Scars

As we get older, we acquire scars. Have you ever been with a group of friends and the "Scar" game ensues? Someone shows a scar, and then someone else tops it with a bigger or badder scar. Each scar has a story behind it. Pretty soon, people are lifting up shirts and pulling down shorts to show off their marks.

Harry had a pretty famous Scar, too

Personally, I can look over my body and locate plenty of scars. There's the incision scars from my appendectomy a year ago. The turf burn on my right elbow from college football. The diamond pattern in my right shin from a BMX pedal slippage incident... you get the idea.  Well, you get a few ideas: one is that I'm injury prone. The idea I want you to get is that each scar has a story.

For example, my right index finger is pretty damn ugly. It's scarred from 3rd degree burns from when I was four years old.  Before there were Beavis and Butthead, there was me, the a junior pyromaniac. One autumn evening, I was feeding bits of masking tape into a candle flame and watching them burn. After a few times, one strip failed to catch fire before my fingers got too hot to hold near the flame. In my four year old intelligence, I wrapped the tape around my finger and proceeded to place my finger in the candle flame. I can only imagine I thought that only the tape would burn leaving me unharmed... As you can imagine, the result was far different!  My mother, who was in the other room taking care of my infant sister, now describes the scene like this:

He came running into the room screaming and holding up his hand like Lady Liberty, complete with a burning torch.

Yeah, not a brilliant move on my end. Suffice to say, a trip to the ER and now I have an ugly right index finger.

But I also have a great story that accompanies that disfigurement.

Right, but this is a gaming blog. So how does this relate to WoW?

Well, it's a bit of a retrospective as we get ready to embark on the new expansion.

See, Cataclysm was all about scars. The physical landscape was changed. The Barrens was ripped in two, as was Stranglethorn Vale. Thousand Needles flooded. Deathwing's rise changed the landscape. The entire expansion was about reshaping: the landscape, the talents, the game mechanics.

One of my biggest complaints with the Cataclysm expansion has been that while we have these amazing physical changes to the world, the lore behind them are lackluster at best, and non-existent at worst. Mainly, I've simply never really cared about Deathwing. He lacks --- charisma? presence? An explanation as to why all of a sudden he's here melting Stormwind's towers? More like all of the above.

In fact, Cataclysm tries to tell a story with each of these scars. On some level, the changes to each of the zones from the quests in the zones is really quite successful. If you simply take each zone on it's own the new quests do tell a story for each zone.  However, these stores fail to come together into a whole main theme for the expansion as a whole.

On the other hand, I've thoroughly enjoyed the changes to the game in Cataclysm. The extension of LFG to LFR has been great for me, as have cross-realm raids.  So, despite a poor showing in elevating the final boss to an actual "final boss" status, the scars left in Cata have altered the way the game runs - mostly for the better.

There are also the invisible changes, however.  I like the LFR system because I am the target demographic for LFR. I'm not on a raid team. I'm a casual solo player, any my grouping experiences stem pretty much entirely from random in-game groups. Without LFR, I would never have seen Dragon Soul. I'd like to see LFR get extended backwards so that older raid content can be experienced as well, but that's a different post.

With cross-server raids, I can take advantage of OpenRaid and join in on raids that meet my own schedule.  I am not comfortable joining a regular raid team because I simply can't commit to logging in 'ready to raid' on a regular basis. If I did commit, I'd be letting 9 or 24 other folks down. I'm not gonna do that. So, the game has evolved giving me the ability to still experience what I can when I can.  I'm a fan of that!

All in all, I'm looking forward to putting Cata in the rearview and tackling some new challenges. I expect to pick up a few new marks as I re-learn the ropes of the game in the new expansion.

Single-serving Friends

Photo by Nathan Cooke via Flickr Creative Commons

I find that I relate much of my real-life experiences to things that I’ve either read in books or seen in movies. Therapy would have a field day exploring that, but suffice to say that I find parallels in fiction. For example, Fight Club feature’s Edward Norton’s character discussing the concept of “Single Serving Friends” with fellow airline passengers.

