M. R. Pugs
A. R. Not
O. S. A. R. C. M. Phail?
L. I. B.
M. R. Pugs
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Blackbear Who?
So when did it all start out? What was the reason I started playing WoW (World of Warcraft)? Well, it actually started before WoW was even created. My very first mmorpg I ever played was called: U.O. (Ultima Online). I’ve enjoyed playing video games for a long time. Actually, my very first video game was Pong! Well, I guess I’ve given away a hint about my age. I’ve never actually enjoyed rpg’s (role-playing games) that much. Most that I tried out were always boring to me. And initially, I thought that U.O. was no different. I’ve tried earlier versions of Ultima prior to the U.O. game. In my opinion, big on content, not much on actual game play. But, oddly enough, the person that convinced me to try out U.O. was an older gentleman that I worked with in a good-sized machine shop. I seriously couldn’t believe it! Here was a guy; his youngest son was away at college. He was a grandfather. And he is an avid U.O. player! How ridiculous! But, as he explained to me, I started to realize that he’s not at all interested in the content, he likes to play against other players, also known as pvp (player-vs-player.) Not knowing much about online games in general, much less the jargon, I asked him how it worked. I became intrigued as he explained to me the mechanics behind the game and how he and his “guild” pvp. I’m not a big fan of rpg’s in general, but the team-play pvp aspect of this game caught my attention. So, I decided to give it a shot. I’m fairly certain that there was a ‘free-trial run’ for a limited amount of online time; otherwise I probably would not have bothered. But, as I began to play the game a little at a time a picture of this game started to form. I realized this game has an enormous “world” to explore. There’s quite a lot that I need to learn very quickly if I want to be successful at this game. And, online geeks are still geeks. I use that term (“geek”) with no meanness. In fact, it wouldn’t bother me at all if someone else considered me the same. But, back to geek-dom; one of the first encounters I had with my player and another online player was – awkward. I was learning how to operate my character, understanding just simple game mechanics such as movement, and I was approached by another player. Not knowing what to say I typed “Hi” in chat. The player responded, “Hail, friend! And well met!” I laughed and replied, “Male, phlegm! And Snackwells!” It did occur to me that the same type of individuals that: enjoy wearing rubber “Spock” ears, know all about the practical applications of in-game spell crafting, and can verify the “technical” data of most dragons in the world, would also play this game. But, I soon found out, that U.O. had a wide range of people that enjoy playing it. There was Thaddeus, the mage, a step-father, electrician, and maintenance supervisor and one of my earliest “online friends” in the game. Also, Morbus, the warrior, with his heavy “from-da-Bronx” accent, a retail salesman and leader of one of the guilds I eventually became a part of. And of course, my co-worker, Otheo, a treasure hunter and real-life fellow machinist.
It was another co-worker, several years after I quit playing U.O. that introduced me to the World of Warcraft game. I knew just a little about this game. When the first WoW game released, I decided against trying to participate. At the time, the computer I had was low-end and probably could only barely manage to operate the game. I was familiar with the Warcraft games and thought of the mmorpg version as a phony “knock-off” of the original. I said, “That game’s only there because Blizzard wants to make money off of a monthly membership subscription fee.” Indeed, from the massive member subscription base that Blizzard now boasts (11 million + subscribers,) it would be hard to argue against that point. Additionally, by the time I stopped playing U.O., I became fed-up with the mmorpg experience. It’s important to remember that U.O. had many unexpected side effects from “in-game” mechanics. Severe exploitive problems with “bots” that gather in-game resources or duplicate them and the subsequent problems with in-game economy caused by that, issues with in-game social interaction, an aging gaming platform, and a perceived standoff-ish approach by Origin towards dealing with these problems, all of these challenges with the game eventually drove my decision to angrily call it quits after about a year and a half of playing. Basically, I did not want to go through another U.O. experience. And despite the fact that I’ve been playing WoW for just over two years (I think,) I am still cautious about the game. I actively watch closely the game patch updates to be expected from the next game patch. Although now, I can honestly say that I’m eagerly awaiting the next expansion. After some persistent persuasion by my co-worker, I agreed to try out WoW through a trial account. I will admit, initially I was floored with the graphics, the sound, and even the music for the game. I also remember the ease of interacting with the game. I remember the first flying mount ride I took from Westfall to Stormwind. I couldn’t believe how smoothly the game operated between “realms.” Granted, Stormwind could be a bit laggy but that’s to be expected. The view of the landscape was amazing, especially when flying. I even