeful Parents" Far Side comic</a> remains forever burned into my brain as an accurate representation of how the world sees such a claim. Unless your job description lists leaping barrels or ripping people's heads off while keeping their spine intact as a requirement, video games offer few opportunities for a person to learn something they could turn around and leverage in the blinding brightness outside.<br />
<br />
The worst offenders were the <i>edutainment</i> titles (you're not fooling anyone, <a href="http://www.mathblaster.com/">Math Blaster</a>). Attempting to teach a kid core curriculum while wrapped in a pretty pink bow of a video game struck me as pathetic and sad. An industry of "experts" that knew nothing about the medium, struggling to be "hip" and "cool" and "down" with the kids, while <a href="http://www.learndash.com/7-major-learning-styles-which-one-is-you/" target="_blank">the larger educational problem</a> went ignored. Trying to make learning fun was an act of desperation a gamer could spot a mile away. And nothing irritated a gamer more than someone faking it. <i>Come back to me when you have the Konami code memorized, pleb.</i><br />
<br />
Educators had it all wrong -- they were researching and reporting against the wrong games. Climbing the magic beanstalk to educational epiphany required burying the magic beans far more deeply than topsoil. The true teaching gems were the video games that were nothing more than simply video games....<i>yet indirectly bestowed skill upon the gamer</i> without anyone being wiser.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.simcity.com/">Build and manage a city</a>, just like <a href="http://motherboard.vice.com/read/the-real-mayors-of-simcity">what is expected of an actual mayor</a>. <a href="https://youtu.be/tXnmGdCIjqg">Drum to the rhythm of colored bars</a> that <a href="http://www.destructoid.com/how-rock-band-can-teach-you-to-play-real-drums-192539.phtml">just happen to coincide with the sheet music of the actual song</a>. <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/agecheck/app/246580/">Blow zombies apart by typing words</a> (ok, this last one walks that fine edutainment line, but I'll allow it: the intent is to kill zombies, not learn to type). <a href="http://2machines.com/183040/">New examples</a> pop up all the time. Gamers have known for years what academics and legislators are only beginning to acknowledge: games teach through <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transfer_of_learning"><i>transference</i></a>. <a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/tetris-shown-to-lessen-ptsd-and-flashbacks/">You're welcome</a>.<br />
<br />
Which brought me back to the "eyes" quandary: were these video games really <i>teaching</i> skills? Or were they simply awakening talent already dormant in the player, flexing and strengthening a muscle that some of us possessed and still others lacked. Yes, I dealt with a lot of people problems over the past seven years. Some I controlled, some I let control me. But I resolved exactly <i>none</i> of these issues by looking the person in the eyes and getting a read, interpreting their awkward body language. Alas, this was the cost of doing business online. The missing piece eluded my left brain...<br />
<br />
...how <i>exactly</i> had World of Warcraft made me any better at reading people...if I was unable to see them?
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-weight: normal; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LP4xQ3nM8uY/Vx6B-njvPuI/AAAAAAAAN_s/7-TV7FcW8Qwp7LrQN3gUI3oRTLZni8UJwCLcB/s1600/pic2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LP4xQ3nM8uY/Vx6B-njvPuI/AAAAAAAAN_s/7-TV7FcW8Qwp7LrQN3gUI3oRTLZni8UJwCLcB/s320/pic2.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DoD completes the final meta, "Not an Ambi-Turner",<br />
earning "Glory of the Firelands Raider",<br />
Firelands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Famous First Pull</h2>
Apologies, reader. There is no great story about DoD's final accomplishment as a 25-Man raiding guild. I didn't have to make frantic phone calls at the 11th hour, looking for emergency fillers. We didn't secure our final kill amidst player disconnections dealing with hurricanes pummeling their homes or cars smashing through their living room walls. DoD didn't struggle with the achievement, going at it again and again and again, bleeding out past the four hour mark, exhausted and at the end of our collective rope. In fact, there wasn't even a motivational "famous last pull!" chant, inspiring the crew <i>just</i> enough to close the deal. In reality, it was over before it began.<br />
<br />
Our final accomplishment took but a single attempt. "Not an Ambi-Turner" demanded we kill Lord Rhyolith by only allowing him to make right turns. We entered the instance on time at 7:00pm. By 7:14pm, Rhyolith had been spun in a clockwise circle, and lay dead at our feet. Glory of the Firelands Raider flashed across the screen of every player in the roster. The deed was done.<br />
<br />
Only 30 minutes after the start of our evening raid, we gathered outside Sulfuron Spire, hopped aboard our phoenix mounts, and swarmed the top of the tower. As the raid positioned themselves for the shot, my screen was filled with bursts of a blazing deep violet that shimmered against the burning red sky. The mood in Vent was upbeat. DoD chatted away cheerfully, reminiscing about what they liked and what "sucked ass" in Firelands. They were definitely very happy. They were both relieved and fulfilled. It was another accomplishment that DoD could claim in a long, storied history of raid progression, something that my guild still cared deeply about.<br />
<br />
Glory of the Firelands Raider meant as much to the 25-Man progression team as Icecrown's Glory, Ulduar's Glory, or any of the raiding milestones that came prior to the advent of achievements. I might go so far as to claim it meant <i>more</i> to us than usual, having missed Tier 11's Glory amid many stumbling blocks, both in the raid and out. DoD was excited to wrap Firelands and show off their Corrupted Egg of Millagazor to the rest of the World...even if that World no longer noticed nor cared about a fancy mount.<br />
<br />
The memory of DoD's last accomplishment is sobering upon reflection -- we endured some <i>shit</i>. The evaporation of recruitment forced us to wring the last remaining drops out of player availability. The team took on increasing responsibility of our success, which equated to players rolling alts and gearing again and again. That encroaching feeling of the walls closing in meant constant people management, forsaking any semblance of game/life balance once formerly in check. Facing the weekly threat of losing good people to 10-Man guilds or teams.<br />
<br />
Yet, we persevered.<br />
<br />
I can appreciate athletes that train at high altitudes or piano teachers that insist on blindfolds. Firelands (and, to a larger extent, WoW at that time) felt as if we weren't just raiding...it felt as if we were raiding <i>with our hands tied behind our backs</i>.<br />
<br />
So, reader, forgive the excess melancholy. If I come across too seriously about a video game, it's because I know the eventual outcome. As will you.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-weight: normal; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TBftqLo1Xyc/Vx6Bn1oPXjI/AAAAAAAAN_o/-KZUTWVL5zw3-ik8LoNhyPwC1n6GU0zPQCLcB/s1600/pic3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TBftqLo1Xyc/Vx6Bn1oPXjI/AAAAAAAAN_o/-KZUTWVL5zw3-ik8LoNhyPwC1n6GU0zPQCLcB/s320/pic3.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DoD poses outside Sulfuron Spire aboard their<br />
newly acquired Corrupted Fire Hawks,<br />
Firelands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Hard to Starboard</h2>
As I spun the mousewheel, a picture of smiling faces scrolled into view. The faces collected around several tables shoved together at a restaurant, all smiling, all turned to face the camera. <i>Descendants of Draenor.</i><br />
<br />
Several of them raised a glass in toast, others grinned boastfully, proud to be a part of something bigger. Those who don't know or understand the gamer lifestyle will forever pigeonhole gamers into the antisocial stereotype, but you'd never know it by looking at this pic. This was just a group of friends, celebrating together, partying, reminiscing. And all the pairs of eyes looked back at the camera, as if saying, "Here's to DoD, Hanzo. Here's to you."<br />
<br />
<i>All but one.</i><br />
<br />
Near the lens, sitting directly across from me, one pair of eyes was turned to look at something off-camera, as if unaware a guild photo was being taken mere inches from his face. A smirk lay half-settled on his lips, partially here, partially distracted. With every single guildy focused on the shot, he was the odd-man out.<br />
<br />
<i>What the hell is so fucking interesting that you can't even look at the camera, Drecca?</i><br />
<br />
I laughed at what had to be a simple case of bad timing. Everyone takes an awful photo now and again: eyes closed as the shutter catches you mid-blink, mouth agape as the photographer presses the button. It catches up to you eventually, that one photo that makes us look like we've been kicked directly in the junk during "Cheese!" I scrolled further, to see if there was another, more flattering photo of my least favorite ex-guildy.<br />
<br />
Sure enough, a second photo scrolled up into view, taken moments later. It was the "just in case" photo you take when you want to be sure you capture everyone in their most devilishly handsome state. Again, all faces were turned to the camera, grinning. In this particular pic, Goldenrod raised a glass in toast, mouth most certainly forming the words "For the Horde!"<br />
<br />
There he was again, the odd-man out. Instead of being distracted, this second pic was even worse. Drecca's face was painted with a dead, blank stare, contemplating absolutely nothing in particular.<br />
<br />
I zoomed in. In this second photo, he was the closest to the camera. There was no possible way he couldn't have known a picture was about to be snapped. You could reach right into the photo and flick him in the head. <i>Hey. Wake up. Over here. Picture being taken. The guild gets together for events like this <b>never</b>. Pay attention for five seconds.</i><br />
<br />
Nothing. He was completely checked out.<br />
<br />
I looked at the two photos, then thought back to that glare he gave me, arms crossed, leaning back in his chair, that smirk across his face <a href="http://eightyearsinazeroth.blogspot.com/2014/11/4-14.html">in response to my proposal -- that I had a good feeling about DoD in Cataclysm</a>, that "it was doable," so long as everyone was in it for the long haul. I remember reading that smirk of his, and ignoring it. I remember the drama, reflecting on the damage he caused DoD by ripping a portion of my roster away in the Herp Derp exodus. I remember thinking only one thing: he had it planned all along. I beat myself up for not catching it sooner. He had that same look in his eyes as <a href="http://eightyearsinazeroth.blogspot.com/2014/11/4-15.html">thieves from childhood</a>, ones that screamed <i>you're a fool to have thought I was ever on your team</i>.<br />
<br />
I looked at the two photos, and knew better now. There were no plans.<br />
<br />
There was never a scheme, no great conspiracy to break my guild up and take my members away. That look Drecca gave me from across the table in the restaurant at the conclusion of BlizzCon 2010 wasn't one that spelled manipulation, or cunning, or dishonesty. It wasn't any look at all. Play. Don't play. Raid. Don't raid. Guild. No guild. <i>Whatever.</i><br />
<br />
He simply didn't care, not about the success -- or even the failure -- of DoD. He didn't even care where the lens was. He was aboard a ship of one, sailing, with neither destination nor purpose.<br />
<br />
Contemplative. Panicked. Desire. Jealous. Indecisive. Playful. Guilty. Bored. Upset. Confident.<br />
<br />
<i>Apathy.</i>Shawn Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05110605868875966328noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-18867570933415927372016-04-28T00:00:00.000-06:002016-05-03T09:50:21.024-06:004.69. The Other EQ<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jeNaHWiJgSE/VxlCDpXKKhI/AAAAAAAAN6Q/m165Sq87478WJCxoTME7ADCW3qXsm6dAACLcB/s1600/pic1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jeNaHWiJgSE/VxlCDpXKKhI/AAAAAAAAN6Q/m165Sq87478WJCxoTME7ADCW3qXsm6dAACLcB/s320/pic1.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Goldenrod acquires the Heart of Flame,<br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">the prerequisite to Dragonwrath,</span><br />
Firelands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Dragonwrath</h2>
I scrolled through the various pictures of people in costume, relieved that they were in photos and not standing behind me. Paladins in Judgement, Night Elves, one dressed as Nova, another as the silver-haired, unnamed female monk from Diablo III. I clicked on the photos and labeled them "BlizzCon 2011," then spun the mousewheel to review my photography under duress.<br />
<br />
Photos shot up to the top of the browser, disappearing from view, while older images emerged from the bottom of the screen. Pictures of my kids and of my house, of a trip to Dad's farm. Visions of pugs being petted scrolled by, of my new job, and soon...of my old job. In moments, I was back to our last Christmas, kids tearing into presents intermingling with shots of snowstorms slamming in Denver. Unsurprisingly, a picture of a freshly opened World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Collector's Edition appeared.<br />
<br />
And just like that, more costumes appeared -- costumes from a year earlier. More Nova. More Kerrigan. An unmistakably brilliant tree druid who tragically missed the costume content registration by mere minutes. It was all coming back, in digital form.<br />
<br />
Then, a picture of smiling faces scrolled into view. The faces collected around several tables shoved together at a restaurant, all smiling, all turned to face the camera. The guild.<br />
<br />
Several of them raised a glass in toast, others grinned boastfully, proud to be a part of something bigger. Some will forever pigeonhole gamers into the antisocial stereotype, but you'd never know it by looking at this pic. It was a group of friends, together, celebrating, partying, reminiscing. And all the pairs of eyes looked back at the camera, as if saying, "Here's to DoD, Hanzo. Here's to you."<br />
<br />
<i>All but one.</i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">[From: Xane] Only one Hunter?<br /><br />[To: Xane] Yep. Cynergy is all we have. LB on vacation, returns next week.</span><br />
<br />
After losing a week of progression to the festivities surrounding BlizzCon 2011, the 25-Man progression team prepared to close out October with unfinished to-do items. We had exactly one month left before Patch 4.3 hit. Of course, no one knew the official patch day. I simply acted as if it were fact. Better to err on the side of sooner rather than later. I kept the pressure on the guild, keeping watch for burnout, motivating as necessary, and reminding them of how close we were to wrapping things up.<br />
<br />
I returned home from the BlizzCon trip-turned-work-week the night of Thursday the 27th and was welcomed by yet another incomplete signup sheet. The Oct 28/30 weekend was short, one for Friday, two for Sunday. I thumbed text messages out in an attempt to plug the holes. Insayno answered the call once more, this time bringing a freshly leveled rogue -- currently relegated to arenas. Players wearing PvP gear to progression had long been a pain point of mine. Insayno's enthusiasm and ability to fill trumped any antediluvian beliefs I clung to.<br />
<br />
Sunday remained unfilled, permanently stuck at 24.<br />
<br />
With the roster comprised of more fills, coupled with the fact that Goldenrod was mere smouldering essences away from completing his legendary staff, we opted to clear and gear. By prioritizing Goldy's completion of Dragonwrath, Tarecgosa's Rest, a healthy boost of DPS would take the edge off November's most brutal, final achievements. That Friday, we cleared Shannox, Lord Rhyolith, Beth'tilac, and Alysrazor...all heroic. The ilvl 378 gear was nice, but even if a fractional improvement could be gained from ilvl 391, we had to make the effort to acquire it.<br />
<br />
For Sunday, October 30th, DoD targeted Baleroc, Majordomo Staghelm, and big Rag himself. The two formers were non-factors, and Goldenrod siphoned his 250th smouldering essence from Staghelm's carcass. Ragnaros dragged on and on, still a painfully chaotic encounter. After the two-hour break, Insayno hopped online, again saving our collective assess. 45 minutes later, DoD slew Ragnaros.<br />
<br />
A legendary awaited. As Rag's loot was handed out, Goldenrod ported away to Coldarra, handed in the quest to combine his smouldering essences into a Heart of Flame. Then, the raid joined Goldenrod back in Orgrimmar to celebrate the completion of Dragonwrath, Tarecgosa's End.<br />
<br />
It was the last legendary item DoD would see.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3Z0tfd5nHDs/VxlCpgFPPgI/AAAAAAAAN6U/1f4cSsLurHoNih0AfJJ1nB6JMj8oL8G_gCLcB/s1600/pic4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3Z0tfd5nHDs/VxlCpgFPPgI/AAAAAAAAN6U/1f4cSsLurHoNih0AfJJ1nB6JMj8oL8G_gCLcB/s320/pic4.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goldenrod complete DoD's final legendary quest item,<br />
earning the guild "The Ultimate Collection",<br />
Orgrimmar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<h2>
This One's For You, Ekasra</h2>
Three Metas remained for Glory, two were inconsequential. Bucket List saw us dragging Shannox around the entire wasteland, touching five checkpoints, up to the mountain of Shatterstone, along the Path of Corruption, across the Flamebreach, over to the Ridge of Ancient Flame, and finally, back towards Beth’tilac’s Lair. The most strenuous exercise (if you can call it that) involved clearing extra trash. It was accomplished in one pull, with 45 minutes to spare, at the end of the November 4th raid.<br />
<br />
A second trivial meta, Not An Ambi-Turner, required us to kill Lord Rhyolith by spinning him in place, preventing him from making a left turn. None of us were eager to return to Rhyolith, and although it was rudimentary achievement to execute, nobody spoke those words aloud. We came to a silent agreement to leave this to the end.<br />
<br />
That left the one difficult meta: the Ekasra-themed Do a Barrel Roll! The achievement demanded a clean execution of Alysrazor -- so clean, that no one person in the raid could suffer an attack. Four attacks were on the to-avoid list: Brushfire, Incendiary Cloud, Lava Spew, and Fiery Tornado.<br />
<br />
Do a Barrel Roll! sparked seizure-inducing memories that made me break out into a cold sweat. Those memories were of <a href="http://eightyearsinazeroth.blogspot.com/2013/07/3-16.html">a different time</a>, one fraught with mistakes so minute, so surgically precise, anyone could make them (and everyone did). Thankfully, Blizzard had long since loosened the rope they gave us to hang ourselves with achievements such as these. No longer was it a one-attempt-per week type of achievement; if someone messed up, we called for a reset. We could also knock out parts of it across raid-locks: If it came down to the wire, we’d focus on avoiding Brushfire one week; another week, we’d avoid Lava Spew, and so on. The day after my birthday, we returned to Firelands to do exactly that. <br />
<br />
There was only a brief moment of stress after the first hour, when it seemed like we might be there all night. In the end, we had nothing to worry about. After 90 minutes of work, Alysrazor collapsed and the achievement splashed up on our screens. The “worst” of it was behind us.<br />
<br />
"Happy Birthday to you, Hanzo. 38 is it?"</div>
<div>
<br />
I feigned grumpiness, "I was 30 when I started this damn game."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Get the hell off my lawn.</i><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pat9HnYbsg0/Vx6P4Rt3q3I/AAAAAAAAOAQ/pWgeK0LOitwRDnMuMZvWchVITY_gEr8OgCLcB/s1600/pic3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pat9HnYbsg0/Vx6P4Rt3q3I/AAAAAAAAOAQ/pWgeK0LOitwRDnMuMZvWchVITY_gEr8OgCLcB/s320/pic3.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aw, man, that dude is <i>totally</i> panicked!<br />
(Source: <a href="https://www.questionwritertracker.com/quiz/61/Z4MK3TKB.html" target="_blank">QuestionWriterTracker.com</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Not EverQuest</h2>
</div>
<div>
"Overall, feeling pretty good. We're on track to wrap things up very soon. There's...definitely some pressure near the end, but nothing insurmountable. I've had to ask them for a bit of flexibility, but so far, they've been very accommodating."</div>
<br />
"No concerns with attitude? This is usually where you'd see it."<br />
<br />
"No, I really don't think so. I mean...I'm sure you know the drill: each of them handles the stress a bit differently. Just last week one of them was hesitant to give me a straight answer. It didn't take a mind reader to tell. You know it when you hear it, right? The pauses, the waffling, remaining purposefully vague...it's like, 'Hey. Time to give me a straight answer.' Right?"<br />
<br />
"Quit equivocating!"<br />
<br />
"Exactly! 'There's clearly something going on you need help with, let's talk through it. Let's figure it out.' So I'll hammer on that until I get somewhere."<br />
<br />
"And?"<br />
<br />
"It ended up being he couldn't figure out how to find his old code differences in the repo. Just didn't know the tool as well as he let on. No big deal. Solved it in five minutes with another quick lesson. No rocket surgery at all."<br />
<br />
My boss leaned back in her chair, "Remind me again...you've had no professional training as a manager, right?"<br />
<br />
I shook my head, "None. All the management I've done has been...shall we say...unofficial...in nature."<br />
<br />
<i>Hope you like the laugh track that accompanies the <a href="https://youtu.be/JiRzmg6ggtw">"World of Warcraft Guild Leader" references on your CV</a>.</i><br />
<br />
"Some people are inherently good at that sort of thing, though," she continued, "I'm starting to suspect you have a naturally high EQ."<br />
<br />
"A...what now?"<br />
<br />
"EQ. It's your Emotional Quotient, or 'Emotional Intelligence'. It's how well you recognize other people's emotions, how effectively you adapt in order to establish rapport. You said yourself: each person requires an appropriate communication style. People with high EQ make good managers."<br />
<br />
<i>The manager bit again? Really? You really think you're going to leave coding behind...for people management? Enjoy irrelevancy.</i><br />
<br />
"Hm. I've never heard of EQ. Is there a way to measure it?"<br />
<br />
"There's official tests and training courses and such. You could start with an online test to get a general idea...look for something like 'Reading the Mind's Eye'. There's a lot of great material out there, but start with that quiz."<br />
<br />
Sure enough, a little Googling revealed a site titled "<a href="https://www.questionwritertracker.com/quiz/61/Z4MK3TKB.html">Reading the Mind in the Eyes</a>" test. I sat up straight, focused, and began clicking through each question -- each of which came with a set of eyes staring back at me.<br />
<br />
Each black-and-white photo revealed eyes fraught with emotion. Some narrowed in inquisition, others looked away, suspiciously. The question remained the same with each set of eyes: "What word best describes what the person in the photo is thinking or feeling?"<br />
<br />
Contemplative. Panicked. Desire. Jealous. Indecisive. Playful. Guilty. Bored. Upset. Confident.<br />
<br />
I clicked through each pair of eyes, making my decision. The quiz concluded and the results splashed up on the screen: <b>33/36</b>.<br />
<br />
<i>Don't get your hopes up, chief. Just because <a href="http://eightyearsinazeroth.blogspot.com/2013/10/3-37.html">everyone says something over and over doesn't make it true</a>. For all you know, this could be more MBTI junk science.</i><br />
<br />
...<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_intelligence#Criticisms_of_measurement">maybe</a>. Then again...<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Intelligence-Science-Myth-Press/dp/0262632969">maybe not</a>.</div>
Shawn Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05110605868875966328noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-16853845893822752442016-04-15T13:46:00.003-06:002016-04-19T08:48:22.464-06:004.68. Stay Awhile and Listen<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jrU4wMpvxiI/VxEpsOHhULI/AAAAAAAAN4w/MnbGL6brAQ0bgs4iyhM-snF1vV2DPjurQCLcB/s1600/pic1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jrU4wMpvxiI/VxEpsOHhULI/AAAAAAAAN4w/MnbGL6brAQ0bgs4iyhM-snF1vV2DPjurQCLcB/s320/pic1.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everyone dies, but DoD wins, <br />
at the defeat of Heroic: Baleroc,<br />
Firelands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
A Farewell To Arms</h2>
"Can you hear me?"<br />
<br />
"Yeah...kind of. Where are you?"<br />
<br />
"I <i>just</i> walked out of a Lego store, and am now talking to you from a parking lot somewhere outside of Disneyland."<br />
<br />
"Nice. Is Goldy with you?"<br />
<br />
"Nah, he's picking me up later. I'm killing time."<br />
<br />
"So, Pandaria..."<br />
<br />
"Yeah…"<br />
<br />
BlizzCon's data dump on the next expansion was not why I wanted to talk to him. I steered the conversation back, "...listen, I have a question for you...and I mean this in the nicest way possible...but where the <i>hell</i> is Charcassone?"<br />
<br />
"What do you mean?"<br />
<br />
"What I mean is, why did she suddenly stop signing up for the 25-Man right around the same time she became a regular in Starflex?"<br />
<br />
"Oh, she just had a change in her schedule, no big deal, Fridays and Sundays just don't work as well for her. I had a long talk with her about it. That's all it is."<br />
<br />
<i>Bullshit.</i><br />
<br />
"And you gave her the same speech we agreed on? That it's not OK to use Starflex as a back-door out of the 25-Man just because it's 'inconvenient'..."<br />
<br />
"I definitely did. This really was a schedule conflict she couldn't get around."<br />
<br />
Happy hours. Movie nights. Birthday parties. Social gatherings. I rescheduled my life around raids for years. It always stunned me when players claimed they couldn't possibly make the Friday/Sunday schedule work. How much of it, I wondered, was truly unsolvable, and how much of it was <i>I just hate raiding on the weekend, no offense</i>. She could have told Jungard anything. How could he have known differently?<br />
<br />
I took a deep breath, steeling myself for a request I wasn't happy about.<br />
<br />
"I need you to do me a favor, Jungard. I hate...<i>hate</i>...to ask you to do this. But...I need you to hold your 10 back from completing Glory."<br />
<br />
"Sure. I mean...are you thinking Starflex is going to motivate more to try to step out of 25"<br />
<br />
"It <i>absolutely</i> will motivate them. Even the nicest, most dedicated people have a breaking point. I need to eliminate any excuse they might use to reach that breaking point early. And let's face it, who <i>wouldn't</i> want to raid with Jungard?"<br />
<br />
He laughed.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Yeah, no problem, we can totally hold off on Glory."<br />
<br />
I sighed with relief, "Thanks. And please...express my gratitude to the team for this request."<br />
<br />
"Oh, they'll be fine about it. They support DoD 100%," he said, adding "I assure you there are no Eh Team shenanigans going on over here!"<br />