Tyler, you are by far the most interesting single-serving friend I've ever met... see I have this thing: everything on a plane is single-serving...

This resonated with me personally long before starting to play Warcraft. I used to spend an insane amount of time on airplanes. No, I wasn’t driving them. I was a passenger, and I was visiting clients approximately 90% of my working hours. It all added up to an obscene amount of frequent flyer miles and time spent sitting in airplanes or in airports.

To paraphrase Chuck Palahniuk (the author of Fight Club), when you travel that much everything is a single-serving. Your airplane service features a single-serving liquor bottle, a single-serving slice of cheese, a single bag of nuts....In my experience, my airline trips sat me next to random strangers, and invariably we struck up a conversation for the duration of the flight, becoming a single-serving friend just as Palahnuik describes.  I’d never see these single-serving people again, and the pleasant experience was limited to that small duration.

Enter Warcraft

Specifically, enter the LFD system. Almost all of the instances that I now experience offer a single-serving experience -- either positive or negative. I can draw the angry tank who’s bitter about everything and criticizes everyone. He or she is a single-serving jerk. Or, I can get that group that just clicks and everyone is on the game. The tank is pleasant and helpful (the kind of tank I strive for if I’ve dusted off my pally or death knight). I enjoy this experience. So much so that I find I queue for random instances much of my time spent in WoW. Ultimately, it’s all a temporary rush.

Before you start to say “But, But, But...” I realize that Blizzard has indeed provided me with tools, especially with 5.0.4, that I can use to stay in touch with those folks from my random instances that truly shine. Before 5.0.4, I would have had to exchange RealIDs with folks; I’m not too keen on that. But now, with Battletags, there is no reason for me not to reach out to people. I’m not giving out an email, after all. I would be saying “I’d like to hang out again for a cross-server event so feel free to reach me whether I’m on this guy or any of my alts.” Er... that’s a bit long-winded. How about “I like you. Let’s hang out more.” Yeah, that’s simpler.

But I don’t say either of those things! I just move along.

In the last months, the LFD instances also began placing a priority on players of the same server. So, increasingly, I’m finding myself grouped with other members of my server. This one’s brutally easy: I can simply friend that person. But I don’t even bother with that. How lazy am I, anyway?

I’m not using the tools the game affords me to stay in contact with players. I have no good reason, either. Is it a habit? Shyness? A joy of sticking with the transitory nature of an instance group?

There is something magical when you do group and get into that party makeup where everyone know’s their stuff, nobody is crabby, and the run is just plain fun. When that happens, it’s so unexpected (for me at least) that it’s treasured. I’m almost afraid to ruin the magic by placing some organization around it. Isn’t that crazy? I’m hesitant to continue a good thing -- because most of the reason why it was good in the first place is that it was a surprise. If I impose organization and then plan a run, the efficiency is now expected and I can only be let down. That’s pretty depressing, when you stop to think about it.

Bad Behavior

Am I alone in this? Perhaps... but it’s really interesting for me to consider why this behavior persists.

Before LFD (and to much more focused view LFR), my options for running a PVE instance were either hitting up guild mates or braving trade chat. Trade had it’s own perils. You had to commit to running an instance (God forbid a raid) because you had to brave the idiocy that is trade chat. It took effort to put a group together, and even then you still might get total buffoons. After all, the tank didn’t need to be nice. Tanks could get a group immediately if they dropped. Heals could usually regroup quickly. DPS? We were a dime-a-dozen and treated as such.

With the introduction of LFD (and LFR), the mechanics have evolved. Tanks still insta-queue. Heals less so. Blizzard even added the Call to Arms mechanic awarding tanks or heals a chance at extra loot when their role is underrepresented. In theory, a DPS could get this too, but really? That’s just not gonna happen.

