The MomGate MG1

Well I sat in front of my computer last night in complete and utter shock for quite a few hours.  Unable to do much of anything.  A WoW friend of mine that I have known for close to 5 years passed away.  Even now this is hard to type through the tears.

Some people think you cannot be friends with 'pixels.' And that just because I dont hang out with someone in Real Life that I cannot be friends or become attached.  That is just not true.  I have more friends online then I do in real life.  Probably because I do not make friends easy and I know I am not the easiest person to be around a lot.  But Feolas I considered a friend.

I met him when I was looking for a Molten Core raid.  I was denied entrance to one because the nefarious leader did not want more mages in it.  Ultimately I began my own raid, but most of what I learned about Raid Leading I learned from Feolas.  He was cool calm and collected, it was VERY rare that I ever heard him angry on TS or Vent.  He put up with a LOT of egos, a lot of stupid shit and always managed to keep his raids running smoothly.   I know I was not always the raid leader that Feo was, but I tried very hard to emulate his style.  I just saw how his calm manner kept the raid running smoothly even when we were to be blunt, sucking.

When he took over the Winter Wolves current 25 I was excited.  I honestly enjoyed running with Feo - he was fun to joke with and if you needed encouragement, he would give you a pat on the back that you would need to excel.

He always seemed so full of life and excited about the game when you heard him on Vent... I wish I knew he was hurting as much as he was.  I will miss him very much... and I honestly wish this was just a sick joke.  I know it does not do well to dwell on grief... so I am going to try and focus on the good times I have had messing around with him on the internet.

And I am going to make sure to express to my friends, real life and online how much they mean to me, even if I do not always show it.

Rest in Peace Cameron.  I am a better person for having met you.

Well this week has brought about a very interesting article as posted from my Main Tank in WoW Odok.  He posted this article because our 25man has been having some issues with attendance and attitudes and what not.  So I thought I'd share it for the few people who you know, play the game and read my blog.   Don't worry I will get back to the regular 'mommyhood' posting scheduled soon =)

Mind you - this comes from World Of Raids and is in no way shape or form mine!


http://www.worldofraids.com/topic/16293-building-a-better-raid-the-ideal-raider-part-i/

Anyone who has ever raided has, at some point, raided with "that guy." There are a lot of ways for a person to earn that illustrious title: perhaps he or she whines incessantly about losing out on loot, throws a fit and ragequits after a wipe, or just won't stop telling idiotic jokes. We all know the annoying traits that can make a player a real headache, but what are the traits that really make for a superb raider? Imagine that you could recruit any player in the world to your raid. What social and mental characteristics would you place at a premium?

This week, I'll take a look at the social qualities of what, in my opinion, is the ideal raider for any type of cohesive raiding raid guild, even more casual outfits. Next time, I'll tackle the mindset angle.

Solidarity

The ideal raider puts her team before herself. This can manifest itself in a number of ways. It may mean passing on a minor upgrade for another player who needs it more. It may mean agreeing to ride the bench in the name of good raid composition. Bottom line, it just means taking your role as a member of a team seriously. When you sign up to be part of a raid, there is an implicit promise there that you will do everything in your power to ensure that the group succeeds. If your guild takes progression seriously at all, then it is nothing short of a responsibility to work toward that goal with everything you can reasonably muster. It's not necessarily about being hardcore or casual or how many hours you spend playing in a given week. It's about 10 to 25 people investing their time, effort and trust in one another - and you holding up your end.

Consistency

For our purposes here, consistency means that when you sign up for a raid, you show up for it. You treat the raid as a legitimate commitment. A lot of players subscribe to their "Real life always comes first" mantra. That works when you're talking about serious issues, like personal or family illness, significant other aggro, or house fires. When you're blowing off the raid because you decided that you'd rather go out partying, that's a different story. Yes, WoW is just a game, but when you flake out it isn't the game that you're bailing on. It's a bunch of real people who've potentially just had their plans for the evening screwed. People in your real life may make jabs, but the only reason that raiding isn't seen as a legitimate hobby is because players themselves subscribe to that stigma.

