Mystic Worlds

Heal Yourself, Nub!

I was going to post this as a comment on P0tSh0t, but it wouldn't post for some reason, so I’ve expanded it into a post here.  Potshot posted a commentary on why healers will always be a part of the standard MMO experience.  I don't disagree.  However, I think that every class should have a flash heal.  Here's the comment I wanted to post on the subject...

There is another option, one which was employed in AC2 to good use, in my opinion.  In AC2, every class had the option of choosing a flash heal in their talent trees.  I love this idea.  As a solo player, there are obvious benefits to possessing a decent flash heal.  This “flash heal” (don’t recall what mine was actually called) skill was planted deep enough into one of the trees that you had to consciously decide you wanted it, and spec accordingly.

Providing everyone with the opportunity to flash heal takes some of the onus off the healer and allows players a bit of responsibility for the results of their actions in battle.  Over twitchy rogues, casters who don’t manage aggro, warriors who charge forward while the healer is drinking, looting or generally not yet prepared, can heal themselves for a few seconds.

I’ve been in too many PUGs where people feel like they can behave in any manner and it’s the healer’s problem to keep them alive.  Sometimes admonishing them several times doesn’t even cure them of their reckless behavior, leaving the healer to either abandon the group (so now they’ve my wasted time), let them die a.k.a. jeopardize the success of the whole group, kick them from the group (now they’ve wasted everyone’s time) or suck it up until it’s over.  None of these are pleasant for the healer.

If everyone had a flash heal, these people could heal themselves every so often.  They would also drain their own damn mana and taste a bit of how it feels.  If they don’t and die, well then, then can’t blame it all on the healer.  Instead of healers reading stupid macros saying, “HEAL ME!”  We can shout, “HEAL YOURSELF, NUB!”

Still Slaughterin' & Maimin' in WOW

The little bit of time that I played WOW this past week was on my Paladin.  I juggled my spec a couple of times trying to do AOE grinding but it wasn't very successful for two reasons.  The first problem was my gear, which was rather easily rectified by searching the Auction House.  I picked up a much better shield, gloves, shield and 1H for less than 15g.

The second problem wasn't as easily solved, which was finding good places to actually grind.  I don't mind grinding but if I'm going to do it, the mobs need to either be part of a slay/collection quest, drop decent amount of coin or tailoring comps.  The places people were suggesting on the forums were none of the afore mentioned and I found it rather dull.  I don't think it's a play-style that will suit me and I have too far to go, to just "do it" 'cuz.  Coming to that conclusion left me needing to respec - again.  Oh the gold I've spent on WOW respec'g toons.

For leveling I've decided to go with a tri-spec.  I like to solo a lot and the protection skills I'd been using let me take on two mobs my level or higher and kill them relatively quickly.  If a third joins early enough to get caught by a few Consecrations, then it's all good.  If the third joins very late in the fight - meaning it's full health while I'm down and low on mana, I can struggle through it by burning cooldowns or consumables.  To me, this is a very decent pace for a Paladin.

When I'm in the mood to be very aggressive I don't even need to stop in between fights.  If I'm lower on health then I'll judge Healing Light for a while then switch over to a DPS judgment.  If I'm low on mana I'll start with Blessing of Wisdom on me and Seal of Wisdom on the mob.  After these scenarios top me off, I switch over to Retribution Aura, Blessing of Might and Seal of the Command.  I continue to use Consecration and things go smoothly.  I like this style and I like this pace.  I can race from duo to duo or trio to trio, occasionally stopping to bandage.

To level like this you definitely want a Retribution build.  However, I also want to be able to off-tank the lowbie 5-mans if needed, so I took some base Protection talents.  And of course at some point, someone is going to want me to heal, so I threw in a few points there too.  There aren't many other classes where I'd really consider going into three trees because you give up so much.  However, this seems to be working out fine for my Paladin. 

