Lieutenant Commander Psyae

Long titles like that are sucky for rogues. Know how many times I've successfully hidden behind trees, rocks, bushes, while waiting for a DOT to wear off, and wasn't seen? Plenty (before these damned titles). Now? It's more like:



Gee, wonder where Psyae is hiding.

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AB Notes Actually Being Read!

As I've mentioned previously, I like to see who is visiting my blog. I recently discovered that a certain guild alliance website had a link to my site, but since I'm not a guild member there, I didn't have access to the private forum where the post with the link was made. I registered for the general forum, and emailed an administrator, asking him to relay the content of the post (if possible), so that I'd have an idea of what was being said about the blog. (I don't get a lot of direct feedback). He was kind enough to copy/paste the post for me, and, because I can't seem to get enough self-plugs, I'll relay it here.

This is the response I was given:

We have a PVP and Battlegrounds forum in which that post originated. One of our officers started the thread and titled it "Awesome red on AB Tacticss..." The content is as follows:

Read this and comment please....

http://psyae.blogspot.com/2005/12/arathi-basin-notes-2.html

and this...

http://psyae.blogspot.com/2005/12/arathi-basin-notes.html

The first reply came from one of our most experienced PVP players who wrote..

"Excellent reads.

I would have put more emphasis on the leadership part of things, as good leadership could prevent such things as undefended stables, and unsuccessful and underdefended assaults. However, getting a good feel for tactics, and why they work or don't work, is helpful for getting a crew to anticipate orders, and coming to the point where a crew can go into autopilot without the leader having to say much.

Also, beware the antithesis of overextending. Opponents should be kept on the defensive as much as possible in order to prevent them from mounting any successful offense. Learn your opponent, know your position, and determine if it's possible to take four or five."

We play on the Burning Blade server and have recently really been having a ton of success in the battlegrounds where we used to get stomped on a regular basis. We've been gathering strategies and ideas from all over the place and these guys obviously felt your notes were insightful.
Thanks!

So, if you're on Burning Blade, and have an interest in this guild, take a look over at: http://www.legendsguild.org/

Looks like a good guild to be in for some great pvp action.

[Note, I've got an Arathi Basin Notes #3 up!]

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WoW: Entertaining, Fun, or Addictive?

If it relieves boredom, does that mean it's entertainment? Does that mean it's good? If it's addictive, can it still be fun? If it's not addictive, is it no longer entertaining or fun? These are some of the questions running through my mind, and I am hoping my query here and the responses given will help me get closer to the solution.

Chances are, you started playing World of Warcraft (or a similar game) for a fairly simple reason. You needed a new distraction. You were bored with some game you had been playing, or you were game-hopping unsatisfactorily, hoping you'd finally find *The One*.

If the game you picked is WoW, and you play more than 20 hours a week, I have some news for you. It's not a distraction any more. It's a part-time job. Yes, I've written a few posts on how WoW is a time-sucker, and I've noted how much of a lot of other stuff you could get done with that time instead of playing WoW. However, this article isn't a rant about that. It's more of a reflection upon what we consider entertainment.

More succinctly put, when you play WoW addictively (in other words, you tend to put aside anything that's not burning your house down in order to play, at least for as long as you can), are you being "entertained," or are you "under the influence"?

Yes, that's a metaphor, likening WoW to drugs. Or, more precisely, likening playing WoW to taking drugs. Even deeper, wanting/needing to play WoW to needing a fix.

Addiction is a compulsion to repeat a behavior. To be addicted is to "devote or surrender oneself to something habitually or obsessively." Yes, you can be addicted to a substance, or a habit, like gambling.

There are scores of papers and statistics out there concerning addiction to playing video games. Although I'm sure these are fascinating, I'm not concerned with their results (as if I'd trust them). My query transcends both issues (drug and game addiction). However, since, I hope, most of us aren't drug addicted, we can analyze our own feelings about the game-related aspect.

I'm not really saying that we're addicted. I'm merely saying that many WoW players have symptoms of addiction. This is something you'll have to evaluate for yourself, and try to be honest. For some of us, it's no big deal. We'll shrug and admit that we play too much. For others, it will be a bit more difficult. Denial. I'm curious to discover how entertaining we really find playing WoW, or how "fun" it is, as opposed to "addictive."

I'd like to gather some information from a sampling of readers for further evaluation, and would appreciate your assistance.

Do what you can to self-evaulate, and then see if any of the following statements describes your behavior: (you can use the numbers in your reply with a "yes" or "no". feel free to skip any you don't want to answer)

1. When I'm not playing, because I can't (at work, travelling, etc.), I sometimes get anxious thinking about playing.

2. When I finally get to play, I feel a sense of relief.

3. While playing, if I get tired, I push myself to keep playing a little more.

4. I keep pushing myself to play until my eyelids get so heavy, I can barely keep them open. Then I know it's time to quit.

5. I tell myself I'm not going to play as much next time, but I end up playing the same amount anyway.

6. When people (in the real world) try to communicate with me while I'm playing, I tend to block them out or just not hear them, and it's always more important that I finish whatever I'm doing before I can devote any attention to them.