realized that the “sun” sets and the nighttime darkness will settle in while you’re playing. I quickly learned a bit about the game mechanics and decided to continue. My very first character is the one I have listed on this page with a link to the wow armory character sheet. Blackbear is my main character and a human warrior. At the time, Burning Crusade content had been out for awhile and the level cap was at 70. I really didn’t understand much about the different “specs” so I started out with protection spec. I soon realized that a prot spec warrior was painfully slow to level so I switched my spec to fury – and never looked back. I now have fury as my primary spec and prot as my secondary spec. At one point, my secondary spec was arms, mostly for pvp. While I enjoyed it some, I soon realized that prot pvp is just too much fun to pass up. At the time of this writing it has not yet taken a soon-to-be-expected nerf from the warbringer talent, so, it’s still very fun. Recently I decided to adjust BB’s secondary spec to a pve prot (player-vs-environment) spec rather than pvp prot but I still pvp as often as I can. As a fury spec warrior, I usually don’t get a lot of epic loot from raids that are meant for tanks; unless all present tanks already have a particular gear piece that drops, then I can pick it up for an off-spec. But I am fairly well geared for a fury spec warrior. And, with pve prot I can easily get into pugs (pick-up-group) for random instances either regular or heroic. And with a more robust pve spec, I have a much easier time of tanking heroic instances for those OH-SO-ENDEARING pugs.
It was another co-worker, several years after I quit playing U.O. that introduced me to the World of Warcraft game. I knew just a little about this game. When the first WoW game released, I decided against trying to participate. At the time, the computer I had was low-end and probably could only barely manage to operate the game. I was familiar with the Warcraft games and thought of the mmorpg version as a phony “knock-off” of the original. I said, “That game’s only there because Blizzard wants to make money off of a monthly membership subscription fee.” Indeed, from the massive member subscription base that Blizzard now boasts (11 million + subscribers,) it would be hard to argue against that point. Additionally, by the time I stopped playing U.O., I became fed-up with the mmorpg experience. It’s important to remember that U.O. had many unexpected side effects from “in-game” mechanics. Severe exploitive problems with “bots” that gather in-game resources or duplicate them and the subsequent problems with in-game economy caused by that, issues with in-game social interaction, an aging gaming platform, and a perceived standoff-ish approach by Origin towards dealing with these problems, all of these challenges with the game eventually drove my decision to angrily call it quits after about a year and a half of playing. Basically, I did not want to go through another U.O. experience. And despite the fact that I’ve been playing WoW for just over two years (I think,) I am still cautious about the game. I actively watch closely the game patch updates to be expected from the next game patch. Although now, I can honestly say that I’m eagerly awaiting the next expansion. After some persistent persuasion by my co-worker, I agreed to try out WoW through a trial account. I will admit, initially I was floored with the graphics, the sound, and even the music for the game. I also remember the ease of interacting with the game. I remember the first flying mount ride I took from Westfall to Stormwind. I couldn’t believe how smoothly the game operated between “realms.” Granted, Stormwind could be a bit laggy but that’s to be expected. The view of the landscape was amazing, especially when flying. I even realized that the “sun” sets and the nighttime darkness will settle in while you’re playing. I quickly learned a bit about the game mechanics and decided to continue. My very first character is the one I have listed on this page with a link to the wow armory character sheet. Blackbear is my main character and a human warrior. At the time, Burning Crusade content had been out for awhile and the level cap was at 70. I really didn’t understand much about the different “specs” so I started out with protection spec. I soon realized that a prot spec warrior was painfully slow to level so I switched my spec to fury – and never looked back. I now have fury as my primary spec and prot as my secondary spec. At one point, my secondary spec was arms, mostly for pvp. While I enjoyed it some, I soon realized that prot pvp is just too much fun to pass up. At the time of this writing it has not yet taken a soon-to-be-expected nerf from the warbringer talent, so, it’s still very fun. Recently I decided to adjust BB’s secondary spec to a pve prot (player-vs-environment) spec rather than pvp prot but I still pvp as often as I can. As a fury spec warrior, I usually don’t get a lot of epic loot from raids that are meant for tanks; unless all present tanks already have a particular gear piece that drops, then I can pick it up for an off-spec. But I am fairly well geared for a fury spec warrior. And, with pve prot I can easily get into pugs (pick-up-group) for random instances either regular or heroic. And with a more robust pve spec, I have a much easier time of tanking heroic instances for those OH-SO-ENDEARING pugs.