<br />
I chuckled at Jungard's jab. It was all still fresh in my mind -- the accusations, the collusion, the denials, and Bheer's eventual true colors revealed. It felt like it had just happened. Reality quickly set in, however. The events transpired a year earlier. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
A moment of introspection brought the impact of our relationship to bear. Jungard and I had seen many things together, having raided side-by-side for years, sharing screams of triumph as readily as we shared our misgivings with various folks who set foot in DoD's halls. Both video game bosses and human beings had agendas. Learning to keep that knowledge in perspective strengthened our ability to lead...and our friendship.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I stared up the sky and remained silent, letting Jungard talk as long as he needed to. I ignored the depressing reality of the situation. This is how it was all coming to an end: phone calls about administration and politics. One of the greatest Arms warriors ever to set foot in Descendants of Draenor...had been reduced to taking phone calls from his guild leader requesting he not be so good.</div>
<div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
How the attempt was considered a kill was beyond me. Even the photo finish betrayed our knowledge of the game. When the golden achievement pennant "Heroic: Baleroc" flashed up on our screens, it took no fingers to count how many were left standing. Every single player in the 25-Man raid lay dead in the charred earth. Yet, exactly on the one hour mark, the fiery demon bellowed in agony, shrugged and writhed, until his empty armor collapsed in a heap alongside the fallen.<br />
<br />
That same night of October 16th, 2011, a little more than an hour after our inexplicable defeat of Heroic: Baleroc, Heroic: Fandral Staghelm also fell. With the Majordomo's defeat, the heroic portion of Glory of the Firelands Raider was complete. The metas that remained were the unorthodox kills -- killing bosses while standing doing handstands, drinking a glass of water, patting our heads and rubbing our tummies. These were the hoops Blizzard gave us, and we jumped. <i>The tanks have to kite Shannox? Fine. Watch us kite him around <b>the entire map</b>.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IsrcSrBQJRI/VxFEzr4CJUI/AAAAAAAAN5I/mFgLj6mDH2U6Vz6-MO0rwsikB1FxC7akACLcB/s1600/pic2a.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IsrcSrBQJRI/VxFEzr4CJUI/AAAAAAAAN5I/mFgLj6mDH2U6Vz6-MO0rwsikB1FxC7akACLcB/s320/pic2a.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DoD defeats Heroic: Majordomo Fandral Staghelm,<br />
Firelands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Answering The Call of Duty</h2>
</div>
The strategy was straightforward. Knock out as many individual metas as possible, focusing only on one at a time, with the sole exception of Do A Barrel Roll!. This Ekasra-themed achievement demanded that no player in the raid be struck by one of four specific attacks during an Alysrazor kill. Do a Barrel Roll! smacked of nightmares long past, namely The Immortal. But unlike The Immortal (and thankfully), avoiding the named attacks was no longer limited exclusively to a single week/raid lock. Somewhere, someone behind the Blizzard curtain had shown us mercy.<br />
<br />
We tackled each achievement until it was complete, rather than trying to do everything each week. Then, for that same raid lock, we'd look at what attacks were left to collectively avoid in the Alysrazor encounter and made adjustments to specific players in the raid to give us the best chance of knocking at least one of the four attacks off the to-do list. This was our regimen, week-to-week and we stuck to it, counting down to Goldenrod’s 1000th Seething Cinder, and the guild’s next legendary item.<br />
<br />
Even amid good progress, something was off with the group. We weren’t stalling (not nearly as horrifically as Heroic: Lord Rhyolith) yet raids were still heated, tempers flared more readily, and strategy was openly challenged and debated. Fun, it seemed, was in short supply. With no bench to support players walking off on the job, I increased my sensitivity toward signs of burnout. If I picked up on any frustration, inappropriate arguments, or even unexplained changes in tone-of-voice, I had to intervene to keep things together. Even the loss of one key person from the roster could bring DoD to an abrupt end.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
--- </div>
<br />
One evening, Mortalsend broke down. On the surface, she appeared frustrated at a combination of random dungeon runs filled with the very worst kinds of personalities on Deathwing-US, and a hyper-critical view of her new role as healing druid. I suspected she missed leaving behind an easier (and perhaps more enjoyable) warlock.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It didn't add up. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Having only played with Mortalsend for these few months, I knew enough of her personality that these trivial game-related concerns would not be enough to crack through her emotional armor. Something was up, and it had to be family related.<br />
<br />
Mortal's husband, also a guildy, was stationed overseas. Shore leave had only <i>just</i> ended, a few weeks earlier. The highs of temporarily reuniting with her significant other had shifted to depressive lows, mired with loneliness and unwarranted guilt. Couple the sum total of that psychological weight and mix in a healthy dose of "LEARN 2 PLAY FUCKING MORON!!!1!1" spewed from randos in LFD, and you begin to see why the pressure of a video game might seem insurmountable.<br />
<br />
I intervened the only way I knew how: I directed Mortal to call me, right away. My intent was to get her talking, to get things off her chest, and hopefully, to feel better as a result of offloading the pressure to someone else. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I exited the computer room and shot past my wife as I headed to the back yard, the only place I got decent reception.<br />
<br />
"What's going on?" she asked.<br />
<br />
"Problem with Mortal I need to address."<br />
<br />
The phone started vibrating before I even got to the back porch. She unleashed. I listened. Thoughts, feelings, emotions, all poured out. I waited for the right time, then reminded her of her importance to the guild, that what she was feeling was perfectly normal, and that things would get better.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Sometimes things are up, sometimes things are down. Funny how they're never either for very long, eh?"<br />
<br />
When I wrapped up the call and wandered back into the house, Jul glanced up from the couch. <br />
<br />
"How long did you talk to her?"<br />
<br />
"Uh," I fumbled with the phone to pull up the call time. <i>55 minutes</i>. "...Wow, I guess...nearly an hour."<br />
<br />
"That's a little inappropriate, don't you think?"<br />
<br />
I stared at her a moment, contemplating the question. <i>Inappropriate how?</i> Was it the stereotype of spousal jealousy at hand, convenient that Mortalsend was a woman and I was a man? Or was it to draw attention to old habits growing more prevalent, once again invading family life -- my preoccupation with a video game over all else. I <i>wanted</i> balance and sanity; this longer-than-was-healthy call was yet more evidence to the contrary. At the start of WotLK, I had it all worked out. I would pick my battles and delegate the rest. Problem was, there was nobody left to delegate to.<br />
<br />
"Yeah," I replied, shoving the phone back into my pocket, "you’re right. It <i>was</i> inappropriate." Then, I marched back into the computer room, leaving Julie to believe whatever she wanted.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TAkQ1QIN-3g/VxFEunTSyyI/AAAAAAAAN5A/eJ11jkFqh0Ey_M3sM6TpucTjUDIerEzxQCLcB/s1600/pic3a.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TAkQ1QIN-3g/VxFEunTSyyI/AAAAAAAAN5A/eJ11jkFqh0Ey_M3sM6TpucTjUDIerEzxQCLcB/s320/pic3a.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DoD defeats Shannox after kiting him around the<br />
entire map, earning "Bucket List",<br />
Firelands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Pack Your Bags</h2>
I could hear the frustration in Fred's voice. I was running out of things to say to convince him to stick this out, by whatever means possible. We were so close. Now, he was on the verge of stepping down from not only healing officer, but healing, period.<br />
<br />
"Wings fights me on nearly every decision. I can't get any kind of consistency with the healers, we take new people every week now. It's...really wearing me out. It really isn't as enjoyable as it once was."<br />
<br />
I needed an entirely different approach with Fred. The situation with the roster was dire, but Fred was promoted in good faith to seize the role and take command of the healers. I extended the benefit of the doubt to him. This would <i>not</i> be how he repaid me. It was time to take a hard line.<br />
<br />
"I understand your frustration. It's a rough patch now, but we can't do this without people like you. Remember: I opted to promote Lexxii over you and that was completely on me. But now, even against my better judgement, I've given you the reins and...so far...you have stepped up to deal with some extreme shit. You've definitely shown me that you can do this. And you have."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"...But," I continued, "now it's on <i>you</i> to follow through on <i>your</i> commitments. You agreed to take this on because you believed you were capable of shouldering this load. I find it hard to believe you'd want to suddenly back-pedal and give me a reason to say 'Ah, should've known he wasn't up to the challenge.' You don't want to give me that excuse, do you?" </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I heard a digital sigh cross Ventrilo as he contemplated my words.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"We need to get through this, Fred. We need to wrap up Glory...one final thing we can say we accomplished together, as a team...because you and I both know that anything past Firelands is a crap shoot at this point."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Yeah," he said, coming around, "Yeah we do."</div>
<div>
<br />
"One day, we're going to look back on this story, Fred. We'll reflect on all our accomplishments and all the shit DoD had to wade through. That story will have a lot of people...great names who stood by us, along with a handful of fuckin' losers like Drecca that gave us the shaft. So, when that sad day arrives and we've all gone our separate ways...and our story gets told...I have to ask you: do you want to be remembered as one of the good guys? Or one of the villains?"<br />
<br />
<i>When all else fails, pack your bags for a guilt trip.</i></div>
Shawn Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05110605868875966328noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-5775422957300838972016-04-07T00:00:00.000-06:002016-04-11T17:14:10.441-06:004.67. The Ghostcrawler Effect<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WGEBh-awTzA/VwaBJsMkfVI/AAAAAAAAN3M/tuz_hYZn21k--A205-UL8Uj82FBNtp6GQ/s1600/occupymacklestreet.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WGEBh-awTzA/VwaBJsMkfVI/AAAAAAAAN3M/tuz_hYZn21k--A205-UL8Uj82FBNtp6GQ/s320/occupymacklestreet.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Separated at Birth?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Popping Tabs</h2>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
BlizzCon 2011 wrapped, but the partying was far from over. Several of us made our way to the neighboring <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/Tchd8Mmo6a62" target="_blank">Hilton</a>. The lobby was wall-to-wall nerds. Shimmying through the crowd in search of the bar, Goldy and I kept our eyes peeled for celebrities. Word spread quickly that some of the Blizzard folks were here, intermixed among the commoners. I steered clear of as many costumes as possible and motioned Goldenrod over to a lounge area where there was some room to breathe.</div>
</div>
<br />
"Don't look," I said, catching a glimpse of a familiar face.<br />
<br />
"Who is it?"<br />
<br />
"The entire cast of <a href="http://watchtheguild.com/" target="_blank">The Guild</a> is behind you. Felicia Day is only five feet from us."<br />
<br />
"Go talk to them!"<br />
<br />
<i>Save yourself the embarrassment of being shut down. You have nothing to say to Felicia Day.</i><br />
<br />
"Mm, pass," I replied, "They look busy. Signing autographs and meeting crazed fans all day? They probably just want to be left alone for five seconds. Next time."<br />
<br />
Goldenrod surveyed the room, focusing in on a small swarm of people crowding around the right side of the bar.<br />
<br />
"Ghostcrawler's over there."<br />
<br />
Greg Street leaned up against the bar, listening to the ongoing conversation while drinking what I could only assume was gin.<br />
<br />
<i><b>There's</b> someone you have something to say to.</i><br />
<br />
"I'll be right back."<br />
<br />
My mind raced with statements I'd meant to tell him if given the chance -- the kinds of things you don't say out loud. Public decorum took precedence, but internally, rage went to war with good judgement. I stood beside him several moments, waiting to catch his attention while I worked through it. As a break in the conversation opened up, he glanced over and caught my gaze. I reached out my hand and he returned the gesture. Then, I looked Ghostcrawler straight in the eye and lied to his face.<br />
<br />
"Thanks," I said, "for all the work you put into this game. I get the feeling that you don't get a lot of support from us."<br />
<br />
He nodded, shrugging, "Eh, it's a job. I have a thick skin, I can take it."<br />
<br />
<i>Get over yourself. You weren't lying to Greg. You just <b>wish</b> you were.</i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
<div>
There was a time, not long ago, when the player had no voice.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
At the start, we didn't even know who they were. Logos on shiny labels affixed to black cartridges were our only means to identify who was responsible. Atari. Activision. But these were merely employers, hiding the actual visionaries away from us, heads down deep in their cube farms. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yars%27_Revenge" target="_blank">Howard Scott Warshaw</a>. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Raid" target="_blank">Carol Shaw</a>. Brilliant men and women slaved over our digital Shangri-La, working tirelessly in our honor so that our television sets might bathe us in a moment of exhilaration and wonder, and grant us a brief moment of overwhelming power and control. We didn't even know who to thank.<br />
<br />
When the PC gaming market emerged, the wall between gamer and developer started to show cracks. Boxes packed with comedic manuals revealed unto us the Hollywood-style celebrities behind our beloved titles. Whether pranking us by <a href="http://guysfromandromeda.com/" target="_blank">donning pink mohawks and pig snout masks</a>, or <a href="http://www.polygon.com/a/how-ea-lost-its-soul/chapter-4" target="_blank">striking a more reserved pose</a>, the magicians carried a message: gaming is serious business, and we've got more hits coming your way. Company logos took a back seat to the person whose fingers weaved these interactive dreamscapes. We knew Sierra On-Line by name, but cared more deeply about what was next from from <a href="http://www.sierragamers.com/" target="_blank">Ken and Roberta Williams</a>.<br />
<br />
We wondered, though, was the feeling mutual?<br />
<br />
Being the creative geniuses they were, game developers found ways to solicit feedback. Upon completing Ultima, Lord British reached through the electronic nether, wishing to hear from us. "<a href="https://c64endings.wordpress.com/2016/03/11/ultima-iv-quest-for-the-avatar-by-origin-systems/comment-page-1/" target="_blank">CONGRATULATIONS! Report thy feat unto Lord British at Origin Systems!</a>" We obliged. We wrote in with our fan letters, sent photos, hand-drawn maps, sketches of dragons and spaceships, pages of scribbled notes as we worked through those many puzzles and secrets. Some of us even dreamed of becoming game developers one day. Our heroes sent back their words of encouragement; a crazy, mythical race of adults that not only believed our dreams could be realized, they were living proof.<br />
<br />
Developers and gamers drew closer with the rise of gaming conventions. Not only did <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QuakeCon" target="_blank">QuakeCon</a> expose us to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Carmack" target="_blank">John Carmack</a>, it proved what we secretly wished all along: they weren't aloof, out-of-touch celebrities; too good for autographs while gated off in their million-dollar mansions. They were gamers, <i>just like us. </i>Our celebrities pulled up a chair and joined us in a deathmatch. Then, as the convention ended, those same developers drove off in their ruby red <a href="http://www.mobygames.com/developer/shots/developerId,682/developerShotId,180/" target="_blank">Ferraris</a>, retired to their darkened caves to resume the coding grind. Their internal fire was reignited, wishing only to deliver an awesome gaming experience. They couldn't let us down, they'd shaken our hands and seen that same fire in our eyes. To them, <i>we</i> were real. We were <i>their</i> heroes.<br />
<br />
By the rise of the internet, barriers between gamers and developers were all but non-existent, catapulting gamers from never having a voice to being involved every step of the way. Usenet, forums, blogging, and eventually, real-time access via social media accelerated our ability to reach out to one another. Technology facilitating such unparalleled communication matured because of that shared spark, that symbiotic relationship that never died: game developers <i>wanted</i> to reach out to the fans as much as we wanted to share with them. And today, we can tell them everything. What's fun. What isn't. What works, and what doesn't. What we love.<br />
<br />
What we hate.</div>
<div>
<div align="center">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/craig_amai">@craig_amai</a> Gamers are also emotionally invested because they live the story, day in and day out. Different experience than observing.</div>
— Shawn Holmes (@Hanzo55) <a href="https://twitter.com/Hanzo55/status/625431099380871168">July 26, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</div>
<h2>
Sweet Emotion</h2>
</div>
<div>
Customers that frequent Whole Foods have been called "<a href="https://thsppl.com/americas-angriest-store-d778c31aa9be#.yw2kmf14q" target="_blank">useless, miserable, ignorant, and angry.</a>" Social psychology studies reveal that <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2008.00364.x/abstract" target="_blank">drivers with bumper stickers are 16% more likely to unleash road rage</a>. Apple fanatics swarm memorials for Steve Jobs without ever having met the man or sharing a story over an Odwalla.<br />
<br />
Why do we behave so inappropriately toward inanimate objects?<br />
<br />
Researchers in industrial design claim they convey <a href="http://www.icsid.org/feature/current/articles563.htm" target="_blank">personal meaning rather than simple utilitarian intent</a>. Sociologists say it is a part of our evolutionary makeup, that <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2008.00364.x/abstract" target="_blank">we're territorial</a> and go on the defensive whenever any predators threaten to take away what is rightfully ours. Organizational psychologists build on this, categorizing our needs in three main areas: <a href="http://www.customerdelight.nu/content/04-artikelen/02-artikel-b/delight.schneider.pdf" target="_blank">Security, Justice and Self-Esteem</a>. Independently, this research offers insight into a human's crazy obsession with <a href="https://youtu.be/LwPWN3Ul6U8?t=2m5s" target="_blank">a trophy that isn't real...<i>but is</i></a>. When considered holistically, an interesting picture develops.<br />
<br />
The industrial designer focuses in on four factors to develop a bond between a customer and a product: <b>group affiliation</b>, <b>memories,</b> <b>pleasure</b>, and <b>self-expression</b>. The first three are easy to unpack. When we indignantly march across the parking lot, Wheat Grass smoothy in hand, towards our vehicle adorned with peace symbols and left-wing messaging, we announce to the world what personal and political movements that ring true to us. Likewise, we'll caremad when said car is damaged or some fool gets in our way to the Kale aisle. Losing photos hurts more than breaking the camera -- there is no way those memories will be recovered. As for pleasure, well, we do what we enjoy...even if we can't agree on what's enjoyable.<br />
<br />
Self-expression is a big one. Similar to group affiliation, as a product is molded or shaped to fit us as individuals, our physical (and emotional) investment grows; as we invest more effort in the product, the closer it represents our identity. There's no mistaking a product in this type of category: clothes with dozens of options of fit, shape, style and color. The more customizable the clothing, the more it accurately represents our identity.<br />
<br />
It doesn't take an industrial designer to see how beautifully World of Warcraft falls into these sweet spots. Group Affiliation (gamer, casual/hardcore, horde/alliance, profession, race), Memories (discovery, achievement, quest completion, meeting new people, defeating players, raiding), Pleasure (duh), and Self-Expression (naming, gear choices, guilds, talent choices, online personas) all present in abundance. It's as if Blizzard read the book on how to design products that people become passionate about!<br />
<br />
The question is: did they read the book on customer satisfaction? I'll save you the research and get right to it.<br />
<br />
A satisfied customer is one whose<b> self-esteem</b> is inflated by their experience, and who feels <b>secure</b> in their purchase. Security comes from a company's ability to meet a customer's needs, often by effectively communicating how the product will work for said customer. Done correctly, the customer feels as if they are important, as if the company care specifically for them. Done poorly, and a customer will most certainly go ballistic.<br />
<br />
A customer turns sour when they feel they're no longer being treated fairly, and three forms of justice are often demanded. <b>Distributive justice</b> covers our need to be treated equally, while <b>Procedural justice</b> demands that promises be kept and commitments followed through on. Finally, <b>interactional justice</b> is that which describes how a company's employees relate to the customer, their friendliness, their honesty, their ability to help solve the problem at hand.<br />
<br />
And this, dear reader, is where every good intention Greg Steet ever had for WoW is yet another reason for us to levy unwarranted hatred upon him.<br />
<h2>
Reverse Midas Touch Method</h2>
</div>
<div>
The Ghostcrawler Effect is not, <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj9vpKOuvXLAhUpsIMKHbsYCtoQFggcMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fforums.na.leagueoflegends.com%2Fboard%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D4416212&usg=AFQjCNEtbomBjqFyQWi77WMyeYFPEWOd7g&sig2=BiZ43Mpcx3QuORJkgP59Ag&bvm=bv.118443451,d.amc" target="_blank">as</a> <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj9vpKOuvXLAhUpsIMKHbsYCtoQFggnMAE&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fr%2Fleagueoflegends%2Fcomments%2F2x80yf%2Fthe_ghostcrawler_effect%2F&usg=AFQjCNGk03jSrEeQO-wY4mvwis2jyrvWmA&sig2=IEB0ojcclov1EWruyPE81A&bvm=bv.118443451,d.amc" target="_blank">some</a> <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=6&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj42riouvXLAhUquYMKHbytBL8QFgg4MAU&url=http%3A%2F%2Fm.neogaf.com%2Fshowthread.php%3Fp%3D184692371&usg=AFQjCNG_qCyRvFaeJHCIpXBqGd0KmqReyQ&sig2=Gi3llMjqff9XHyQO8fshGQ&bvm=bv.118443451,d.amc" target="_blank">might</a> <a href="http://apollo-web-na-prod-704019941.us-west-2.elb.amazonaws.com/en/f/3ErqAdtq/d/yau0mbEF?sort_type=best" target="_blank">argue</a>, the devastation Greg Street levies on any game he comes into contact with; it is not some reckless reverse Midas touch which turns all his designs to <i>shit</i>. Instead, it's what happens when a company builds a passionate product, empowers an advocate to allow the customer's voice to be heard, changes the very elements that made the product passionate to begin with, and ensures that the advocate has no possible way of resolving said conflict. It is a game in which there is no winning outcome; indeed, it was his very own Kobayashi Maru.<br />
<br />
Corporations: Listen up! If you suspect The Ghostcrawler Effect might be right for <i>your</i> company, simply follow the handy steps listed below!<br />
<br />
1. <b>Build and sell a customizable product that appeals to a territorial niche.</b> This will very often be a product designed by a single person or a small group of people sharing a common vision. This vision is often fueled by personal interest to solve a gap in an existing niche group (eg. a game targeted at a very select audience for which there is no/few viable alternatives). Increase emotional investment by crafting the product so that it is <i>highly personalizable</i> -- the more a product can be customized by the end user, the greater the product becomes an extension of the customer's choices and beliefs.<br />
<br />
2. <b>Give the customer the illusion of co-producing by giving them a "voice" in design</b>. If possible, leverage a spokesperson that's already motivated to "hear the customer" and empower them to address concerns in public. Be sure the advocate blurs the lines between personalization (how the product can be customized) and design (the rules of customization itself). Do this by using the same medium to address both additions to existing options (trivial), and long-term fundamental changes in the product's features (impactful). Forums and blogs are a great way to achieve this effect; they reinforce the perception that no matter what impact a customer's demands have on company's resources, schedules, man hours, or the product's long-term viability itself, no issue is too big or small to not be heard. The customer matters!<br />
<br />
3. <b>Reaffirm the customer's perceived involvement by publicly agreeing with any recommended changes <i>that just happen to coincide</i> with the company's design strategy</b>. Be sure to use pronouns when addressing the customer to reinforce this effect. The goal is to have your customer advocate appear to be speaking directly to each customer individually, eg. "...we've heard <b>your</b> concerns and agree..." or "...but it's clear from <b>your</b> feedback <b>you</b> didn't really like what we've proposed, so we're changing our stance..."<br />
<br />
4.<b> Once ready, redesign the product to reduce the impact of customer choice</b>. Whether financially motivated or ideologically driven, eventually, you <i>will</i> have to get your product in front of a wider audience. To do this, reduce the product's niche appeal, paying particular attention to the features that helped define the niche originally. By diminishing the importance of specific choices a customer makes when customizing, the wider the appeal of the product becomes.<br />
<br />