7. If I'm getting attacked, and one of my children, or my spouse, or someone close to me wants to look at something and says so with a slight sense of urgency, I have to finish my fight first or else I might die.

8. I think about WoW more than I think about sex.

9. I read more online material about WoW than I read regular books.

***

Now, put these words in order of what best describes your day-to-day WoW experience. And be honest.


-Time-consuming

-Entertaining

-Frustrating

-Challenging

-Fun

-Laborious

-Tedious

-Exciting

-Demanding

-Enlightening

-Boring

-Addictive

******

I'm posting this on two blogs, and I will compile the results and chart them on an additional post, where I'll discuss what I think about the results.

Feel free to reply anonymously. Thanks for your help!

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WoW Blogger Guild

If you're a WoW Blogger, or a blogger who happens to play WoW, apparently we've started a WoW Blogger guild on Sen'jin (Alliance). Read all about it Here and Here, and check out our forum Here.

Thanks to Aeigelus for starting it up.

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Arathi Basin Notes #3

Being nearly Revered in Arathi Basin, I have seen just about every strategy employed there. I've talked about a few earlier, but I want to share some of the more recent strategies, particularly the ones that seem most effective, especially with higher level groups.

[note: from Alliance perspective, but can be applied either way, in theory]

1 - Inverted C Zerg:

-Despite the name, this is a rather simple strategy that has seen some success in the 40-59 range. I don't see this as viable in the "epic" 60 range, but it might be worth a shot against a horde pug.

Alliance immediately rush the Mill, leaving one to cap stables. It's likely the Mill will be captured by the zerg quickly. The zerg then proceeds from the Mill to the Blacksmith, and then reinforces the captured bases while sending a roving offense to harrass the Farm or Mines.

Pros: This is a great strategy to pull on an unsuspecting pug. It guarantees two bases within a few seconds of the game beginning. Some might say at least two bases are guaranteed anyway, and that might be true, but not in this quick timeframe. The original Ally strategy was to send half to the mines, half to the mill, and leave a few at the stables. In that situation, it's likely either the mines or mill will be targeted by the horde, and, even if the allies succeed, they have to fight with reduced numbers over a longer period of time to do so. Yes, they "could" feasibly cap both the mines and the mill, but not if the horde send only one or two to the blacksmith, and all the rest to counter the allied offense on the mines/mill. With the Inverted C Zerg, the allies guarantee a quick cap on stables and mill, and then have a huge offensive force to attack the blacksmith, instead of a scattered force often seen in more basic and pug strategies. There's always a chance that the horde underdefend the blacksmith because traditionally it was an "automatic cap" for the horde.

Cons: Lately, the horde anticipate early attacks on the blacksmith, and defend it accordingly. Plus, the horde has become more keen on a "roving" team (more on that later), and can cause a lot of trouble for the zergers early on. The slight flexibility of the zergers being able to switch to the farm or mines if necessary (neither a great pattern) is probably not enough to provide sustainability throughout many games. Also, if the strategy is used against the same horde team, the allies could find themselves with absolutely no bases (e.g., horde zergs mines, stables, and mill (their own inverted C), and traps the alliance in a major blacksmith battle, while annoying the newly risen at the allied graveyard. This has the potential to be avoided if the allied stables defender keeps a sharp eye on the mines/bs path, an alerts the zergers to a major incoming force).


2 - The Modified Left Hand Middle Finger

-Eh, I don't know why I pick these titles. This is a variation similar to the inverted C, but, as the title implies, the initial focus is the blacksmith. Two full teams hit the blacksmith immediately, while two smaller teams hit the mines, stables, and mill simultaneously. Usually, the mines team consists of two players, and the stables/mill team consists of four. One will stop at the stables, while a stealth team checks out the mill, and caps it early if possible. If the horde send a barrage to the mill, that team backs off and defends the stables. This is a "get three quick" plan, that's fairly effective if the blacksmith is capped early. If the blacksmith cannot be capped, chances are, it's a losing battle. Whichever faction grabs three bases first can usually hold out longer. Some basic principles of this strategy are that after the first wave, the bare minimum defense on each held base is two, optimal three. One of the first teams is a roving patrol (epic mounted), and goes where the action is. The stealth team can divide itself between defending the stables and trying to ninja the mill or farm, depending on how organized the enemy offense is.

Pros: Compared to the inverted C, this strategy hits the smithy hard and fast, often before enough horde can arrive to fend off the epic mounted allied offense. It's flexible. Blacksmith, stables, and mines is the optimal configuration, but if the mines are overrun, it's not hard to mount a successful mill offense.

Cons: Absolute teamwork is essential. Just one or two slackers or "individuals" or wannabe backseat leaders will crash the entire system. If the blacksmith is not taken within the first two minutes or so, things are usually bleak, and it's hard to catch up (having devoted all those forces to one base). Overreaching (in any strategy) can be fatal, especially against an organized opponent. Learn the names of your opponents and figure out what kind of strategy they're likely to employ, and whether you'd be better off sticking with a solid three, or going for a 4-cap against a loose pug group.

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