When it comes to 60 I will probably change to either Off-Tank/Healer or Tank/DPS.  I'm leaning toward the latter as I have a healing toon already sitting at 70.  That would give me the luxury of going for MT on my Paladin and if a group gets hung up for a healer, I can always change toons.  On the way to 60 I can envision times when I'll wish I could AOE grind a little bit or take on tougher mobs, so I've come up with a plan. *Smile*

In two weeks my xfer cooldown will be up.  When it is I'm going to move my priest back to my other account.  When I need a little help with a grind, I will two-box with my Priest on follow.  Doing that will keep my Paladin buffed with Fortitude and Imp Divine Spirit.  And she can cast Renew when needed and PW:Shield that is Reflective.  *Muwahaha*  I think that will leave me covered very well if I really do decide to make the run to 60 or 70 on my Paladin.

I'll use my sword-n-board if I off-tank or heal.  When I'm soloing I use my sweet lil epic 2H that procs SOC very nicely.  Feel free to check me out in the Armory if you'd like to see my gear.  Last time I logged out I was in my off-tank gear.  Feedback and suggestions are more than welcomed.  Here's the leveling spec I'm building toward.

You'll notice that I changed to a PVE server. *GASP*  I joined a guild * GASP-GASP*  And as luck would have it, the guild imploded a few days ago. *Aww* *Grrr*

Catching Up

Since I last posted I leveled my Paladin to 40.  Walking sucks - it's great to have a mount and a free one at that!  I don't remember the exact steps for my Warlock's free 40, but it wasn't as easy as just showing up at the trainer.  I think there was a quest that involved going to Ratchet more than once.  Given that this was before the neutral FP there and I was on a PVP server, it was no simple feat.

My Priest just needs 3 more pieces of Primal Mooncloth to complete her set.  I haven't made the items yet because I'm so undecided about playing her anymore.  I've been banking the comps in case I really decide to shelve her or screw healing and go Shadow.  Either way, I'd be able to swap the Primal Moon for Shadow and make the Frozenweave set or sell it all on the AH and given the gold to my Paladin.

I had EVE on my mind for a few days so I download the free trial.  Some nice changes there:

• They've added the back story as an movie that plays the first time you log on.  It's nicely done and provides a little more RP.
• New characters get some additional skills now, beyond the racials.  Depending on your ancestry and school of study, they give you some skills points.  I love this change!!  This will really help people with the initial learning curve.
• It seems like the tutorial missions give you more ISK (money).  I'm not positive but I certainly had enough funds to upgrade my ship much sooner than the last time.
• A little more customization in the UI.  Nothing earth shattering but it's nice to have some choices.

Other than that it was pretty much as it was when I played a year ago.  The player community is still helpful.  Deep space still looks incredible and sets my mind to wondering about space travel.  However, it still feels very isolated being stuck in your pod all the time.  I saw an interview done by MOG Army that they are working on creating avatars that can walk around and interact in the space stations which looked very cool.

I don't think that I'll be re-subscribing.  I mostly just wanted to flit around the galaxy for a bit.  It's tempting to join again just to skill up in case I ever want to go back.  But I really need to stop paying for games that I'm not playing.

600G for a Sack of Simple Flour

I guess gold farming with bots isn't enough for some people.  No, they have to resort to scams and theft to more quickly line their coffers...

The other day my son strolled into my office and said that I need to log on WOW and check my mail.  When I asked why, he said that Blizzard was running some promotion that was giving away gold but he couldn't get his to work.

I laughed and said, "That's a scam nub, Blizzard doesn't give away gold."  He persisted, dragging up examples of when Blizzard does send you items in the mail like the Argent Dawn and as gifts from a quest.  I asked if he'd done any new quests since he's level 70?  When he replied no, I said, "Then it's a scam! And don't click anything on the email!!"  I tried to explain that was the reason that Blizzard added code to prevent COD mail from being auto-opened, thereby exposing people to theft.  But he wasn't buying that and walked away.

Later that day I logged on his account and sure enough he had two pieces of mail supposedly from Blizzard, saying that he could claim his gold prize by following the instructions.  I checked the icons associated with the mail carefully and saw that they were the C.O.D. images for a Simple Sack of Flour.  Further investigation revealed that they wanted 600 gold for said sack of flour. LOL  A Scam!

My son is lucky that he only had 588 gold on that particular character which is why it didn't work.  If they'd tried for a lesser amount he would be ass-out and pissed, because he's still saving for this, his third 70's, flying mount.   I explained it to him and man he hated being wrong. LOL  Especially since his sister remembered over hearing the conversation and said, "Ha, mommy was right, nub.  You always think you know everything..."  I quickly exited stage right and left them to their sibling debate.

