Death is in the air....
From my perspective, Kirk was the first major blogger to call it quits. I learned almost all I know about priestly healing in WoW from him.
It was a while after that (and more recently) that other WoW bloggers slowly but surely closed their doors. Most of them, I didn't read, but I knew they were very popular among the WoW blogging community. And then my fellow Poxer, Nas, said farwell.
I've also seen a bit of a slow down in some people's posting.
And now, the Big Red Kahuna has announced his moving on. (There is some speculation about this being a big April Fool's joke, but if I've learned anything about the man, I've learned that he's dead serious when it comes to his family. And I can't imagine the wrath of the Redhead if BRK were to toy with her on his blog..../shudder)
I have to admit that I have lost my will to play WoW. While this may come as a shock to some, I'm sure others have seen it coming. And, no, I don't expect EVE to take its place, either, although I did purchase one month of play to fully evaluate the game.
So, what does that mean? I don't know. This is definitely not a farewell post; I'll be stinkin' up the interwebs for a while yet. I just don't know if it'll be about WoW. Time will tell.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Back from the Weekend
Ahhh, 18 years in the books!
We ended up not going to Mitchell's for lunch; instead, we went to the Istanbul Cafe. We both had the lunch special which included Hummus and an entree. The food was very tasty!
The rest of the evening went as planned, except for the dancing part...we just didn't have the energy to make it down to Southport for the dance party.
We weren't all that impressed with the Canterbury. It's an old hotel, so I expected some...uh...how do you say, "character". Yeah, that's the word. But, usually that presents itself as old fixtures, worn (antique-ish) furniture, and outdated carpet/wallpaper.
Our room had a queen bed with a mattress that sagged in the middle (totally unacceptable), pillows that were lumpy (unacceptable), and sink fixtures that leaked. LEAKED! For crying out loud.
On the plus side, the room set up was perfect! I had called ahead for fresh flowers and the person who took the call asked if I'd like rose pedals on the bed. Sure! was my response. Well, he did an excellent job of spreading the rose pedals on the floor (with a "I <3 U" on the floor) and made a big heart on the bed with a single rose in the middle. There were also a dozen roses in a vase on the coffee table.
PURE WIN!!!!
In other news, I downloaded the EVE Online trial deal on Thursday to check it out. Yes, I've been getting bored with WoW again, and Ess and Wara have started in on EVE to check it out. Since everyone plays on the same server cluster, I figured I'd check it out and see if I liked it. Oh, and Jay is checking it out as well!
My first impressions are somewhat good. I like the graphics, and the tutorials are helpful....also I had to use the Petition system to resolve an issue with a mission, and the staff responded very quickly (within 5 minutes or so).
The learning curve is huge, though. There are a lot of differences to WoW, one of which might just put me off of the game. Namely, the utter lack of freeform movement. In EVE, at least in my limited experience, you always have to pick a point to move to. There is no piloting the ship by hand as in Freelancer or character movement in WoW. If you want to "RUN AWAY!! RUN AWAY!!" from a fight, you need to pick a point that's in the distance to run to. I'm not a big fan of that.
The mining and crafting part is ok. I'm sure that with time, I'll figure out which ore reprocesses into which metals; it's not intuitive like WoW (ie, copper ore makes copper bars). In EVE, while it seems that a certain type of ore (there are several different grades of a particular ore) always reprocesses into the same metals (and the same proportions of those metals), there is absolutely no indication of which metals a particular ore will reprocess into if you don't already know. I've had to find out by trial (no errors, just laaarnin').
I'll really be disappointed if the higher grade ores (and metals) are only available in the low security (lowsec) space where law enforcement is nil, and PvP is king. I will just stop playing if that is the case.
Another beef I have is travel time. I mean, WoW has its issues regarding travel, especially at the lower levels, but from what I've seen, EVE travel is pretty much the same for high level and low level players. One has to use the jump gates to travel between systems, and most of the systems are only connected to a few other systems.
The only advantage for high end players in regards to travel is that they must be able to get from jump gate to jump gate faster, but I can't see any way for them to skip jumps. So a 20 jump journey for me is a 20 jump journey for them, and the only time savings comes in when traveling in-system between the jump gates. Hmmm...don't know what to think about that.
BUT! I'm only two or so days into the trial; I have much to learn and experience before I make my verdict (buy the game or keep looking). I've finished the tutorials, so I'll be following the next bread crumb that's been laid out for me after I've done some mining. I might just buy the game and use the free thirty days to continue my evaluation before committing to a subscription. I mean....I have a ship that I can't use unless I have a paying account....BOO!! HISS!!!
We ended up not going to Mitchell's for lunch; instead, we went to the Istanbul Cafe. We both had the lunch special which included Hummus and an entree. The food was very tasty!
