Failure Tuning

Spinks wrote a very thought-provoking article today.  She's discussing gimmicky raids, old content, and learning.  The comments continue the discussion and are definitely worth reading, as some very good points are raised and elaborated on.

I'm not sure there is any one "right" opinion here.  I think I've touched on this issue in various ways before, but the crux of things revolves around what combination, exactly, of boss mechanics make encounters fun.  There are a ton of ways to slice this.  We could look at individual encounters, or take a raid instance as a whole.  We could look at each tier, or each patch, or each expansion.  We could talk in terms of progression raiders, or casual guildies, or true PuGs.  Heck, we don't even have a solid definition of what "gimmicky" means.

The problem is: it's all opinion.  What's fun for one person, may not be fun for another.  The nature of the beast is that in pleasing some people, you're going to lose others.  Yet, there has to be a maximized middle ground.  Hasn't there?

Perhaps the most interesting thought I gleaned from the discussion was that maybe in despairing of simpler encounters, we've mired ourselves in less forgiving bosses that make us even more unhappy.  To some extent, it's the age-old case of "the grass is always greener," but is there a such thing as a healthy mix? 

If I were to complain (and I try to keep that at a minimum), it would be along the lines of what one of the commenters pointed out about "failure tolerance."  It may be that the simple answer is that things have become too finely tuned on the individual.  I would wonder if this doesn't reflect a bunch of 25-man design ideas ported to 10-man groups.  Blizz says they've kept both in mind, but that's an inherently difficult task to begin with.  When things are simply scaled down, you go from a 3 person responsibility, to just one.  You lose forgiveness at the small end of raiding.  Do 25-man groups feel the same pressure to preform?

Maybe instead of simply scaling an encounter and preserving most of the mechanics, some need to simply be lost.  Still, I think this has been done too, and how has it helped?  Is there even a good solution here?  It seems like Blizz has tried a lot of different things.  Perhaps they're just as frustrated as we are, trying to walk the finest line ever drawn in MMO design.

I don't have a good answer here.  I simply agree that I feel frustrated when I can't fill a difficult role though I may have learned the fight, and we're forced to put someone there who is simply trying to learn the basics of it.  I also still feel like raid gearing is too slow, especially given the somewhat overused options (Z's, heroics to some extent).  I don't have a solution there either, though.

Learning, explaining, remembering... they've become the true gimmicks of current encounters.  And I'm not sure there is any digital fix for the human element.  Is it simply that we'd rather be failing to non-human elements than human ones?

QOTD: Legendary Tips

We finally downed our first Firelands boss last night. We had been working on Beth'tilac, but after two weeks of wiping (and much tweaking of strategies), we decided that we just didn't have the gear for it. Beth'tilac is a gear check, and we just weren't getting the adds down fast enough.

Most of us are over 359 average ilevel, but not by a whole lot.  Many have stopped running heroics out of sheer boredom with them.  We try to do a few a week, but we are definitely not capping VP (and we don't require that).  If we were less casual, that average gear level is probably enough. After all, I've seen stories of folks going in with that sort of gear and doing just fine. Being pretty casual, we probably need a bit more gear.  It was doubly frustrating because everyone else seems to think that this fight is cake.  Well, the cake is a lie.  If your group is struggling, feel in good company.

So, in the last half hour, we decided to swap over to Shannox.  The only reason we didn't do him first was because we didn't want to waste a bunch of time clearing the trash to get him to spawn.  We've done enough trash runs that most of the trash no longer gives rep, so there's little drive to do it.  Still, it was time to try another boss.  The hunter's horn sounded thrice, and then... 

We one shot him.  Yeah.  It went something like this:

/Ful starts reading strat over vent
/Shannox pats into range halfway through the reading
/We say "screw it" and pull
/yadda yadda yadda
/Shannox dies

I know, I yadda'ed over the best part.  Well, we killed one dog early.  The second dog we dragged out until Shannox had like 35% health left.  Then, we finished them both off.  We were just sort of winging it with only the vaguest idea of what we were supposed to do, and it worked.