It's too bad that cheating isn't enough for some people and that they will descend to theft.  The average adult probably isn't being tricked by this scam.  But younger players now are likely to have that much gold if they're midway into their run for 70.  Gold is more accessible in TBC so more people are likely to have that much just sitting around.  And if it's on an alt, they might breeze through their mail without paying too much attention until...ZAP, you're 600 gold poorer over a Simple Sack of Flour.

Taking it Easy

I'm not playing as much as usual these days.  I was house-hunting.  Now I'm caught up in the throws of house-buying, which leads to house-moving, unpacking and decorating.  I'm really hoping to be all settled in by the end of May, so that I can enjoy the summer.  The new house has a fabulous deck addition on the back that I plan to use for sunbathing, working on my laptop and BBQ'g too much food and drinking way too many Pina Coladas.

What I have been playing when I have the time, is WOW.  I'm still just farming on my priest and trying to finish off her professions.  Last week she was able to craft the Primal Mooncloth Belt and is only 5 pieces of cloth away from the Robe.  It's a nice healing set.  Can't complain too much because it's epic without healing PUGs to get it.  But jeez the cooldowns on the top tier cloth are 3 and 4 days, so getting the mats takes a long time, as does just leveling the final skill points.  Once I'm done with the set, I might see about getting some of the instance keys.

In between that I've been playing my Paladin who is 3/4 to 40 and her free mount.  I respec'd Tri-Retribution for leveling with a long term plan of Deep Holy/Protection or more balanced Holy/Protection for off-tanking.  If I'm on that long, I'll have more fun with this character as a healer, than my DOA Human Priest. 

The Paladin class has really been improved.  I messed around with my son's a few times when he was stuck in the high 50s and running out of steam.  I remember the combat being excruciatingly slow and monotonous.  It doesn't feel that way now.  Retribution lets me kill more quickly.  I can easily whoop 3 mobs if they're a level below me.  I can still take on 3 mobs if they're my level or 1 above my level, but that takes more care, concentration and I might have to burn a cool-down or consume a health potion.

For a couple of hours I tried the Protection spec to do AOE grinding but that didn't work for me at all.  Either I didn't have the right spec and or gear, 'cuz my health was dropping much too quickly.  And there was no way on earth I could pull 5 -7 mobs and survive, like people were claiming to have done on the forums.  I'm satisfied with killing 2-3 mobs on every pull.  It's certainly much faster than what I was able to do before.  I might splurge a little at 40 and upgrade my gear to get more +Stamina.

Other than that, I'm not doing much gaming.  I stopped LOTRO so that it would feel fresh on release.  I'm looking forward to getting back to playing a Captain and see entirely new content.

Blizzard, really, WTF?

Your player population was so immature that you had to remove the global Looking for Group channel.  Yet somehow in your infinite wisdom you think that they'll use a tool like The Armory any better??

I don't know who is dumber - the people harassing other players with Armory data, or the Blizzard development team that used resources to design and deploy this new Chuck Norris alternate laughfest.  If you've got that kind of time on your hands, FIX THE FUCKING PRIEST CLASS!

/e Shakes it off.  Okay, I feel better now. :-)  I know I shouldn't read the forums.  It just drags me down into the mud.  But I can't resist going there everyday.  It's like watching a car wreck.  I'll blame AFK Gamer for pointing out this new trend in player cruelty.

Anyone Seen Waldo?

Where is Waldo? Farming mats for enchanting, tailoring, reputation and flying mount gold.  Yep, when I do log on to WOW these days, I'm not doing much other than farming.  This also includes watching my timers for Primal Mooncloth, Spellcloth and Shadowcloth.  I'd like to save up the comps for the Primal Mooncloth robe and shoulders but oh mammy, I'd need 32 pieces of mooncloth, which I can only make 2 pieces every four days.

Once I save up more gold, I'll start trading out my Spellcloth and Shadowcloth for Mooncloth, which will make it go by faster.  Until then, you can find me farming these spots. 