5.<b> If customer outrage ensues, leverage your spokesperson in order to provide reasons why the customer is wrong.</b> You are under no obligation to cater to the customers for whom you designed the original product -- they have no perspective of the complexities involved in becoming a business leader in a particular market. If you experience customer dissent, lean on your advocate to communicate the various reasons why the base is being alienated. A useful technique is to have your advocate back up the company's decisions by referring to your wealth of analytic data on said customers -- by claiming the data are proprietary, you are under no obligation to reveal its specifics; your customer data falls under fair "trade secret" rules, which frees your advocate to cherry pick what information will most appropriately defend the product's changes.<br />
<br />
<b>The Ghostcrawler Effect</b>, then, is what happens when a customer identifies with your product, and you decide to try to convince them that <i>they don't know themselves;</i> it is consumer revolt for which there is no resolution.<br />
<br />
It's easy to blame Greg. His resting-Macklemore face, industry expertise in marine biology, and design skills honed in a <a href="http://www.ageofempires.com/" target="_blank">game constantly confused with World of Warcraft</a> are all ripe for the picking. They're convenient excuses that allow us to ignore the truth. That he is a gamer, like us. That he cares passionately about keeping an open channel of communication between a game company and its fans. That his job was to meet as many of our needs as possible. That "fun" trumped all else, but none of us could agree on exactly what that was.</div>
<div>
<div>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
</ul>
</div>
</div>
Shawn Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05110605868875966328noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-3291937156888681642016-03-31T00:00:00.000-06:002016-04-11T16:50:33.989-06:004.66. Pander Express<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h1KNYkq2e2k/VvvyWWOSasI/AAAAAAAANz8/y_mWk1JdftYigEZB4gant5FChA0vVV2EQ/s1600/cata-vs-mop-priest-talents.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h1KNYkq2e2k/VvvyWWOSasI/AAAAAAAANz8/y_mWk1JdftYigEZB4gant5FChA0vVV2EQ/s400/cata-vs-mop-priest-talents.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Priest talent tree in Cataclysm (left) vs. Mists of Pandaria<br />
(Source: <a href="http://www.gkick.net/2011/11/a-history-of-world-of-warcraft-talent-trees/" target="_blank">GKick.net</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
You Say Potato, I Say Casual</h2>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The remainder of BlizzCon 2011 played out like a turn-of-the-century medicine show. Every new "feature" and each new "bonus" filled me with suspicion rather than excitement. Each presenter traveled down that familiar road with, "Players are really gonna love this new ______" <i>Which</i> players were they referring to? I was an in-the-flesh representative of their core demographic, having loyally contributed my $14.99 for seven years, never wavering, never cancelling. They might as well have been speaking another language because few of their proposals made sense to me. And so my suspicion grew as I tried to figure out exactly <i>who</i> was getting the short end of the stick.<br />
<br />
The Mists of Pandaria panel went off the rails faster than a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_PlayStation_Network_outage" target="_blank">Sony executive giving a security presentation</a>. Talent Trees, long the staple of character progression in WoW, were gone for good. In their place were flattened, non-hierarchical utility rows sporting exactly three options. The developer panel declared that this new type of talent specialization allowed players to "geek out with more interesting character builds than ever." Interesting was a stretch, to say the least.<br />
<br />
When questioned about the failure of the old trees, Blizzard stated they "provided false choice, constantly forcing players into the same cookie-cutter builds." <i>Who</i> decided that was necessarily a <i>bad</i> thing? The panel made zero acknowledgement of legacy talent trees serving a vital game design purpose: <b>confirmation of proficiency</b>.<br />
<br />
There is something to be said for learning the ropes, playing around with options, discovering newer, stronger combinations, eventually working your way up to maximum effectiveness. That a select few theorycrafters streamlined this process didn't render the design of hierarchical talent trees ineffective, obsolete, or most importantly <i>not fun</i>. Recruitment just became an order of magnitude more administrative. If Blizzard thought I was going to believe that "all players spec'd into X" were worth vetting, I'd have asked them if their hiring practices allowed for a trial period of <i>every single applicant that sends Blizzard a resume</i>.<br />
<br />
Suspicion eventually turned to outright disbelief as the panel revealed more planned features for the next WoW expansion. I shook my head through the entire portion of the panel dedicated to Pet Battles. Instead of watching their PowerPoint deck unfold, I just kept looking at the developers on the panel, trying to get a read on what they actually thought about their intention to blatantly ripoff Pokémon. Were they sitting upright, leaning forward, eyes wide, excited, thrilled even? Or were they lounging in resignation, tired, disengaged from the presentation. I had to know. Were they personally invested in these new changes? Or were these the actions of acceptance in surrender, like a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Hemingway#Idaho_and_suicide" target="_blank">Hemingway in search of shells</a>?<br />
<br />
I didn't get any vibes. Neither excitement nor complacency. Nothing. The developer panel carried themselves with the reserved professionalism of a corporate seminar delivering a road map.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c_ticK0ZbDc/VvxHmcjOAkI/AAAAAAAAN0U/5kb22We8h500xdClT4JHSuYDoqO1Fypbg/s1600/pic2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c_ticK0ZbDc/VvxHmcjOAkI/AAAAAAAAN0U/5kb22We8h500xdClT4JHSuYDoqO1Fypbg/s320/pic2.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The level of detail Blizzard put into the<br />
Pandaren facial expressions was especially vivid and lifelike.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Reading From the Script</h2>
<div style="text-align: left;">
A few other DoDers managed to make their way to BlizzCon that year: Insayno, one of our newest members, met up with Goldy and I, as did Bonechatters, Zedman, and even-old schoolers Turtleman and Volitar made the trek to Anaheim. It wasn't nearly the showing that DoD made the previous year, but was respectable nonetheless.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
I wandered the conference room floor aimlessly, sometimes with guildies, sometimes by myself, bumping shoulders with both civilians and Minecraft-themed Paladins. Goldy and I waited in line for a shot at the Diablo III PvP arena; it was surprisingly fun and was <a href="http://us.battle.net/d3/en/blog/4574895/Diablo_III_PvP_Update-3_9_2012#blog" target="_blank">one more reason</a> to look forward to the game's release.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Having come all this way meant a hands-on taste at the next expansion as well. I leveled a Panda through the starting area with conflicted emotion. The visuals, especially the animation, felt more alive than ever. The Pandaren were incomparable to any previous race added to the game. But the <i>feel</i> of the Monk and its resource system just felt...<i>off</i>. Their energy bar regenerated exactly as a Rogue's would. This new class was an opportunity for Blizzard to do something radically new, something unheard of in an MMO. Something (dare I say it) <i>cool</i>.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
In my mind, I pictured an alternate resource system: a pendulum swinging back and forth (think Boomkin Eclipse bar, but at the speed of a metronome) that would reward a player for timing their attacks. As a player successively nailed each attack with the tick-tock of the pendulum, this would, in turn, increase the speed of the bob, faster and faster, eventually capping out at a frequency <i>just fast enough</i> to warrant practice and mastery. If successful, this would transport the player into a Kung Fu movie -- the player would <i>feel</i> like Bruce Lee, chaining attacks together with lightning speed. <i>How awesome would that be?</i><br />
<br />
But of course, that resource system would never fly. Too complicated. Too inaccessible. Too many moving parts and things to learn and guides to read and timings to master. Strategy guides would be replaced with forum rants, like <b>BS monk resource system forces me to practice</b>, or <b>Thanks Blizzard, Monks unplayable because I lack rhythm</b>. Players don't want homework. They just want to press buttons and get loot. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Which players wanted that?</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The dungeons and raids panel was more of the same. "We really want you to feel special" came across as inauthentic against the backdrop of a game increasingly designed to ensure no player could make a bad decision. Cory Stockton explained their approach to Raid Finder, slated for 4.3, reiterating the message that raids were still inaccessible.<br />
<br />
"I <i>never</i> disagreed with that," I leaned over to Bonechatters, "but this isn't the right approach."<br />
<br />
<b>Dungeons from the outside!</b> flashed up on the screen, as if this was some new concept never before heard of in WoW.<br />
<br />
Bonechatters leaned back to me with a hint of sarcasm in his voice, "So, you mean like Zul'Farrak?" I nodded.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
When the Q+A began, I crossed my arms, "This ought be good." What colossal injustices had been levied on the community? <i>Having to work with other players to earn achievements cramping your style? Pressing a button to join a raid still too complex a task for you to wrap your head around? Typing in your username and password too much of a chore?</i><br />
<br />
One of the <a href="https://youtu.be/IIdGxR-aU6o" target="_blank">Blues Brothers</a> asked how <a href="https://youtu.be/r3DlckyMeGE?t=5m3s" target="_blank">kicking and the queue system</a> would work in Raid Finder. Cory responded with Blizzard's algorithm intending to monitor abusers historically. "We want to allow people to kick, but we also don't want people to be kicked for no reason."<br />
<br />
"Good answer," I said to Boney, "but it doesn't work today in Dungeons. Rando players make boneheaded judgement calls all the time."<br />
<br />
"I've been kicked from LFD plenty," Boney whispered back.<br />
<br />
"Exactly. How's this gonna suddenly start working for Raid Finder?" Boney just shrugged back a response.<br />
<br />
Another fan stepped up and asked <a href="https://youtu.be/r3DlckyMeGE?t=10m49s" target="_blank">why legendaries couldn't be designed so that guilds could assign it to the most deserving player rather than a class</a>, letting the item take the form appropriate for that player's role. <i>I loved that question</i>. I struggled to find ways to acknowledge specific star performers and wished for flexibility like this.<br />
<br />
Cory rebutted the idea by starting off with, "I think you'll lose the luster of the fact that anyone can get it at that point..."<br />
<br />
"Wait a second," I whispered back to Boney, catching the contradiction, "It's OK to get everybody into raids, regardless of their competency, but it's <i>not</i> OK to give everyone everything they want?"<br />
<br />
Boney broke out the self-deprecation, "Sounds a little <i>duplicitous</i> to me."<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Iyie_atgqX0/VvxIk65BeoI/AAAAAAAAN0c/Y1zqXVbHo_Q4AYq9KaGVjL3cSas6-sG3w/s1600/pic3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Iyie_atgqX0/VvxIk65BeoI/AAAAAAAAN0c/Y1zqXVbHo_Q4AYq9KaGVjL3cSas6-sG3w/s320/pic3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Handy translation for the BlizzCon 2011 Dungeons & Raids panel:<br />
1. Make the game easier.<br />
2. Make the game easier.<br />
3. Make the game easier.<br />
4. Do things we've done before but call them something different.<br />
5. Throw 1% of our players a bone, since 99% of them will queue<br />
for a dungeon with a button click.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Poker Face</h2>
<a href="https://youtu.be/xend6jGknFc?t=5m37s" target="_blank">One player</a> asked if Blizzard might consider splitting the 10- and 25-Man achievements back up, in order to more accurately acknowledge the effort, and difference in difficulty, separately.<br />
<br />
<i>But I thought 10s and 25s were exactly the same in difficulty!</i><br />
<br />
That's when I caught my first vibe of authenticity. Not in the answer, but in what came before it. Just before responding to the question, Scott Mercer let out a deep sigh. Frustration. Contention. An ongoing battle waged behind closed doors, of designers divided, and of second thoughts on good intentions. It didn't really matter what Scott said after that. The tell said all that needed to be said.<br />
<br />
The panel announced the final question. A kid in a hoodie, braces across his teeth, and Scott Pilgrim hair, <a href="https://youtu.be/xend6jGknFc?t=11m47s" target="_blank">leaned into the mic</a>.<br />
<br />
"Hi, what's going on? I was just wondering how, in Ulduar and, y'know, heroic Lich King...like, when you did Zero Light and you did heroic Lich King, you would get Invincible...you would get...uh... y'know, the no-head mount. It was 100% on hard mode. But in <i>Firelands, </i>you guys made normal mode people get the firehawk mount. And it made people, like, who got Firelord...it was just kinda like a bummer that...you can see these, like, noobs or whatever...running around on mounts that you kinda have to work for to get, y'know? Do you, like, plan on continuing to do that? <b>Just keep giving these awesome mounts to people who don't deserve it?</b>"<br />
<br />
The crowd cheered for the first time during the panel. Had the kid struck a nerve? I leaned over to Boney, "You need to recruit Michael Cera after this raid panel is over." <i>Color me impressed.</i><br />
<br />
Less impressive, by far, was Blizzard's answer.<br />
<br />
Scott looked at Cory and began his response after a chuckle, "On heroic you <i>did</i> get them every single time you killed them, on normal I don't think that's the case..."<br />
<br />
Cory shook his in his disagreement, confirming Cera's observation, "It was random drop."<br />
<br />
As if he had said nothing at all, Scott ignored Cory's clarification and continued his response, "...so, you <i>were</i> rewarded more, like...y'know..."<br />
<br />
Cory tossed in some help to save his drowning teammate, "...and it's a different color!"<br />
<br />
Silence washed across the crowd, save for mild muttering amongst one another, musing on the non-answer. To break the awkward silence, Cory immediately rolled into why good rewards would be kept out of raid finder and reserved only for the normal/heroic raids in Mists of Pandaria.<br />
<br />
I looked back at Bonechatters and said, "I think my favorite part of Cataclysm is how it was all just one big experiment."<br />
<br />
I left the Dungeons and Raids panel rethinking my stance on Mike Morhaime's free Diablo III offer. The more Blizzard opened their mouths, the more I came to believe there was a <i>new</i> WoW demographic they were targeting. It disappointed me to think that the core subscribers -- those diligent, loyal subs that had paid the bills all these years -- were now the guinea pigs.<br />
<br />
Blizzard's attention was solely focused on ruining their MMO by designing for players whose defining characteristic was <i>that they didn't like MMOs</i>.</div>
Shawn Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05110605868875966328noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-48691999731571041042016-03-24T09:59:00.003-06:002016-03-29T08:45:51.598-06:004.65. A Con at the 'Con<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p5IjvFw-GvM/VvP6YyHxY5I/AAAAAAAANyM/GYdjGLCmyjkEHH8LWrIregAd3pPACo0ug/s1600/nest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p5IjvFw-GvM/VvP6YyHxY5I/AAAAAAAANyM/GYdjGLCmyjkEHH8LWrIregAd3pPACo0ug/s320/nest.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not a great toy for kids</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Twenty-Twenty</h2>
I woke up on Goldenrod's couch and was certain something was picking my eyeball out of its socket. Jarred from sleep in a frenzy of blinking, the haze lifted. A spider-bite reaction at 2:00 am gave the sensation of a thousand eyelashes stuck in my eye. Sleeping bags apparently offered little protection from insects, even from within the comforts of honest-to-god living quarters. Bugs get what they want.<br />
<br />
I washed my eye out in his kitchen sink, struggling to keep the volume of my late-night disturbance to a minimum. Eventually, my eyelid twitched less, returning to its usual hyper kinetic state, and I caught a glimpse of the moon from the window above the sink. I decided to slip out back for a quick breath of fresh air.<br />
<br />
Even in the dead of night, the warmth of California was a pleasant break from Colorado’s altitude. Jealousy set in. I had no qualms when traveling to the coast for business. The heat was wonderful. I also missed the ocean, something always accessible growing up. I never made time for it as a kid; my mind was on other things. How next to score some computer or video game access. Always scheming, plotting by circumstance.<br />
<br />
The business portion of this trip hadn't started yet. In a few days, I'd march into our El Segundo office, training teams by day and enjoying the luxuries of an all-expense paid five-star hotel by night. But before that, there was more important "business" to attend to: A two-day visit to the Anaheim Convention Center, and an all-expense paid sleeping bag on my DPS Officer's sofa, keeping company with the various parasites hiding away in the cracks of his house, thirsty for eyeball juice.<br />
<br />
It wasn't the first time I'd had a run in with insects harboring an ocular fetish.<br />
<br />
One cold afternoon in the fall of 1980, a much smaller version of myself snuck into the thick brush that lined the backyard of our mobile home, far up in the snowy northern town of Flin Flon, Manitoba. I was armed with a tree branch and an intent to stir up some shit. With several neighborhood kids in tow, the lot of us edged up carefully to the grayish paper-mache looking bag hanging from a tree. I tuned out the ominous, faint buzz coming from the gray bag, and with a deep breath, I mustered all my childhood courage and plunged the tree branch deeply into the center of the nest.<br />
<br />
Then, I <i>ran like Hell</i>.<br />
<br />
A six-year old's legs are no match for the ferocity of a wasp swarm when it comes to collect. Pack instinct defending its nest far superseded the best laid plans of a young child now panicking, arms waving like an inflatable tube man on a used car lot. Inevitably, a trusted soldier landed his stinger directly above my left eye. The sensation of a hot poker sent me screaming for Mom. In tears, I found myself sitting atop the kitchen counter, while my Mother pressed a ziploc bag of ice against a now swollen-shut eyelid.<br />
<br />
"Bet you won't try that again," Mom said. Her voice bore the tone of an impending lesson, "What were you thinking?"<br />
<br />
"The kids...said I'd be cool...if I did it."<br />
<br />
"You mean 'foolish'."<br />
<br />
My six-year old brain didn't get the message, "No! 'Cool'!!"<br />
<br />
Mom looked back, knowing more but always refusing to play her hand, and answered simply, "...what's the difference?"<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z83mW6yJrXo/VvQCXSThKXI/AAAAAAAANyc/MOR5DdeeAF854sz730qfrtdjq0Qda0ylw/s1600/Tyraels-Charger1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z83mW6yJrXo/VvQCXSThKXI/AAAAAAAANyc/MOR5DdeeAF854sz730qfrtdjq0Qda0ylw/s320/Tyraels-Charger1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tyrael's Charger,<br />
An exclusive WoW mount announced at BlizzCon 2011</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
The Right Frame for the Picture</h2>
"How's the eye?"<br />
<br />
"I can see, Goldy! Here. These seats right here are perfect."<br />
<br />
The main conference hall was packed. Goldenrod and I maneuvered through the crowd as quickly as possible, securing a pair of seats reasonably close to the main stage. Every year it got a bit tougher. Each new 'Con filled the hall faster and faster. It wouldn't be long before the best seats in the house were well behind the concrete pillars in the furthest extremities of the auditorium. Good for hiding restrooms; bad for catching a first glimpse at the next big thing.<br />
<br />
Excitement kept my realism at bay. A year earlier I was at the head of a wildly successful raiding guild, casual in its treatment of members, hardcore in its approach to getting things done. We were poised to enter Cataclysmic territory. I harbored doubts, but chose to meet them head on by doubling down on discipline and accountability.<br />
<br />
A year later, our success was debatable and measured. We held on to progression...<i>barely</i>. Slots were increasingly filled by new recruits (when available) and veterans were doing double- and sometimes triple-duty, leveling alts for the roles that were needed. DoD suffered its third exodus, something I'd formerly felt capable of steering DoD away from. More vets were retiring, pulling out of progression. As a realist, the future looked grim. The energy surging through the BlizzCon attendees helped suppress my concerns, a temporary but welcome distraction.<br />
<br />
My unease would return before Mike Morhaime even left the stage.<br />
<br />
I liked Mike. He was never smug and forever grateful for Blizzard's fans. As always, <a href="https://youtu.be/xcXffPUwckI" target="_blank">he was thrilled to have such a dedicated, supportive community</a>, bringing his trademark youthful, humbled geekiness front and center. He sung the praises of Cataclysm, chatted up patch 4.3: Hour of Twilight, and the legendary rogue daggers. He made mention of WoW's 10th localization, planned for Brazil. And he broke out the nostalgia by reflecting on how Blizzard hadn't changed in its twenty years. I drifted a bit when the topic shifted to the upcoming Heart of the Swarm expansion, transitioning to his infatuation with eSports (I get it Mike, you <i>really</i> love eSports!), but when Mike made mention of an old familiar franchise, I immediately sat up in my chair.<br />
<br />
Diablo III had been in development, quietly, for nearly ten years; now, the beta loomed and keys were coveted. Would he surprise the audience and grant us all some keys? <a href="https://youtu.be/KC_FSbG-ptc?t=2m54s" target="_blank">As the crowd chanted for the beta</a>, Mike waved down the rising commotion and announced he had something <i>better:</i><br />
<br />
World of Warcraft players would get Diablo III <i>absolutely free</i>.<br />
<br />
Goldenrod and I looked at each other, eyebrows raised, silently exchanging a Scooby Doo <i>WHA??</i><br />
<br />
<i>Settle down. There's no such thing as a free lunch. Someone always pays.</i><br />
<br />
Mike then explained the details of the offer. Diablo III would come free to WoW players committing to one year of subscription fees. In doing so, WoW players would not only get Diablo III free of charge, they'd also secure a guaranteed spot in the next WoW expansion beta, and access to an exclusive in-game mount, Tyrael's Charger.<br />
<br />
Mike's reveal sent the BlizzCon crowd into chaotic elation, eyes focused on the screen behind the Blizzard CEO, mouths agape at the awesome looking mount. Something didn't feel right. My mind began putting the numbers together in different combinations, trying to decode the pitch and identify this uncomfortable vibe now taking a hold of me.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-swsBF-0AVCU/VvQOi2jHA-I/AAAAAAAANys/W2GWvvKWsqgspA8tX7KRZKCtMizSqT1rw/s1600/framing-yogurt.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-swsBF-0AVCU/VvQOi2jHA-I/AAAAAAAANys/W2GWvvKWsqgspA8tX7KRZKCtMizSqT1rw/s320/framing-yogurt.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Framing a deal<br />
(Source: <a href="https://medium.com/psychology-secrets-for-marketing/framing-494a30f784f2#.mhu4ozsh1" target="_blank">"Framing" @ Medium</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Spinning the Wheel</h2>
In seven years of playing World of Warcraft, of all the players that crossed my path -- the casuals and the hardcores, the PvPers the PvEers, the decent and the indecent -- I cannot recall a <i>single</i> instance of a WoW player ever uttering these words, "Yeah, gonna be cancelling my sub next month, got a new game to play!" The notion that WoW players would decide between WoW and another game struck me as surprisingly shortsighted, almost as if Mike, himself a gamer, didn't know his own audience. If we were a WoW player, chances are, we fully intended to return to Sanctuary for the loot grab.<br />
<br />
I gave it another consideration. Was there truly a portion of the WoW community that played WoW and nothing else? Ok, perhaps there was. But what kind of a gamer was this particular player -- a gamer for which WoW defines their gaming experience. I imagined it very unlikely this demographic would be interested in anything other than WoW. Their choice would be WoW, period. So, throwing in a free copy of Diablo III made no sense. They wouldn't play it.<br />
<br />
To summarize:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>WoW + Diablo Fans: Already in their year long sub. Planned to spend another $49.99, extra, no longer necessary.</li>
<li>WoW-Only Fans: Already in their year long sub. Never planned to spend $49.99 on Diablo III, was never a "choice" to them, but were happy to enjoy the mount / guaranteed WoW beta pass for spending nothing extra.</li>
</ul>
<br />
So, if the entire WoW community was already in it for their year long subscription, and that community was made up of either players already committed to playing Diablo III or players with zero interest at all in playing Diablo III, where did this "either or" part of the deal come into play? Who was it that Mike was <i>truly</i> pitching this offer to?<br />
<br />
The Diablo III-<i>only</i> fans?<br />
<br />
A WoW-subscriber paying $14.99 / mo. x 12 months was already in with a commitment of $179.88 for the year. Purchasing Diablo III traditionally (at a retail cost of $49.99) would have upped that investment to $228.87 for the year. By contrast, a Diablo III-only fan's annual investment in Blizzard amounted to the mere retail cost of the game: $49.99. Blizzard stood to make far less money on Diablo III than it did off WoW subscribers.<br />
<br />
...unless, perhaps, they could make one last move to increase a Diablo III-only fan's ability to pay a little more. Convincing Diablo III players to commit to a WoW sub they had no interest in, carried the potential to increase these players' investments into the company by about 3 1/2 times. <br />
<br />
Even before the pitch left Mike's lips, Blizzard was guaranteed to sell many millions of copies (let's call this 'x amount of copies') of Diablo III at retail ($49.99). Now, with his "free" offer, a percentage of that same 'x' were now going to sell for $179.88. None of this considers the potential that a few of those Diablo III players might convert to full-time WoW players, the game that keeps on paying (Blizzard).<br />
<br />
