tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49666539082607083552024-02-17T03:33:30.106-05:00Cynical PhilosopherRandom Rants from an Antisocial BastardMythcreanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11359091455571059281noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4966653908260708355.post-46411943201258489192010-03-04T11:02:00.002-05:002010-03-04T11:50:53.419-05:00Simple Solution to Gold SellingOnce again account hacking and gold selling has reared it's ugly head.There has been a lot of talk on how to solve the problem ranging from tighter personal security to Blizzard actually selling gold themselves in an effort to drive the sellers out of business.All of the suggested solutions are based on a simple but flawed assumption.<br /><br />"Gold sellers are the problem and they need to be stopped."<br /><br />This is straight up bullshit.<br />Gold buyers are the fucking problem.Without the buyers there would be no market for stolen gold.<br />As it stands right now if you find someone selling gold you report them and Blizzard bans 'em.Problem solved right?<br />Nope, because the account that was banned is either a temp account for spamming or a stolen one they don't care about.The gold seller doesn't give a rat's ass if the account is shut down.They will have a new one up and running in minutes.So let's go after this from another angle.It is time to target the gold buyers themselves.<br />Blizzard should set up a system that flags any transfer of gold between players over a certain threshold.It will also monitor the AH and flag any sale that is obviously grossly inflated.When a questionable transfer of funds is found a GM will contact the offending player and have them explain themselves.(Transfers between guild mates or toons on the same account would be excluded.)If the reason for the transfer is legit then no harm no foul.If not then it is punishment time.I actually have a two tiered plan for punishment that I think will stab directly at the heart of people who find the need to buy gold.<br /><br />First let's consider why someone would buy gold.<br />Given the fact that gold is insanely easy to make and the only real gold sinks are all vanity items there is only one reason why people would buy gold.They are too lazy and stupid to earn their own but want all the frills so folks will think they are cool.So let's make the punishment for gold buying crush their lazy sheeple dreams.<br /><br />For the first offence of buying gold they will get a flag similar to the PVP flag.It will announce to the world they were found guilty of buying gold and at the same time open them up to full world, both faction PVP.This flag will be on all their toons and will remain there until they have logged 72 hours of playtime on their toons.<br />For the second offence it is the same but with 120 hours required for the flag to lift and Blizzard will pay a small bounty to anyone who kills them during that period.<br />For the third offence it is a permanent ban of their account.<br /><br />Simple solution.<br />Embarrass,demoralize and destroy gold buyers.With buyers gone the sellers will vanish.<br />Problem solved.Mythcreanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11359091455571059281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4966653908260708355.post-71424798552194417672010-02-25T16:08:00.003-05:002010-02-25T17:51:14.127-05:00The RandomizerAh the Randomizer, my favorite hang out of late.<br />Why?<br />Besides the obvious fact it is a fast and easy source of free shinnies,I find it endlessly amusing.However I am left shaking my head in wonder at times pondering one simple question.<br /><br />What the fuck is wrong with you people?<br /><br />Why the hell do you wait in the queue only to instantly bail on the run because it isn't the dungeon you were hoping for or because some folks aren't as uber geared as you?It is called the random dungeon finder for a reason you idiots.By it's very nature it is designed to toss you into a random dungeon with random people.What the fuck were you expecting?If you are going to queue up I expect you to actually, oh I don't know, run the fucking dungeon.At least for a few pulls to see if the group you landed in has a chance.If it all goes to shit then by all means either vote out the problem or leave yourself, but at least give it a shot before scampering away like a pussy.<br /><br />Tanks, I know you are the rock stars of the Randomizer.I understand your over geared ass really doesn't need us lowly dps and you consider us nothing more than an inconvenience.I feel it is my duty to remind you of something that you probably overlook once in a while.You notice that blue bar that is attached to your healer's name and most of us dps as well?That is our mana bar folks.When it gets low we do actually need to pause for a second or so.If your healer's gets too low your big green bar will start to drop at a rapid pace as well.I understand you are in a hurry but there is no prize for being the fastest.Give us a moment every so often to pause for a drink.If you can't manage that in your frantic rush to the end can you at least slow down enough that we can actually loot the corpses you are scattering in your wake?