Mana Motes

Fire Motes

Shadow Motes and Cloth

I've abandoned my Shaman.  As much as I enjoyed the fighting style, I wasn't in the mood to level another DOA healing class.  Reading the forums isn't much encouragement.  Group/raid leaders are talking about how they only take one Priest or one Shaman.  The preferred healing class to double-up on these days are Paladins or Druids.  As depressing as this is for Priests, I do think this will all come full circle at some point.

Warlock was a shit class for a while.  Back when I was leveling mine to 60, there was no Death Coil and life on a PVP server was HELL.  I feel like my grandmother, reminiscing about back in the day. :-)  And it wasn't so long ago that Druids were a complete laughing stock in PVP for anything other than carrying a flag.  Yes, the Priest class will have it's day too, just not sure if I'll still be one by then.   

I haven't seen anyone post this yet, but it seems like Warlocks might be getting shut out a little too by groups opting for a Shadow Priest versus the damage only Warlock.  My son said that it's been getting harder and harder to get his Warlock into groups.

Great Fantasy Online

If you like fantasy and enjoy podcasts, here's your chance to enjoy them at the same time.  A couple of weeks ago I ran across a ShadowMagic, a serialized podcast novel.  I'd love to do one of these.  If only i had the talent and dedication!

I just finished listening to the last chapter today, and I already miss it.  *Sniff*

Are Games Ruining Your English?

Molly, from The Women of Warcraft Podcast, does a segment called “Real Life” moments.  The entries are from players who have subconsciously brought WOW idioms, behaviors or lingo into their real lives.  Molly’s moments, and an article I recently read about teachers who are concerned about the erosion of the English language by game-speak in adolescent writing, got me to thinking.

One of the teachers said that brining these abbreviations into your normal writing was bad and unprofessional.  It wasn’t until I read that statement that I reflected on whether or not I used game-speak at work?  Unfortunate answer is yes, I do.  Not in emails but I regularly use the same type of abbreviated sentence structure I use when chatting in WOW, when conversing in our internal Instant Messaging system at work.

Not so much because I’m not conscious of it, and am thereby being corrupted by my game play, as much as it saves time.  It’s just faster to type ‘ur’ than ‘you’re’.  Ending a response with ‘yw’ seems no less valid, than me taking the time to type, ‘you’re welcome’.  Life is busy.  Work is busy.  I don’t really see a huge problem with chatting with my peers in this fashion.

The Director of our department is equally as laid back.  She drops similar lingo in to her messages as well.  She’s no spring chicken, and I seriously doubt that she’s playing any video games.  Not to say that gaming is for the young.  It’s just to say that she’s neither and yet she uses the same abbreviations.  I think it’s more that we’re the “Internet” culture and have evolved to conversing for extended periods of time using chat, instead of voice communication.  Just as people have modified speech patterns and sentence structure when they’re talking to their friends or family, people have adopted a more casual sentence structure for communicating in text.  Personally, I don’t see a problem with this.  I’ve “LOL’d” in emails.  And who doesn’t drop in the occasional emote?

On the few occasions where an Executive Director or a Vice President has messaged me, I don’t use my “chat” English in the body of the conversations.  But I regularly close conversations with ‘tnx” or “yw”.  Again, I don’t see this as a problem.

So what about you guys?  Do you use your game chat or lingo outside of the game?

Why Are People So Angry?

Granted, I haven't been playing much lately so I might have missed some earth shattering event.  But why the hell is everyone so angry on the WOW forums?  Priest and Druids - I get the problem.  I'm angry as a priest.  However, it's not just limited to that class.  Or for that matter, just the class forums. 

Players seem to be spewing venom from all orifices.  That strikes me as odd right after an expansion pack, when everyone should still be in the honeymoon phase with WOW.  Seems odd.  Dunno.  Maybe everyone is going through sun deprivation syndrome and just need a little sunshine.

I hear I missed an in game priest riot of sorts that was accompanied by temporary account bans.  Damn, I miss all the fun.  Do you still have to pay when your account is suspended??  As for me, I'm messing around still in LOTRO.  Not too much though. I don't want to play too much and then have to repeat it all when it releases.  I want the game to feel fresh when I start to play it for real.