The rest of the evening went as planned, except for the dancing part...we just didn't have the energy to make it down to Southport for the dance party.
We weren't all that impressed with the Canterbury. It's an old hotel, so I expected some...uh...how do you say, "character". Yeah, that's the word. But, usually that presents itself as old fixtures, worn (antique-ish) furniture, and outdated carpet/wallpaper.
Our room had a queen bed with a mattress that sagged in the middle (totally unacceptable), pillows that were lumpy (unacceptable), and sink fixtures that leaked. LEAKED! For crying out loud.
On the plus side, the room set up was perfect! I had called ahead for fresh flowers and the person who took the call asked if I'd like rose pedals on the bed. Sure! was my response. Well, he did an excellent job of spreading the rose pedals on the floor (with a "I <3 U" on the floor) and made a big heart on the bed with a single rose in the middle. There were also a dozen roses in a vase on the coffee table.
PURE WIN!!!!
In other news, I downloaded the EVE Online trial deal on Thursday to check it out. Yes, I've been getting bored with WoW again, and Ess and Wara have started in on EVE to check it out. Since everyone plays on the same server cluster, I figured I'd check it out and see if I liked it. Oh, and Jay is checking it out as well!
My first impressions are somewhat good. I like the graphics, and the tutorials are helpful....also I had to use the Petition system to resolve an issue with a mission, and the staff responded very quickly (within 5 minutes or so).
The learning curve is huge, though. There are a lot of differences to WoW, one of which might just put me off of the game. Namely, the utter lack of freeform movement. In EVE, at least in my limited experience, you always have to pick a point to move to. There is no piloting the ship by hand as in Freelancer or character movement in WoW. If you want to "RUN AWAY!! RUN AWAY!!" from a fight, you need to pick a point that's in the distance to run to. I'm not a big fan of that.
The mining and crafting part is ok. I'm sure that with time, I'll figure out which ore reprocesses into which metals; it's not intuitive like WoW (ie, copper ore makes copper bars). In EVE, while it seems that a certain type of ore (there are several different grades of a particular ore) always reprocesses into the same metals (and the same proportions of those metals), there is absolutely no indication of which metals a particular ore will reprocess into if you don't already know. I've had to find out by trial (no errors, just laaarnin').
I'll really be disappointed if the higher grade ores (and metals) are only available in the low security (lowsec) space where law enforcement is nil, and PvP is king. I will just stop playing if that is the case.
Another beef I have is travel time. I mean, WoW has its issues regarding travel, especially at the lower levels, but from what I've seen, EVE travel is pretty much the same for high level and low level players. One has to use the jump gates to travel between systems, and most of the systems are only connected to a few other systems.
The only advantage for high end players in regards to travel is that they must be able to get from jump gate to jump gate faster, but I can't see any way for them to skip jumps. So a 20 jump journey for me is a 20 jump journey for them, and the only time savings comes in when traveling in-system between the jump gates. Hmmm...don't know what to think about that.
BUT! I'm only two or so days into the trial; I have much to learn and experience before I make my verdict (buy the game or keep looking). I've finished the tutorials, so I'll be following the next bread crumb that's been laid out for me after I've done some mining. I might just buy the game and use the free thirty days to continue my evaluation before committing to a subscription. I mean....I have a ship that I can't use unless I have a paying account....BOO!! HISS!!!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Who dat Troll?
Why it's Rysteranch, my very first character! He got out and about yesterday with his brand new level 60 ape named....Deathrender! (Jay wasn't so amused....).
So, DR the PooFlinger dinged 4 levels and Rysteranch dinged one level tearin' up Terokkar. Two more levels to Northrend! Yay! And all of this level is rest XP too!
This weekend, my wife and I are celebrating our 18th wedding anniversary (on the 29th) by heading up north on Friday to go to some appts, do some shopping, and eat (probably at Mitchell's....mmmmmm.....Mitchell's.....).
Then, we'll be headed downtown to check in at the Canterbury for the evening; we've never stayed there before, but it looks really nice!
After a nap, we'll be headed out to Shula's for dinner. Once again, we've never been to this place either, but have heard nothing but good things about it.
And finally, we hope to make it out to Dance Master's studio for their Island Evening dance to get a little group lesson and do some dancing! I'd really like to try out our new dance, even if we only know two moves! TANGO!!! WOOT!!
Some time on Saturday, we'll return home. And, no, there will not be a laptop accompanying us on this little mini-vacation. So, no posting, no WoW, but lots of fun!
18 years!!! WoooooT!
So, DR the PooFlinger dinged 4 levels and Rysteranch dinged one level tearin' up Terokkar. Two more levels to Northrend! Yay! And all of this level is rest XP too!
This weekend, my wife and I are celebrating our 18th wedding anniversary (on the 29th) by heading up north on Friday to go to some appts, do some shopping, and eat (probably at Mitchell's....mmmmmm.....Mitchell's.....).