<br /><br />DPS, our job is simple.We make things dead in the most efficient manner possible.Did you get that?We are not here to pull for the tank.We are not here to wave our wow cocks around by trying to crush the recount meter.We definitely are not here to afk follow the healer.All you need to do is pay attention,watch your aggro and kill shit.If you die while standing in the bad it is your fault not the healer's.Just shut the fuck up and don't do it again.If you peel a mob off the tank it is because you screwed up not him.Run towards him and he might save your ass.<br /><br />To all you folks just gearing up or learning a new style of play, congrats.That is what this Randomizer is for.It gives you a chance to learn and improve.I just have a few words for you all.If you are unfamiliar with the dungeon or feel confused, speak up.If someone politely offers you advice try taking it graciously.If you screw up then admit your mistake and try to learn from it.Just don't ever fucking apologize for the fact you are learning.The fucktards bashing you are just insecure little tits.Ignore the dipshits who ridicule you and don't let one or two bad runs make you give up.<br /><br />To all of us braving the Randomizer, enjoy it.You will meet folks who are truly skilled at the class they play.You will run into those who are desperately trying to improve.You will also find some that evolution obviously passed by.Learn from those that can teach you something,help those you can and openly flame any fucktard you come across.<br />But most importantly have fun in there.Mythcreanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11359091455571059281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4966653908260708355.post-12245156022361896212010-02-13T15:17:00.003-05:002010-02-14T15:04:35.365-05:00A message to overgeared fucktardsI jumped into the Randomizer last night for my daily fix of frost emblems.Much to my delight I was ported into Utgarde Pinnacle and I had visions of a fast painless run dancing in my head.Our tank du jour was an under geared warrior.Not for the instance but by today's standards far below normal.(Hell, I am under geared compared to most folks farming frost emblems nowadays.)This didn't strike me as a huge problem.Pulls would be a bit slower.We would need to actually watch our threat and not just spam AoE.No big deal right?<br />Wrong!<br />The fucktards opened up with all they had before he had barely engaged the mobs.The poor bastard spent every pull frantically trying to hold agro while they screamed at him for being a piss poor tank.Instead of slowing down a bit so he could learn the ropes they obviously decided it was more productive to ridicule him.When the inevitable first wipe came they all bailed.The poor guy was left wondering what he did wrong and seriously reconsidering his choice to tank.<br />So to all you fucktards out there.<br />Remember there was a time when you were learning.Before you gained your elite status these heroics actually took a bit of team work.At one time some other poor bastards carried your ass through them so you could gear up.So have a bit of patience for those that are learning.The folks you are fucking with now will one day catch up to you.All they need is a bit of practice and a chance to get their emblems.And when they do I can guarantee they will be the ones initiating the vote to kick your useless fucktard ass from the group.<br />Karma is a bitch folks.<br /><br />On a side note, I would like to thank the folks who carried me the other night.I needed a few emblems to get a thrown weapon for my rogue.Problem was she is geared for PVP with a deep subtlety spec.I figured it would not be a huge problem.Man was I wrong.So to all you folks who had to put up with my abysmal dps, I thank you.You were all far more understanding and gracious than I deserved.Kudos to you all.Mythcreanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11359091455571059281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4966653908260708355.post-64189250019528940722010-02-05T10:18:00.007-05:002010-02-05T14:37:56.753-05:00Tale of two toonsHere is a summary of two different gnomes who have spent the last two weeks living inside the random dungeon finder.<br /><br /><em><strong>Mudge (lvl80 mage):</strong></em><br />This fellow managed to level without ever once pugging.In fact he had never run an instance with a full 5 man compliment before the LFD.As a result he is used to casual runs with a couple guild mates.There was always time to enjoy the scenery,loot or just generally mess around.Crowd control and planning were actually part of his repertoire.