Just to be clear, I'm not suggesting that you should become a shut-in or that you should feel compelled to over commit yourself to a raid. All I'm saying is that for the times that you agree to raid, you make the raid a priority.

Maturity

People define maturity in different ways. Some define maturity in terms of how a person carries himself. In the raiding context, maturity is defined by the way a person interacts with his teammates. It's entirely possible for someone to be the "raid clown" and be the most mature and levelheaded person in the group when it's time to get serious. At the same time, it's possible for the guy that never cracks jokes and always talks like he's writing a dissertation (did I just inadvertently describe myself?) to be the most immature.

It's when there's impending drama that a person's maturity is really tested. When it comes to drama, the ideal raider's response is almost always: "We can discuss it after the raid." Nothing good ever comes from mid-raid drama. Best case scenario, a lot of time is wasted. Worst case, someone (or even multiple players) /gquit and the whole night ends up the in ditch. Unfortunately, things like loot can't always be adjudicated at a later time. The best bet for the mature player in that sort of situation is to just let the other guy win, and then take it up with an officer later to make sure it doesn't happen again. A 1% DPS boost or survivability boost just isn't worth wasting everyone's time and stressing the whole raid out. Exceptions need to be made for exceptionally abusive or idiotic players, of course. That's another measure of maturity, though: knowing when to say "Enough is enough" and kicking a problematic player to the curb.

Your Ideal?

That sums up the core social characteristics that I look for in other raiders. Next time, I'll talk about some more game-y qualities that make a good raider. Until then: what social qualities do you look for in a fellow raider? Do you consider a raid group a true team, or just a group of people who happen to share the same vitual space? What's your take on the "real world comes first" mantra? How do you handle mid-raid drama?

So last night was the first time I got to take a new role in WoW... that of a main tank. I leveled Chaly to 80 last week and have been chaining heroics since then... but last night 9 friends and I stepped into Naxxramas and I got to tank. I think we did rather well, minus some issues I had to learn to deal with, like the Safety Dance... and moving Grobby. it went very smoothly actually. I was happy, of course we had some very experienced players backing me up too!

My first time as a melee in a raid... and I liked it. i dont think I'll be giving up Maube anytime soon but I really enjoyed the change of rolls as a tank. I've healed, I've DPSed on various chars, but last night I tanked. And we did so well I think Naxx will only be a couple of weeks mainly for badges and whatnot before we head over to Ulduar and try to 10man that again. My last 10man failed mainly because we didnt have tanks that were reliable. Although through no fault of their own. Just like my 25man had trouble because we were out healers AND tanks. Funny thing is... Verissi and myself seem to always mirror the same roll because the raid needs it. We were mage DPS together, healers together and now tanks together. I think he just likes to keep me buffered ;)

Anyway... now that Dragon Age:Origins is uncrypted... time to go lose myself in a new game ::grins::

This is the time of year I love the most. Crisp weather, leaves changing color... and of course soup season. For me soup season is awesome - not only because we get all the free bread we want to go with the soup, but because soup on average is a cheap filling meal. During the summer, who wants to eat hot soup? But during the fall and winter... I can eat soup practically every day, and a pot of soup lasts for more then on meal!

So this week I decided to only plan for three dishes. Two of which are soups and one is a thrifty hearty meal. So we are going to be having:

Taco Bean Soup
Creamy Potato Cheese and Leek Soup
Enchiladas

All of these make quite a large amount of food, so it will keep us sated through the week. Thinking of maybe cooking some in the crock pot this week.

Now onto WoW news... I hate Tuesdays in general. This is the day the kids sleep in without fail... and yet WoW servers are down for maintence. i swear its a conspiracy =) I'll cope of course, hopefully get some beads glazed to be strung. Friend of mine is a nurse and requested one to hang her badge on. So maybe if the other nurses like it they will put in orders. I can hope right? Anyway... back to WoW since I digress.