Then, we'll be headed downtown to check in at the Canterbury for the evening; we've never stayed there before, but it looks really nice!
After a nap, we'll be headed out to Shula's for dinner. Once again, we've never been to this place either, but have heard nothing but good things about it.
And finally, we hope to make it out to Dance Master's studio for their Island Evening dance to get a little group lesson and do some dancing! I'd really like to try out our new dance, even if we only know two moves! TANGO!!! WOOT!!
Some time on Saturday, we'll return home. And, no, there will not be a laptop accompanying us on this little mini-vacation. So, no posting, no WoW, but lots of fun!
18 years!!! WoooooT!
Saturday, March 21, 2009
#400 post. Big deal....
...But!! There is a big deal that happened today!!
Yeah, the Pox Redux group got together, and I showed everyone what a noob I am. Sure, I can charge into a bunch of level 18s when I'm 15 and die. Yay on me.
We were able to get all of the Defias questline done up to completing Deadmines, and we did have time to take down the first two bosses. I had to jet really quick after the second boss, so I'm not sure who picked up the drops (they weren't pally friendly). But other than my stupid mistake, I think we all had a good time. I'll try to write up more later.
The real big deal that happened today is.....
We learned the TANGO!!!! WOOOOOOOOT!!!!
Yeah, we only know the basic step and one little move, but still, WE CAN DANCE TANGO!!! So far, I am loving this dance! It's sort of a "I love you/I hate you" kind of dance. Lots of attitude. And loads of fun!
TTFN!
Yeah, the Pox Redux group got together, and I showed everyone what a noob I am. Sure, I can charge into a bunch of level 18s when I'm 15 and die. Yay on me.
We were able to get all of the Defias questline done up to completing Deadmines, and we did have time to take down the first two bosses. I had to jet really quick after the second boss, so I'm not sure who picked up the drops (they weren't pally friendly). But other than my stupid mistake, I think we all had a good time. I'll try to write up more later.
The real big deal that happened today is.....
We learned the TANGO!!!! WOOOOOOOOT!!!!
Yeah, we only know the basic step and one little move, but still, WE CAN DANCE TANGO!!! So far, I am loving this dance! It's sort of a "I love you/I hate you" kind of dance. Lots of attitude. And loads of fun!
TTFN!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Back to WoW
I reengaged with WoW last night. Daxynn is up to 33 and tearin' up Thousand Needles. Her professions (Mining and Blacksmithing) are commiserate with her level, so I'm pretty happy with that.
It's been fun doing the new (to me, well, kinda....it's been a while since I've done them) quest lines for the Horde. It's also fun leveling a pally. I'm hoping that the patch hits soon to tweak the BS crafted items to be more useful to pallies. I mean, Spirit...on plate? Come on....!
Ok, gotta get back to work. Hopefully I'll have something of more substance to post later on.
It's been fun doing the new (to me, well, kinda....it's been a while since I've done them) quest lines for the Horde. It's also fun leveling a pally. I'm hoping that the patch hits soon to tweak the BS crafted items to be more useful to pallies. I mean, Spirit...on plate? Come on....!
Ok, gotta get back to work. Hopefully I'll have something of more substance to post later on.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Shhhhhhh....
So, I didn't log onto WoW at all yesterday.
This is the first day in a while that I haven't logged in. What happened? A couple of things.
First, maintenance day took out play until at least 2 pm Eastern, and while I took some time off yesterday to rest from working the weekend, I couldn't play WoW.
So, I installed Freelancer on my laptop and screwed around with that.
At 2:15 pm, I picked up my wife for an appointment on the North side (of Indy) and took her out to dinner at Mitchell's. I.....LOVE.....THAT......PLACE!!!!!!!!!!
/weep
Mitchell's......mmmmmmmmmm.........Oysters.......
/sigh
....
....
huh?
Oh, yeah, where was I? Mitchell's? mmmmmm.......Miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitchell's.......mmmmmmm.......
I know, don't start that again. Anyways, by the time we got back home, it was around 8 pm, and I really wanted to mess around on Freelancer some more. Flyin' around in space, shootin' up bad guys and blowin' things up. Oh...YEAH!
But, today after work, I'll be back on Daxynn, grinding out the levels. She still needs to catch up to Feudkiller, and playin' Freelancer ain't gonna do it!
BTW, does anyone know why I couldn't access any Multiplayer servers on Freelancer? I installed my own server on the same laptop I'm playing on, but the game never did see it. idk...
This is the first day in a while that I haven't logged in. What happened? A couple of things.
First, maintenance day took out play until at least 2 pm Eastern, and while I took some time off yesterday to rest from working the weekend, I couldn't play WoW.
So, I installed Freelancer on my laptop and screwed around with that.
