Are You Not Entertained?

I went ahead and signed on for the Annual Plan this weekend. It was pretty simple. Reminded me a lot of signing that stupid two-year agreement with my cell phone carrier. You still pay however you want (per 6 months for me), you're just "obligated" to continue paying until the end of the contract period.

The concept has never really bit me in the arena of cellular devices, and I don't really expect it to in WoW.  Even with SW:TOR, Skyrim, and AC: Revelations (to name the three games I'm most interested in this holiday season), I will still likely being logging into WoW a couple times a week for raiding and PvP stuffs.  I'll also probably run the occasional holiday boss. 

Really, if you figure I play WoW 2-3 hours a week at worst (which isn't very much), it's about equivalent to going on a cinematic adventure (see a movie).  Those cost what, $10-$12 now?  That's about what WoW runs me per month, so I'd still say it's an entertainment deal.  Incidentally, books run me about the same as WoW.  I'll consume the latest George R.R. Martin novel in about a month.  Game of Dragons (I call them all Game of x, because I find it humorous to do so) cost me $15 in ebook form.

My value judgement is always going to be firmly based in "hours of entertainment per dollar."  Gaming has generally been a great investment.  Books as well.  Movies... well, we usually wait for HBO to pick them up and the sub there is worth it too.  I would only contemplate leaving WoW of the hE/$ falls below my persoanl threshold.  And I'm still well above it, even during my most casual periods.  Throw in a content patch, expansion, or fun even... that time goes up.

Speaking of Martin's Game of Games Series (Song of Fire and Ice), you fans out there may be interested to hear about our Halloween costumes.  Fuu and I went as the Lannister twins.  She even got a blond wig (my hair was Jaime-like enough as-is... though I did grow it out for the month).  Pretty hilarious if you ask me.

We'll probably scare the parents more than the kids...

Happy Halloween

Hallow's Eve. The most warlocky holiday. I think I'll put on Valentis's top hat and go as a Gilnean. I'll fly around on my magical broomstick, spooky lamp in tow, and yell: "'Ello Gov'ner!" And I'll kill some mages. I don't care what they say... Sheep is NOT a costume.

Watch your back or I'll throw a pumpkin on your head.  Or turn you into a ninja.  Or a pirate.  And my pet will eat your pet.  But it's all in good fun, right?

(Besides, this is the one holiday where I have a good excuse to get my wife to dress up like one of those Silvermoon elves. /wink.)

Have a great holiday, everyone.  Don't beat up on the Headless Horseman too much.  He's really a good guy after you shard his soul a couple hundred times.

On second thought, who needs a top hat?  I look fellin good already.

QotD: Are You Taking The Year Sub?

There have been some good comments on my initial thoughts post the other day, some of them regarding the "Year Sub" deal Blizz is offering.  Mostly, I've seen folks talking about the motivations behind the deal, what it means, why they're doing it, etc... but not whether or not the writers are going to actually take it.  So I wanted to open it up... irregardless of the reasons behind the deal, are you taking the sub?

I probably will.  I've not interrupted my WoW service for, what, four years now?  What's one more.  And I get a free game to boot.  I wasn't planning to play Diablo (just have never really gotten into the series), but why not?  I've paid my way through content lulls before, so that doesn't really scare me.  I mean, how would it be any worse than any other summer right before an expansion?  Besides, there's still plenty that my guild has left to do.

On the flip side, if I wasn't able to play with all my friends, I might have second thoughts.  I suppose I could analyze it and worry that this means Blizz is going to completely ignore WoW until the xpac comes out, effectively creating the worst lull we've ever weathered.  It could well mean that I'm paying for sub-par customer service.

Let's be honest, though.  Hasn't Blizz always sort of set the standard.  Haven't they been above average consistently?  So even if they were to drop, might it be merely to "average," which is still pretty decent.  I guess my overriding feeling is: How bad could it get?  Seriously.  Toss the ethics or theories aside for a moment.  How bad would it be for you, personally, in your chosen game-play style.

I would wager there are two sorts of folks.  The kind that will cancel and re-sub as they feel the content merits, and the kind that simply pay another monthly bill and don't think of it too much.  I'm more of the latter.  Does this really affect my type of player?  Is it really enough of an enticement for the former type to give up their autonomy?  I wonder how many people it will swing.

Let me know what you think... not about why they're doing this, but rather, if taken on face value, who this is for.  Who will it sway?  Who will it remain unmoved?