So, I have to say: Shannox is far easier than Beth'tilac... especially if you're not high on the gear curve.

The side effect of an unexpected one-shot is that we got out first chance to see one of the BoP embers needed for the caster Legendary.  As one might guess, we found ourselves ill-prepared to deal with it.  I don't know if you've ever been in a casual raid group before, but it's been my experience that whenever something special like this drops, there's this moment of mini-panic where everyone is thinking "oh shit, now what do we do."

You see, casual folks tend to have a wide array of different opinions when it comes to gearing.  And Legendaries can cause guild-stress even for the prepared.  It's just one of the truths of the game.

Fortunately, rational heads prevailed and after a few moments of collective flailing, we had it narrowed down to three people who both wanted the opportunity (not everyone wants the responsibility... you're pretty much saying you'll be there for every raid and then some) and could make good use of the resulting item.  The three rolled and, well, yours truly came out on top.  So, if our ragtag guild somehow manages to construct the Legendary, I will get it.

I'm super-psyched about this.  I don't think I've ever had a shot for anything cool in the many years I've played this game.  Generally, there hasn't been a whole lot unique and cool for casters, but also I've never been in a position where it was really possible.  I hesitate to get too excited, because actually being able to do this is a long way off, and could never happen, but it feels nice to even have the chance.  I've been a dedicated guildy for a lot of years now, and my current guild-mates are some of my very best friends, so though they may give me crap about it... I'm thankful nonetheless.

Which brings me to my question of the day.  Now that I have a shot at the Legendary... does anyone have any tips?  Is there anything I can do to be ready for it?  Are there any other Warlocks out there rocking this bad boy?

An Exit Strategy

Harrison cracks the door, peeking out into the cool Ramkahen night. Valentis stands resolute on the windward side, staring anxiously back.

"A moment?" he asks.

Harrison glances behind him.  The room is clear, so he widens the door.  Decedereful has fled to the back room.

Valentis strides into the room and removes his hat.  He glances around as if seeing the club for the first time.  Finally, placing a hand on the back of a chair, he turns to find Harrison regarding him.

"I do apologize for the lateness of my call, but I'm afraid it couldn't be helped," the Gilnean says.

Harrison nods, but says nothing.

"Mr. Jones... there is something we need to discuss."  Valentis twists his hat nervously in his hands.

"All right, then."

Valentis sets the hat on the table.  "I've gotten the gen that you're the man to ask about some papers of great value to me."

Harrison shrugs.  "And if I am?"

"How much do you want for them?"

Harrison frowns.  "Even if I had these papers, what makes you think they are for sale."

Valentis smiles.  "Everything is for sale in Ramkahen, Mr. Jones."

Harrison's eyes stray toward the door in the back.  "Not everything."

It is at that moment that they both notice that jacket thrown across an adjacent table.  A long moment of silence stretches as they both stare at it, Valentis in curiosity and Harrison in horror.  The Gilnean's eyes rise to meet Harrison's.  They seem to soften.

"Mr. Jones," Valentis begins after a moment, "I know a good deal more about you than you suspect.  I know, for instance, that you're in love with a woman."

Valentis pauses, but Harrison betrays nothing. 

"It is perhaps a strange circumstance that we both should be in love with the same woman," he continues.  Harrison's eyes widen, but Valentis barrels on.  "The first evening I came to this club, I knew there was something between you and Dece.  Since no one is to blame, I-I demand no explanation.  I ask only one thing."  His eyes burn with sincerity.  "You won't give the papers to me: all right.  But I want my fiancee to be safe.  I ask you as a favor.  Use the papers to take her away from Ramkahen."

Harrison cocks his head.  "You love her that much?"

Valentis smiles sadly.  "Apparently you think of me only as the leader of a cause.  Well, I'm also a human being.  Yes, I love her that much."