Note: Caps can sometimes = sarcasm.
Friday, January 15, 2010
The druid, the Vlad, and the grubby
In far away Outlands, in a remote village somewhere in Nagrand, sits a pub of ill repute. Owned by a dwarf named Vlad, of such notoriety, that it is rumored that his own family shunned him and cast him out of his village where he was born and raised. The pub, known as The Wayward Frog, has a well-deserved reputation for a long history of violence. Many consider it to be the roughest place to get a drink, not only in Nagrand, but all of Outlands. Among its patrons, only the most nefarious ruffians, ne'er-do-wells, thieves, scoundrels, and murderers frequent this establishment; if a structurally unsound, filthy, wooden firetrap could ever be called an 'establishment.' To order a drink, much less actually find the opportunity to enjoy it without being challenged, attacked, or worse, in such a place is what many would call a death wish. But to the tough and rowdy familiar faces of "the frog," it is just a chance to prove one's worthiness, or even one's right, to become a 'regular.' Getting injured at the frog through one of the many various activities such as fighting, gambling, knife throwing, and others is simply seen as par for the course by its many customers. One typical day of violent drinking and chaos, an enormous, scruffy-haired bear came in through the front entrance. From the markings on the bear’s fur, and from the various anklets, earrings, and a well-worn bandanna around its neck, it was obvious to anyone that the bear was a druid. Noticeable to everyone in the frog was the fact that the bear was limping severely. The bear’s right front leg was nearly concealed due to the bear holding its leg and claws in so close to its chest. The bear’s entire leg seemed almost covered in dark blood that was dripping from its extended claws. Initially, the bear drew no attention from anyone. Injuries are frequent at the frog. Why should an injured bear be any different? It wasn’t until the bear roared out, bellowing its clear pain and discomfort at its injuries, that people immediately stopped their activities to notice. At first, the noise level simply lowered slightly while everyone turned to look at the poor bear. When the drinking resumed, the bear began to look very angry. Agitated, the bear stood up on its hind legs and let out a growl that overpowered every sound inside the frog. A deep, guttural, thunderous blast of anger and pain came forth, silencing every possible sound within the pub; the type of sound that could only come from a great, mythological beast. Finally, the mug clattering, the drinking, laughing, clanking weapons and armor, all stopped and looked in awe. All eyes were on the druid bear. Even the toughest among the rowdy crowd seemed to stop breathing, as if taking quiet, short, unnoticeable breaths would prevent the great bear from turning its attention towards them. Still on its hind legs, the druid in bear form stood nearly nine feet tall. It slowly uncurled its leg from its chest. The bear, attempting to conceal the pain of its injuries, made small, inconspicuous twitches. With the leg almost fully extended, the crowd realized why the bear was in pain. A clean, near-perfect hole had been made in the center of its right front foot. Despite the blood, one could see clearly through the hole as if a perfect sphere was cut into the druid’s hand. Vlad, fearing that this may have been the result of the activities of the frog taken too far, nervously addressed the bear. “We’re not lookin’ for any trouble druid,” he said in his typical heavy dwarven accent. “What do ye want?” The bear slowly turned his head and looked deeply into Vlad’s eyes. Now fearing for his life, Vlad uttered, “We don’t want any trouble druid! What do you want? Bandages? Ale? I can get that if you need! What do you want?” The bear stared intently at Vlad. Then slowly began to pan over the entire pub, subtly leveling its gaze at every member of the frog. After what seemed like an eternity, the bear finally replied, “I’m lookin’ for the man who shot my paw!”