<br />Needless to say, the random runs he gets now are a bit of a culture shock.He is thrust into heroics he has never seen before and caught up in the mad dash to the end.Everyone is in a hurry and the slow or weak are left behind to die.It is sometimes rather intimidating to find yourself among the worst geared in the group on top of being totally clueless about where you are going or what is expected of you.But you know what, it has actually made me a better player.The relentless pace has forced me to manage my mana on a level never required before.My situational awareness and threat management are being perfected.I find myself adapting to the various boss mechanics and widely differing group dynamics faster every run.It is a trial by fire and so far he seems to be holding his own.<br />There are a lot of people complaining about this new system allowing failplayers to be carried and gear up in epics they never earned.I have yet to experience it.Any complete noob that doesn't bother trying is quickly left behind.The fucktards that sometimes grace our presence are vote kicked so fast it will make your head spin.These groups are after one thing only.They want their emblems as fast as possible.They have zero tolerance for the lazy or stupid.<br />It is natural selection at it's finest.<br /><br /><em><strong>Wizzlesnot (lvl33 rogue):</strong></em><br />This little guy is living the dream.He is dripping in heirloom gear and has a cartel of 80s funding his habits.Thanks to the LFD he no longer even needs to quest.He has fully embraced the mercenary lifestyle and has so far gained over 7 levels with it.His typical day is spent relaxing in Ironforge with a beer in one hand and a fishing pole in the other.Every so often the call will go out and he will find himself ported to the entrance of some random dungeon.He will quietly and efficiently kill everything in his path and when the final boss drops he gets paid and then leaves without a word.<br />Wizzlesnot - Hired Gun , Pest Removal Expert , Facilitator of Smooth RunsMythcreanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11359091455571059281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4966653908260708355.post-26218911133482896922010-01-28T08:55:00.003-05:002010-01-28T10:48:45.906-05:00Addons and the Learning CurveEarlier this week Tobold asked a question about living without <a href="http://tobolds.blogspot.com/2010/01/could-you-play-wow-without-addons.html">addons</a>.This got me to thinking about not just the addons I use but also why I tend to avoid them.I do run a few that I consider essential but they tend to be more for general utility instead of any real advantage in actual game play.<br /><br /><em><strong>Auctioneer</strong></em><br />This one is a must for anyone who spends any time at the auction house.Blizzard's default interface just doesn't cut it.<br /><em><strong>DagAssist , FloTotem/FloAspect Bars </strong></em><br />These beauties free up a ton of real estate on my action bars.Other than these extra bars I run with the standard UI.<br /><em><strong>Quartz</strong></em><br />I play from a few different locations, some of them with terrible lag issues.This little gem allows me to compensate.The ability to reposition cast bars is an added bonus.<br /><em><strong>Recount</strong></em><br />I run this for personal evaluation only.It allows me to dismantle a performance at my leisure so I can judge where I went wrong and what I was doing right.(Anyone who spams this in party chat should be stripped naked and dropped off the edge of Dalaran)<br /><br />I have played around with other addons but they never last long.One of the reasons is I don't like screen clutter.I find most addons that make combat easier tend to pollute my screen with distracting information.The other reason I avoid too many is they make me a worse player.I find myself relying on them to call out warnings or when a proc goes off.My situational awareness drops dramatically and I tend to get tunnel vision.As a player I find that I do better with a toon in direct proportion to how much I need to pay attention.This is also true with how difficult it was to level the character.I have leveled both a hunter and druid that while fun were insanely easy to get to 80.There was very rarely a moment where things went sideways and I could run on auto pilot for most of the leveling.The downside is I learned nothing from the experience.I have a druid that is mediocre at best and a huntard I wouldn't want to inflict on any poor group.The flip side to these guys are my mage and rogue.Both of them were a struggle to level.Almost every fight involved near death experiences.Living on the edge for 80 levels forced me to better understand their abilities and weaknesses.I needed to be constantly aware of their surroundings as well as their cooldowns and health pool.The upside of course is that I am a much better player with them.I know how hard I can push and when to back off a bit.I am more aware of my surroundings with them and as a result also more aware of my party and their needs.