At 2:15 pm, I picked up my wife for an appointment on the North side (of Indy) and took her out to dinner at Mitchell's. I.....LOVE.....THAT......PLACE!!!!!!!!!!
/weep
Mitchell's......mmmmmmmmmm.........Oysters.......
/sigh
....
....
huh?
Oh, yeah, where was I? Mitchell's? mmmmmm.......Miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitchell's.......mmmmmmm.......
I know, don't start that again. Anyways, by the time we got back home, it was around 8 pm, and I really wanted to mess around on Freelancer some more. Flyin' around in space, shootin' up bad guys and blowin' things up. Oh...YEAH!
But, today after work, I'll be back on Daxynn, grinding out the levels. She still needs to catch up to Feudkiller, and playin' Freelancer ain't gonna do it!
BTW, does anyone know why I couldn't access any Multiplayer servers on Freelancer? I installed my own server on the same laptop I'm playing on, but the game never did see it. idk...
Monday, March 16, 2009
Didn't play with other Others
No Pox group this weekend, the MRI at my work decided it wanted my attention. Boo.
And posting today is probably shot cause the magnet still is being needy.
Oh, Daxynn, the BE pally is up to 31. yay.
And posting today is probably shot cause the magnet still is being needy.
Oh, Daxynn, the BE pally is up to 31. yay.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Does Not Play with Others
So, last night, I did something that I've never done before: Blew off the raid.
I didn't even log into my Alliance toons last night to let people know I wasn't going to go. That was a mistake. I should have at least had the decency to log in and tell the raid leader, but I took the chicken poop way out. Not good.
What I chose to do instead was level my BE Pally. I got three levels last night to 27 as well as got Blacksmithing up over 150. I also found out how overpowered Pallies are.
At level 26, I was able to take on two level 30's. I was also able to take on a level 30 and a level 32 at the same time! Oh, and live, of course.
I also have a new found hatred of runners. I can't wait for my Judgment of You Can't Run.
I didn't even log into my Alliance toons last night to let people know I wasn't going to go. That was a mistake. I should have at least had the decency to log in and tell the raid leader, but I took the chicken poop way out. Not good.
What I chose to do instead was level my BE Pally. I got three levels last night to 27 as well as got Blacksmithing up over 150. I also found out how overpowered Pallies are.
At level 26, I was able to take on two level 30's. I was also able to take on a level 30 and a level 32 at the same time! Oh, and live, of course.
I also have a new found hatred of runners. I can't wait for my Judgment of You Can't Run.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Plays well with others
Last night, Feudkiller (Jay from Fuzzy Soup) and Daxynn got together to finish off some quests in Ghostlands and run RFC and SFK.
The quests were mostly done by the time we teamed up, so for most of the evening, we were in instances.
I wanted to do RFC for a Pally quest and to gauge how well we'd do together in an easy instance. Ok, mostly, how *I* would do holding all the mobs and taking all the damage.
It turned out, I did very well (IMAO). I tried to keep targeting different mobs for my Judgments and stuns and Exorcisms (when applicable) as well as keeping Consecrate up for multimobs.
We only had trouble with Arugal due to the Mind Control, and me not realizing that for Lay on Hands, I had to click it, then click on myself (I thought it was self cast if a party member wasn't targeted). I died.
Then, it was pretty funny watching Jay take Arugal on...get MC'd, and then the boss would reset (to full health too). Then....after coming out of MC, Jay would aggro the boss and the whole thing would replay. Finally, I told Jay to just run out, reset the boss and rez me.
That finally worked to get us back to square one. For the next attempt, he put up shadow protection aura and I ran Retribution aura. And we both DPS'd the boss. He went down pretty easily that time.
There's still some loot that I'd like to get from SFK, but we won't have to go all the way to the end for it. I'm thinking just make it to the rare spawn (which we saw last night, but dropped a 2H sword instead of my chestpiece) and call it good.
The quests were mostly done by the time we teamed up, so for most of the evening, we were in instances.
I wanted to do RFC for a Pally quest and to gauge how well we'd do together in an easy instance. Ok, mostly, how *I* would do holding all the mobs and taking all the damage.
It turned out, I did very well (IMAO). I tried to keep targeting different mobs for my Judgments and stuns and Exorcisms (when applicable) as well as keeping Consecrate up for multimobs.
We only had trouble with Arugal due to the Mind Control, and me not realizing that for Lay on Hands, I had to click it, then click on myself (I thought it was self cast if a party member wasn't targeted). I died.
Then, it was pretty funny watching Jay take Arugal on...get MC'd, and then the boss would reset (to full health too). Then....after coming out of MC, Jay would aggro the boss and the whole thing would replay. Finally, I told Jay to just run out, reset the boss and rez me.