So again, the DPS take whatever the tank dishes out. Sure you CAN boot somebody. A DPS is backfilled quickly. A Tank will take some time to backfill (even across servers). To some extent, I believe that part of the reason for piss-poor behavior in random instances or raids is based upon how easy it is to re-queue. There is no consequence, really. On a single server, a jerk would get a reputation and then trade chat would lambast them. In random, nobody on my server gives a hoot that someone from a different server was a jerk.

Without a consequence, there’s no discouragement other than social norms or even altruism to behave well in a random group.

I have come to expect poor behavior from random instances. That’s sad, but true. I expect better behavior from my pre-schooler than I do in instances or LFRs. It's a perpetual flash-back to Romper Room.

Even so, I find myself in the situation where I’m trying to quickly establish a rapport with 4 or 24 random people because I’m hoping for the best. I’m also on my toes because I need to perform to my best so that I’m not targeted for the Boot. I don’t want to do anything that would cause me to become a target.

There’s something in that experience -- I’m not exactly sure what -- but there’s something that is preventing me from wanting or even trying to reach out again to the other players in these random experiences. I know that I could; I’m just not.

Maybe I just really enjoy the anonymity and the transience of a single-serving friendship?

Mr. Tough-Tank

Dun-duh-DUH! (That's the sound of LFG dinging to say my wait time is over!). I pause my questing in Borean Tundra to run an instance. Let's set the scene, shall we?

source: WoW Wiki

Drak'Tharon Keep. Yes! I love this place. It's quick, it's fun and there aren't that many mechanics to wipe PUGs. It's also great experience for my level 74 self.  The group is a warrior tank, pally healer, enhancement shaman, unholy death knight, and me the fire mage as the DPS. Not a bad draw!

So, as usual, I'll greet the party in chat to engage communications...

Me: Hi all!

Wham!  Here it comes.

Tank: LISTEN UP! ME AND HEALZ R IN THE SAME GUILD AND WE R IN VENT. WE R TALKING ABOUT U. IF U SUCK U WILL DIE.
Tank: HEALZ WILL NOT HEAL BADS. DON'T PULL UNLESS U WANT TO DIE. DON'T BE BADS UNLESS U WANT TO DIE.

Yeah, that's pretty much word for word what the dude said, and he did yell it all in caps. I swear his caps lock was broken. I'm assuming he's male. I'm also assuming he doesn't get out much. If I were a gambling man, and I am, I'll bet you those assumptions are correct.

Anyway, already my hackles are up. Not only is this attitude an issue, but also I despise "chat speek". If you're too lazy to type the words "are" or "you", you need to log off and go text your pals on a number-pad phone. It's not that much more effort to actually spell these things called words, and it makes you look competent instead of childish. And don't even get me started on being called "bads".  Ugh.

That aside....

After the oh-so-wonderful introduction of putting all of us non-guilded inferior DPS into our places, he begins on the first hallway. On the second pull, the caster puts a pool of black death on the ground. Mr. Tough-Tank side steps slightly, but not dramatically so the DK and the shammy stay right where they are and proceed to die. They aren't healed.

DK: Why did I die?
Tank: YOUR BAD.
Healer: You stood in black stuff.

So, at least this clown's healer is trying to be somewhat helpful. The tank continues to be a jerk and berate people for their lack of 'skillz'. Ugh! After rezzes, we successfully clear the first hall and move into Trollgore's anteroom. Mr. Tough-Tank then proceeds to pull the entire room. He also fails to turn the golems so now all of us are getting poison spat at us as we're all jammed in the doorway and it's an instantaneous wipe.

So I'm cussing to myself and trying not to go ballistic in party chat, thereby causing more drama, but I'm barely containing my inner nerd-rager. I zone back into DTK. The tank and heals are just ahead of me, but the other two are both still 'Dead'. They haven't released. Ugh. I know what's gonna happen next. Drama!