<br /><br />The bottom line is simple.Any addon that makes your life easier or improves your game play is a good thing.One that allows you to become lazy or less aware should probably be dropped.Mythcreanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11359091455571059281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4966653908260708355.post-32023602656548153082010-01-24T12:36:00.003-05:002010-01-24T14:40:11.244-05:00Stepping out of my confort zoneThere is some irony to the fact I play WoW.I tend to think of myself as a introvert with little need for social contact.Most people who know me just say I am a grumpy antisocial bastard.And yet I choose to spend an insane amount of time in a virtual world surrounded by random strangers.<br />Truth is, I just ignored the mutliplayer part of MMO.All my toons grew up in a very small guild (a whopping 3 people for most of it) and managed to level without ever pugging.If we needed to do an instance or group quest we just 2 or 3 manned it.Watching trade chat was the closest I ever came to the insanity you get with a group of anonymous strangers.Well last night I decided to change that.I loaded in a low level rogue I was messing around with and threw him at the mercy of the random dungeon tool.Turns out the anxious wait in the queue was the worst part.<br /><br />For my very first foray into randoms I drew the Stockades.It turned out to be a surreal experience.We all loaded in and buffs popped up without so much as a g'day.Our bear tank immediately pulled the first pack and we set about mowing them down.This set the tone for the entire run.Our bear knew exactly how fast we could go and was totally aware of the mana needs of the group.All the dps had amazing situational awareness and not once did an add or runner cause problems.To top it off our healer never once let anyone come close to death.The thing that made the run eerie was the total silence.We were a group of strangers from 5 different servers and yet we ran this like we had been working together for ages.A silent Juggernaut that just rolled over everything and then disbanded without once saying a word.<br /><br />Gnomeregan was next up.This party was talkative and excited to be here.No one really had a clue where we were going but no worries.After buffing up we made the pull and all hell broke loose.Our warrior tank grabbed his target and I immediately pulled aggro off him.The two warlocks each choose a different mob to attack and our healer face pulled a fourth.Let's just say it was a rather exciting first few seconds.Somehow we managed to pull through with only one fatality.After explaining to the locks about letting the tank do his job and a well deserved ribbing about me not letting him gain a bit of threat we set off again.I would like to report that things went smoothly after that but I can't.We got lost repeatedly.We had a few more large chaotic pulls.There was never a complete wipe but we did suffer casualties.And you know what.It was fun and exciting.We never once had a blow up.Each failure was met with laughter and not once did anyone toss blame around.I'm sure it would have irritated a lot of folks but it was just the kind of mayhem and madness I am used to.<br /><br />If the last run represented everything I like about a group then my next trip into Gnomer showed all I despise.I zoned in to find them a few pulls into the instance.All I can surmise is they kicked someone or managed to piss them off enough to leave already.Judging from how they played I would assume the latter.Our pally tank had a rather annoying habit.He just wouldn't stay still.I don't mean he would make subtle movements to reposition a mob or grab a new one.I mean he would bounce back and forth all over the room, dragging the mob with him.I spent most of the run chasing my targets around.Next up were our twin mages.I knew we were in trouble with them when I noticed they were called Gindolf and Gundolf.These two fools had apparently only bothered to learn one spell.Blizzard.They would both open up with this the second our pally started his epileptic fit and when they pulled aggro would go hide next to the healer.Without fail one of the blizzards would proc frostbite and lock the mob within melee range of our poor druid.Ah the druid, our one saving grace.This poor thing worked her ass off trying to keep everyone upright.It was thanks to her alone that we never suffered a full wipe till the last room.And how do they repay her dedication after the wipe?They all lay dead on the floor waiting for her to run back in.I actually had to stealth all the way back to the entrance (vanish ftw) so I could try and escort her back in to rez them.After we both died twice trying to get back in the rest of the lazy bastards decided to release and run.I would have dropped group but I'll admit some morbid fascination in seeing how bad it could get.