That finally worked to get us back to square one. For the next attempt, he put up shadow protection aura and I ran Retribution aura. And we both DPS'd the boss. He went down pretty easily that time.
There's still some loot that I'd like to get from SFK, but we won't have to go all the way to the end for it. I'm thinking just make it to the rare spawn (which we saw last night, but dropped a 2H sword instead of my chestpiece) and call it good.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Stuck
There I was, stuck at the character creation screen.
Tauren Hunter with black fur, a cool beard, and NO nose ring or braids.
Now for a name....uh? taken...
Uh? Taken
? Taken
/sigh.
Randomize
Randomize
Randomize
Randomize
Randomize
Randomize
Randomize
Randomize
Uhhhhhhh? Taken
....? Taken
Randomize
Randomize
Randomize
Randomize
Randomize
Randomize
Randomize
Randomize
/sigh.
Daxenos?
Welcome to World of Warcraft.
Now during that time, my oldest son came thumping down the stairs and saw me creating a new toon.
"Cool! My friend and I were wanting to roll some Horde toons, what server? We can level together! Tank, healer, and DPS!"
Uh..../gives information.
So, now my Herbalist/Alchemist has a leveling group. We'll see how long this lasts; at least I know I'll still level him when my son and his friend lose interest...
Now I have to juggle Daxenos, Daxynn (with Feudkiller), Pox Daxenos on Saturday mornings, and raiding on Daxie/DV. For feeling kinda down about the game, I sure am playing it a lot....
Tauren Hunter with black fur, a cool beard, and NO nose ring or braids.
Now for a name....uh? taken...
Uh? Taken
? Taken
/sigh.
Randomize
Randomize
Randomize
Randomize
Randomize
Randomize
Randomize
Randomize
Uhhhhhhh? Taken
....? Taken
Randomize
Randomize
Randomize
Randomize
Randomize
Randomize
Randomize
Randomize
/sigh.
Daxenos?
Welcome to World of Warcraft.
Now during that time, my oldest son came thumping down the stairs and saw me creating a new toon.
"Cool! My friend and I were wanting to roll some Horde toons, what server? We can level together! Tank, healer, and DPS!"
Uh..../gives information.
So, now my Herbalist/Alchemist has a leveling group. We'll see how long this lasts; at least I know I'll still level him when my son and his friend lose interest...
Now I have to juggle Daxenos, Daxynn (with Feudkiller), Pox Daxenos on Saturday mornings, and raiding on Daxie/DV. For feeling kinda down about the game, I sure am playing it a lot....
Monday, March 9, 2009
One of these days...
...I really have to learn some self control.
Yes, if you didn't notice my list of toons, I moved three toons over to Suramar to play with Jay and Robin.
And, no, I didn't tell my wife.
And, yes, our credit card was declined at Kroger.
And, no, we didn't know why.
And, yes, my wife called the CC company.
And, no, she didn't know what the extra charges to Blizzard were for.
And, yes....I was in deep doo doo....
DOH!!
I guess our credit card usage flagged it for fraud alert. Thanks guys! I wasn't quite prepared to tell my wife of my expenditure, but I was ratted out by the Safety People. /sigh.
So, I have four toons on Suramar now:
Rysteranch, 65 Troll Beastmaster Hunter
Daxea, 41 Blood Elf Holy Priest (the former Pox toon)
Daxen, 33 Blood Elf Beastmaster Hunter
Daxynn, 20 Blood Elf Prot Pally (started on Friday)
Deathrender boosted Daxynn through RFC and WC a couple of runs, and Rysteranch boosted Feudkiller through SM. Right now, I'm focused on catching Daxynn up to Feudkiller so we can smash through some stuff together.
Also, this weekend, our Pox outing was a bust; one of our members slept through his alarm. No biggie, we'll just have to get rollin' next week.
And finally, I have jury duty on Wednesday; I'm hoping that I won't get picked for a jury. I might have to pick up one of Ann Coulter's books to help with that....either that or wear my "They wouldn't be here if they weren't guilty" tee shirt.
Yes, if you didn't notice my list of toons, I moved three toons over to Suramar to play with Jay and Robin.
And, no, I didn't tell my wife.
And, yes, our credit card was declined at Kroger.
And, no, we didn't know why.
And, yes, my wife called the CC company.
And, no, she didn't know what the extra charges to Blizzard were for.
And, yes....I was in deep doo doo....
DOH!!
I guess our credit card usage flagged it for fraud alert. Thanks guys! I wasn't quite prepared to tell my wife of my expenditure, but I was ratted out by the Safety People. /sigh.
So, I have four toons on Suramar now:
Rysteranch, 65 Troll Beastmaster Hunter
Daxea, 41 Blood Elf Holy Priest (the former Pox toon)
Daxen, 33 Blood Elf Beastmaster Hunter
Daxynn, 20 Blood Elf Prot Pally (started on Friday)
Deathrender boosted Daxynn through RFC and WC a couple of runs, and Rysteranch boosted Feudkiller through SM. Right now, I'm focused on catching Daxynn up to Feudkiller so we can smash through some stuff together.