If Mike had gone up on stage and said, "Diablo fans, I've got a great surprise for you all this year. How would a handful of you like to pay us 3.5x the retail cost of Diablo III, and we'll give you a mount you'll never use in a game you'll never play?" I'm fairly certain the audience would've gone silent, though knowing gamers, the boos and profanity would've followed quickly. But this is exactly what the deal was, spun to the hypothetical WoW player, struggling to decide which game to play.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://peopletriggers.wordpress.com/2015/01/30/marketing-psychology-price-framing/" target="_blank">Framing our consumer perspective</a> is nothing new, and certainly, nothing new to Blizzard. Those who might take an even strong conspiratorial stance, blaming greediness as a result of the Activision/Blizzard merger, I can assure you it wasn't. Take two minutes and read about how the <a href="http://www.psychologyofgames.com/2010/03/framing-and-world-of-warcrafts-rest-system/" target="_blank">rested XP system, developed for Vanilla WoW, was first designed as a penalty</a>.<br />
<br />
As early alpha testers earned less and less XP the longer they marathoned their playtime, they grew irritated at the perceived lack of freedom to play as they chose. Did Blizzard pull the system? Quite the contrary. They raised XP 200% across the board, then slowly reduced the player's gain back to 100%. Perceived as a bonus, alpha testers carried on, without a further complaint. Yet the end result, taping a person's effectiveness off after extended play, remained intact.<br />
<br />
Traditionally, I'd never been suspicious of Blizzard's intentions; I understood they were a company and, at the end of the day, had their own upkeep. But everything about this deal gave me pause: who it was targeted to, the claim that WoW players would be deciding between one game or another, the actual profit gains they'd enjoy as a result of giving out something for "free." The BlizzCon crowd screamed "COOL", but I couldn't shake the feeling we were all being taken for a ride.Shawn Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05110605868875966328noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-10699905375547522692016-03-17T14:32:00.006-06:002016-03-22T08:39:01.039-06:004.64. Play Different<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CGXRO0uLN-s/VusRK_42c2I/AAAAAAAANug/mPHYHzsIPX0Fl3qJHC876WSAIhdjCIvhA/s1600/pic1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CGXRO0uLN-s/VusRK_42c2I/AAAAAAAANug/mPHYHzsIPX0Fl3qJHC876WSAIhdjCIvhA/s320/pic1.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DoD defeats Heroic: Beth'tilac,<br />
Firelands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Round Pegs</h2>
<div>
Back into the fray, the progression team diverted immediately to the western side of Firelands, satisfied that they never again had to cast their gaze eastward. Those blackened hills along the west corridor snaked upward into a hike that ended at Beth'tilac's lair. I prayed for a quick death -- either her own <i>or</i> my guild's, rather than suffering the torment of another month long encounter. No player deserved to repeat such indignity.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
Other than the requisite "has more health, hits harder" changes we'd come to expect in heroic encounters, Beth'tilac's Cinderweb Drones now randomly fixated on players, forcing healers to treat them as mini-tanks for short bursts. Cinderweb Spinners would flail while dangling from their strands of fiery silk, causing bursts of magma to spiral out and stun random members of the raid. Also worthy of note, Engorged Broodlings scurried towards random players at high speed, detonating with significant AoE damage once reached. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Beth'tilac was already a DPS check and one of the tighter encounters of Firelands. It was anyone's guess as to say how many attempts these changes would impose on the progression team. It ended up being roughly a dozen pulls. Three hours in, DoD claimed its first defeat of Heroic: Beth'tilac.<br />
<br />
"We should've just done Beth'tilac second," said Klocker.<br />
<br />
"Somebody please shoot him," I replied.<br />
<br />
"Happy to oblige," said Blain, "Klocker, send me your home address."<br />
<br />
"It's easy to remember. I actually live at your Mom's house now."<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
Sunday, we were down a healer. Lexxii's permanent absence stretched the thin membrane of the roster even further. With no replacement, I leaned heavily on the goodwill from others in order to keep the machine humming. The commitment I made to DoD to provide them with a stable raiding guild felt more like a fraud with each passing week. Suppressing this growing guilt was a far more dominant thought in recent months. <i>Whatever it takes to get the job done. Your rules are in place to keep repeat offenders on the straight-and-narrow. You're not undermining your own authority. You're negotiating.</i><br />
<br />
The brothers shaman were out for a camping trip the entire weekend, putting me up against a management wall. Do I continue to grant them the freedom to take time off for a job well done and put progression at risk, or guilt-trip them into staying late like some pointy-haired boss who cared more about the menial work than an individual's mental health?<br />
<br />
As it turned out, both Gunsmokeco and Deathonwings returned from camping with only minutes to spare before the start of the raid. After flipping a coin, Guns offered up his heals for the twenty-fifth spot. I showered him with thanks for his generosity, and made no mention of his on-going resistance to install add-ons -- mandates meant for the ignorance of amateurs, rather than to patronize the experts. I didn't even bust his balls about continuing to raid on a MacBook, as he was one of the few Apple nuts among a trove of PC master race folk. It was neither the time nor the place.<br />
<br />
We headed straight for Alysrazor. The chaotic four-phase fight bearing traits of both Pilotwings and Star Castle remained almost entirely unchanged in heroic. Phases two, three, and four presented no new obstacles to learn; it merely asked us to take the stone we already had, then squeeze <i>just a bit</i> more blood from it.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ADJfp-7_o1c/VusRVnLyahI/AAAAAAAANuk/5Oaa6HBNXewKyv2Qp1xJ62eZHRp5gkgwQ/s1600/pic2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ADJfp-7_o1c/VusRVnLyahI/AAAAAAAANuk/5Oaa6HBNXewKyv2Qp1xJ62eZHRp5gkgwQ/s320/pic2.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DoD defeats Heroic: Alysrazor,<br />
Firelands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<h2>
How It Works</h2>
Phase one, however, took on a new mechanic. Several gigantic meteors would plummet to the ground, then slowly roll across the cavern floor, not unlike the meteors from the Ragnaros encounter. They had low health and were easily dispatched, but rather than explode and disintegrate when killed, the meteors simply stopped moving, converting to a semi-permanent obstacle that hindered us. Or...from a different perspective...<i>protected us</i>.</div>
<div>
<br />
The addition of the meteors were a component to Alysrazor's new Firestorm ability: a blast of fiery winds pummeling players with enough force to incinerate them on the spot. The trick, then, was to use the now-dormant meteor as a line-of-sight shield, hiding behind its girth while a sheet of flame painted the entire cavern floor. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But...from which direction would the winds come? The only way to know how to position oneself was to look at Alysrazor herself, observe her position and angle at the moment preceding Firestorm, then adjust around the meteor appropriately. There was usually less than a second to adjust before a torrent of flame drained your life.<br />
<br />
Positioning ourselves around the meteors was chaotic; someone always ended up making a bad call, diving when they should have dodged. But the progression team had dealt with much worse torture for far longer. They stuck it out, until Heroic: Alysrazor finally fell with 30 minutes to spare on the evening of Sunday, October 2nd. DoD had dangled at the bottom of server progression lists at an embarrassing 1/7 for an entire month. Over the course of two raid weekends, we shot up to 4/7. Kicking and screaming, my guild clung to life.<br />
<br />
"MVP goes out to Guns for this one, folks," I added in Vent, "thank you for stepping up and filling in at the last moment."<br />
<br />
"Just a good thing that I got back from camping in time," he replied.<br />
<br />
<i>The outdoors are highly overrated.</i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
Wednesday, October 5th started as an otherwise ordinary day. I went to work and focused most of my time on preparing training materials that I was scheduled to deliver at my company's El Segundo branch. Seven months after being hired as a senior developer to support legacy code, I now found myself in the position of managing two teams of developers on two separate products, while putting an actual process into place for a third.<br />
<br />
It never failed to amaze me how a multi-billion dollar organization still managed to retain so many dysfunctional teams. Red tape has a habit of obstructing one's ability to <i>get shit done</i>. Some might argue that excessive rules help keep the herd from wandering off the cliff, but structure is only one prong under the leadership umbrella.<br />
<br />
I kept my plans simple to understand, straightforward to execute, and left little room for guesswork. <i>Check these files in. Run this deploy script. Verify these tests. When they fail, it isn't anyone's responsibility but yours to fix. Own it.</i> There was no <a href="http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/ea8c/" target="_blank">rocket surgery</a> in my training. It was a programmer's ode of <i>Move Out of the Fucking Fire</i>.<br />
<br />
Personal responsibility was a common theme in my process plan, but so too was another equally important concept: the ability to adapt. If process is becoming an anathema to productivity, learn when it is appropriate to detour. If rules feel like they're suffocating you, certain situations call for personal discretion. You might actually have to slip past the guards once or twice, get into that burning building...and come out a hero. That can only happen when you know your stuff inside and out. Be an expert. When the day arrives that you no longer need a healing add-on to provide world-class healing, then...and only then...will you be in a position to make such rule-breaking judgement calls.<br />
<br />
My phone buzzed and vibrated across the white desk. Messages arrived from several people at once. The ambient conversation at work also began to pick up around my cube. I glanced at the phone, reading the text message, demanding that I pull up the news immediately. I ventured online, pulled up the news, and stared dumbfounded at the headline.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DyG0AEo3YkM/VusMhL49gBI/AAAAAAAANuU/ABBuIlVPto0BKaiDpMv_b7KwrFfqZhAoA/s1600/pic3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DyG0AEo3YkM/VusMhL49gBI/AAAAAAAANuU/ABBuIlVPto0BKaiDpMv_b7KwrFfqZhAoA/s320/pic3.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The awful news that spread across the Internet,<br />
October 5th, 2011</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<h2>
The Man in the Machine</h2>
The passing of Steve Jobs sent a cascade of unchecked emotion through me. Sadness. Regret. Frustration. Anger. Technology was my life, and Steve very much shaped a part of the industry that I held dear. And because of how much of a role tech played in my life, you can probably imagine the sorts of beliefs I harbored towards the famously opinionated CEO of Apple.<br />
<br />
I was not, what you might call, an Apple "fanboi". I detested the overpriced hardware, seeing it for what it was: a sham, meant to trick the layperson out of additional hard-earned cash for equivalent processing power. I saw his stubborn finger-pointing antics as theatrical, meant to add a dash of controversy to an ostentatious bisque that was Apple PR. And it goes without saying that I saw an always inadequate lineup of games. I didn't dislike Apple because they were disingenuous, but that they were disingenuous and <i>wildly successful</i>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Steve's attention-to-detail was unparalleled in the industry, he noticed the little things far more acutely than the average person. He understood the complexities in design at a level most others could not. This foresight manifested as technological prophecy: he knew what people wanted before they even knew themselves, a master trick in any magician's repertoire. Those who worked with him spoke of his ever present "reality distortion field" -- an otherworldly power that convinced ordinary people they were capable of extraordinary things. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Steve's many critics point out that these are the traits of a narcissistic master manipulator; I consider myself amongst that camp. But while that may be true, I could not, however, deny the end result was a message steeped heavily in my own ideology. <i>Do whatever it takes. Make it happen</i>. Jobs may have been outlandish, and an awful people manager, but his approach was practical for a leader who consistently saw a picture far bigger, and with much greater clarity, than the many individuals he chose to realize that vision.</div>
<div>
<br />
I clocked out of the office a bit later than usual that night. The streets of Denver were emptier, as I drove home in quiet contemplation. I thought of Steve and of Apple, of his vision and insight, of his miraculous turnaround of the company he built. And while I may have detested his hardware or his methods, I was thankful for Steve's inspirational impact on a great many people in this world...a few of which who might never have set foot in DoD otherwise.</div>
Shawn Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05110605868875966328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-38882523566049086362016-03-10T00:00:00.000-07:002016-03-10T16:57:41.489-07:004.63. Underwhelmed<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V0T64Xfuzgg/VuHDi0ialCI/AAAAAAAANrE/ZuWsXE0pYGM/s1600/pic1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V0T64Xfuzgg/VuHDi0ialCI/AAAAAAAANrE/ZuWsXE0pYGM/s320/pic1.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seraphine spies the Pureblood Fire Hawk, <br />freshly looted by The ORLY Factor,<br />Stormwind</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Et tu, Douche Canoe?</h2>
"I'm out this weekend," Blain's tone was jovial in Vent, bordering on relief, as if to say <i>have fun with all of <b>that</b></i>. It only pissed me off more.<br />
<br />
"Didn't you <i>just</i> take a weekend vacation?"<br />
<br />
"Yeah...that was two months ago. And I need to do it again!"<br />
<br />
"Is this absolutely the best fucking time to be vacationing? I mean, we're at what could be considered the worst possible brick wall in DoD's history."<br />
<br />
His tone shifted. It was subtle, barely enough to register on the average person's radar. Blain kept to an affable demeanor, but paused ever-so-slightly on words where it was appropriate for the listener to take a hint. He'd taken this posture with me at various points throughout our raiding career together, most notably when I neared the line of inappropriateness. And if you were a sharp enough people reader that you could catch what he was throwing down, while blindfolded (as so many of us gamers are forced to be), you'd know what he was aiming for -- that you were one of the few who'd earned a spot in his good graces, and now teetered precariously on the brink of falling out of favor.<br />
<br />
"Well...that may be <i>true...</i>but I'm still going to be <i>out...</i>Friday. I <i>should</i> be back for the Sunday raid, and if I'm going to be late, I'll text you."<br />
<div>
<br />
<i>It <b>doesn't matter</b> how greatly / poorly we're doing. I have plans. I'm letting you know what they are. Respect them.</i> </div>
<div>
<br />
<i>Message delivered.</i><br />
<br />
"Thanks," my tone could've been less snotty, but with all energy fully allocated to rage management, little remained to fuel social grace.<br />
<br />
September of 2011 wound me into a bitter, cynical state. After spending only two nights on Heroic: Shannox, there was no indication, no hint at all, of the torture we were about to endure as we headed toward Heroic: Lord Rhyolith. Night after night, weekend after weekend, we smashed our faces against molten rock, again and again, battered and beaten, until our virtual eyes welled up with bloodied mucus, and drool lingered from each digital lip. Each night, those digital avatars trudged slowly out of Firelands, shoulders hunched, spitting bone fragments on the way out, not for convenience. For <i>contempt</i>.<br />
<br />
My state of mind grew weary, thanks in part to both direct and indirect psychological attacks, constantly challenging the decisions I'd made for seven years. Leveling alts to clear my mind may have freed me from Drecca's coordinated harassment campaign, but I didn't have to travel far to see Blizzard's changing stance on rewarding a guild's commitment to backbone. There was a time when a player might look to the sky in awe of raiding accomplishments. Bearing witness to such incredible rare mounts got the juices flowing, the gears turning. A player coveting such treasure might consider how s/he could acquire one, eventually working their way into a well-respected raiding guild. Dedication and hard work were no longer requirements for such rare treasures. To the shit-show went the spoils. To the rest of us, with fingers raw and wrists cramped sore with carpal tunnel, went nothing. A sigh forever exhaling.<br />
<br />
If there was a payoff out there, stretched thin across the horizon, it grew dim with each failed week on Rhyolith.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yoO5sSdwrn4/VuHo50YZl5I/AAAAAAAANrU/bztRBgGrzrYzQvbjRsupjZDKLLUhcUjPw/s1600/pic2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yoO5sSdwrn4/VuHo50YZl5I/AAAAAAAANrU/bztRBgGrzrYzQvbjRsupjZDKLLUhcUjPw/s320/pic2.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An early version of "Lord Rhyolith Footers" addon in action<br />(Source: "<a href="https://youtu.be/uCh2jHjqUEQ" target="_blank">Suspicion vs. Lord Rhyolith</a>")</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Footsies</h2>
</div>
<div>
DoD's roster splintered. Sarge was still out (blown video card), and now the healers would suffer an additional tragedy: the loss of Beefysupryme. Still young in the eyes of the guild, he (along with wife Physica) contributed exceptional heals and damage, respectively. The couple had grown to become loyal, dedicated members of the DoD family in a short time. Alas, Beefy scored a new job, and the schedule disallowed him from concentrating on progression. He stepped down from the core and hung up his healing Resto Druid branches, leaving Physica to carry the torch in his name.<br />
<br />
The worst hit of all was losing Jungard, whose college fall schedule had finally kicked off, shattering any chances of his availability on Friday night progression. I'd watched Jungard for years, slowly making his way into late TBC progression after getting his first shot via Annihilation. Over the many months and several expansions that made up Jungard's raiding career in DoD, he'd grown from a humble warrior looking for glory, to a trusted friend and confidant, and eventually, an officer of the DoD court. His compassion and kind nature toward even the scrubbiest of players often reminded me of the proverbial "catch more bees with honey" strategy that I desperately needed now, more than ever...as the frustrations of Cataclysm mounted. The holes in the officer core formerly filled by Neps and Jungard were sucking chest wounds that DoD had no choice but to suffer.<br />
<br />
On the eve of the sixth week of attempts on Heroic: Lord Rhyolith, the night Blain informed me he'd be missing one of the two nights on a business trip, I opened up a chat with Bonechatters and began typing instructions.<br />
<br />
"Ping Fred, and ask him if he is willing to take the reins Friday, and if he has too much on his plate, that you are happy to take it off his shoulders."<br />
<br />
"Got it. Tanks?"<br />
<br />
"Most likely Amatsu and Unchained. I can pull my bizarre avoidance out if necessary for Baleroc."<br />
<br />
"Roger. I want people to be using Footers tonight, melee is accounted for. If its successful, perhaps we might consider having everyone use it."<br />
<br />
Boney was experimenting with a new addon that raiding guilds were catching wind of, a panel that displayed the names of each player doing damage to each particular foot, as well as an estimate of DPS being applied to each foot. With it, he hoped to gain more control over the chaotic, unstructured "left foot/right foot" calls in Vent.<br />
<br />
"Oh, and Boney...plan for heroics, across the board."<br />
<br />
Moments later, Fred connected with me over instant messenger.<br />
<br />
"I feel like I've lost some man points. My wife had me log on to <a href="http://pinterest.com/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a>."<br />
<br />
"I dunno what that is."<br />
<br />
"It's a new favorite site amongst women that love to drive their husbands insane."<br />
<br />
I focused Fred back to the topic at hand, "So, you're comfortable leading Friday?"<br />
<br />
"Ya, shouldn't be a problem."<br />
<br />
"This may be our shot," noting the upside of the nerfs, "most heroics will be well within reach now."<br />
<br />
Honestly, having been unable to attempt anything past Heroic: Lord Rhyolith, I will never know what else we might have accomplished. But Blizzard's <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/news=195348/firelands-raid-hotfixes-sept-20-updated" target="_blank">blanket nerfs to Firelands</a> only nights before ensured that nearly every boss suffered at least a 15% hit in health and damage. Amid a never-ending list of setbacks, the nerfs stood to be our last remaining motivator.<br />
<br />
"Did Alysrazor in the 10 last night. The tornadoes move so slow now. It's like a geriatric parade."<br />
<br />
"Boney's having melee get the Footers addon, you may want to have it as well."<br />
<br />
I fired up Pinterest, and scrolled through the sea of women's fashion.<br />
<br />
"Pinterest, eh? Needs more <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/hanzo55/" target="_blank">Hanzo</a>."<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ipvtJTMuj6Q/VuIJU1XCY3I/AAAAAAAANro/r8z4Wy4Gb4IkaEkHDmeYHTsFfUBKo9zsg/s1600/pic3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ipvtJTMuj6Q/VuIJU1XCY3I/AAAAAAAANro/r8z4Wy4Gb4IkaEkHDmeYHTsFfUBKo9zsg/s320/pic3.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DoD ends their ordeal, defeating Heroic: Lord Rhyolith,<br />Firelands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Miracle</h2>
We cut Shannox immediately out of the way at the start of the Friday raid, focusing all of our attention on Rhyolith for the duration of the night. Shannox keeled over with less grief than previous heroic kills; the effects of Blizzard's nerfs were noticeable. We accepted the handicap as a commander might accept the loss of a good battalion in order to gain a necessary foothold in the ongoing war: outwardly optimistic and focused on the brass ring while remaining humbly aware of what that cost came with. Bragging about "awesome deeps" would be left to another day.<br />
<br />
Heroic: Lord Rhyolith attempts resumed. Having clocked as many hours on Rhyolith as we had on Kael'thas Sunstrider in TBC, it is fair to state that our newest members to progression rightfully earned a place among honorary veteran raiders of the old world. Those Wrath- and Cata-era raiders who stuck this out were part of a rare crew -- they weathered the grueling, repetitive demands of month-long practice attempts that formed the cornerstone of Vanilla and TBC raiding, and they did so with grace.<br />
<br />
Progress! By the end of the evening, DoD experienced more transitions into phase two than ever before. All that remained was an employing a workable strategy to deal with Rhyolith's eye-beams, which cut the roster down before being able to extinguish that remaining fire. Blain would see to that, come Sunday.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
An hour before the raid, my phone buzzed.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Still at least an hour away. Start without me.</span><br />
<br />
I thumbed back a response, asking him where he was.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Greenville SC</span><br />
<br />
An hour? Google Maps estimated Blain had closer to <i>two</i> hours before getting near anything that resembled a gaming rig.<br />
<br />
"We're clearing bosses first," I directed Fred. He and Boney led the charge, clearing to Beth'tilac, Baleroc, and Alysrazor. All three were done by the first hour, planting us firmly at Rhyolith's godforsaken feet at the top of the 1st hour.<br />
<br />
I called Blain, and quietly left my press-to-talk key down, while I feigned a serious tone.<br />
<br />
"Blain. You are an hour late. This is completely unacceptable behavior. Especially for a Tyrant."<br />
<br />
I could make out the car engine in the background.<br />
<br />
"Sorry," this time his tone was that of genuine defeat, perhaps one of the rarest glimpses into Blain's vulnerabilities, "I guessed pretty bad on this drive. Give the raid my apologies."<br />
<br />
Holding the phone up to the speakers so that he could hear clearly, the raid gave Blain a round of boos and insults, not meant to disparage, but to humor and lighten the painfully dark mood Rhyolith had brought. It was another rare glimpse of DoD sticking together. On the other end of my phone, Blain laughed.<br />
<br />
"Ok, I'm hanging up. We're going to go kill Heroic Rhyolith now."<br />
<br />
"Alright, everyone," he replied, "good luck in there."<br />
<br />
I turned back to the raid, "You heard the man, folks. End this suffering."<br />
<br />
It took only two attempts.<br />
<br />
Twenty-two minutes after I hung up with Blain, Rhyolith's shell broke off, exposing his body of liquid flame. All twenty-five players remained alive, carefully inching their way around eye beams while unleashing the pent up rage of ten nights of practice. His great liquid magma body crashed to the ground and the screams of victory filled Vent once again. Dead at last. The nightmare was over. Sanity became reality. For a brief moment, all was right with the world.<br />
<br />
"Ok, let's see," started Fred, "ok we have an Incendic Chestguard. Maybe for a boomkin? Taking bids now. Ending bids in 3, 2, 1...no bids?"<br />
<br />
Mortalsend spoke up, "Well...I’ll take it for off, but only if nobody else needs it."<br />
<br />
"Looks like you're it. There you go. Next up we have, uh....Earthcrack Bracers. DPS melee bracers. bids to Fred."<br />
<br />
I looked at my bracers. The difference (if there was any to speak of) were negligible. Inspecting Hells revealed the same bracers.<br />
<br />
"Ok, counting down, 3...2...1. And, winner is Unchained. There you go, sir."<br />
<br />
"Thanks, Fred."<br />
<br />
"Cracked Obsidian Stompers are next, bids to Fred. Bring in the bids, folks. Let's go. Counting down...3...2...1. Winner is Amatsu for 5."<br />
<br />
"Wow, an actual upgrade for someone with the appropriate spec!"<br />
<br />
"Meh," Amatsu added, "They're <i>marginally</i> better, but 5 DKP won't break me."<br />
<br />
"Ok last up, we have Entrail Disgorger. Bids to Fred. Anybody at all. Send 'em in. Counting down in 3...2...1. Entrail Disgorger goes to Boney for 35."<br />
<br />
I stood in silence a moment.<br />
<br />
"...so, I guess...Staghelm, folks."<br />
<br />
The raid headed off of Rhyolith's plateau, and back down the ravine, heading towards Staghelm's bridge. I stood another moment, staring off into the brimstone.<br />