Harrison turns away.  His mind reels.  He needs a moment to digest the new information.  A saunter over to retrieve the wayward jacket fills the time.  He folds it neatly and places it on the bar.  It smells like her.

"Let's say I can help in the way you ask," Harrison says.  "Then what?"

"There is a plane, Gnomish, leaving tomorrow night," Valentis confides.  "The papers will get Dece and a companion safely into Stormwind.  It launches from the flats north of Ramkahen."

"I know the place," Harrison says.  He has been witness to other flights under cloak of darkness.  "I shall have to procure these papers, but I believe I can have them by tomorrow."

"That is all I can ask, Mr. Jones."  Valentis picks his had back up.  "I am most grateful."

Harrison waves a hand.  "You just make sure she's there."

"I will," Valentis replies as he moves to the door.  "You can be certain of that."  He opens the door.  "Good night, Mr. Jones, and thank you."

Harrison nods as the man slips out, his mind churning.

QOTD: Meaningful Decrease is Meaningful?

Is there such a thing as "too much" meaning? I've been paying only divided attention to the information coming out about the whole Deathwing patch thing. After all, I still have plenty to do in the current raiding patch. We've yet to down our first boss.

Still, one of the things I keep seeing repeated is the following line:

"The next expansion should be released with a "meaningful difference" in the release timeline compared to previous expansions."

Maybe it's just me, but when I read this, several red flags go off in my head.

First of all, we're getting the Deathwing patch already.  Doesn't that seem fast to anyone?  I hardly feel like we've gotten rolling.  I suppose I expected to visit other elemental planes first.

I keep seeing comparisons to Ulduar.  Shouldn't we be making comparisons to ICC?  Isn't this raid supposed to be this expansion's ICC?  We're basically going, Naxx (The three initial raids), Uld (FL), no ToC, ICC (Deathwing).  Does anyone else feel like we're missing a step?  Not that the ToC step will be all that missed, but it did sort provide a chance to catch our breath and set up for ICC.  I wouldn't it mind it sped up, but having fully expected "steps" removed bugs me. 

Maybe that's an unfair comparison though. 

Another red flag is that they keep strongly hinting that we're going to get another expansion a lot sooner than in years past.  I think it's pretty safe to assume that they mean to announce it at Blizzcon and then perhaps release it next year.  That's almost a full year early.

Does that mean we're going to get a break on price?  Before, I was paying a large amount of money (in addition to a monthly fee) for (essentially) two years of content.  I'm okay with that, but is it fair to the consumer to expect them to pay the same amount for essentially one year of equivalent content (on top of a monthly fee), with no real explanation (other than: hey, faster is better, right?)?  At what point is this worrisome?

I'm not usually one to cry wolf around here.  I don't really like to complain about being "nickle and dimed" or anything, because I've generally felt like we've gotten good value for what we pay.   Lately, however, the cost per hour seems to be going up.  Drastically.  A strategic change like this would represent a 100% increase in expansion pricing. 

Maybe they plan to give a discount, though.  Or give some bonus, neat swag with the purchase (discounting the swag-free digital release, since isn't that just another patch?).  Maybe the quality will be completely superb, even better than we've become to expect (however, I think one could make a valid case that quality has been declining.  Still great, but perhaps a bit of a slide from what once was).  

At what point should red flags be waving?

I only ask because I've not see this asked elsewhere.  We all seem to be taking this projected news in stride without blinking an eye.  I'm not trying to be a cranky old-timer here, I just think I have some valid concerns about what seems to be a major paradigm shift.  Change can be good, but I'm always wary of it.  I'm willing to adapt and I'm not going to sit here and glorify the olden days, but when something is wrapped up with a "this is what you want" package, I find myself having to ask:

Is it really?

You tell me.  Surely, this has piqued other minds. 