Also, this weekend, our Pox outing was a bust; one of our members slept through his alarm. No biggie, we'll just have to get rollin' next week.
And finally, I have jury duty on Wednesday; I'm hoping that I won't get picked for a jury. I might have to pick up one of Ann Coulter's books to help with that....either that or wear my "They wouldn't be here if they weren't guilty" tee shirt.
Where'd mai blog go???
So...I'm looking at my front page....and...nothing....
Wonder what I've screwed up now....
EDIT: With this post...everything reappears...nice.
Wonder what I've screwed up now....
EDIT: With this post...everything reappears...nice.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Disappointed
That's the word to describe my feelings about last night raid. Allow me to reiterate what I expect from a raid.
Everyone is on time. 7 pm start time means a mob is being pulled at 7 pm.
Everyone is buffed before start time, including food, class, personal, and mage table.
Once started, afk's should be kept to a minimum and grouped together for more efficiency if possible.
Everyone should know what is an upgrade and what they might be hoping for from a boss.
Keep....the raid....moving! Some of us have a very limited amount of time to devote to this particular endeavor.
So, last night's raid was Naxx10. I was hoping we could clear at least three wings and possibly half or more of the fourth. From last week's raid, I didn't figure my expectations were too high.
Wrong.
From the get go, we had issues. Some of the things were understandable: Teurion was 15 minutes late due to RL stuff, VA was not feeling well enough to heal, our DPS warrior had to go afk to care for his wife. No problem.
However, even after Teurion showed up, we still had people who were MIA. In fact, while we knew we'd have to scrounge up a DPS, our OT didn't even show his face. So, it's 8 pm by the time we get our crap together.
We then proceeded to spend an hour and 15 minutes on the Military quarter that included only one wipe. An hour....and fifteen minutes..../sigh.
What is more aggravating is that we went to the Arachnid quarter and got the Arachnophobia achievement, which is killing the first and last bosses within 20 minutes of each other. After loot distribution, it was almost 10, so I logged.
So, why so long? I think the overriding factor was that Teurion was not Raid Leader. See, when he's Raid Leader, he keeps the raid moving. It's not that he always chain pulls, which he does a fair amount, but rather it's the "Herding Cats" attitude that he takes. He keeps pushing...moving...pulling...if someone needs to afk, he'll pull without them if he has a healer. There is an urgency in his leading, and we, as raiders, pick up on it and respond accordingly.
And that's what I want in a raid. Last night, I felt like a lot of my time was wasted (and it was!) waiting on other people. I fail to see how hard it is to be prepared for a raid! We all know when it starts, what day it's scheduled, what we need to fulfill our role. What's the freaking problem, people???
(Oh, dear, I'm buildin' up a head of steam....)
I thought that Blood for Blood was a raiding guild. Sure, it's not a hardcore raiding guild where you get kicked for missing an application of Serpent Sting, but still, it's a raiding guild. So, it's disappointing that we can't seem to show up on time and clear the content in a timely fashion. We are more than capable; it just seems that the will to do so is lacking.
I'm not really excited about tonight's run, especially if it includes more of the same from last night.
I'd better stop now...and for the people in B4B who might read this, let's get our crap together!
Everyone is on time. 7 pm start time means a mob is being pulled at 7 pm.
Everyone is buffed before start time, including food, class, personal, and mage table.
Once started, afk's should be kept to a minimum and grouped together for more efficiency if possible.
Everyone should know what is an upgrade and what they might be hoping for from a boss.
Keep....the raid....moving! Some of us have a very limited amount of time to devote to this particular endeavor.
So, last night's raid was Naxx10. I was hoping we could clear at least three wings and possibly half or more of the fourth. From last week's raid, I didn't figure my expectations were too high.
Wrong.
From the get go, we had issues. Some of the things were understandable: Teurion was 15 minutes late due to RL stuff, VA was not feeling well enough to heal, our DPS warrior had to go afk to care for his wife. No problem.
However, even after Teurion showed up, we still had people who were MIA. In fact, while we knew we'd have to scrounge up a DPS, our OT didn't even show his face. So, it's 8 pm by the time we get our crap together.
We then proceeded to spend an hour and 15 minutes on the Military quarter that included only one wipe. An hour....and fifteen minutes..../sigh.
What is more aggravating is that we went to the Arachnid quarter and got the Arachnophobia achievement, which is killing the first and last bosses within 20 minutes of each other. After loot distribution, it was almost 10, so I logged.