<br />
One of the most excruciating, torturous bosses ever confronted by DoD over its seven year history...depriving us of nearly <b>thirty-two hours</b> of forward movement in the instance...produced:<br />
<br />
- one upgrade,<br />
- two side-grades, and<br />
- two off-pieces.<br />
<br />
Evidence of anything else was forever banished to a shapeless pile of enchanting dust, cast away, like so many good intentions.</div>
Shawn Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05110605868875966328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-15699030555086783322016-03-03T10:09:00.001-07:002016-03-08T07:46:16.514-07:004.62. The Worst Encounter in the World<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dnGnu8pwZN0/Vthn8X5oV_I/AAAAAAAANoY/rAsIBx8QRy8/s1600/pic1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dnGnu8pwZN0/Vthn8X5oV_I/AAAAAAAANoY/rAsIBx8QRy8/s320/pic1.png" width="235" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raid Finder is buried amongst the <br />
new dress-up features of 4.3<br />
(Source: <a href="http://www.mmo-champion.com/content/2419-Patch-4-3-Updated-Information-Transmogrification-Preview" target="_blank">MMO-Champion.com</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Weeks 1 + 2</h2>
<b><i></i></b><br />
<div>
<b><i><b><i>Night 1 - 8/21/2011</i></b></i></b></div>
<b><i>
</i></b>
Spent two hours on Heroic: Rhyolith today. Not much changed in heroic. Fragments/Sparks have more health, hit harder. Liquid Obsidian emerges from active volcanoes, and reconstructs Rhyo's armor, but are easily snared/slowed/killed. Superheated comes a bit faster. There's also an eye beam we have to deal with in phase two, but haven't seen that yet. For the most part, inconsequential changes. We'll get this in no time.<br />
<br />
Still sifting through the deluge of 4.3 patch notes. Tons of info up on MMO-Champ talking about the new Darkmoon Fair, Transmogrification, Void Storage, Dragon Soul, and the new CoT dungeons. Unsurprisingly, gaming media is glossing over this new "raid finder" addition. Why spend time on that when you can focus on barbie doll dress-up mode? If it gives the same loot (as I suspect it will), it will be the end of guilds and the end of WoW. Blizzard, always ready to put its faith into its community, <a href="http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/3077867904?page=3#54">vehemently disagrees</a>. In other news, water is wet.<br />
<br />
<i><b>Night 2 - 8/26/2011</b></i><br />
<br />
Two more hours on Heroic: Lord Rhyolith today. May have underestimated how difficult the new heroic mechanics are. Bad enough the gimmick of "attack the left foot, make him turn left; attack the right foot, make him turn right" is less fun and more annoying, but in theory, heroic should not be as hard as it is. Should actually be very straightforward.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Steering should not be as much of a problem as it is. Blizzard even built a custom gauge for the fight, so we can see which way he's turning. Practically a non-factor in normal mode. Yet steering Rhyolith over each subsequent volcano in order to wear down his armor isn't going as well in heroic over the long term. Trying to steer him over active ones while avoiding dormant ones is practically impossible. Eventually, we begin missing actives, and the attempt spirals from there.<br />
<br />
Summer vacations are still taking their toll on the roster. Larada's out on account of exams, which sucks, because his mage Doja is one of the top number generators. Boggles my mind how subtle changes do or do not affect our ability to progress. Mangetsu was out the week we killed heroic: Shannox; his absence didn't affect that fight, although in retrospect, we did have one person alive at the end.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Jungard politely reminded me that he is now two months away from his schedule permanently changing. Bonechatters' training is going well. Am confident he'll fill the absence left by Jungard.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Night 3 - 8/28/2011</i></b><br />
<br />
No training for Bonechatters today, he is out sick. I have to give the kid some formality bonus points. His message read like that of an employee tendering a resignation. "It is with great regret that I must step down from tonight's raid, as I have an ear infection." A far cry from players that simply say nothing and just don't bother to show. May seem silly, but it's the little things that count. Being perceived as too formal isn't the worst thing in the world.<br />
<br />
Drecca started talking shit in /general channel today. Had to tell Deathonwings to get out of the channel again. Bad enough /general is a distraction with all the bullshit Enigma d-bag chatter. Now we have to listen to Herp Derp taunts while dying to Concussive Stomp.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jzGY8dPLIlo/Vthu4XxpoZI/AAAAAAAANow/rFaqcpkKjJQ/s1600/pic3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jzGY8dPLIlo/Vthu4XxpoZI/AAAAAAAANow/rFaqcpkKjJQ/s320/pic3.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fvcvv_UmN0g/Vthu6pUKsbI/AAAAAAAANo0/oEX94VGByO4/s1600/pic4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fvcvv_UmN0g/Vthu6pUKsbI/AAAAAAAANo0/oEX94VGByO4/s320/pic4.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The progression team takes a sanity break<br />
from Heroic: Lord Rhyolith, and <br />
executes two achievements,<br />
Firelands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Weeks 3 + 4</h2>
<div>
<b><i>Night 4 - 9/2/2011</i></b></div>
<div>
<br />
First raid of the September month. Have been in Firelands for 10 weeks now. Fourth week on Heroics. Got Beth'tilac, Baleroc and Alysrazor (normal) out of the way quickly, so we could knuckle down on Heroic: Rhyo. Got 3 ½ hours in on him.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
No dice.<br />
<br />
No ranged officer this weekend, Goldy is out on vacation. Need to get with Goldy at some point. New position at work is sending me out to Cali in order to train the next group. Trip may coincide with BlizzCon. If I can crash at his house that weekend, I may be able to kill two birds with one stone. Would be nice. Save me the travel expense, at least.<br />
<br />
Larada still has exams, Dewgyd and Vexx, also out. The new shaman Gharghael would've been great to use. No sign of him, either.<br />
<br />
Lexxii was late again. First time it happened, at least she had the decency to text me. Now, not even doing that. She's falling off the deep end. Don't know if this is a result of her breaking up with Bullshark, or her losing the healing officer position. Maybe both. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Doesn't matter.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
End result is she's impacting the raid, and is pissing off the crew more every day. Warning her has no effect. Will just try to get Charcassone, Mortalsend and Syphira a bit more gear, so I can pull the plug on Lexxii.<br />
<br />
Thank God the Diablo III beta is about to start. Firelands is buring holes in my retinas. Am getting awfully sick of looking at Rhyolith.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><i>Night 5 - 9/4/2011</i></b><br />
<br />
Three more hours on Heroic: Rhyo. Still nothing. Dropped it to normal, just to loot him and continue to gear people for their hard work. Amuses me to call it "work." What was Ater's old joke? <i>We're not here to have fun.</i><br />
<br />
Oh, Ater. If only you could see us failing now.<br />
<br />
Team isn't able to to get ahead of the Sparks. Health was manageable in normal. Now, it's clear we don't have the top-of-the-line DPS that we should. Swapping in what little new folks we have is taking its toll on the bottom line. Damage isn't where we need to be. Blain insists on being the sole tank for Sparks. Can't help but wonder if Amatsu's Pally would be better. Blain isn't dying, but neither of them have a DPS spec, so it's probably negligible.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We need to kill adds faster, but any good attempt we make quickly falls behind after we lose people to random volcano damage and an unavoidable Concussive Stomp. The encounter is wringing the healers out like a sponge.</div>
<div>
<br />
<b><i>Night 6 - 9/9/2011</i></b><br />
<br />
Would really love to know where all my rogues went. Blain has an excuse. The rest of them know when signups happen. Boney, Darth, Randy...they're better than this. Boney claims I did the rotations a day early. I do them the same day every week. Nothing's changed in years. Larada's done with exams, <i>thank God</i>. Meanwhile, Sarge blew his video card. He's out permanently, as he has no means to replace it. One step forward, two steps back.<br />
<br />
Got off to a reasonable start, was able to knock out a couple of achievements needed for Glory. Dusting more of the normal drops from Beth'tilac, Baleroc, Alysrazor, and Shannox. We're in that festive fucking spot where everybody that needs an upgrade isn't getting the one drop they could use. Extending the lock is a waste; resetting the lock is a waste. This was a good idea how? Thanks, Ghostcrawler. Thanks for taking a stand and advocating for a bunch of players that have already cancelled their accounts because "Grim Batol is too hard." We pay the price for your <i>hopeful optimism</i>.</div>
<div>
<br />
More taunting from Drecca in instance chat today. Mr. "10-Man is the greater challenge" hypocrite fails to recognize the fact that HD swept through all the bosses by mid-August. Here it is September and we still can't get past our second heroic. <i>Spare me your ignorance, Drecca</i>. <i>You know as well as I do that if 10 was the more difficult one, you'd be stuck slaving over this insanely tortuous boss. You're no God's fucking gift to WoW.</i><br />
<br />
Hells ranted at me today about the taunting. He's probably got less control over his emotions than I do. I calmed him down and reminded him that we needed him, so he wasn’t allowed to go off on a drinking binge. Nothing is worth that, not even a fucker like Drecca.</div>
<div>
<br />
<b><i>Night 7 - 9/11/2011</i></b><br />
<br />
Twenty hours clocked in on this godforsaken encounter. I want to wrap my fingers around my keyboard and choke the ever loving shit out of it. Maybe if I crushed it tightly enough I'd come out with a mother fucking diamond.<br />
<br />
Have now spent more time on Heroic: Rhyo than on Lady Vashj. <i>This is ludicrous</i>. No boss has come close to Vashj-level difficulty in years. Except perhaps Heroic Lich King, Halion and Anub'arak, none of which we conquered. But those were all end bosses. They were <i>supposed</i> to be hard. This is a fucking nondescript walking volcano in the middle of an instance with no lore and no significance. What in the actual fuck is going on???<br />
<br />
He actually made it to the lava today and wiped the raid. Steering is a colossal clusterfuck of epic proportions. There <i>has</i> to be a better way than this constant "left foot, right foot" shit in Vent. We sound like a bunch of casuals facerolling across our collective keyboards. Cue me getting on the Battle.net forums and complaining about "this boss is way too hard." The faint siren of the Wahmbulance can be heard in the distance.<br />
<br />
Is this going to turn into some kind of Illidan / Kael'thas level shit?<br />
<br />
Fred seems convinced that Drecca is viewing our log history on World of Logs and working out the times of the evening we're attempting specific bosses, so he can taunt us at the most inopportune times. Seems very "conspiracy theory." More realistically, we've got someone feeding him this info, unintentionally or otherwise. I wouldn't put it past a number of our members that might just be messaging him privately. He's phishing them, and they're eating it up, giving him what he wants. Nobody would admit to that if I ever questioned them. Sucks that it is a possibility. There are definitely several people in the roster capable of that behavior. I wish I felt otherwise.<br />
<br />
Apparently Blizzard nerfed the drop rate of Smoldering Essences, which is a shame. Goldy was making good progress collecting up mats for the legendary. Too bad. Dragonwrath might have helped put a bigger dent in Rhyo.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_rnF8E1LbCs/VthsV4bTGnI/AAAAAAAANok/Kmcw7na8SCo/s1600/pic2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_rnF8E1LbCs/VthsV4bTGnI/AAAAAAAANok/Kmcw7na8SCo/s320/pic2.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Lord Rhyolith makes it into the top five<br />
worst bosses in Cataclysm<br />
(Source: <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/22/the-5-worst-raid-encounters-in-cataclysm/" target="_blank">Engadget</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<h2>
Week 5</h2>
<div>
<b><i>Day 8 - 9/16/2011</i></b><br />
<br />
Week five of work on Heroic: Rhyolith. Three hours today. Nothing. I want to eat a gun. I want to gouge my fucking eyeballs out of my head. No matter how hard we insist that we cannot miss a volcano, we continue to miss them. We drag the fight out. Missing the occasional volcano should not have as much of an impact as it does. Sadly, there's no choice in the matter. This is heroic, we should expect less room for error. It should come as no surprise when we're wiping after missing so many. And yet, it continues. But this isn't the worst of it.<br />
<br />
Liquid Obsidian is always controlled well at the start, then spirals out of control every time we approach phase two. It's a vicious cycle. As Superheated nears, it takes longer for him to transition. Rhyolith is rebuilding armor faster than it can be depleted. This entire ordeal is a textbook exercise in attrition. Sparks die slower, apply more fire vulnerability to the raid. Concussive stomps hit harder, emptying the healers faster. People die, and Rhyolith gets his armor back before we can break his entire shell off and get him into phase two. The one time we actually do make it to phase two, it's our only opportunity to see his eye beams in action. They slice through the raid like a knife through butter. We wipe at 3%. Somewhere in the world, kittens are killed mercilessly.<br />
<br />
Only thing keeping me sane is Blizzard's mention of an upcoming nerf. Nothing fills me with confidence more than knowing we are failing so miserably, we have fallen back into that bucket of "can't progress, content's too hard." Nerfs are a crutch. We've pushed through them before. Why we can't now is beyond me.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Day 9 - 9/18/2011</i></b><br />
<br />
I want to know who is responsible for this boss. I want to know what employee at that billion dollar company thought this was a good idea. Seriously. What drug were they smoking? It kills me that they continue to make claims like "Ulduar was great but practically nobody got to see it." </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Ulduar was nothing. </i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Ulduar was enjoyable. Ulduar was some fucking half decent design that any competent guild could execute. This is something else entirely. This is the stuff of motherfucking nightmares. You tested this? You gave this boss the greenlight? You mean to tell me a billion dollar company can axe Starcraft: Ghost after half a decade of work is put into it by simply saying "sorry, not fun," yet give this fucking boss the go-ahead? At what point did design decisions go so horribly fucking wrong behind closed doors?<br />
<br />
Am beginning to think Cataclysm was entirely some kind of sick fucking, low budget joke. It's like someone at Blizzard said, "Sorry, we're going to have to reduce your staff for this next expansion," so they just turned over this shit, gave us five levels instead of 10, recycled ZG/ZA, cranked up the difficulty and "merged the locks to reduce burnout" -- just one entire fucking joke of a sponge they are desperate to wring out.<br />
<br />
Just watch. They're going to come out and say "Lord Rhyolith was bad design, in retrospect." Mark my words.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Another 3 ½ hours down the toilet. Ater was right all along. We really <i>aren't</i> here to have fun.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
adjs f;lkj45 qlkasdjf;laksdjfq ;wlrkj32qkasjd fs;lkdfjqw ;lkejw a;dslfksjdf ;lasd</div>
Shawn Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05110605868875966328noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-41695008429645338812016-02-25T00:00:00.000-07:002016-03-01T07:38:57.127-07:004.61. Bless The Beasts and Children<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lhRUOWCmwJU/Vs4yxF5eLpI/AAAAAAAANmI/qdJF3yp71l8/s1600/toxic.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lhRUOWCmwJU/Vs4yxF5eLpI/AAAAAAAANmI/qdJF3yp71l8/s320/toxic.png" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the less offensive<br />
exchanges I was able to find in<br />
League of Legends chat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
The Gamer Parent Dilemma</h2>
<div>
As a gamer parent, I struggled. While the balance between gaming and real life was much better now, the threat of setting an inappropriate example constantly loomed. I did not want to fall back into my old "yelly" ways. A patient yet headstrong wife kept my profanity in check when around the young. Guilt from auto-piloting through my kids' formative years kept my conscience perpetually stung. This, too, kept me on the straight-and-narrow. But the struggle was real, a greater test of will than any month long crusade wiping to a single raid boss.</div>
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I feared repeating <a href="http://eightyearsinazeroth.blogspot.com/2014/09/4-8.html" target="_blank">my Mother's mistakes</a>, walling me off from video games for the most trivial of infractions. Mom's militant methods and illogical reasoning made no sense to a child whose only wish was to drop another quarter in the machine. She held foolish, paranoid beliefs: kids in dark basements rolling D20s and succumbing to the "horrors" of a degenerate lifestyle. A high profile story hit the news in 1979, telling of a <a href="http://boingboing.net/2014/11/11/the-truth-about-the-dungeon-ma.html" target="_blank">Dungeons and Dragons player that had killed himself</a>; it didn't help. The stage was set for an entire era of misunderstandings around that culture, long before I was old enough to defend myself or my hobby. Years later, now a parent myself, I refused to take the path Mom took.<br />
<br />
The tables turned. In some sort of crazy, alternate dimension, gaming culture appeared to be <i>gaining</i> mainstream acceptance, no longer seen as a dark underground of brooding teenagers. And with its rise in popularity <a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/technology/theres-no-link-between-violent-5440799" target="_blank">came</a> <a href="http://www.webmd.com/children/news/20150403/violent-video-games-dont-influence-kids-behavior-study" target="_blank">new</a> <a href="http://consumer.healthday.com/mental-health-information-25/behavior-health-news-56/violent-video-games-don-t-influence-kids-behavior-study-698040.html" target="_blank">studies</a> <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/11507576/Study-finds-no-evidence-violent-video-games-make-children-aggressive.html" target="_blank">proving</a> what we suspected all along: video games don't cause violence, no more than <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Catcher_in_the_Rye" target="_blank">a book</a> or <a href="https://youtu.be/KNrSNcaYiZg" target="_blank">a film</a> or <a href="http://www.marilynmanson.com/" target="_blank">a musician</a> would. This was all the evidence I needed to defend my parental stance that video games were a perfectly healthy medium to expose kids to.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And yet, "problems" persisted.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Sociologists and psychologists didn't point at video games...they pointed <i>past</i> them. Years before Nintendo became a recognizable brand in North America, experiments performed in labs and on college campuses demonstrated that <i>human</i> problems manifested under the right conditions. <a href="http://youarenotsosmart.com/2011/02/10/deindividuation/" target="_blank">Deindividuation</a> bred with online anonymity granted a temporary pass to scathing, racist, sexist behavior. Already a group susceptible to wielding the binary logic of a button press to pass judgement, gamers cared little about their words and actions. They shamed newcomers and threatened opponents with physical violence. If they faced an impeding loss, their uncontrolled anger transformed them into profane beasts. Gaming was rich with children who never grew up, partaking of a enabling hobby. Patch notes were mechanisms of vitriolic entitlement baked directly into the system.<br />
<br />
And so, I struggled. Because I wanted my kids to love and enjoy games without the restrictions I suffered through. I knew that games weren't the source of the world's malevolence, but was a medium that <i>allowed</i> it. Cruelty without consequence. Following the herd. A culture of not caring. As a gaming teenager, I rallied behind the notion that video games didn't cause bad behavior. As a gaming parent, I now wondered why video games did nothing to <i>prevent</i> <i>it</i>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eQnt34pHKk0/Vs9H2BH_k8I/AAAAAAAANmo/BRNpRtuytDs/s1600/pic2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eQnt34pHKk0/Vs9H2BH_k8I/AAAAAAAANmo/BRNpRtuytDs/s320/pic2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In-game screenshot of a match in action,<br />
League of Legends</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
The League of Extraordinary Douchebags</h2>
</div>
<div>
"Dad, come check out this game! You need to install this and play with me, it's free!"</div>
<div>
<br />
I wandered over to my son's monitor and glanced at the playing field. Although the artwork was different and the UI unfamiliar, I saw what this game was going for. A thick green grassland was represented in the minimap, with a home page constructed in both the lower left and upper right corners. Further inspection revealed the map was a mirror image of itself, divided horizontally along a river-based axis that drew from the upper left to lower right corners. The focal point of my son's screen reflected the area of the minimap currently outlined; a zoomed-in view of just a small portion of the entire playing field. Small, unremarkable minions departed each base at a steady but mild cadence, heading towards each other; an inevitable death march. The entire scene smacked of an alternate-reality Warcraft III.</div>
<div>
<br />
"Whatcha got here?" I asked.<br />
<br />
"This is League of Legends. It's <i>so</i> fun."<br />
<br />
Synapses fired as I started making connections.<br />
<br />
"Ah, yeah, yeah. I remember Cheeseus and Sixfold talking about this on Vent awhile back. It's DOTA, right? Like what that Swedish guy was singing about...crap, what's his name....<i><a href="https://youtu.be/qTsaS1Tm-Ic" target="_blank">Basshunter</a></i>. That guy." </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I leaned down over Hunter's shoulder and looked closer at the units. He clicked the map and directed a creature into a thick brush, attacking some creatures which hid among the trees. The creature bore a resemblance to a troll with a severe drinking problem; his engorged, reddish facial attributes looked exaggerated, even by gaming standards, and the creature swung a large, wooden club. Another purplish creature headed towards him; it was unmistakably scorpion-like. Hunter pointed at the insect.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"That's Skarner. They just added him." His eyes were wide with excitement as his face drew near to the screen.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"And who's this guy you're playing?"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"This is Trundle."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Got it, got it."</div>
<div>
<br />
I watched in silence as my son clicked on the map while tapping keys in rapid succession. Trundle and Skarner engaged.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"...so will you download it?"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I glanced down to the lower left hand corner of the screen, my primal gamer instincts scanning for threats. Sure enough, a chat window displayed the last few lines communicated among the group. One line, typed by another player, caught my eye.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">[08:20][All] kydex3 (Sion): your supposed to be fucking mid retard. uninstal and kill yourself</span><br />
<br />
"Classy community you've got here."<br />
<br />
The excitement melted away from Hunter's voice. "I just ignore that."<br />
<br />
What to do? Ban him from the game because of <i>someone else's</i> bad behavior? Continue to expose him to this and risk dissolving any mature, respectful behavior we'd already trained him to demonstrate?<br />
<br />
I put my hand on his head, "You know it's never ok to behave like that, right?"<br />
<br />
"I know."<br />
<br />
"If it ever gets to the point where you feel like typing something like that, I trust you'll step away for a breather, instead. It's just a game."<br />
<br />
"...yep."<br />
<br />
<i>It's just a game.</i><br />
<br />
I patted him on the back, then returned to my desk and downloaded the League of Legends installer. As the file progress filled up, a random thought of the TV show Dexter popped into my mind. I remembered Dexter's father, trying to guide his son through life, training him how to suppress his rage, how to deal with a diseased mind craving human blood. Thank God I didn't have to worry about taming homicidal instincts. All that weighed on my shoulders was teaching my son how to navigate life as a gamer without growing up to be a complete and total <i>asshole</i>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ImooeWdBuaI/Vs9LgR-VYXI/AAAAAAAANm0/q6mSvA3wYaE/s1600/pic3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ImooeWdBuaI/Vs9LgR-VYXI/AAAAAAAANm0/q6mSvA3wYaE/s320/pic3.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mature fields next-level trolling from a player whose<br />
10-Man team was denied access into DoD,<br />
Orgrimmar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
The Young and the Worthless</h2>
</div>
</div>
We discussed the option of which heroic to pursue next: Beth'tilac or Lord Rhyolith. At initial glance, the choice seemed obvious. Raiding guilds knew the challenge Beth'tilac posed -- already a gear check in normal mode, the arachnid would most certainly be our undoing. Flawless execution would matter little if we couldn't hit our numbers.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Lord Rhyolith, by contrast, posed little risk. Already a gimmicky fight that the roster was consistently annihilating in normal mode, any concern for Rhyolith would likely fall into the realm of communication. If anything, Rhyolith would demand the DPS teams pay closer attention to which foot was receiving what percentage of damage. DPS, in short, would be (indirectly) responsible for tanking the volcano with legs. We made the decision to focus our attention on Lord Rhyolith beginning that Sunday, August 21st, less than two days after our first defeat of Heroic: Shannox.<br />
<br />
After clearing past Beth'tilac, Baleroc, and Alysrazor, Blain flipped the raid lock difficulty from Normal to Heroic, and we sank our first two hours of work into Lord Rhyolith. This, like all bosses, started with getting a feel for the differences, polishing the strategy used on normal mode, and tweaking where needed. We made little progress that night. The heroic strategy demanded grace and finesse in positioning. A Romanian gymnast we were not. </div>