Ok well maybe I "borrowed" an element or two from a famous joke. But still, another attempt at my lame creative writing. I still enjoyed writing it. I'm one of the very few among my classmates at school, and even among many of my colleagues, that actually enjoys writing. I sincerely wish I had more time to do it. Oh well. Hopefully, I'll get another opportunity in the future.
Ok well maybe I "borrowed" an element or two from a famous joke. But still, another attempt at my lame creative writing. I still enjoyed writing it. I'm one of the very few among my classmates at school, and even among many of my colleagues, that actually enjoys writing. I sincerely wish I had more time to do it. Oh well. Hopefully, I'll get another opportunity in the future.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Life and death - whispers
Finally. After all the headache, Lady Deathwhisper is done. I honestly wanted someone to start singing "Ding! Dong! The Witch is Dead!" Well, briefly.
It was epic. Isn't that how all good stories start out? I remember the first, completed attempt on 10 man. After some "ironing out" of our strategy for the first boss, we moved on with a bit more confidence to the second. Progression raids. They can be both intoxicating and frustrating, often at the same time. When we made it all the way through the 10 man with relative ease, we exuberantly marched onward to our genuine attempts at 25 man. Onward, fellows. Glory surely awaits us. Our "epicness" is apparent. As is our overinflated, collective ego. How could it not be? We just aced 10 man ICC (Icecrown Citadel.) We're now allocating that raid for farming. Foolishly thinking, "We got this. We've got the basic strategy down, we've got epic dps, our tanks are well-geared, and our healers are among the top on our server. What could possibly go wrong?"Oh, how humbling it can be to see your fellow players, those players that know their class better than anyone, those individuals you've learned from and admire their skills in their class: the mage or hunter with dps so high it could only be possible as a glitch with Recount, the over-the-top geared tanks that can shrug off inconceivable amounts of damage, the valiant healers that seem to be capable of keeping death itself from taking hold of even the most innocent or arrogant of top damage dealers that, by mistake or on purpose, accidentally pull aggro...all dead!
Oh! The humanity!
And the aggravation! Imagine the preparation...
Studying videos created by people who "know these things." Trying to grasp a better understanding of each fight. Multiple attempts from the previous (3?) weeks. Getting a good "feel" or "rhythm" for the fight. Quietly noting those things to avoid as they nearly "one-shot" your dps/threat/healing off the face of the world. Constantly trying to stay on top of your game. Making sure you have enough materials like flasks, potions, and Lord help you if you forget gold for repairs. Making sure your keybindings are furiously spammed in a desperate attempt to push your dps just that much more. Pushing your abilities past your previously thought limits. Watching the numbers display smaller, and smaller percentages with each frustrating attempt. Victory, so close it's palpable. You can practically touch the epic loot that will surely follow after your team wins. You can even see the image of that one, sweet item, that you know will make your character that much more epic. Then...a brief, eerie silence suddenly descends...someone calls out, "Burn hard!" Somehow, your keyboard manages to hold it's plastic pieces together despite the terrible punishment that it's taking. Someone yells, "Three percent!" Pause, "Two percent!" Longer pause, "One percent!" And then...a long, ominous silence that portends only two things: epic victory or overwhelming defeat. And then the statement no one wants to hear...that dreadful call over your headphones, "I'm down!" Followed by the "death" of every other team member, one at a time, as they heroically attempt to stave off the inevitable. Thinking that, somehow, someway, you'll be able to do it! Don't give up now! You can do it! You'll do just a bit more dps/threat/healing to make it through that last one percent. Finally, nothing. Reset.
/facepalm
/RAGE
Ok, well that was my amateur attempt at creative writing. Hope you like it! On to other important stuff. I am not a clicker. I love my keybindings and, yeah, I turn with my keyboard. This is because my free hand is over the number pad. It's the best way for me to push my dps, even though by the end of the Lady D fight my hands felt so sore that I seriously considered asking the raid leaders to look for a replacement. But, we did it. It..was..AWESOME!