#Blizzcon - Initial Thoughts

Yep, I'll jump on the bandwagon here and give my thoughts. Why not? I will offer one disclaimer: since I neither attended Blizzcon nor have access to the official sites at work (where I'm writing this), I'm depending on secondhand sources for my information. If it's wrong, feel free to tell me about it in email. I'll likely be delighted to know better.  That being said, here we go.

On the Annual Pass
As I understand it, you get perks for paying for a full year of WoW.  One of those perks is a free Diablo 3 copy.  I've heard some call this "desperation."  I don't agree.  I see it as rewarding loyal customers.  I didn't plan to play Diablo 3 (I've never been into the Diablo series), but I probably will now.  And maybe I'll fall in love with the series and play future/past iterations.  Sounds like a win-win.  Plus it gives you more value for your money.  Always a good decision.

On PvE Arenas
I'm sorry.  I mean challenge dungeons and scenarios.  I already wished for this here.  My big desire is to have something that can be completed in a half hour to progress bit by bit.  Dungeon length is to variable to be enjoyable.  I want to be able to sit down with a half hour of play time and accomplish something that can help me in my casual raiding.  It seems Blizz has heard this cry.  Awesome.  Maybe they read me. :-P

On the Talent Re-revamp
Didn't we just do this?  Oh, you want a do-over, Blizz.  I get it.  Ah, hell.  Go for it.  I hear you're going to do some funny shit to warlocks.  Like making soul shards interesting (where have we heard that before).  Best of luck.  I won't say I'm overly excited.  What's to say you don't botch it again?  Still, if you get it right, it should be pretty cool.  I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt here, Blizz.  Just don't hang yourself with the rope.

Want a good look at the proposed Warlock changes?  Check out Poneria here.  I'll reserve judgement until we actually get closer.  Also, there's apparently a talent calculator already.  I'm somewhat impressed that they have this much of the next expansions already developed. 

On Pandas
I wonder how silly they'll look.  If done well... could be fun.  I love the idea of a race where you get to choose which faction to join.  People are sort of throwing the baby out with the bathwater here when it comes to Pandaria.  There are a lot of good ideas tied up in this cute and cuddly proposal.  Monk class?  Yes, please.  I don't see how pandas are any worse/better than space goats, and we got used to those.  Or at least I did. 

On Pokemon, WoW Edition
The Pokemon games remain insanely popular among some circles.  This is just another example of Blizz taking the good parts of other games and making it their own.  It's not really for me, and I'll probably never get into it... but why not?  I'm sure there will be some hardcore collectors out there.  The only issue I see: what happens during orphan week?  Orphan Thunderdome?  Or if you have two chickens?  Are we really talking Blizz sanctioned cock fights?  There's some awkwardness here, though I don't have an issue with the idea.

Unrelated
In something completely unrelated (and non-WoW), but I feel I want to pass on, here is a pretty controversial subject that John Patricelli (BBB) wrote about recently.  Incidentally, I'm in exactly the same position as he is.  I'm a church-going Catholic Christian.  That's my label.  But that label does not adequately reflect my beliefs.  John does a better job of that.  Just sayin'.  View at your own peril, but I thought it worth passing on.  Sometimes we all need to take a deep breath and look at the bigger picture, which is what John has always been great at doing; putting it in perspective.

But enough about that.  Enjoy your Panda Party.  I'll hold my e-tongue until some more of these details get solidified.  For now, these are my thoughts.

More Like The Warlocky Crate

Fulguralis and Fuubaar lounged on the back porch of the manor. They sipped large mugs of dwarven stout, while watching the sun bronze over, and then bleed down into the horizon. Long shadows chased a myriad of critters around the yard. The warlock had taken great pains enticing all the squirrels, rabbits, and other cute woodland creatures with delicious nuts and berries scattered around the property.

Next to Fuubaar hovered a black feline, bobbing on a levitating broomstick.  The paladin gazed at her familiar, and smiled warmly.  "Isn't it so cute?" she asked.

Fulguralis nodded with a smile of his own.  "It is, honey."

She tossed it a treat, and it purred loudly.

"What a wonderful evening," Fuubaar announced, gazing contentedly on the scene.  "It's so peaceful.  So many of the adventurers are away at a 'con' - whatever that is - that it's up to use to feed and nurture the critters."