<div>
<br />
Eventually, we converted back to normal, to secure a kill w/ loot. The team's morale was good; they were un-phased by the loss. One shots were rare (especially heroic ones), and this was the same process we took with every boss: practice and refinement. We worked until we got it. Some bosses were more obstinate than others, none of this was a surprise. There was absolutely no cause for concern at this very early stage in learning the encounter. Spirits were high and the roster kept a positive outlook.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
The second weekend of work on Heroic: Lord Rhyolith began on the weekend of Aug 26th. We reset the lock and first cleared Beth'tilac, Baleroc, Alysrazor and Shannox, all of which were executed in the first hour. This freed us for three hours of work.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It did not go well.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The count of attempts is now lost to a haze. What memory remains intact is not one of the rapidly accruing attempts, but of the outside distractions permeating their way into my raid roster and its morale.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It was standard DoD raid law to keep distractions to a bare minimum. We'd come a long way from having to berate Ouleg for watching Nip/Tuck while trying to do work on Morogrim Tidehunter, but never disappeared completely. I had to keep constant tabs on the risk of waning attention. The most notorious source of distraction, surprisingly, was not <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Murphy_(writer)" target="_blank">Ryan Murphy-produced television</a>, but instead, something built directly into the game client: cross instance chat. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Blizzard's chat infrastructure was designed such that, even if you were in a separate instance dedicated solely to you and your team of players, chat still extended out across all the instances, allowing for multiple raid groups (each in their own instance) to chat amongst one another in a shared lobby. These instance lobbies would not cross content instances; Discord raiding Bastion of Twilight could not chat with Pretty Pink Pwnies raiding Blackwing Descent. But...if both The ORLY Factor and Costa were raiding Firelands, you can bet that they were sharing <span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">/general</span> chat.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I sent messages directly to guildies and ordered them out of <span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">/general</span> if I caught them chatting up. This meant I had to <i>be in</i> <span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">/general</span> -- it was the only way to monitor for the behavior, culling it as quickly as it appeared. Lucky me. In order to keep the peace, I had to wade in to the filth, forced to listen to other guilds rant and rave in there inimitable Deathwing-US style. I tuned it out, yet it was a distraction nonetheless, always catching my eye, causing me to look away from Mature's positioning, watching for a recognizable name and being forced to deal with it.<br />
<br />
I did not expect what I saw next.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">[2. General] [Drecca]: Woot! Heroic Lord Rhyolith down!!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">[2. General] [Bheer]: Yay us</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I have to admit, for a brief moment, I was shocked. But then, I wasn't. Not really.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">[2. General] [Drecca]: Wow that boss is easy</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">[2. General] [Drecca]: Any guild struggling must be awful</span><br />
<br />
In retrospect, that behavior did not surprise me at all. Not one bit.</div>
</div>
Shawn Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05110605868875966328noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-1440494280445295442016-02-18T12:45:00.001-07:002016-02-23T08:50:32.271-07:004.60. King of the Hill<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6Kn3IxeUmEo/VsYel9IiUnI/AAAAAAAANlA/IliExBB_t8U/s1600/pic1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6Kn3IxeUmEo/VsYel9IiUnI/AAAAAAAANlA/IliExBB_t8U/s320/pic1.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 25-Man progression team defeats Heroic: Shannox,<br />
Firelands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Shannox is as Shannox Does</h2>
At 3:25, I was the fourth to die. I don't take dying well.<br />
<br />
With melee pressed up tightly against Shannox's behind, Amatsu carefully navigating the charred landscape, a mess of melee blocked my view of a freshly set Immolation Trap. In normal, the death knights would take turns activating the traps, absorbing the fire damage via Anti-Magic Shell. In heroic, a DPS death knight with AMS wasn't enough to withstand the inferno. A tank, certainly...but my days as a tank were over.<br />
<br />
And so was my life.<br />
<br />
Next to me lay Pollar, pulled in as a replacement rogue, to assist Bonechatters with trap disarming. His effectiveness at this responsibility could be measured by his health. Pollar, one of the youngest yet longest running members in DoD, carried a wealth of highs and lows in my guild. In Vanilla, he often led the B-team through Molten Core, raid leading well before the title was ever official in the roster. During the Wrath re-write of DoD, Pollar famously blew a gasket in guild chat, and soon found himself without a guild. And, being that he was below the age limit, could not be re-invited, dooming him to a permanent limbo where he wandered Deathwing-US without a guild for many months.<br />
<br />
Come Cataclysm, the rules had changed. Recruitment was a barren wasteland. I ended his exile, restoring him to his original guild. Now, here he was, diligently offering to fill a role as needed. Until Shannox got the best of him. Pollar would be disarming no more traps on this day.<br />
<br />
Goldenrod was the first to die, precisely at the one minute mark. Face Rage mangled the mage like a chew toy. Sarge (via his boomkin Arbour) rezzed him forty seconds later. But by the two minute twenty second mark, Pollar had been claimed. Twenty seconds later, our other rogue, Bonechatters, lost his life to Face Rage, putting trap disarmament into temporary hiatus. Two immolation traps later, Mature's life was forfeit. The cascade had begun. Dewgyd rezzing Bonechatters wasn't enough to save me.<br />
<br />
I backed my camera out and watched as events unfolded. Twenty-three players remained alive, moving carefully, each action measured and executed with precision. A player was locked down with Face Rage, only to immediately be freed with focused fire. Shannox's spear slammed into the ground, and a spiral of fire drew up from its impact. The roster shifted in between the rings, moving only enough to ensure they remained well out of the flame.<br />
<br />
As Jagged Tear stacked past eight, then past nine, on Amatsu, his health spiked uncontrollably. He desperately needed relief. He needed Shannox to play fetch with Riplimb, to give us a chance at freezing the dog in place. This, in turn, would extend the delay before Shannox's next Arcing Slash -- the intent of which was to let Amatsu's stacks drop off. But Riplimb was wary, having triggered an immolation trap moments earlier. Anyone hoping to trap Riplimb in the moments to come would be disappointed.<br />
<br />
Larada's mage alt, Doja, was #5 to perish, right at the four minute mark, but battle rezzes were now on cooldown. Littlebear followed soon after, earning #6 on the death ladder. Both succumbed to the after-effects of immolation trap. Attrition was now in motion. Yet with half the fight still to go, and only twenty one players remaining, the raid continued its choreography with surprising grace and discipline.<br />
<br />
I expected more hysterics. This was heroic, after all, it was <i>supposed</i> to be more outlandish. But in that tradition of Blizzard front-loading the raid content with its complexity, this had all been mastered already. The statue had already been carved, this was simply adding the polish. In retrospect, carving the statue was so much more chaotic and far more unpredictable. While I felt no rage in this attempt's death, our normal kill of Shannox gave the raid a taste of that famously inconsolable rage.<br />
<br />
Lucky for me, the cameras were rolling.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WdqTfRfQzUo/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WdqTfRfQzUo?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Video: DoD defeats Shannox in 25-Man Normal,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Firelands</span></div>
<br />
<h2>
Over-Communicating</h2>
<div>
Amatsu: "Pulling in 3...2...1."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Jungard: "<b><i>Don't</i></b>...run away when Rageface is on you, please."<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
<i>Nothing says I know the raid strategy better than by failing on the pull.</i></div>
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Amatsu: "Immolation trap on top of that hill, watch that."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Amatsu tanks Shannox. He backpedals, slowly dragging the Salamander across the open playfield, stopping between casts of crystal prison.</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Blain: "Lexxii."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Blain calls out crystal prison targets.</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Blain: "Stimpi."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Amatsu backs up, sidestepping the danger. Behind me, ranged runs frantically from Rageface, ignoring the earlier directive.</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Blackangus: "Stop running around!"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Impatience releases my emotional restraints. A burst of flame expands outward. A name and health bar flash on my screen: Xane. Under 5% health. I guess I <b>do</b> have to tell people to pay attention. Great.</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hanzo: "Blain is almost dead!"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Blain's health shoots back to full before my rant is finished transmitting over Vent. Moments of silence follow.</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Blain: "Yeah, the only time you should be runnin' Rageface around is when its buff is gone and you need to bring it through a trap. Otherwise it's useless. Goldy, you almost blinked right into that trap."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hanzo: "Immolation trap on melee!"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I am compelled to start announcing melee's own concerns. Honestly, I do not care if Blain doesn't want to hear it.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Amatsu: "When I get over here to this lil' area, y'all need to watch and not be left of the boss or you <i>will</i> get cleaved."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Over-communicating without Vent devolving into an incomprehensible hysteria must be what it feels like to disarm a bomb. You have to move quickly and do everything you need to...until you do too much.</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Blain: "Melee help on dogs."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Riplimb and Rageface are across the map. It's a minefield dotted with metallic, jagged jaws.</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hanzo: "Watch, when you move...on dogs, melee, do <i>not</i> hit crystals. They're <i>everywhere</i>."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>I direct Mature through the trap hazard and join Jungard, Bonechatters, Hells, Raina, and Aktauren, already burning through the demon dogs. A mage falls over, dead.</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Amatsu: "Does immolation count to get rid of Rageface?"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Beefysupryme: "Do I bring Goldy up?"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Blain: "It's Doja."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Beefysupryme: "Do I bring him up?"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Blain: ".....yeah, go ahead."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Amatsu: "Do. not. be. in. front. of. dee. boss! Bring fire, get cleaved, and you're dead."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Blain: "Alright, hold DPS on Riplimb..."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Amatsu: "Boss is at 37%"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Blain: "Go ahead and kill Rageface. Kill Rageface."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Klocker: "Rageface is not getting picked up."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Blain: "Kill Rageface."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Amatsu is dead!!</i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
Blain: "Get Amatsu up."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hanzo: "Get ready, 3%. 2%."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Blain: "Do <i>not</i> hit Riplimb."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Amatsu: "k. Ardent Defender is off."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hanzo: "DPS is now off."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Blain: "Run the boss way from the...go the other way. Go the other way."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Amatsu: "The other way?"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hanzo: "<i>All</i> DPS is off!"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Blain: "Alright, kill Riplimb. He's got an immolation buff on him, too, so..."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hanzo: "Riplimb is dead."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Amatsu: "k, heading clockwise now."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Amatsu begins meandering up across the broken rocks, now exposing magma along their faults. Protrusions along these faults make it difficult to navigate.</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Blain: "Watch those immolation traps under the boss."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hanzo: "Listen very carefully for Blain's call."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Jungard: "Crystal, melee."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hanzo: "DON'T...STOP in the ROCKS, PLEASE!"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>I die.</i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
<i>My mind fills with a vision of a thousand keyboards exploding into millions of black plastic fragments. The press-to-talk key is still jammed down. I have no words. An unintelligible grunt of heated frustration erupts. </i><i>Blain laughs.</i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
Jungard: "Let's...get him out of these rocks."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Amatsu: "Can't tell where everybody is."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Blain: "Dichotomy, get another battle rez out on..."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Jungard: "Rallying Cry's up."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Klocker: "Step to, Amatsu."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Blain: "Get Lexxii up."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Amatsu: "There's a trap to the left of the boss. Watch yourself."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">[Arbour]: These fucking flames are pissin me off</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Amatsu: "Amatsu needs a cooldown. Anything."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>I take a deep breath. They need calm, not rage. I control myself once again.</i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
Hanzo: "Just keep focused and you've got it."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Amatsu: "Gonna keep moving, so we don't get near any traps."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Shannox dies. Vent is quiet. No cheers or screams of victory.</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hanzo: "Yeah. Those...damn rocks again, eh?"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Blain laughs again. In the absence of celebration, some humor allows us to take away some semblance of accomplishment.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lAaYpjZDm9I/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lAaYpjZDm9I?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Video: DoD defeats Shannox in 25-Man Heroic,</span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Firelands</span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></div>
<h2>
And Then There Was One</h2>
<div>
That was normal. This was heroic. And we were falling behind.<br />
<br />
At the five minute mark of Heroic: Shannox, we were still down to twenty-one players. Our first battle rez timer completed its cooldown, and up came Doja, thanks to Blackangus' Rebirth. The DPS needle moved back towards our favor. I panned the camera around and continued to observe the raid's execution. Now at twenty-two raiders strong, we might have a chance at closing the gap. Those chances dried up when Zedman was killed by a Face Rage at 6:16, negating Doja's resurrection.<br />
<br />
The next death didn't occur until 6:30, arguably the most significant of the attempt. Blain, while leading Riplimp to a trap, was hit with an ill-timed AoE effect, via Shannox's Launch Spear. A mere second from safety, Blain succumbed to the damage and collapsed dead, just as Riplimp's body was encased in ice.<br />
<br />
The battle rez that saved Bonechatters had not yet cooled down. With only one tank alive, Heroic: Shannox unwound. Riplimp freed itself from its ice block and rampaged toward Amatsu. Sarge intervened, but only briefly. His boomkin gear wasn't nearly sufficient for tanking as a bear. Another druid, Beefysupryme was next, followed by Klocker, and Goldenrod (for the second time).<br />
<br />
Now at only sixteen raiders strong, Shannox and his dogs continued their feast. Gunsmokeco bit the dust next, only to burn his ankh and resurrect in a last ditch effort to spread heals among the survivors. Guns lived as Fred died, so Fred ankh'd as well, desperate to salvage the attempt. Megadoch died moments later, and Syphira lost her life just prior to another of Shannox's launched spears. The AoE caught Fred and Lexxii off guard, permanently ending their efforts. The last living druids, Blackangus and Dewgyd, fell after that...and joining them in defeat was our last living tank, Amatsu.<br />
<br />
With no tanks and one healer running on empty, the inevitable wipe drew near. Bulwinkul (on his shadow priest Stimpi) dispersed as Cynergy pulled out an emergency misdirect, sending Shannox across the map to seek out a temporary tank, earning the attempt precious seconds of DPS. Turtleman and Doja let loose with the last remaining mana in their chamber, with Bonechatters and a nearly dead Gharghael following close behind as melee.<br />
<br />
Rageface lept across the map and ate Gunsmokeco's face off, while Riplimp picked away at Doja until there was nothing recognizable left. Stimpi lasted a few seconds as a Shadow Priest tank, eventually collapsing under the weight of such pressure.<br />
<br />
At the 7 minute 44 second mark, Shannox worked his way through all that remained, ripping apart Bonechatters and Garghael. Turtleman leashed one final Pyroblast as Riplimp finished him off.<br />
<br />
It was then that "Heroic: Shannox" flashed up on all our screens. The encounter was complete. Only one player remained standing: Cynergy the hunter. Dying isn't terrible, if it means that others can live to win the day.<br />
<br />
On August 19th, DoD earned its first heroic kill in Firelands, after only several nights of work. We were well on our way to returning to our former raiding glory, and put to bed any doubts that may have crept up during our lackluster Tier 11.<br />
<br />
We just needed to maintain this pace.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j5Vo_g0jbDQ/VsYe9A2XMrI/AAAAAAAANlE/mMWEzmyWOrI/s1600/pic4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j5Vo_g0jbDQ/VsYe9A2XMrI/AAAAAAAANlE/mMWEzmyWOrI/s320/pic4.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cynergy is the last player left standing<br />
at the defeat of Heroic: Shannox,<br />
Firelands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Shawn Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05110605868875966328noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-15726666384830954752016-02-11T00:00:00.000-07:002016-02-16T08:59:16.340-07:004.59. High Time for Heroics<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o99IevfxMog/Vr0KvVwujGI/AAAAAAAANi4/6WJZrB-hSic/s1600/pic1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o99IevfxMog/Vr0KvVwujGI/AAAAAAAANi4/6WJZrB-hSic/s320/pic1.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mature and Mortalsend prepare to execute Lord Rhyolith,<br />
Firelands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Pokemon Trainers Are Lousy Humanitarians</h2>
<div>
The next raid weekend of August 5th and 7th gave us an opportunity to bask in the glory of a full Firelands clear. We took our time, relaxed, and raided with the intent on simply gearing. This was an opportunity for some guildies to take a break, if needed. Fred, Turtleman, and even Blain himself took a weekend off. I encouraged it, and appreciated that they were able to wait until getting over the hump before invoking vacation.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Jungard took on raid leadership in Blain's absence, and he, in turn, used the opportunity to boost Bonechatters' real-world experience as melee lead. Training your replacement seems depressing, but it is a necessary evil. You do it when you care about your group, even if it means you won't be a part of the group much longer. For as many virtual flips of the middle finger that guildies gave me over the years, I took comfort that the people I put in charge were the very ones who gave the most of themselves when there was no expectation of personal gain. They <i>wanted</i> DoD to be successful, even if they weren't a part of it.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I took this where I could get it; not all guildies shared the selflessness of Jungard. We didn't all create an account back in Nov. of 2004 and, going in for the first time, ask ourselves <i>how much work can we put into someone else's guild?</i> More likely, we hungered for exploration, killing monsters, doing quests. We found a class that was fun for us to play, and wished to play it the best we possibly could. And in doing so, we'd drape the rewards of our play across that character, adoring them with the weapons and armor acquired from each subsequent victory. Our motivations were <i>entirely</i> selfish, right out of the gate. That wasn't wrong -- that's <i>gaming</i>. When you fire up a game, you're doing it for you.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
World of Warcraft is interesting. It starts like that, just like any other game. As time goes on, a potential alternate future emerges. Your efforts are no longer directed solely inward. What you do in-game has repercussions on the virtual community around you. And while it may be true that you are always following a subtle path of self-satisfaction, in growing your own prestige, others reap the benefits of your success, growing in kind. You login so that others may become powerful. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This notion flies in the face of gaming in general. The first line of the Pokemon theme song is not "I want <i>someone else</i> to be the very best," and championship tournaments would be a laughing stock if the goal was to help your fellow player get the prize. Yet that is what WoW is. When you run a dungeon, other players reap the rewards. When you hop into a battleground, other players share in your victory. When you work with other players to defeat a boss, everyone benefits from the experience (and a few might even walk away with some loot). For a game built on an industry that is, by its very nature, self-serving, World of Warcraft is an extremely efficient medium to helping others.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Replacing them faster than they could leave was the real challenge.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We'd picked up new recruits: Megadoch the warrior, Gharghael the shaman, and they were eagerly welcomed to the roster. But both were DPS, and healing was the ever growing challenge to fill. The constant presence of Fred's holy paladin was interrupted by a weekly need for his resto shaman. And the demand for other healing classes continued to grow. Syphira was one such recruit. Hailing from northern Alberta, she brought priest heals to the table, and had raid experience ready to wield. There was no time to get people up-to-speed. She hit the ground running that lax Aug 5th weekend, and was ready to join progression the week after.</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
But I needed more than simply "a priest". We needed druids, priests and shamans. I needed a (Vanilla) Dalans, a Breginna, a Kadrok, a Haribo, a Neps. I needed another Kerulak. Not even my own tool, Wowlemmings.com, was able to satisfy this request. Perhaps there was interest inside the roster? </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I put feelers out amongst the core, in the off-chance that any of them were considering a role flip. One such player was Mortalsend. Still new to the guild (relatively speaking) she'd held a dominant role in the roster pouring warlock dps into raids since the start of Cataclysm. But, she confided that she was considering working up a resto druid alt, feeling the tug of the healing meters drawing her in, compelling her to cast some life saving spells for a change. I encouraged her to pursue it, as I had plans for her to assist with <i>another</i> challenge I had to deal with -- a challenge that went beyond simply staving off attrition.</div>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
The Irony of Lexxii</h2>
Lexxii had grown to become a <i>real</i> problem. Since her demotion from healing lead, she was more obstinate and argumentative. Nearly every healing assignment Fred handed her was rebutted with disdain and a disgusted air of superiority. Every assignment was wrong, and none was good enough for her to <i>not</i> comment on.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It had been months since the "outing" -- the moment I chose to swap Lexxii for Fred. I'd taken great pains to ease that transition, being firm yet fair. The politically correct me spun the demotion with just enough clarity to give her something to think about. Perhaps Lexxii needed to hear a harder truth. Perhaps if I'd demoted her by telling her she hadn't fooled anyone, that her "skills" were manufactured, and that the most telling evidence of this was her staunch denial in the face of irrefutable evidence that she was spec'ing <i>however the hell she damn well felt like, </i>her behavior after the fact would have been a more...reserved. Perhaps a bit more controlled, even (dare I suggest it) mature.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I doubted it. For the secret was not that Lexxii had <i>grown</i> to become a real problem -- it was that she <i>always was</i> a problem; a problem protected by a thick gamer shell that had been slowly peeled back over the course of her stay. Whether it was discussing JavaScript library or holy priests specs, it wouldn't matter. Once her mind was made up, it <i>became</i> truth to her. And everyone else was full of shit.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The most recent protective tissue peeled from Lexxii revealed a fantastic new feature. For the first time since her induction into DoD, Lexxii was showing up late to progression with inexcusable reasons she didn't even bother trying to hide.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Late night partying. Drinking. Dates. Movies. <i>Whatever</i>.<br />