Shaman: Rez, please?
Tank: F%!K U. (My censoring)
DK: ???
Tank: RUN.
Shaman: Wow. Nice.
Healer: Sec
Tank: WTF? NO REZZING!
Healer: Hey, I'm nice that way.
Healer proceeds to resurrect the dead.

Meanwhile, Mr. Tough-Tank is going on and on a little tirade to prove the point of what I thought was common instance etiquette; on a full group wipe, unless there is a survivor to mass resurrect the party, everybody runs in. In other words, if the healer has to run, then everyone runs.

Well, now the moaning really starts and insults are flying in party chat as we're clearing the anteroom. Mr. Tough-Tank is getting called out in party chat for being a schmuck by the DK and the Shaman, but he doesn't take well to being challenged. Next thing I see is:

Tank: OH YEAH?

The jackass runs ahead, pulls Trollgore, and quits group mid-fight along with the healer. Yay for three dead DPS. DK quits. Shaman quits.  Are you flipping kidding me?!?

What's the moral of this story? None. Morals are intended to teach a lesson. I have no illusions that anything I say will ever change that clown's mind. For the rest of you, though, I have hope! Indulge me as I step up on the soapbox.

Random Groups Are Random

Looking For Group (LFG),  and by extension Looking For Raid (LFR), combines random people into a group to attempt an instance.  If you decide queue for this random pairing, you must understand you have no choice or control over who you're grouped with.  They could be heroic DS raiders, or they could be scraping by on the iLevel requirements in all the wrong gear.  Don't get me wrong -- seeing a rogue wearing spirit leather to meet minimum iLevel requirements is mind boggling.  My point is that you have to expect some level of that craziness when you're randomly matched with other people.

This further applies to PVP; if you want to PVP with elite PVPers, form a pre-made and run rated battlegrounds. Random BGs may have folks in PVE gear without any resilience. There's a whole series of posts on this (The Harpy's Nest has a great one), but it boils down to this:  because the game matched people for you, you live with what you get.

I take exception to players that complain when they are in random groups about other players abilities. Now, I'm not talking about calling out that rogue in +SPI leather. If that is an honest mistake, it needs to be corrected. If it's a shortcut to get into an instance, it's negatively impacting my experience by sandbagging me and I take exception to that. What I am referring to is having adequate DPS but not necessarily heroic-caliber DPS within a non-heroic instance.  As long as the bad guys are dying and the good guys are living, all is well. I'm talking about berating a tank for not having a million health while running a level 74 instance. I'm talking about not giving the healer grief because the tank died while trying to pull an entire wing instead of 3-4 adds at a time.

There seems to be a level of elitism where the self-proclaimed 'Goods' berate and ridicule the 'Bads'. If you want to play that way and be all elite, suit yourself. But, please stay the hell out of LFG. Or at least shut up while you're there.

Educate, Don't Berate

Once you are matched, you may get lucky and have an elite squad of veterans that breeze through the run without fuss and with minimal communication. Consider yourself blessed! Now, for the rest of us, there will be challenges.  People will not know the instance. They will be brand new tank specs because they're tired of waiting for hours in the DPS queue. They may be inebriated and just not give a shit. Before going on a nerd-rage vent, try actually communicating and explaining the problem. "Hey, don't stand in the black poop. You have to move out of it".  They may honestly not even know!
Save the raging for the ones that are inebriated or obnoxious. Spare the ignorant!

I like to feel that I can help others. I've run Wrath instances over and over. I know 'em. I can explain the mechanics. I have alts for every classes, and all but a few are level 85. I'm not the Big Red Kitty or Frostheim of Hunters, but I know the class. I can offer suggestions and help improve players.  Assuming a player is even open to suggestions, when something is phrased as a suggestion rather than a dramatic criticism of epic failure, I for one would be much more open to considering that advice.  But if someone's just going to insult me, welcome to ignoreville!

And now I can step off the soapbox. Hey, if all else fails, start a blog and post the experiences for others!