<br /><br />So there you have it.I braved pugging for the first time and lived to tell the tale.Will I do it again?Probably.I find the whole thing rather enjoyable and slightly addicting.Besides it is a nice change from the endless questing.Mythcreanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11359091455571059281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4966653908260708355.post-9789102907559720912010-01-22T10:39:00.002-05:002010-01-22T11:54:14.778-05:00WoW PlayersI would like to talk briefly about the different kind of WoW players we meet in game.I don't mean the usual distinctions of hard-core vs casual,raiders vs soloists or even PVP vs PVE.We all play the game for different reasons and no one style is more valid than the next.As long as someone is not interfering with my enjoyment of the game I don't really care how or why they play.What I want to discuss is the evolution of the typical WoW player.<br /><br /><em><strong>Newbie:</strong></em><br />We all started out here.Remember your first wobbly steps in the starting zone?Everything was strange and exciting.We began with almost zero knowledge about what to do,where to go,what all these buttons were for.So we explored.We experimented.We read the quest text and maybe asked in chat for some advise.Somehow with a bit of persistence,a little help and some luck we managed to bumble our way through and set off on our journey to 80.<br /><br /><em><strong>Veteran:</strong></em><br />Hopefully this is where we all end up.We have leveled to the top,some of us multiple times.By now the abilities and weaknesses of our chosen class should be second nature.We understand our roles and hopefully have a passing knowledge of the abilities of other classes as well.Even if we don't know all the answers we know where to get them.There is very little mystery left in the game mechanics.Remember that helpfully high level toon that took the time to explain things to you 80 levels ago?<br />You have become them.<br /><br /><em><strong>Noob:</strong></em><br />This is where evolution skipped a beat.These people have managed to make it to 80 but somehow managed to learn nothing on the journey.I don't mean making a mistake or two when we should know better.We all have our noob moments.I am talking about the folks who constantly pester you for gold or boosts.The ones who have no idea what a talent tree is for.Why or how to enchant and gem their gear.They will spend a whole fight auto attacking and standing in the fire.The very basics of the game escape them.They are not unable to learn but are just too lazy to even try.You meet them and are left wondering how someone that stupid can even function on their own.<br />I hate to be the one to tell you but we created the noobs.Every time we gave gold to the beggar outside the bank.Every time we boosted them though a run.Every time we did the work for them instead of taking the time to teach.We created the environment where laziness was not only acceptable but profitable.They had no need to learn and grow so they never bothered to.<br /><br /><em><strong>Fucktard:</strong></em><br />These are the bottom feeders of the game.They might be completely useless players or the best around.Ability has nothing to do with becoming one of these assholes.It all boils down to your attitude and how you interact with the rest of Azeroth.<br />Do you instantly flame down any question asked with "L2P n00b!!!" instead of taking the time to explain something?<br />Do you ignore the rest of your party in a blind race to the top of the DPS charts so you can link recount and show off your epeen?<br />Are you one of the dipshits who parks his mammoth on the flight guy or spams duel requets at everyone who passes?<br />Do you hang out in trade chat linking anal jokes or just to harass others?<br />Is your idea of a fun to hang around ganking low level toons?<br />These are all the marks of the fucktard.They are nothing more than useless parasites.The only real cure for them is to ignore them.Don't argue or debate in trade.Don't tolerate them in your groups or guilds.They live off the attention.Simply kick them from your party and put them on ignore.Mythcreanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11359091455571059281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4966653908260708355.post-16051775670777417022010-01-20T11:32:00.001-05:002010-01-20T13:35:28.378-05:00G'dayWhy another WoW blog?<br /><br />The answer to that is actually two-fold.<br />There is a mountain of well written and exceptionally helpful blogs out there.Unfortunately most of them are written from the point of view of serious raiders or hard core pvp players.You won't get that here.I don't raid, I enjoy pvp but am rather lackluster at it and have managed to level 6 toons to 80 without ever pugging.I will be writing from a hardcore casual point of view.I'm not entirely sure what that means yet.Guess we'll find out as we go along.<br />The other reason behind this blog is a personal one.I am using it as a means to return to the habit of writing on a regular basis.It is a way to vent frustrations and generally scream into the darkness.Once again I'm not sure where that will end up.<br /><br />Basically I am making this up as I go.<br />Hope you enjoy it.Mythcreanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11359091455571059281noreply@blogger.com0