<br />
I'm fine with guildies changing their priorities. I'm not fine with them <i>leaving me out of the loop</i>. Party animal or not, Lexxii had twenty-four other human beings relying on her. I guess its easy to forget that. After all, it's just a video game.</div>
<div>
<br />
Lexxii was most certainly on her way out. Yet in an ironic twist, I forced myself to stick to the guild rule of three consistent lates as grounds for expulsion from the roster, even after I broke my own rules in order to accelerate her acceptance -- a choice that ultimately backfired, and one I regret. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The Lexxii situation was rife with irony, in fact. A long standing guildy that suffered his own expulsion as a result of mistreating her, Bulwinkul, was now a model citizen, and diligently brought his shadow priest Stimpi to progression. He spoke not a word to Lexxii, which was probably for the best. Bul was simply a good guy with a bad temper (I could relate), and he'd cleaned up his act. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For Lexxii, there was nothing to clean up. This is who she was.<br />
<br />
I gave Mortalsend the green light to start gearing her resto druid, as it was very likely she may be called upon to replace a certain holy priest. <br />
<br />
"But you're still looking for healers, too?" Mortal asked.<br />
<br />
"Whatever I can find."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cyvWwL304Xs/Vr0MBjzjt7I/AAAAAAAANjE/UCz3fRABbdw/s1600/pic3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cyvWwL304Xs/Vr0MBjzjt7I/AAAAAAAANjE/UCz3fRABbdw/s320/pic3.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mature poses next to newest recruit Gharghael the Shaman,<br />
Firelands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<h2>
Doggy Daycare</h2>
Heroic: Firelands work officially began August 12th, starting with the very first boss, Shannox. In moving from normal to heroic, our attention shifted from dogs as ancillary annoyance, to dogs as the primary focus of the strategy.<br />
<br />
Killing Shannox's twin devil dogs was no longer realistic. Rageface's health grew astronomically, and Riplimb gained the ability to self-rez if dispatched. Not only were the mutts perpetual thorns in our side for the duration of the heroic attempts, their attack methods changed. Now, they each gained a stack of Feeding Frenzy each time they sank their teeth into one of our players. Feeding Frenzy increased their damage by 5% per stack, lasting 20 seconds. Any viable strategy had to be constructed in such a way as to assume both dogs were constantly alive, yet still allow us a way to drop those stacks.<br />
<br />
Twenty seconds, in raid time, feels like an eternity, so strategizing a way to avoid attacks for that amount of time meant bouncing the dogs from target-to-target -- easy when you are a tank, not so easy when you are a caster, and only have a thin layer of cloth between you and demonic fangs. There was another option, however: turning Shannox's own attacks against his pets.<br />
<br />
As in the normal version, Shannox tossed Crystal Prison Traps across the play field. Arming in a mere two seconds, these traps would encase anything that touched them in a block of ice...friend or foe. More than one DoD raider found themselves frozen solid, forcing DPS to peel off and shatter the ice. But if we could somehow lure the dogs into the traps, we could move people away from Riplimb and/or Rageface long enough to allow the stacks of Feeding Frenzy to drop.<br />
<br />
Trapping each dog required separate tactics. Blain handled Riplimb, ensuring he trapped his attacker by dragging the creature over Crystal Prisons that were called out throughout the fight. Timing was crucial: Blain had to trap Riplimb before Shannox tossed his spear across the terrain. During this hellish game of fetch, Riplimb was <i>immune to traps during the return trip to its maste</i>r. So, in preparing for a Launch Spear, Blain would find an ice trap and drag Riplimb into it. Success in this tactic allowed us to double-dip: Blain could drop his stacks of Feeding Frenzy, and Amatsu could similarly drop his Jagged Tear stacks (as Shannox would be unable to Arcing Slash without his spear).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As for trapping Rageface, the rest of the raid inherited dog duty. Untankable, unkillable, constantly moving and sewing pandemonium throughout the raid, he was the biggest threat to the unravelling of the strategy. Face Rage would pin and kill players in moments if DPS did not switch fast enough to break him loose from a target. Rageface could also trigger Shannox's other traps, and an accidentally triggered Immolation Trap granted Rageface the "wary" debuff, <i>preventing him from being trapped in a crystal prison</i> for a short amount of time. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
A raid strategy that carefully alternated between trapping each dog could quickly come apart when you discovered your dog was untrappable.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Suddenly, stacks of Feeding Frenzy metastasized across your roster. Exacerbated by any fire damage incurred from the spiraling death explosion with every Launched Spear, death was quick. A wipe was guaranteed, the most painful kind of wipe. You enjoyed the luxury of watching your raid unravel at the seven minute mark, as one mistake lead to another, eventually collapsing in on itself.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
All four hours of August 12th's raid were sunk into learning the Heroic: Shannox encounter. Returning on Sunday, August 14th, We spent two more hours on Shannox, yet a kill remained just out of reach. After the bio break, we dumped the raid lock back to Normal, and cleared Shannox, Beth'tilac, Lord Rhyolith, Alysrazor, and Baleroc, to keep spirits up, and get a shot at gearing the new warrior.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We'd be back. The salamander's heroic days were numbered.</div>
Shawn Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05110605868875966328noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-46454571042252758632016-02-04T00:00:00.000-07:002016-02-09T07:39:01.261-07:00State of the Union: Aug 2011<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LL_bJ_HntfE/VrOVJ5aSkAI/AAAAAAAANfc/8uLnTSEvuNY/s1600/pic1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LL_bJ_HntfE/VrOVJ5aSkAI/AAAAAAAANfc/8uLnTSEvuNY/s320/pic1.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 25-Man progression team celebrates their clear of<br />
Firelands by returning to clean-up Heroic: Chimaeron,<br />
Blackwing Descent</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>The following post was made to the "Descendants of Draenor - Announcements" forum on August 12th, 2011.</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
25-Man Progression: Update</h2>
<div>
I'd like to take a brief moment and acknowledge all the hard work and dedication that has gone into the 25m Progression at the start of 4.2. As you may or may not know, Blain laid out plans for our approach to the 25m Firelands work in his "Upcoming Plans" post. In a nutshell, he expressed concern about self-doubt and complacency that was inadvertently set in motion during WotLK, with players becoming "crybabies" about gear and not believing enough in their own skill and performance to pull off boss kills. The adjusted approach was that we would be pushing progression much harder, in lieu of weekly clears, so that we could get on to the real work: 25m Heroics. </div>
<br />
The result of that behavior shift was a full clear of 25m Firelands broken down by the following weeks:<br />
<br />
Week 1: Shannox, Baleroc, Beth'tilac, Lord Rhyolith<br />
Week 2: (Extended) Alysrazor<br />
Week 3: Shannox, Baleroc, Beth'tilac, Lord Rhyolith, Alysrazor, Majordomo Fandral Staghelm<br />
Week 4: (Extended) Ragnaros (attempts)<br />
Week 5: Ragnaros defeated.<br />
<br />
Without going back through the calendar and totaling everything up, I can say with reasonably good accuracy that our clears of 25m Blackwing Descent and 25m Bastion of Twilight took an order of magnitude longer...and an official 25m clear of Throne of the Four Winds didn't even happen until the last week before 4.2 was released!<br />
<br />
You should not have to be a statistician to see that this is an improvement of astronomical proportions.<br />
<br />
I'm very proud to see that the 25m Progression Team has buckled down, changed their attitudes regarding the "gear-crutch", and focused on what really allows us to be successful--taking personal responsibility for themselves, their play, their skill--and pushing each other to do the same. This has resulted in teamwork that only Fortune 500 companies could dream of having.<br />
<br />
...but we're not done yet!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RnMtDju_5d0/VrOVPkmdVWI/AAAAAAAANfg/mV_vqUar0po/s1600/pic2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RnMtDju_5d0/VrOVPkmdVWI/AAAAAAAANfg/mV_vqUar0po/s320/pic2.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mature successfully executes all<br />
named targets in a bombing run,<br />
Molten Fields</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Now that the officers and I are comfortable that the team is on board and ready to dive into 25m Heroics without the gear excuse at their side, we are pushing our team-polishing direction toward the player him/herself, and more aggressively holding players <b>accountable</b>, not just for their play, but for their <b>attitude</b> and <b>behaviors</b>. I don't like dealing in abstracts; I'm more of a concrete thinker, so if you are the same, here are some real examples of things we're going to be looking at, and taking very seriously moving forward:<br />
<br />
- Players with wonderfully positive attitudes and fiercely loyal dedications to the raid and guild...<b>that are not improving their play</b>. Attitude and Skill go hand-in-hand in team-based exercises. We need both at the top of their game, and as much as we love people who love to be here, we cannot handicap progression by poor performers who remain poor performers. Remember, this guild is about empowering you to improve. Do it, and problems are solved. Remain in denial -- and we will be benching you. This holds doubly true for players that disconnect a lot. In many cases you are at the whim of your ISP, but there are many settings on your computer and network can be tweaked, and most players do not realize this. Your DCs handicap progression so if you are DCing, take ownership! Make it a project to do what you can to research / resolve anything about your connection.<br />
<br />
- Players who debate officers openly in public (Vent or Raid Chat) about strategy and decision-making. During a raid, it is inappropriate behavior. It slows our attempts and can serve to break your team rapport down--Remember, the officers are in their role for a reason: they have demonstrated sound knowledge regarding strategy and role management--and if you're not comfortable with their decisions, take it to them (or me) after the raid. If you think you can do a better job, maybe you should push for a promotion? Just...not during a raid. Keep in mind that you have 24 other individuals who are most often on the same page as the officers...so by you openly debating them, you only serve to alienate yourself...and that's the start of team breakdown.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fvz58EN8YhY/VrOVVuBXBZI/AAAAAAAANfk/RQ_6l35Ific/s1600/pic3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fvz58EN8YhY/VrOVVuBXBZI/AAAAAAAANfk/RQ_6l35Ific/s320/pic3.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mature and fellow guild members try to<br />
get a patch of nature to sprout,<br />
Molten Fields</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
- Players who are defiant in taking suggestions / recommendations about adjustments to their specs / gear / UI / play. You are not a WoW God. If you were, you most likely would be in a world-first raiding guild. A perfect example of this is healers who insist on using default raid frames for healing, as opposed to investigating the wide-array of mods available to assist you in your duties. Yes, it is very true that there are extremely good healers who use the default raid frames, and you might even see that a lot in kill videos...<br />
<br />
...it's because they are world first guilds. They have mind-numbingly FAST reflexes. Do you? Before you answer...check our WorldOfLogs guild reports. Have you ever died accidentally in the fire? If so, I don't believe you have lightning-fast reflexes. Consider an addon. Work <i>smarter</i>, not <b>harder</b>.<br />
<br />
- Players who are not a part of the team. Signing up every week, being rotated in, doing your job and doing it well are all fantastic attributes...but they mean nothing, if you aren't respected by the rest of your team. Respect is earned, not granted via a rank in the guild. Respect comes from being credible. You are credible if you do what you say...and say what you do. It is not enough to say that you are respectful to your fellow guildies...you have to prove it by your actions, and how you communicate with them. Demonstrating laziness, passive-aggressiveness and/or narcissism are all very fast ways of losing respect from your fellow guild. When that happens, the team has fractured and you need to be benched, even if you are a star player.<br />
<br />
In summary, the officers and I are going to be actively looking into these issues more aggressively into 25m Heroics. As always, I am constantly recruiting and bringing new faces into the mix who are passionate about WoW and Raiding, and would love a shot at your spot. If you want to keep your spot, we want you to as well! And you can do so...by eliminating the behaviors listed above.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
-- Hanzo</div>
Shawn Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05110605868875966328noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-60780447863501214692016-01-28T00:00:00.000-07:002016-02-02T08:31:35.016-07:004.58. Part of a Complete Breakfast<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z_gSPdjcvtI/VqlkykeybKI/AAAAAAAANc0/IfxCNo6VskY/s1600/ragnar__o__s_by_wayanoru.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z_gSPdjcvtI/VqlkykeybKI/AAAAAAAANc0/IfxCNo6VskY/s320/ragnar__o__s_by_wayanoru.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"<a href="http://wayanoru.deviantart.com/art/Ragnar-O-s-115096798" target="_blank">Ragnar'Os</a>"<br />
Artwork By <a href="http://wayanoru.deviantart.com/" target="_blank">Wayanoru</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
By Fiber Be Purged!</h2>
<div>
"Out of the middle, Black."</div>
<br />
"Can't really move if I'm not connected!"<br />
<br />
I could hear the tension rising.<br />
<br />
"Ok! Ok...everything's...fine. It happens. If we lose you, we lose you."<br />
<br />
The raid's positioning for phase two was similar to that of phase one, save for a slight adjustment -- a wide gap in the middle of the platform, free of bodies. We gave Rag a clear view to the entryway, well behind us in the rear of the throne room. We did so with intent.<br />
<br />
"We <i>won't</i> lose her," added Fred.<br />
<br />
"Molten Seeds! Group!"<br />
<br />
Twenty of us spawned glowing orbs of fire at our individual positions. These orange dots painted an outline around the edges of the platform. The tanks shifted along the edge of the platform towards the center-most position, and the rest of the raid raced forward, collapsing on the tanks. A bright yellow shell emerged from a priest, shielding the roster. Heals leapt across the group. Seconds later, the Molten Seeds burst, creating a Molten Inferno, blanketing the entire room with flames.<br />
<br />
The key to dealing with the onslaught of Molten Inferno damage was keeping that middle area wide open, pre-seeds. Once we collapsed on the tanks, it became the only safe haven on the platform; it was the furthest point away from the Molten Seeds, presently hemorrhaging lava. The further away from the seeds, the less damage we endured. On this round, we only had to worry about the intense heat from one seed, spawned underneath a very immobile Blackangus.<br />
<br />
"Coming back," she said, working her way through the login screen. The progress bar slowly grew across the horizontal footer of the instance art -- WoW's backdrop that divided the open world from personalized dungeon/raid instances. As the Molten Inferno subsided, the tauren regained mobility. Blackangus's life had been spared, thanks to an extra dose of protective measures from a sharp healing officer.<br />
<br />
"You got off easy," Jungard said, as the raid spread back out, "next one won't be!"<br />
<br />
Phase two had another new mechanic in store for us. A crescent-shaped swath of fire would rise up from the platform and stretch across its entire length. This row of flame came in three positions: inner, middle, and outer. Depending on where you stood for your role, you <i>might</i> have to hightail it out of there, racing forward or backward as needed. Between dodging the emerging fire from the platform, the Lava Waves spawned during each Sulfuras Smash, and ensuring players returned to their spread out locations (keep that middle open!), phase two pushed our multitasking abilities into overdrive.<br />
<br />
We danced across the platform, chipping away at the towering inferno's health bar, until it was time for the second round of Molten Inferno. And this time, as Jungard alluded, it wouldn't be as easy. The cooldown on Sulfuras Smash was staggered such that the next one...would coincide with Molten Inferno.<br />
<br />
The position we were to collapse to was <i>the very location Ragnaros planned to strike</i>.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Handling a simultaneous occurrence of both Molten Inferno and Sulfuras Smash was so simple, it felt like <i>cheating</i>; we grouped up in our original, central position, but scooted forward until our digital toes dangled over the precipice separating us from a lava bath. If positioned correctly, Sulfuras would smash down into the platform <i>behind</i> us, allowing us to avoid its deadly impact, as our collective AoE healing spammed its way through the inferno.<br />
<br />
Of course, a disconnected Boomkin would have likely taken an orange hammer to the face -- the likes of which no healing officer could hope to keep someone alive through.</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4XiS8SYtUZc/Vqlkz6ESYiI/AAAAAAAANc8/M4FbRUAtA3U/s1600/pic2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4XiS8SYtUZc/Vqlkz6ESYiI/AAAAAAAANc8/M4FbRUAtA3U/s320/pic2.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Submerged, Mature's lifeless body watches as the<br />
25-Man progression team pulls off a clutch defeat of Ragnaros,<br />
Firelands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<h2>
Two Scoops, Executus!</h2>
Second verse, same as the first. When his health dipped below 40%, Ragnaros buried Sulfuras in the platform, dove beneath the molten surface, and the Sons of Flame greeted us again. The raid fought to slow, stun, even Death Grip them away from the orange hammer. Averting a messy death was a worthy cause.<br />
<br />
Amatsu and Blain raced to pick up the two new spawns: Lava Scions, an elemental that looked to be a cross between earth and fire, and its armor was similarly decorated with the runes of the Spire.<br />
<br />
The Sons took priority, given the risk they posed. Amatsu and Blain dragged the Lava Scions just right-of-center, near the inner edge of the platform. Once the last Son fell, DPS immediately shifted to the Scions. <br />
<br />
"Mang. Watch your feet."<br />
<br />
"AH GOD, I'M ON FIRE!", Mangetsu cried out over Vent in mock terror, scrambling to the back of the platform.<br />
<br />
The Lava Scions had hit him with Blazing Heat. The flaming trail left behind by each victim not only inflicted serious damage to the raid, they would <i>heal the Lava Scions</i> if brought too closely. Amatsu and Blain had to continually shift and adjust, moving the elementals away from any fiery footsteps. The tanks didn't have much room to breathe when shifting -- they still had to stay within range of Ragnaros. Stationary bosses in World of Warcraft don't traditionally fare well when a tank isn't near. Or rather, the <i>raid</i> doesn't fare well.<br />
<br />
It is at this point, dear reader, where things got...<i>hairy</i>.<br />
<br />
At the start of phase three, here is a rundown of what was on our plate:<br />
<ul>
<li>Ragnaros is still swinging Sulfuras, at times performing Sulfuras Smash, sending three Lava Waves out toward the raid.</li>
<li>Engulfing Flame is still igniting an entire third of the platform in flames -- that large, moon-shaped path of flame reaching to both ends of our available working space.</li>
<li>The tanks are still switching off of Ragnaros, with the hope that the Lava Scions are either dead...or close to it. Every extra second they remain alive runs the risk of forcing another player to paint a path of flames across the floor.</li>
</ul>
With wracked nerves, low mana, and a lot to be watching, the 25-man team had <i>one final mechanic</i> to deal with. It was a sadistic, evil sort of mechanic, one typical of those cruel designers at Blizzard. At the same time, it was a mechanic very worthy of a boss as epic as Ragnaros.<br />
<br />
Giant meteors...and when I say "giant", I mean they reached as high as Ragnaros’ upper torso...began to appear around the platform. These meteors immediately latched onto a random player, indicated by a thin, red beam. Once locked onto a target, the meteors began to roll. Gigantic fiery bowling balls rolled across the platform, seeking their pin, a player frantically rushing to the other side of the room in a panic. You did not want a strike, unless you were purposefully looking to be catapulted over the side of the platform and down to a fiery death.<br />
<br />
This <i>had</i> to be controlled.<br />
<br />
Dragging enormous boulders of fire across the platform in a chaotic mess would only lead to other players being knocked off the platform. But, these meteors were <i>massive</i>; far too much health to destroy in any practical sense. The only way to deal with them was for their target to knock the boulders backwards via empowered attacks -- a special boon granted by the very meteor itself.<br />
<br />
If you close your eyes, I'd wager you can picture, with reasonable accuracy, the sheer lunacy of what an attempt that falls apart in phase three looks like. Fire bursting out of the ground, in what appears to be from all sides. An array of elemental magic leaving your finger tips, spiraling towards Ragnaros, while an enormous rolling volcano careens through your field of vision. Players flying through the air at random, as they are struck, many times, causing them to fall to a molten death. Waves of lava bursting out of Sulfuras, a surf of fiery tide <i>that's about to ride you</i>. And as you rush to dodge an incoming meteor someone drags your fateful direction, you're instantly cut off by another player, who is screaming and flailing, leaving a trail of flames that boxes you in.<br />
<br />
And then...<i>you</i> are struck.<br />
<br />
You hurdle backwards.<br />
<br />
Next comes the splash.<br />
<br />
Don't struggle. No need to swim up.<br />
<br />
You incinerate long before you drown.<br />
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e6TccydgsHU/Vqlk1lflS2I/AAAAAAAANdE/J_BRALxoxKs/s1600/pic3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e6TccydgsHU/Vqlk1lflS2I/AAAAAAAANdE/J_BRALxoxKs/s320/pic3.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DoD defeats Ragnaros, completing Tier 12 in normal mode,<br />
Firelands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<h2>
Taste The Flavors of Sulfuron!</h2>
Frame rates were killing us in phase three, and Blackangus wasn't the only one suffering. The visual impact of the massive meteors wreaked havoc on multiple machines, causing players to lock-up or disconnect, only to return to a view of their player, submerged and burning to death after being knocked off the platform. We weren't seeing anything official from Blizzard in the form of a "known issue" being fixed. We had to assume it was us, and adapt accordingly.<br />
<br />
The 25-Man team ran the gamut of suggestions, working together to come up with ways to improve system performance. Crank visual fidelity down. Disable sound. Drop your screen resolution. If you're in windowed mode, switch to fullscreen. Disable any excess add-ons that you weren't directly relying on. Our veteran raiders weren't just sharing raid strategy, they were sharing technical expertise from years of troubleshooting problems like these.<br />
<br />
Our Ragnaros work began on July 22, 2011, carrying on through July 24, and into the next raid weekend of July 29th. Then, at the end the fourth night of work, July 31st, the panic and chaos of Ragnaros finally came to an end.<br />
<br />
At least...I <i>think</i> it came to an end. I can't be too sure. I was at the bottom of a sea of lava when it happened. The guild tells me we were successful. I'll take their word for it.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<br />
I sat across from my boss, pen in hand, ready to capture any bit of work-related detail I might forget later in the day.<br />
<br />
"You're being re-assigned."<br />
<br />
I raised an eyebrow.<br />
<br />
"The powers that be want you in the new 'Learning and Collaboration' group..."<br />
<br />
"...Arch's app?" It was my first thought. I felt compelled to interrupt.<br />
<br />
She sighed in disappointment, "We'll need a new person to come in and take it on. Of course, they'll be following your spec to the T."<br />
<br />
Well, <i>crap</i>. I <i>really</i> liked Arch. It wasn't often I was able to bond with someone far up the chain of command. But it also wasn't often I was able to find a fellow World of Warcraft player in the workplace.<br />
<br />
<i>Solutions, not problems. Keep your eye on the ball.</i><br />
<br />
I sat up straight, "You'll want a transition plan, I'll bet."<br />
<br />
"If you know of anyone that'll give the same degree of care to that app as you would, this is your opportunity to hire them. Then, we'll get a project manager to handle resource allocation..."<br />
<br />
"...Let me do it."<br />
<br />
She seemed surprised, "...you...<i>want</i>...to manage it?"<br />
<br />
"I'll find the replacement programmer, hire him, <i>and</i> direct the development."<br />
<br />
"Ok, but the other project? You'll manage both developments efforts <i>as well as</i> whatever they give you in L+C?"<br />
<br />
"This is <i>important</i>. If the apps just keep changing hands, they're never going to get the attention they deserve." The thought of Arch having to deal with some random development contractor sickened me. I'd seen app neglect in more places than his software. It was time the development side of the fence gained an ally that shared his nerve.<br />
<br />
"I'll do weekly stand-ups, keep them on track, and keep you apprised," I pressed my index finger down on her desk, "...this is <i>doable</i>."<br />
<br />
She sat back, arms folded, giving me a look as if she was trying to figure out how to clone me.<br />
<br />
"Ok," she said, "A full plate it is."<br />
<br />