So, why so long? I think the overriding factor was that Teurion was not Raid Leader. See, when he's Raid Leader, he keeps the raid moving. It's not that he always chain pulls, which he does a fair amount, but rather it's the "Herding Cats" attitude that he takes. He keeps pushing...moving...pulling...if someone needs to afk, he'll pull without them if he has a healer. There is an urgency in his leading, and we, as raiders, pick up on it and respond accordingly.
And that's what I want in a raid. Last night, I felt like a lot of my time was wasted (and it was!) waiting on other people. I fail to see how hard it is to be prepared for a raid! We all know when it starts, what day it's scheduled, what we need to fulfill our role. What's the freaking problem, people???
(Oh, dear, I'm buildin' up a head of steam....)
I thought that Blood for Blood was a raiding guild. Sure, it's not a hardcore raiding guild where you get kicked for missing an application of Serpent Sting, but still, it's a raiding guild. So, it's disappointing that we can't seem to show up on time and clear the content in a timely fashion. We are more than capable; it just seems that the will to do so is lacking.
I'm not really excited about tonight's run, especially if it includes more of the same from last night.
I'd better stop now...and for the people in B4B who might read this, let's get our crap together!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
The indepth post that never was
I figured I'd just start writing and see what spills out onto the page.
As I've already mentioned, I'm starting to play alts, which is an indicator that I think my mains (DV and Daxie) are good enough to do what ever I wish to do with them. Now, I've mentioned before that the last XPac (BC) came out, and I was still a lowbie, so everything is different when WotLK came out.
Teurion and I have wondered if Pre-BC end gamers felt the same way at the end game in BC as we do being Pre-WotLK end gamers and current WotLK end gamers. "Now what?" is what I'm talking about.
I mean, sure, Uldar is coming soon...and Icecrown after that..., but, really, I can't say I'm too amped up about new raids. Right now, I'm not really having any interest in Naxx, Obsidium Sanctum, or Malagos; I'll still be going tonight for Naxx10 and tomorrow for Naxx25 (my wife has scrapbooking with her mom), but I can't say I'm all giddy about it.
Part of my feelings stem from forcing myself to get the game in its proper perspective. For good or for ill, the best way I've found to do that is to adopt a more apathetic attitude about it. I'm missing out on Naxx25? meh.../shrug.
I think another part of my ambivalence stems from my two raiders' gear being good enough to raid all of the current game content. And, no, neither of them are exalted with Sons of Hodir.
While I am glad that I have access to all of the raids, I'm also a bit disappointed with the seemingly lack of challenge. But, then again, I have no interest in seeing OS+3, so take that with a grain of salt.
I've also felt this way before (no, I'm not going to comb through my archives; trust me it's in there somewhere), so maybe this is just a natural cycle that I go through, and next week/month/whatever, I'll have gotten over it.
And finally, maybe, just maybe, this is the beginning of the end. I don't think it is because I'm pretty excited about Pox Redux, but I can't help but wonder how much longer I'll find WoW to be worth my while. Guess we'll all just have to wait and see.
As I've already mentioned, I'm starting to play alts, which is an indicator that I think my mains (DV and Daxie) are good enough to do what ever I wish to do with them. Now, I've mentioned before that the last XPac (BC) came out, and I was still a lowbie, so everything is different when WotLK came out.
Teurion and I have wondered if Pre-BC end gamers felt the same way at the end game in BC as we do being Pre-WotLK end gamers and current WotLK end gamers. "Now what?" is what I'm talking about.
I mean, sure, Uldar is coming soon...and Icecrown after that..., but, really, I can't say I'm too amped up about new raids. Right now, I'm not really having any interest in Naxx, Obsidium Sanctum, or Malagos; I'll still be going tonight for Naxx10 and tomorrow for Naxx25 (my wife has scrapbooking with her mom), but I can't say I'm all giddy about it.
Part of my feelings stem from forcing myself to get the game in its proper perspective. For good or for ill, the best way I've found to do that is to adopt a more apathetic attitude about it. I'm missing out on Naxx25? meh.../shrug.
I think another part of my ambivalence stems from my two raiders' gear being good enough to raid all of the current game content. And, no, neither of them are exalted with Sons of Hodir.
While I am glad that I have access to all of the raids, I'm also a bit disappointed with the seemingly lack of challenge. But, then again, I have no interest in seeing OS+3, so take that with a grain of salt.
I've also felt this way before (no, I'm not going to comb through my archives; trust me it's in there somewhere), so maybe this is just a natural cycle that I go through, and next week/month/whatever, I'll have gotten over it.
And finally, maybe, just maybe, this is the beginning of the end. I don't think it is because I'm pretty excited about Pox Redux, but I can't help but wonder how much longer I'll find WoW to be worth my while. Guess we'll all just have to wait and see.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
Regarding tupperwear underwear...
Nothing. Just thought I'd see what that title dredges up with the search engines.