"Mmmhmm," Fulguralis agreed.  "All of the cute little critters."

"I'm so glad I was able to get this pet, too.  And to think, all that nice vendor wanted was a bagful of candy."

"I got a pet, too," Fulguralis said suddenly.

"You did, honey?" Fuubaar turned to her husband.  "That's great!"

"Yeah, I had to solve a murder-robbery in order to recover a powerful artifact, but forensic evidence - and a little old-fashion sleuthing - led me right to it."  The warlock shrugged.  "It was pretty easy."

"Wow, that sounds intense.  What was the artifact?"

"A crate."

Fuubaar scrunched up her face in disbelief.  "A crate?"

"Yeah, pretty silly to hatch a huge, involved plot in order to retrieve a simple crate."

"I'll say,  So who was behind it?"

"Some insane mage."

"Did you return it to him?"

Fulguralis laughed.  "Help a mage?"

"Yeah, you're right.  Stupid question," Fuubaar replied.  "So what did you do with it?"

Fulguralis smiled.  "Well, I was going to return it to this archaelogy dude, but it appears the thing has taken a liking to me."  The warlock turned around.  There was a small crate sitting behind his chair.  "Haven't you, buddy?" he cooed.

The crate rattled in reply.

"All right.  Dinner time," Fulguralis announced.

Fuubaar gave a startled cry as the crate bounded off the porch.  It settled near a bush.  Eventually, curiosity got the better of a squirrel, and it approached to sniff warily at the box.  The critter was there one moment, and gone the next, snatched into the box by a long, pink tongue.  They heard a muffled squeak from inside, and then, silence.

Fuubaar turned to her husband.  "Gee, I can't imagine why," she said dryly.

PvP for PvEers: Get Out Of The MUCK

Cynwise left a comment on Monday, encouraging a list of the things I've noticed from mingling with players newer to the PvP scene.  At first, I thought I was going to be able to put together a simple list of concrete "moves."  The problem I quickly ran into, and one veteran PvPers can attest to, is that there really aren't a set of moves that always work.  More accurately, PvP might be described as having "seasons."

Yeah, I know, Blizzard already does the season thing.  But I'm not talking about those seasons.  I'm talking about the way the balance of PvP ebbs and flows.  Like the tide.  Or, like our seasons.  We have a spring, summer, fall, winter... and then get right back around to spring.  Certain moves that are good in the spring will net you death in the fall.  And you don't want to be wearing your summer armor in the midst of winter.  Brrr!

PvP is all about adaptation.  More than anything else, you have to be flexible.  You can't really hone in on a rotation, because as soon as you do, someone will figure out a way to counter it.  Sure, certain combinations work, but the better they work, the more quickly we'll devise a counter-strategy.  Such is the way of PvP life that I think is totally different from PvE.  After all, in PvE, the only thing that alters playstyle is the changes made by the Devs.  In PvP, you have that still, sure, but you also have the adaptation of the playerbase.

Look no further than resilience as a prime example of this.  Originally, it was a very good stat (spring).  Then, it got too good (summer), so they nerfed it (fall).  Finally, resilience gear started being eschewed for raid gear, since it wasn't such a great stat.  It got buffed, and we're right back around in spring.

Some of that is due to Blizzard's manipulations, but some of it is also due to the player base.  Originally, when resilience didn't really affect DoTs, what did we do?  Bring on the DoTs!  Blizz, said "hey, wait a minute" and changed things.  A large number of Blizzard's decisions in PvP can probably be traced back to a group of people "exploiting" weaknesses.  And I don't mean exploit like "cheating," but rather, it's simply part of PvP.  You should always be looking for an edge.  That's just good competition.

So, really, knowing a set of "moves" is a passing advantage.  If you've PvPed for years, chances are you use completely different moves now than you did a year ago, and not all of them are because something is "better."  More likely, it's simply "different."  There are, however, strategies that you pick up through the course of PvP that separate a veteran from a newbie.  They just aren't as concrete as you might think.  So after giving this a lot of thought, I've attempted to condense my feelings on PvP Lessons, or "stuff you pick up," into four neat categories... with an easy to remember acronym: MUCK.  As in, you won't muck up your RBG group if you have learned these things.  Otherwise, you make me pull out my mucking hair.