"Don't worry," I replied with a wave of my hand, "I'm an expert at handling a full plate."<br />
<br />
<i>Even if means swimming in lava.</i></div>
Shawn Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05110605868875966328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-87791772670838805622016-01-21T08:15:00.001-07:002016-01-26T08:44:14.263-07:004.57. Mortal Insects<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2gOY12FKHI8/VqDsePojtfI/AAAAAAAANbI/fYonMygvMZQ/s1600/pic1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2gOY12FKHI8/VqDsePojtfI/AAAAAAAANbI/fYonMygvMZQ/s320/pic1.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paragon's <a href="https://www.paragon.fi/articles/10-vs-25-comparison" target="_blank">10 vs 25 comparison</a> analysis on Firelands<br />
(Source: <a href="http://paragon.fi/" target="_blank">paragon.fi</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
The Horse's Mouth</h2>
An IM window popped up on my desktop. It was from Jungard, "Are we resetting next week?"<br />
<br />
"No reason not to. We're mowing through it."<br />
<br />
At times, it felt like my perspective was skewed. What was easy and what wasn't? DoD buckled down and ripped Firelands apart, leading us to the final confrontation with Ragnaros on week four. I felt certain we'd have it the next raid weekend. But, where did we fit within the grand scheme of raiders? Had we disciplined ourselves to such a degree that we now approached the hardcore end of the spectrum? Perhaps the content was actually <i>harder</i> than we perceived it to be.<br />
<br />
A frame of reference would've have been nice.<br />
<br />
"Any objections to taking a core group of folks in tonight to try to wrap it up?"<br />
<br />
Jungard wanted to take advantage of one of the 10/25 lock mechanics introduced in Cataclysm. A partially cleared 25-Man lock could be downsized to a 10-Man lock.<br />
<br />
"I don't have a problem with it. If Blain and the others are good with it, go ahead. Just...y'know," I cautioned, "try to take people from the 25, eh?"<br />
<br />
"Oh, I <i>only</i> plan on taking from the 25."<br />
<br />
"Did you see the post that Paragon made?" I shot him <a href="https://www.paragon.fi/articles/10-vs-25-comparison" target="_blank">the link</a>.<br />
<br />
"When'd they make this?"<br />
<br />
"Late last night. Break down of the difficulty between 10 and 25."<br />
<br />
"I thought there was no difference?"<br />
<br />
"Your sarcasm isn't lost on me, Young-gard."<br />
<br />
The European-based Paragon was a relatively new world first guild to the raiding scene. They made a name for themselves by being the first guild to down the <a href="http://manaflask.com/world-firsts#wotlk" target="_blank">Lich King in Heroic 25-Man</a>, a major upset to those predicting older, more seasoned guilds like Vodka and Ensidia would maintain the house odds. And Ensidia would have, if it hadn't been for the "<a href="http://eightyearsinazeroth.blogspot.com/2014/05/3-68.html" target="_blank">clever use of game mechanics</a>".<br />
<br />
In Cataclysm, <a href="http://manaflask.com/world-firsts#cata" target="_blank">Paragon beat Method</a> to the full clear of Blackwing Descent, Bastion of Twilight, and Throne of the Four Winds. Now, they'd done it again. Paragon was the first guild to complete a full clear of Heroic: Firelands -- in the same amount of time it had taken us to almost clear Normal. <br />
<br />
In short, there was no better guild than Paragon to provide an educated, thoughtful analysis on raid difficulty.<br />
<br />
"Huh," Jungard commented aloud as he read through Paragon's article, "interesting...they say the first four bosses are pretty much the same. I'd have to agree with that."<br />
<br />
"Keep reading."<br />
<br />
"Baleroc...first noticeable difference. Oh, <i>wow..."</i> He was getting to the good part, "...<i>huge</i> gap in difficulty between 10 and 25 on Majordomo."<br />
<br />
"They claim he's 8-mannable. That’s awful."<br />
<br />
Jungard chuckled quietly, "I liked the comment about how the Sons of Flame are 'made of paper' in 10-Man."<br />
<br />
"In the end, they basically say the 10-Man tuning has more room for error. You can pay less attention to your roster, make more mistakes, but still have the necessary DPS and Heals to power through."<br />
<br />
"That's ironic, considering that's exactly what the 10-Man guilds claim is the reason why their version is <i>more</i> difficult."<br />
<br />
Funny how we end up learning the most from people who have nothing to teach.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UgSyi3Fjwao/VqAJ8zvxehI/AAAAAAAANao/jsyMRgNMk7k/s1600/ragnaros_by_unidcolor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UgSyi3Fjwao/VqAJ8zvxehI/AAAAAAAANao/jsyMRgNMk7k/s320/ragnaros_by_unidcolor.jpg" width="209" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"<a href="http://www.deviantart.com/art/Ragnaros-100646776" target="_blank">Ragnaros</a>"<br />
Artwork by <a href="http://unidcolor.deviantart.com/" target="_blank">UnidColor</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Full Circle</h2>
Across the charred, rocky wastes, over the burning bridge, and through the circular carpeted courtyard, the 25-Man progression team made their way up the staircase and into the heart of Sulfuron Spire. Before us lay a narrow corridor, lined with fiery, rune-adorned columns. A sea of lava stretched out on either side of us, onward and down, past the retaining walls that eventually came to an end. A massive throne room was exposed beyond. The 'corridor' was nothing more than another bridge -- one thin platform keeping us from burning alive.<br />
<br />
After defeating Lava Wielders that pummeled us with more fiery attacks, we moved out of the corridor and down across yet another bridge. This platform, while still decorated with the familiar fiery runes highlighting the internal decor, was even narrower, more precarious, and lacked a banister. Our safety was of little concern to the lord of this realm.<br />
<br />
<div>
We inched our way across this bridge, dispatching miniature versions of Magmaw as they emerged from the molten depths on either side. The raiders cut the fireworms down, sending their carcasses flailing and spasming back down into the boiling magma.<br />
<br />
Familiar eyes watched us the entire time. That same face, a jack-o-lantern pulled from the inferno of Hell, eyes empty and burning, a gaping jaw pulled wide into a devilish grin. The wall of living flame clutched a familiar weapon in his right hand, idling in a defensive animation, as if waiting to squash invading insects. And, as years before, his torso remained submerged, behind the low, dull rumbling sound of fiery tornadoes, intertwined and amplified by the acoustics of the expansive throne room. Those eyes watched us as we worked our way to him, the fires of a million volcanoes, seeking revenge.<br />
<br />
Time (and several expansions of Blizzard expertise) granted Ragnaros greater fidelity. His blackened armor had more depth and majesty; the runes adorning its edges glowed brighter and were more distinguished. And his legendary mace -- perhaps the most recognizable weapon in World of Warcraft to both casuals and hardcores alike -- the titanic spiked hammer, now pulsated with a bright orange plasma which warped and distorted its edges. <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=71352/sulfuras-the-extinguished-hand" target="_blank">Sulfuras, the Extinguished Hand</a>, burned with such colossal intensity that it felt as if a permanent imprint would be left in my monitor, like the shadowy screens of arcade machines long past their final play.<br />
<br />
The moment was thick with nostalgia, and I paused to reflect. The exact moment DoD transformed from "just a group of WoW players" to an official raiding guild is perhaps a matter of contention. Former members might point to the first day we coordinated 40 players in unison, to begin pulling trash in Molten Core. Others might claim the death of Lucifron as an adequate measure of a guild's evolution. Still others might offer up our first kill of Onyxia, challenging the notion that the dragon's mechanics were far more complex than her strategy read on paper, and anyone claiming she was easy to kill hadn't even set foot in her lair.<br />
<br />
For my money, the moment Ragnaros fell was always the defining moment. We overcame the odds of an entire instance, slowly working our way through each boss, while simultaneously grinding out the farming and crafting of fire resistance gear necessary to withstand each molten blow. I don't dismiss Onyxia as one of our first truly great challenges, but it was when Ragnaros fell that all lingering doubt washed away. Onyxia gave us the means to believe in ourselves and that we were capable of being a raiding guild. Ragnaros confirmed it.<br />
<br />
I glanced around the room at the twenty-four players standing next to me in throne room, deep in the bowels of Sulfuron Spire, far away from our initial meeting, deep below Blackrock Mountain. I identified only one player from DoD's 40-man lineup from our kill in February of 2006.<br />
<br />
It wasn't Turtleman, arguably the one of the longest running members of DoD - he hadn't been present for our first Ragnaros kill.<br />
<br />
It wasn't Gunsmokeco or his brother Deathonwings; both had accrued years of tenure in DoD, but neither got to see Ragnaros' defeat by our hand.<br />
<br />
You might guess Blain, but he would join us only a few months later, as we struggled to break ground in Blackwing Lair.<br />
<br />
It was Klocker. The longest running player in the history of DoD, to that point. We each brought new classes to the table today; he, a paladin, and I, a death knight. But, we would always share a spiritual connection, a bond through our respective original mains - shamans. Side-by-side, our chain heals leapt across a mess of names -- names now nearly forgotten, blurred by time.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">[To: Klockerr] Congratulations<br /><br />[From: Klockerr] For?<br /><br />[To: Klockerr] Being the last remaining member of DoD present for both kills of Ragnaros<br /><br />[From: Klockerr] OMG</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dC2dLHJb7eM/VqALR8s4DQI/AAAAAAAANa0/H2Kmt8LS5dA/s1600/pic3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dC2dLHJb7eM/VqALR8s4DQI/AAAAAAAANa0/H2Kmt8LS5dA/s320/pic3.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 25-Man progression team prepares<br />
for their first pull of Ragnaros,<br />
Firelands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Ragnaros II: Ow, That's #%$! Hot</h2>
Ragnaros was split into three phases, sandwiched between two transitions, not unlike his Molten Core incarnation. It began as a traditional tank-and-spank. Blain and Amatsu traded off punitive stacks of fire vulnerability which ate away at their resistance. As the roster pummeled the Elemental Lord of Fire, Ragnaros smashed Sulfuras down onto the platform, sending tri-directional waves of lava outward. Anyone caught in the waves would take massive damage and be thrust backwards toward the entryway.<br />
<br />
New to his arsenal was the magma trap, tossed out to random players throughout phase one. These traps were visible on the platform; once armed, the 25-man raid was directed to stay clear of these traps...<i>mostly</i>. Left unchecked, the platform would soon grow overwhelmed with traps. So, we had to <i>selectively</i> trigger them, clearing only what was necessary to execute our strategy. <br />
<br />
The traps, like Staghelm's phase switch, ultimately rested in our hands. We had to decide what was too much or too little, with thresholds varying widely across the casual-to-hardcore spectrum. Live dangerously: be more aggressive, bring min/maxxed dps and heals, and trust that your roster is extremely self-aware...and you <i>might</i> be able to leave the platform with many traps.<br />
<br />
<i>Might.</i><br />
<br />
Or, opt for containment: take a more cautious approach, measure DPS, prioritize payer safety by clearing more traps from the platform <i>and</i> leave enough time to heal those who sacrifice themselves in the trap's explosion -- and the run the risk of a wipe as the fight drags on.<br />
<br />
Phase one struck a balance that could appeal to both casuals and hardcores, but I suspect the ingenuity of this design went largely underappreciated.<br />
<br />
At 70% health, Ragnaros took a final swing of Sulfuras, burying the head of the spiked mace into the platform and disappearing beneath the lava's surface. Across the entirety of the platform, his familiar Sons of Flame spawned, all slowly moving towards the mace. If any of the fire elementals reached Sulfuras, a supernova of flame would expand out from the massive weapon, striking (and in many cases, killing) all members of the raid. <br />
<br />
Allowing a Son of Flame to break our defense, therefore, was not an option. Every stun, slow and snare we could apply had to be leveraged, and DPS had to be distributed evenly so that no one fire elemental gained an advantage. During set up, Blain and Jungard worked together to examine the raid, splitting groups up accordingly by fanning them out in a crescent shape around Sulfuras' intended point of impact.<br />
<br />
"Phase two positions, just like we rehearsed. Keep the middle open."<br />
<br />
I glanced up from my position to see a Boomkin, frozen in position, directly in the middle of the platform.<br />
<br />
Blackangus' voice was clear in Ventrilo. "Yeah, uh...I think I'm disconnecting."</div>
Shawn Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05110605868875966328noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-24784159529678646582016-01-14T00:00:00.000-07:002016-01-19T08:50:47.507-07:004.56. Practice Makes Purrfect<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VuLN0WUFiDg/Vod6psQt7NI/AAAAAAAANWA/ozHCaO3knqQ/s1600/managers-fall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="193" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VuLN0WUFiDg/Vod6psQt7NI/AAAAAAAANWA/ozHCaO3knqQ/s320/managers-fall.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Managers Fall"<br />
Artwork by <a href="http://eu.battle.net/wow/en/media/fanart/?view=fanart-1099" target="_blank">花狐貂</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Flipology</h2>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">[To: Dichotomy] How you holding up?</span><br />
<br />
Our healing officer, Fred, was playing his shaman on this, the third week into Firelands. His shaman was appearing more frequently, thanks to Deathonwings' continually changing schedule. One week he'd be camping, the next, work would step in the way. It didn't seem like Wings fluctuated as much during Wrath, but it was possible that our healthy bench during Wrath kept his absences from the forefront of my memory.<br />
<br />
Regardless, Fred rolled with the punches, flipping between shaman and paladin as needed -- which was good, because I suspected a trend. Recruitment wasn't looking promising. We continued for weeks without so much as a single ping for more information about the guild. It wasn't entirely clear to me if and how much this weighed on Fred, so I erred on the side of checking in, whispering him as we ran back for our next attempt. It was a way for me to check in, gauge his frame of mind. Let him know he wasn't alone out there.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">[From: Dichotomy] Blain loooooooooooves twelve stacks</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">[To: Dichotomy] He should marry them</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">[From: Dichotomy] lol</span><br />
<br />
Fred wasn't the only one flipping classes to meet the needs of the raid. Blain was now on his warrior, Xane, as one of our two main tanks, and Sarge, who'd been supplying us with Retribution melee damage since Icecrown, had now taken a liking to healing, bringing his restoration druid Arbour to more of our progression raids.<br />
<br />
Beyond a full class swap, some players continued to respec as needed, sometimes between boss kills. This was now pretty commonplace. Wings set that trend back in Wrath, but today, folks like Vexx and Physica were switching from heals to damage (or vice versa) regularly. Even I was giving serious consideration to pulling Kerulak out of retirement, just to ensure our healing bases were covered.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">[To: Dichotomy] 12 stacks is nothing. You got this. Cooldown rotations ftw.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">[From: Dichotomy] Wings doesn't seem to think Spirit Totem works like we think it does.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">[To: Dichotomy] Wings isn't in charge. You are.</span><br />
<br />
Respeccing was especially relevant now...now that Blain was pushing hard, minus the gear. We were working with new healers, like Charcassone the holy paladin, but at the same time, players were switching between mains and partially geared alts, doubling the amount of effort necessary to stay ahead of the game.<br />
<br />
Ironic, considering Blizzard's claim that distinct 10/25 locks in Wrath had us raiding until we were burning out. Instead of running one raid twice, in different sizes, we were now running a raid twice...on different characters.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">[From: Dichotomy] Seems like we're making the same mistakes tho.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">[To: Dichotomy] You know EJ’s first Onyxia kill? Just another night of practice.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">[From: Dichotomy] Yeah?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">[To: Dichotomy] True story. They’d been working on it for weeks. Just practicing all the phases. Polishing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">[From: Dichotomy] That’s really all it is.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rsOqPKuyzV4/VpbL_NlglMI/AAAAAAAANYk/_Z3shA2gfxw/s1600/pic2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rsOqPKuyzV4/VpbL_NlglMI/AAAAAAAANYk/_Z3shA2gfxw/s320/pic2.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amatsu surveys the arena, as the 25-Man prepares to<br />
begin work on Majordomo Fandral Staghelm,<br />
Firelands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
Majodomo Fandral Staghelm</h2>
<br />
The raid extension from the previous week, very necessary for the Alysrazor practice, was reset in favor of collecting a few upgrades while re-acclimating to our Tier 12 challenges. The roster did not disappoint. The night before, Shannox, Beth'tilac, Lord Rhyolith, Baleroc and our fiery bird friend all met their match in the allotted four hours. Sunday, this very day, was free and clear for the next challenge.<br />
<br />
As the 25-Man progression team watched, a bridge formed across the gaping chasm. First, it glowed white like a hot poker, before slowly cooling, its mass thickening as it settled, turning to solidified rock. Its' surface was covered with blackened, charred tiles -- the same molten chips composing many of our smelted enemies.<br />
<br />
As we ran across the bridge, I tilted the camera up to take in the massive flame-like arches. Beyond the bridge lay a royal red carpet, painting the way to a large circular arena. The red carpet carried on past this, up a series of steps, where it then disappeared behind walls. It was near where we lost sight of the continuing carpeted path that we saw a lone Night Elf barring our way.<br />
<br />
I use the term "Night Elf" loosely. Very little of his Kaldorei ancestry remained. Purple flesh tones were replaced with crimson. His formerly green hair was now blood red. And eyes that once glowed with a soft moonwell blue were now on fire.<br />
<br />
He was of a new class of druids, those whose traitorous intentions caused these deformities, twisting inescapably from the fire enclothing them. These Druids of the Flame needed a leader, and the great firelord needed a new second-in-command. Before us, he stood. The Archdruid of the Flame. Six years after laying waste to Majordomo Executus, Descendants of Draenor was about to take on his successor, Majordomo Fandral Staghelm.<br />
<br />
Staghelm's two phases were bound by a gimmick: <i>positioning</i> determined the active phase. Collapse into a tight group, and Fandral shifted into a enormous scorpion that struck with such severity that splitting the damage amongst the raid was a non-negotiable. Spread far apart, however, and Fandral shifted into a fiery feline engulfed in flames. He'd leap across the raid in firekitty form, and both the launch and landing resulted in gifts from the Majordomo. A copy of himself remained at the launch position, a Spirit of the Flame that had to be dispatched. And at the destination, a ring of pulsing flames, forcing all that were near to scatter.<br />
<br />
The longer Fandral stayed in each form, the harder and faster he'd hit. So, yes, it was true that we had control over the phases. But to a limit. Eventually, the Archdruid would force our hand. The question was, as it would be for any raid: <i>how much could we withstand?</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Blain had set that expectation pretty clear, from the get go.<br />
<br />
"Amatsu, go ahead and respec into damage for this."<br />
<br />
Blain's directive caught a few of the raid off-guard with this directive -- our newest pally tank, included.<br />
<br />
"Ok, um...any particular reason why? Am I..."<br />
<br />
"...you're good," Blain stopped him from announcing any shortcomings, "we're just going to one-tank this."<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">[To: Xane] When'd you decide this?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">[From: Xane] Just now</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bmrhNytViBQ/VogMKMqySEI/AAAAAAAANWg/gC7ejuHbTW8/s1600/pic3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bmrhNytViBQ/VogMKMqySEI/AAAAAAAANWg/gC7ejuHbTW8/s320/pic3.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 25-Man progression team poses in front<br />
of the fallen Majordomo Staghelm,<br />
Firelands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
The Night Elf Who Mistook Himself For a Troll</h2>
The giant charred scorpion smashed into Blain.<br />
<br />
"I....uh...yep. Getting hard to keep you up."<br />
<br />
"Quiet. We're going for twelve."<br />
<br />
Fandral trolled the raid in both phases. Scorpion forced us into a tight position, so to mess with that, he debuffed a handful of us with a living-bomb style curse. But not everyone's timer started at the same countdown. If yours was 20 seconds, congratulations...because it was a very real possibility that mine was 5 seconds.<br />
<br />
<i>Look at your debuff. No, seriously...look at it. Now. Look up at it. Register in your mind how much time you have. And leave only when you must.</i><br />
<br />
Every player had their personal responsibility tested. They had to leave the group when only seconds remained. Any sooner would risk joining other players that were leaving at correct intervals. And if too many leave the tight group, spreading too far out across the arena...<br />
<br />
...whoops. Firekitty phase.<br />
<i><br /></i>
Fandral trolled us during the firekitty phase, too. Five fiery orbs spawned along the outer edges of the group. These would stack a DoT on the nearest target, meaning certain members would have to rotate through, sharing Fandral's love. But rotating players through orbs also required discipline, because the very nature of tagging in/out of groups ran the risk of grouping back up...<br />
<br />
...which would take us right back into Scorpion phase.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Every shift from scorpion to firekitty (or back), Majordomo Staghelm gained more strength via Fury, a stacking 8% additional damage buff. But, leave him in one state, and his energy regeneration increased, a stacking boost called Adrenaline. He'd hit faster, and faster, and faster. Eventually, we'd be overwhelmed.<br />
<br />
"That's 10."<br />
<br />
"Spirit Link down. Lexxi's got Barrier on the next one."<br />
<br />
Fred's spirit totem hit the ground, further spreading the already distributed damage to all within the totem's grasp.<br />
<br />
"Barrier ready."<br />
<br />
Eleven stacks of Adrenaline was already pushing it. Guides of the day were directing raiders to break off at eight stacks, though ten was a more likely number to shoot for...if you ran a group of finely tuned raiders.<br />
<br />
Blain wasn't having any of that amateur hour stuff. He pushed the 25-Man as far as they could go, which meant pushing beyond 10, and beyond even 11 stacks of Adrenaline. And when that wasn't enough...he dropped us to one tank: <i>himself</i>.<br />
<br />
The healers had no choice but to rethink their strategy. So, Fred kept them rotating through their biggest cooldowns for the ninth, tenth...and hopefully...eleventh stacks, while we prepared to break and shift at twelve. It was a normal mode, but the healers treated it like a heroic.</div>
<br />
"Tighten up a bit and eat these hits, please."<br />
<br />
"Get ready for 11th...and...<i>now</i>. 11 stacks."<br />
<br />
"Barrier is out."<br />
<br />
A great glowing shell of protective holy magic emerged, surrounding the raid.<br />
<br />
"Ok, get ready. 12th incoming."<br />
<br />
Muscles in my fingers tensed, quivering. Readying for the burst. Blain's health bar flashed like an EKG meter through a patient's cardiac arrest.<br />
<br />
"Hold. Hold….aaaaaand…...go. Spread, spread, spread. Watch for orbs."<br />
<br />
Our opponent took the form of a Night Elf, mocking the raid as he froze us in position for a brief moment. Then, he morphed into a ball of flaming whiskers and claws. Around the outer edges of the map spawned five miniature meteors, firing molten beams out towards various players. Within seconds, the flaming cat leapt across the entire room, targeting a mage.<br />
<br />
"On Goldy. Go!"<br />
<br />
The raid's hustle was palpable. We flayed open the carbon copy of Staghelm, then raced back to the source, burning through as much health as possible before the next leap.<br />
<br />
"I need a partner over here."<br />
<br />
"Who is 'me'? Use your name!"<br />
<br />
The DoT stacked on Littlebear. He needed to tag out.<br />
<br />
"<i>LB</i> needs a partner. North east."<br />
<br />
Speaking in third person, the raid's resident brony spoke up, "Mangetsu to the rescue!"<br />
<br />
"Keep it clear, folks. Collapse after seven...coming up."<br />
<br />
Fandral leapt faster now, pulsing circles of fire left in his wake.<br />
<br />
"That's seven. Move, get in. Get in now."<br />
<br />
The raid collapsed into the center of the circular red carpet, a clue left by the designers. We followed their lead, noting the pattern of Fandral's pulsating pools of flame now dotting the carpet's circumference.<br />
<br />
"Get in tighter, this one's it."<br />
<br />
The 25-Man continued to pour more and more damage into the Archdruid, now back into scorpion form.<br />
<br />
"Watch your bombs. Keep cool."<br />
<br />
Aktauren raced out of the group. A few moments later, Physica raced out in the opposite direction. Fandral's health bar dwindled down to 3%, then 2%, then 1%....and then, nothing remained.<br />
<br />
An enthusiastic cheer filled Vent. Virtual high fives intermixed with insults directed at the defeated Night Elf ended yet another successful night of raiding.<br />
<br />
"Thank you for staying a little over tonight." I glanced at the clock. 7:06 pm. Another famous last pull for history books.<br />
<br />
"And thank you, Blain, for one man tanking this bitch!"<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">[To: Xane] Always the show-off</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">[From: Xane] I prefer 'Tyrant' :)</span>Shawn Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05110605868875966328noreply@blogger.com5