Over the weekend, I played my little pally a bit; Daxynn is up to 38 now. I did quite a lot of mining/herbing for the Pox crew and dinged a couple of Exploration achievements along the way.
I also did some tanking. Now, I should have known better than to start Uldaman at 9 pm, on a Sunday, when 10 pm is my bed time. It turns out that it wasn't an issue. I did, however, have to drop the PuG after the second boss due to Blood for Blood needing Dwarfvader's help.
I got a lot of grief for it from my fellow PuGgers. I'm not saying that it wasn't deserved either. I mean, I'd hope (and probably expect) people to continue once the group is formed with possible drops coming from excessive wipes, poor tanking/healing/DPS, or unworkable group mechanics. Oh, and ninjas.
When I got the whisper from one of our guild co-leaders to help out, I explained to the group that I had to go help my guild. After the expected lashback, I also explained that my priority lies with my guild and that I was sorry I couldn't continue. I didn't wait to see the reaction and logged.
I only bring this up because there are several things at play in making this decision, and I didn't take dropping group lightly. I guess I chose to honor the long term commitment (guild) over a short term commitment (PuG), and while the PuGgers rightly feel slighted and I feel bad that I couldn't continue, the reality is that I need to make sure my relationship with my guildies is in line with being in the guild.
Could I have remained in the PuG? Sure. Would it have destroyed my relationships or place in the guild? I'd hope not. So why not tell the guild no? For good or for ill, I've chosen to ally myself with Blood for Blood, and in my mind, that means I have a commitment to help them out when my real life permits.
So, if Daxynn doesn't get any more groups....it's my guild's fault! haha.
Over the weekend, I played my little pally a bit; Daxynn is up to 38 now. I did quite a lot of mining/herbing for the Pox crew and dinged a couple of Exploration achievements along the way.
I also did some tanking. Now, I should have known better than to start Uldaman at 9 pm, on a Sunday, when 10 pm is my bed time. It turns out that it wasn't an issue. I did, however, have to drop the PuG after the second boss due to Blood for Blood needing Dwarfvader's help.
I got a lot of grief for it from my fellow PuGgers. I'm not saying that it wasn't deserved either. I mean, I'd hope (and probably expect) people to continue once the group is formed with possible drops coming from excessive wipes, poor tanking/healing/DPS, or unworkable group mechanics. Oh, and ninjas.
When I got the whisper from one of our guild co-leaders to help out, I explained to the group that I had to go help my guild. After the expected lashback, I also explained that my priority lies with my guild and that I was sorry I couldn't continue. I didn't wait to see the reaction and logged.
I only bring this up because there are several things at play in making this decision, and I didn't take dropping group lightly. I guess I chose to honor the long term commitment (guild) over a short term commitment (PuG), and while the PuGgers rightly feel slighted and I feel bad that I couldn't continue, the reality is that I need to make sure my relationship with my guildies is in line with being in the guild.
Could I have remained in the PuG? Sure. Would it have destroyed my relationships or place in the guild? I'd hope not. So why not tell the guild no? For good or for ill, I've chosen to ally myself with Blood for Blood, and in my mind, that means I have a commitment to help them out when my real life permits.
So, if Daxynn doesn't get any more groups....it's my guild's fault! haha.
Moves...I haz dem
On Saturday, my wife and I had our first private dance lesson with Dawn. I was a little leery because she can be a bit over the top (and that's my job!), but my fears were pretty much unfounded as she was very professional.
Hopefully if she ever reads this, she won't take that as a slam. I've been in her shoes before - the wild 'n crazy personality that's a lot of fun, but can overdo it in a heartbeat. Eventually, as I matured, I found other outlets for the craziness without going over the top...most of the time. My wife has really helped me in this area.
Anyways, we got an initial evaluation so she knew where we were, and then she taught a new move for the Rumba. And, oh what a move it is!
The move centers around us walking in a circle at arm's distance while looking at each other. No, I don't know the name of the move (I'll see if I remember to ask). The move ends with me turning my wife in a pivot turn and going back into the basic step. It really is a cool move and adds to my idea of the Rumba being a dance of luuuuuuve...
Hopefully if she ever reads this, she won't take that as a slam. I've been in her shoes before - the wild 'n crazy personality that's a lot of fun, but can overdo it in a heartbeat. Eventually, as I matured, I found other outlets for the craziness without going over the top...most of the time. My wife has really helped me in this area.
Anyways, we got an initial evaluation so she knew where we were, and then she taught a new move for the Rumba. And, oh what a move it is!
The move centers around us walking in a circle at arm's distance while looking at each other. No, I don't know the name of the move (I'll see if I remember to ask). The move ends with me turning my wife in a pivot turn and going back into the basic step. It really is a cool move and adds to my idea of the Rumba being a dance of luuuuuuve...
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