I got my paladin to 70 last night, and sure there are millions of people who can level faster then I can, but hey I have other things to do >.>. I admit I am addicted to the silly game, but where else can you find cheaper entertainment? And even more so since some WONDERFUL friends gave me a year game subscription card for Christmas last year (and I still have until I think June on it!) So now I am trying to decide whether I should stay in Outlands to level until I finish the last 3 zones, or if I should just head off to Northrend with everyone else to trya nd level as fast as possible. GRanted I only work on him when he has rested exp (which is dwindling at this point) but I bounce between him and my shaman. She just reached 65 and still has a level and a half worth of rested on her.

I made Chal mainly so I could have a tank, I have never played a melee class in WoW past level 18 (not including the druid I powerleveled with Chal) so I think I am lacking in some understanding on how tanks work. That and well, I like to know how other classes work for when I raid lead, if I ever get back to it since my last one failed due to extensive absences.

I have some good friends willing to help me out at least =) but I dont know if I wanna just jump into Northrend... maybe I should, because then I can tank for PuGs and not feel bad when I suck miserably. Of course first I have to finish leveling my blacksmithing. So I won't be leaving Outlands until I mine enough Adamantine to be able to use the Cobalt that is prevelant in Northrend.

Lucky for me, friends of mine bombarded Vegonna, my engineer 65 shammy, with materials to get her engineering and jewelcrafting past the magical 350 point. So I dont have to worry about her too much, once she reaches 70 - Northrend is her destination =)

So anyway... I guess I shall return to real life. Sounds like Cait is up and ready to start her day, which means Gabe will be bouncing off the walls as well shortly.

Okay... so its Patch Day on WOW... and big surprise... the servers are messed up... frustrating since computer time is my zen time... and today was a loooooooong day.

Cait had her 6month today.. and Shawn didnt get home in time to watch Gabe... so yeah... had to take both of them. And unfortunatly the doctor that we go to is nowhere NEAR punctual with appointments. We had an appointment at 12:15 and we didnt leave until almost 2:30. Which is worse because they scheduled the appointment during nap time.

Rough. Well Gabe did behave, he was playing with a little girl in the waiting room. Then the ticklemonster was chasing him through the exam room. Cait of course was a little angel =) until she got her 3 shots... oh that still breaks my heart. Yet she still was easier to calm down then Gabe used to be.

So we stop at McDonalds for chickies onthe ride home, and Gabe was happy =)

I take Cait up to try to get her to nap a little, and when I come back downstairs, Shawn and Gabe are passed out on the couch cuddling each other. Oh boy I wish I had my camera handy. It was sooooooo cute!

But then I sit down to play some Warcraft... and OMG the lag is just horrible... if you can even get on. I am so tempted to just turn off the computer and go get a bottle of wine and read some novels... but yeah... the addiction is strong. I will sit in Vent and wait for the raid to be called >.> even tho I am a backup - at least I am reliable!

Alright, so I love my UI addons... and I have too many. It was bogging down my play and making raiding difficult. Now since I am a member of a raiding guild, and I am on the backup roster for DPS I really have to make sure I am at the peak of my game every night. One of the raid's two mages is being deployed within 2 months, at least there is a 80% probability of that, and I know the DPS lead likes having a second mage along for Focus Magic.

Now I have been a frost mage for 90% of my career on WoW as a mage... and that is going on 4 years... I spent a year alliance but we won't go into that... yet a couple of months ago I decided, with the urging of Verissi, to give fire a try. For a raiding standpoint... fire is OMG. Seeing huge crit numbers flash across my screen is just awesome. So I was corrupted. Yet I am still not playing fire to the peak of my ability. Frost is easymode IMHO, very little in the way of rotations, pretty much just point and shoot. Fire takes a bit more to maximize DPS.