• Make Your Life Count - Or, if you prefer: Give it Meaning.  Perhaps the biggest frame of mind tick I find from PvE folks dabbling in PvP is an overemphasis on living.  Dying in PvP is Not A Big Deal.  Let me say that again.  Dying in PvP is No Biggy.  Sometimes, dying can even be strategic.  Use death as a teleport.  Make your life count.   Charge into that group of 5 guys, AoE CC them in some way, plop an AoE on the flag... and then bite it.  If you do it right, you can buy precious seconds for your team to respond.  Or maybe they hit somewhere else while the enemy is distracted.  Very simply, you have infinite lives.  Use them!  Make them count!
• Use the Terrain - In PvE, I know those rocks are, at best, a pretty piece of scenery.  At worst, and annoyance.  In PvP... they're a shield!  The can block casts and/or hide your from unfriendly eyes.  Duck behind the shack.  Avoid peaks of hills and return the flag through the valleys.  Terrain can be you friend in PvP, pay attention to what works, and try to see it from your enemies point of view.  If you don't use the terrain, I guarantee your enemy will.
• Cast Control - (Cue up a certain Prince song).  But seriously, don't blow everything you've got right up front.  Then you're left, well, impotent, and no one wants that.  A big part of PvP is knowing when to use your spells.  Do we back load our CC?  Should we go for a cleave?  In PvE, as a DPSer especially, you grow used to going all out ALL THE TIME.  The only choice is when to pop heroism or that one really long cooldown your class has.  In PvP, you'll be using a lot of utility spells that are on shorter cooldowns.  Make sure you control yourself.  Use them at the correct time and save us all a lot of embarrassment.
• Know the Big Picture - One of the first things I try to get newbie PvPers to do is turn on the battlefield mini-map.  That's the on you get by pressing shift-m (if you haven't changed the default keybind for it).  I don't know how people PvP without this.  It's like being blind.  The BMM shows you all the objectives, who holds them, and where all your team members are.  It will also show you the flag carriers, though the EFC only if you can actually see them (if they're following "U" above, then they may not show up right away).  You will take your game to the next level with this one simple step.  When we started our RBG, I had people wonder "how does he know where I am?"  I was, after all, across the map fighting at a different node.  It was like, "Duh, battlefield map... oh you don't even know about it? B'whaa?"  It is absolutely crucial that you know not only what's going in your neck of the woods, but also in the entire forest.  That is, if you want to be a woodsmen.  Terrible metaphor aside... Know what the muck is going on!

That's it.  Those are my four.  They represent a larger view of some of the most glaring things I've seen.  I would call these things "the basics."  Yet, for PvE players, I don't think a lot of this comes naturally.  To some extent, they're things I've taken for granted after years of PvP.  When I encounter someone mucking up, my initial reaction is one of bewilderment and anger.  How could you not know these basic concepts?  But that's probably not fair.  If you've not PvPed regularly, you've probably not picked up this stuff.  They're just not all that important in PvE.

PvE folks, you know how to gear.  You know how to press buttons in a semi-sequential order for maximum effect.  You even know how to avoid the bad.  There are a lot of transferable skills.  These four, however, I think you need to learn.  At least, if you don't want to annoy a muck-head like me.

Cyn's Tips: Corpse Running

Quick one this Monday.  Cynwise talks briefly (for him) about corpse running in battlegrounds.  Since we've put together our own fledgling Rated BG team, I've been on the lookout for the little things that differentiate a PvP player from a PvE player.  The majority of our team is PvE players that are trying out PvP (some for the first time).  It's something I've done for a long time now, and I'm realizing there are a lot of small things that you just don't learn in PvE.

Off hand, things like when to use CC and how to use terrain to your advantage come to mind.  A lot of these are things I do naturally now, that I never really realized I picked up.  When one of my guildies doesn't do it, I have a mini-WTF moment before I realize: they just don't know.  It's amazing sometimes to step back and reflect how different the two aspects of the same game can really be.  They honestly require a whole different skill-set, IMO.

Anyway, Cyn's explanation of corpse running is a good one.  It's something I could use to get better at as well.  I've only really done it in randoms in order to avoid someone GY camping.  It's never really occurred to me in the RBG's, though it should because the rez timer is so much longer there.  Also, with the return to GY button, there's really not a downside.  Tick off the timer in your head as you run, and return if it looks like you're not going to gain an advantage.  I mean, why not?

So check it out.  Share it with your team.  Go forth, and prosper.  (And all that junk.)