Another Tequila Monday

I wish I had tequila. Instead, I'm in the office, doing officey things. By that, I mean day-dreaming about killing giant spiders.  (And humming Eagles tunes).  Here are some random, unrelated things to consider:

• Hot Topic 1: Threat.  I have no feelings about this either way.  I can see both sides of the coin here.  For me, it gives me something to needle Fuu about.  "You got 300% threat and I'm still pulling aggro!"  Course, I was in demon form with immolation aura, shadowflame dot ticking, and ROF'ing all over the place.
• Hot Topic 2: Trans-googly-moogly.  That stuff wherein you may change the look of your gears (presumably to be implemented with 4.3).  I generally feel positive here.  It's a neat option and I think it'll actually lead to a greater diversity of looks out there.  Aion had this, and it made things visually interesting as toons tended to reflect the tastes of the player more than simply boasting end-game gear.  For every run-of-the-mill tier set, you'll likely have a pirate with an eye-patch.  Or the Monopoly guy (as a Gnome of course).
• My Topic 1: Demo vs Affliction.  We're getting to the point in the game where I start running as Demo at least 50% of the time.  This generally happens when I feel comfortable with Affliction and simply want the change of pace.  The major difference between the two?  I feel like Demo is still more forgiving.  It was rocky when they first did the talent revamp, but it seems like the Demo rotation has been slowly ironed out.  With Demo being raid viable too, it really gives me an interesting choice.  On nights when I RL (and thus do subpar DPS because my focus is divided), Demo might be there better option.  I feel like with Affliction, you either play hardcore or not at all.  DPS drops off sharply if you're not playing well.  With Demo, the "minimum" (if you will) is set a bit higher.  That's just a personal observation though.
• My Topic 2: I hate, hate, hate that one change to DK's where our frosty thing has a cast time.  SEE! I can't even remember its name now because of how little I use it (Hungering Cold).  I used to love that spell, but now it's pretty much worthless in PvP.  Or, at least, not nearly as dependable as it once was.

That is all.  Take it easy.  It is Monday, after all.

Caught in a Storm

It is the following evening, several hours after closing that Harrison sees her again.  Decedereful and her fiancee had been curiously absent all night, but now she sneaks in through the front doors.  She peers behind her as if worried of pursuit, and then resolutely shuts and locks the door.

Harrison stands frozen in the midst of wiping down the bar.  He had already sent the help home, and was simply finishing up a few last chores.  When she turns and spears him with her beautiful blue eyes, she freezes like cornered animal.  There is something wild about her appearance, and it serves only to enhance her ravishing beauty.

She wears a long jacket, having just removed the wide brimmed hat from her head and letting her dark hair spill out over her shoulders.  Moments ago, before she'd spun around, Harrison might have thought her one of Renault's henchmen, come to pay him an unsavory night's visit.  Instead, one look at her chases all thoughts of self-preservation from his mind.

His face remains impassive.  He watches as Decedereful gathers her courage and approaches him across the club.  When she nears, she slips the jacket from her shoulders and drapes it over a chair.  The dress she wears beneath is enough to set Harrison's blood on fire.  His heart thumps painfully against his chest, and he struggles to stay calm.  She continues forward until she stands before him, regarding him with burning, doe-eyes.  Harrison keeps the counter between them.

"Why did you come back?" Harrison asks.  "To tell me why you ran out on me at the railway station?"

A look crossing her beautiful face.  "...Yes."

"Well, you can tell me now.  I'm reasonably sober."  Harrison replaces several full bottles to the area he'd just been wiping.

"If I am to be honest with you, you must promise me something," Dece says.

"What is that?"  Harrison asks.

"That you ask no questions of me that I cannot answer," Dece replies.

"No questions, then.  Okay."

There is a pause as she gathers herself.

"I would not have returned," she says, "would not have chanced causing you even the smallest hurt, were the situation not dire.  Valentis, he needs to get out of here if he is to continue his work.  And it's important work, you know that, Harrison."

Harrison nods, but says nothing and crosses his arms.  Her eyes contain nothing but sincerity.