Speaking of keybinds, my keybindings didn't magically fall exactly where I wanted them too. In fact, it took quite a few weeks, maybe even several weeks, before I memorized each binding and what ability was tied to that binding. This is because I had to learn which keybindings are the most important when I'm raiding. For a dps'er, those abilities that do the most sustained or burst damage are obviously the most important. As a fury warrior, this means two primary abilities: BT (Bloodthirst) and WW (Whirlwind.) Really, that's it. As long as your spec is good, you'll want deep wounds, which should naturally come with impale, and 2h weapon specialization, follow the 'standard' fury spec build in that tree, and you're good to go. Oh, and that darn rotation. Yeah. Well, it's pretty easy to understand, a bit of practice to get it down. I usually open with WW, however, due to multiple mobs or trash pulls, this is not always a good idea. But the standard rotation is to start with WW as the cooldown will allow you to perform two BT's if timed correctly. Of course, while this is going on, and if you have enough rage, hit either HS (Heroic Strike) or Cleave while waiting on cooldowns, depending on how many mobs are left. Wait for one GCD (Global Cooldown) and start with WW again. And only hit Slam for instant hits, IF - AND ONLY IF, both WW and BT are on cooldown. (Caps = important.) Giving Slam priority over WW or BT will lower your dps. I've often lost the instant Slam proc because the timer ran out. This is because WW and BT will always do more damage than Slam. True, you may crit a Slam to perform a large hit. But risking a possible crit over a solid single hit from BT or multiple hits from WW isn't going to help your dps. Eventually the WW and BT cooldowns will be nearly synchronized and you'll have to start the rotation again with WW. If you have difficulty getting the rotation down, go practice on the practice dummies in the major cities. Seriously. Sometimes I get ridiculed by other players who wonder what I'm doing at a practice dummy. You know, "a level 80! With your lvl of gear? Cmon, dude! Why u goofing around with dat dummy." You'll often find me there as well practicing my fury rotation, or my prot pvp keybindings. Practice makes permanent, not perfect. Cool quote huh? I've no idea where I read that. But basically, as I pointed out, it took me weeks to get my keybindings exactly how I needed them. I was constantly adjusting my keybinds to make it easier for me to press them when I needed. As a result, I had trouble memorizing the primary abilities I had tied to a specific keybind. So, I practiced and practiced until I finally got it down. Still working on my prot pvp keybindings though. But, I'm always improving.
And I will eventually own all in bg's...I will.
XD
Anyways, more to follow. I hope. :-)
It was epic. Isn't that how all good stories start out? I remember the first, completed attempt on 10 man. After some "ironing out" of our strategy for the first boss, we moved on with a bit more confidence to the second. Progression raids. They can be both intoxicating and frustrating, often at the same time. When we made it all the way through the 10 man with relative ease, we exuberantly marched onward to our genuine attempts at 25 man. Onward, fellows. Glory surely awaits us. Our "epicness" is apparent. As is our overinflated, collective ego. How could it not be? We just aced 10 man ICC (Icecrown Citadel.) We're now allocating that raid for farming. Foolishly thinking, "We got this. We've got the basic strategy down, we've got epic dps, our tanks are well-geared, and our healers are among the top on our server. What could possibly go wrong?"Oh, how humbling it can be to see your fellow players, those players that know their class better than anyone, those individuals you've learned from and admire their skills in their class: the mage or hunter with dps so high it could only be possible as a glitch with Recount, the over-the-top geared tanks that can shrug off inconceivable amounts of damage, the valiant healers that seem to be capable of keeping death itself from taking hold of even the most innocent or arrogant of top damage dealers that, by mistake or on purpose, accidentally pull aggro...all dead!
Oh! The humanity!
And the aggravation! Imagine the preparation...