Luckily, V is the type of person who will help you when you ask. And asking I have been. He has run simulations on my gear to better min/max everything. He even helps me with my gemming choices. So right now, my gear is gemmed and enchanted to the best of my ability and I want to improve even more.

So I decided to purge my UI and start trying to use keybindings for everything. Now I use keybindings when I am healing, but honestly never really got into the habit of it for my DPS classes. ANd I think that accounts for some of my piddly DPS. Of course Piddly DPS is about 4.5k raid buffed... yet I am closer to the bottom of the damage meters... not the last but not as high as I COULD be.

So I purged my UI... instead of having buttons for everylittle thing I am going to try and make due with less, hoping this increases my FPS in game as well. We shall see!

So a couple WoW friends and I decided to make our attempts at The Glory of the Hero meta achievment. What it basically is, is doing certain things (or not doing certain things) in the heroic dungeons of Wrath. And for a reward you get a very tasty Red Proto Drake. Now since I have never been able to obtain the special mounts like the Amani War Bear, the Plagued Protodrake or the Rusted Protodrake (or the 25 man special mounts) I figured I'd at least try really really hard for this one. Since you in essence only need 5 people. Well some of these achievements are REALLY difficult. And we dont run with the 'typical' group.

It is Me (Frost or Fire Mage)
Verissi (Fire mage)
Kieranna (Marksman Hunter)
Lomar (Prot Warrior)
Kalea (Healy Shaman)

Of everyone here, Kalea and I are the best gear with pretty much all Ulduar ranking loot. Lomar has spatterings of Ulduar gear and Verissi and Kier have spatterings of Naxx and what we have gotten from badge vendors and the heroics we run. So not the 'optimal' group, but where we might lack in gear, we have lots of experience with our classes. Verissi (author OMGL2PLAYNOOB) has to be the most experienced WoW player I know, with practically an 80 of every class.

So every week we try to knock out one achievement, we have limited time to play together due to raiding schedules but we try =) and we are past the halfway point. Well last night since my raid was cancelled we decided to try one of the harder ones. And let me tell you, it was AWFUL.

We went to Ajol'Nerub to do Watch him Die and the other two in there. Which are both mainly DPS races. This one just sucked. We wiped countless times trying out strategies of all sorts. Hunter kite, Mage Kite, Flat out Zerg, Kite one group, kill all the mini adds, kill only the skirmisher mini add... despawning the boss and trying to kill him from behind... yeah we were trying everything. Finally we decided to kill the mini adds then try to all out zerg the boss. Unfortunatly there is a high RNG aspect to this fight as there are stuns and webwraps that really impinge on your DPS and or healing. LUCKILY, at about 2 hours into our attempts RNG was in our favor. My mirror images were the ones getting webwrapped as I laid into the boss.

Our tank went down at about 10%, I nuked the best I could and popped a living bomb on him just as the adds came to eat my face. Luckily I was far away from the other group members so the mobs had to run to them, and by the time the rest of the party went down, the Boss was dead. I know I wasnt the only one to shriek on TS that we got it. And boy was it a sense of accomplishment.

ALright... so I am an avid World of Warcraft player... and I am one of those epeople who LOVE to roll alts to play as many race/class combos as I can. So recently I've been leveling some low level alts to 60. And now I am unsure as to which I am going to level up past there. Using just rested exp of course - makes it so much easier. I dont have as much time to play but I try to devote an hour to an alt everyday. With 3 80s to do Tourney Dailies on sometimes that hour doesnt happen! But weekend I can usually get a couple hours in to play.

So right now I could level a Pally a Druid or a Shaman. All are at 58 or 59. I really missed my druid on alliance... but I already have a healer and thats how I want to play my druid and my shaman. So I guess I will level my Paladin... time to learn how to tank. SInce I have never had a melee char... it should be interesting. Of course I have some wonderful people to give me pointers on tanking... so I guess I shall have to update my progress on occasion =) AS soon as I get his mining to 300 - Outland here I come!