Decedereful continues, "As it is, I come to you because of the love we once shared, the love that still burns deep within me, in the hopes of eliciting your help."  She smiles.  "When I left the Lost City-"

"I wouldn't bring up the Lost City if I were you.  It's poor salesmanship," Harrison interrupts.

The smile melts away and she takes a deep breath.  "Leaving you was the hardest thing I've ever done.  Please, believe that.  And now it seems that fate has brought me back to you.  I'm not the same girl that you knew, but I love you all the same.  These times make for complicated situations."

Harrison can no longer stand it.  "Who are you really, and what were you before?  What did you do and what did you think, huh?"  It is obvious a war rages inside of him.

Decedereful shakes her head.  "We said no questions."

Harrison frowns and lifts a clean glass, "...Here's looking at you, kid."

Decedereful smiles.  Like a cat stalking her prey, she moves smoothly around the end of the bar to join Harrison on his side.  She steps in close.  Harrison peers down into the face he once loved so well.  His features soften.

"I'm sorry for asking.  I forgot we said no questions," he says.

"Well, only one answer can take care of all our questions."

Decedereful rises up on her toes and pulls his head in, kissing him.  Their lips mingle as words flee.  The room swirls in Harrison's vision as he loses himself.  He brings one hand up on her smooth, cold back, pressing her into him.  Her fingers worm down into his hair, gripping as if her life depended on it.

A knock pulls them apart.

"Does anyone know you are here?" Harrison asks breathlessly.  His first thought is of henchmen, and that perhaps he's put Dece in danger.

"No.  No one," she replies.

Harrison disentangles himself and approaches the door.  The knock sounds again.

"Who is there?" Harrison says in a loud voice.

"Valentis," comes the muffled reply.

Harrison turns to find Decedereful with a look of panic on her face.  And also, perhaps, just the slightest hint of something else.  Harrison despairs to name it, but cannot deny it.

Shame.

Writing Contest? I need your help!

Tanking! And threat! And MOAR TANKING!

Okay, that's all I'm going to say about that.  Shows you how much I care about the recent change that seems to be on the tips of everyone's fingers.  I don't really play a tank, and I've never really had a problem moderating my own threat so as not to get myself killed.  Admittedly, I don't go back and run dungeons with PuGs at a high level of gear.  I generally have a well-geared tanking familiar with me (my wife).  Fuu might have some opinions about this... maybe I'll prod her to come back and write.  I know y'all miss her.

No, what I want to mention today is the Writing Contest that Blizzard announced.  I have an admission to make.  I've never entered a writing contest before.  I can't really say why.  Most of it is probably due to laziness.  Also a lack of confidence in my own work.  I've never thought of myself as award-winning.  I just like telling stories.  I'm no Hemingway.

Yet, a lot of you have given me strongly positive feedback.  It's been great for those black days many writers have (wherein all that is, was, and can be... is crap).  It's gotten me thinking: maybe I should be considering the contest.  If nothing else, it could be fun.

As I was contemplating what I might write, or what I might possibly be able to submit, I began to despair again.  I have 112 marked IC Friday posts, and I lovehate them all.  Yes, lovehate is a word.  I think it's the closest a Warlock gets to true love.

In any case, I figured I'd turn to you, fair readers.  Has anything I've written in the WoW universe stuck out to you?  Would it make a good submission?  Now, the word guideline calls for 2500 - 7500 words.  My single posts are nowhere near that.  Thus, we'd be looking for a string of maybe 5 posts that told a neat story.

So, I figured I'd make you guys a deal.  You pick the posts, and I'll do whatever else needs to be done to pretty them up and submit them to Blizz.  If we win, we'll throw a cake party or something.  If no-one one comes up with anything, that's fine too.  I'm not sure what I write translates well to contests anyhoo.  Entertaining? Yes.  Hemingway?  No.  No biggy.

I just wanted to put this out there for kicks and giggles.