Studying videos created by people who "know these things." Trying to grasp a better understanding of each fight. Multiple attempts from the previous (3?) weeks. Getting a good "feel" or "rhythm" for the fight. Quietly noting those things to avoid as they nearly "one-shot" your dps/threat/healing off the face of the world. Constantly trying to stay on top of your game. Making sure you have enough materials like flasks, potions, and Lord help you if you forget gold for repairs. Making sure your keybindings are furiously spammed in a desperate attempt to push your dps just that much more. Pushing your abilities past your previously thought limits. Watching the numbers display smaller, and smaller percentages with each frustrating attempt. Victory, so close it's palpable. You can practically touch the epic loot that will surely follow after your team wins. You can even see the image of that one, sweet item, that you know will make your character that much more epic. Then...a brief, eerie silence suddenly descends...someone calls out, "Burn hard!" Somehow, your keyboard manages to hold it's plastic pieces together despite the terrible punishment that it's taking. Someone yells, "Three percent!" Pause, "Two percent!" Longer pause, "One percent!" And then...a long, ominous silence that portends only two things: epic victory or overwhelming defeat. And then the statement no one wants to hear...that dreadful call over your headphones, "I'm down!" Followed by the "death" of every other team member, one at a time, as they heroically attempt to stave off the inevitable. Thinking that, somehow, someway, you'll be able to do it! Don't give up now! You can do it! You'll do just a bit more dps/threat/healing to make it through that last one percent. Finally, nothing. Reset.
/facepalm
/RAGE
Ok, well that was my amateur attempt at creative writing. Hope you like it! On to other important stuff. I am not a clicker. I love my keybindings and, yeah, I turn with my keyboard. This is because my free hand is over the number pad. It's the best way for me to push my dps, even though by the end of the Lady D fight my hands felt so sore that I seriously considered asking the raid leaders to look for a replacement. But, we did it. It..was..AWESOME!
Speaking of keybinds, my keybindings didn't magically fall exactly where I wanted them too. In fact, it took quite a few weeks, maybe even several weeks, before I memorized each binding and what ability was tied to that binding. This is because I had to learn which keybindings are the most important when I'm raiding. For a dps'er, those abilities that do the most sustained or burst damage are obviously the most important. As a fury warrior, this means two primary abilities: BT (Bloodthirst) and WW (Whirlwind.) Really, that's it. As long as your spec is good, you'll want deep wounds, which should naturally come with impale, and 2h weapon specialization, follow the 'standard' fury spec build in that tree, and you're good to go. Oh, and that darn rotation. Yeah. Well, it's pretty easy to understand, a bit of practice to get it down. I usually open with WW, however, due to multiple mobs or trash pulls, this is not always a good idea. But the standard rotation is to start with WW as the cooldown will allow you to perform two BT's if timed correctly. Of course, while this is going on, and if you have enough rage, hit either HS (Heroic Strike) or Cleave while waiting on cooldowns, depending on how many mobs are left. Wait for one GCD (Global Cooldown) and start with WW again. And only hit Slam for instant hits, IF - AND ONLY IF, both WW and BT are on cooldown. (Caps = important.) Giving Slam priority over WW or BT will lower your dps. I've often lost the instant Slam proc because the timer ran out. This is because WW and BT will always do more damage than Slam. True, you may crit a Slam to perform a large hit. But risking a possible crit over a solid single hit from BT or multiple hits from WW isn't going to help your dps. Eventually the WW and BT cooldowns will be nearly synchronized and you'll have to start the rotation again with WW. If you have difficulty getting the rotation down, go practice on the practice dummies in the major cities. Seriously. Sometimes I get ridiculed by other players who wonder what I'm doing at a practice dummy. You know, "a level 80! With your lvl of gear? Cmon, dude! Why u goofing around with dat dummy." You'll often find me there as well practicing my fury rotation, or my prot pvp keybindings. Practice makes permanent, not perfect. Cool quote huh? I've no idea where I read that. But basically, as I pointed out, it took me weeks to get my keybindings exactly how I needed them. I was constantly adjusting my keybinds to make it easier for me to press them when I needed. As a result, I had trouble memorizing the primary abilities I had tied to a specific keybind. So, I practiced and practiced until I finally got it down. Still working on my prot pvp keybindings though. But, I'm always improving.
And I will eventually own all in bg's...I will.
XD
Anyways, more to follow. I hope. :-)
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