Testing strategy reading abilities, Part I
by Adam Holisky 
Jun 5th 2008 at 8:00PM
Everyone reading this site knows that it's pretty important to read strategies for the various boss encounters in WoW. No matter if they're from Boss Killers, our own Ready Check, long threads over at Elitist Jerks, or home made modifications, studying boss fights outside of the game is essential to success.However sometimes it's kind of hard to tell if everyone is actually spending the 15 minutes to read over and understand the strategies outside of the raid. This is particularly troublesome for the raid leaders and officers, since some of the fights can be very hard to explain without first having an understanding of where and what things look like.
We're having this problem in our guild right now. Not that big of a problem, granted, but it's still something we'd like to get better at. So last night our guild master made a map of the Kalecgos play field, detailing where everyone should stand (I know that some readers will comment that it's not necessary, but it's what works for us). In the bottom right hand corner there's a derogatory yet funny message about yours truly, something along the lines of a suggested act I can go do to/with myself. It's obvious, it's funny, and it sticks out like a sore thumb.
Tonight the GM will go around and ask each of the 35 or so raiders we have in the guild, "What was out of place on the strategy map I posted today?" If they can't answer correctly, they won't be raiding with us again anytime soon.
Admittedly this is a tad underhanded way to test if some folks actually went in and read the strategy or not, but I think it's a good one. Tomorrow I'll report on its success, and look at some other possible ways to test if your raiders have read up on the strats.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Freelier Jun 5th 2008 8:08PM
Oh, yeah. My raid leader told me to read something somewhere. I'll go do that tonight!
What was that URL, again?
Harmun Jun 6th 2008 12:57PM
We just one-shot Gorefiend the first time we tried him, and the main reason we were able to do this was that the GM would not invite anyone to the raid who was unable to pass the Gorefiend simulator (which is considerably harder than the real thing). It took us an extra hour to get the raid going, but we all did our part, and got the reward.
Freehugz Jun 5th 2008 8:11PM
hehe soar
Rodrígo Jun 5th 2008 8:15PM
http://www.ferox-horde.de/feroxtgs2/
Please, all flash programmers out there, we need more stuff like this, it's about 19 million times better than watching strat videos.
Mirajj Jun 5th 2008 11:39PM
And yet, you have to even be careful about that. As long as all the people were positioned correctly, and the strat itself was sound, I'd most likely answer "Nothing was wrong with the strat" which it's not.
Of course, while I would likely get amusement from the joke, I doubt I'd think of it as out of place. I dunno, just seems like I could read your map, and still get in trouble, because I don't see a bit of humor as out of place in a strat talk.
Charles Jun 5th 2008 8:26PM
My raid leader did this to the class leaders the other day, but the mistake was something absurd for Kael like "I put the sword before the dagger but it should be dagger before the sword LOL"
Dangit.
Kolohe Jun 5th 2008 9:04PM
Yea thats an awesome idea! If I was in HS and had no job were i could just raid, pvp, do dailies and now also spend more free time reading every frickin thing someone thought was important
Zakk Jun 5th 2008 9:12PM
It's a real kick in the pants to fellow raiders when you don't spend 10 minutes to read a simple strategy. If it's really too demanding, maybe you shouldn't be raiding with people who strive for the best. If your guildies don't mind, that's great. If they do, you're not the final authority on why they should or shouldn't kick you.
OneMHz Jun 6th 2008 9:13AM
I don't have TIME to read a strat for 5 minutes before a 4 hour raid!!!
komamura Jun 5th 2008 9:13PM
Wow, so this is what hardcore raiding is like? While I guess I could understand the need, I never knew fun had to be taken so seriously IMO.
Hybrys Jun 5th 2008 9:31PM
Reading a five minute strat definately means you need to quit your day job. If you can't READ and PAY ATTENTION, you need more help than playing too much.
This post doesn't perpetuate stereotypes at all. I don't even know how you can think that.
Dave Jun 5th 2008 9:52PM
If reading a simple strategy to better understand what you're doing in a complicated and/or complex encounter counts as "too much" for you, please don't raid. don't try to raid, don't PUG in a raid, don't join a raiding guild. It's not for you. Further, it's disrespectful of the time and effort everyone else puts into it, if you're not going to do the same.
If this is too 'serious', then stick to something else. It's not a lot to ask of anyone at all. It saves a lot more time than trying to baby step you through it when everyone else is ready to go. The game is not simple enough that you can just show up, press 1 1 1 1 1 2 and repeat it over and over and just get some epics. There has to be a little more to it, otherwise it's real boring, real quick and therefore... strategy becomes important.
it's not hardcore raiding, it's just raiding in general. That's how it goes.
komamura Jun 5th 2008 10:03PM
I was speaking more about the consquinces. To me the seem alittle extreme, but like I said I guess I couldunderstand the need
rick gregory Jun 5th 2008 10:14PM
what do you suggest they do? Hug the people who don't read the strat?
Some people seem completely incapable of understanding that in a raid there are OTHER PEOPLE behind the other toons. They've set aside time and made some effort and it's flat out rude to make them wipe because you won't read a bit. So the consequences are fine... it's saying "you don't care enough to read a simple strat, so you don't get to raid with people who do and possibly cause them to wipe."
hardestcore Jun 6th 2008 11:43AM
Lol. You dont even have to press 1111122. He's probably a huntard. Right click -> Autoshot -> AFK. Come back in 5 minutes when boss is down. Someone will rez me.
Shumina Jun 6th 2008 12:36PM
Chess is a game. It's played for fun...unto a point. Beyond that point lies the vast field of the upper echelon, the ranked. These people play the game because they love it. They still have fun, but they understand the need to study and train. They memorize counter moves for the counter moves. They read up on their opponents. They put forth a massive amount of effort that doesn't even involve them touching a chess piece. By the time they sit down to actually play, spectators are ready to watch a game; the players are ready for something else entirely.
Wena Jun 5th 2008 10:09PM
Adam,
One question : aren't the Class Masters present suppose to also help to micro manage the raid in this particular instance? Like dedicated class chat channels to make sure that everyone knows where to stand.
Or that in the absence of the Class Master, the class players in that channel can organize themselves? Even if it means checking with that person one at a time?
Do you guys look out for one another? Because it sounds like if you all are having this problem, it doesn't sound like there's much unity/team spirit within the 25-man.
Lori Jun 5th 2008 10:42PM
Not sure I get the whole picture here.
How many people do you expect would lie if you simply ask who all read the strat?
Is this for the first attempt at a boss?
Not that I would be that much against the idea, but I haven't taken a test for ages and this seems rather juvenile. If asked, wouldn't most people you would want in your guild answer truthfully.
Also, for me, reading strats only gives me an idea of what to expect and do for a given boss. I think most people still need hands on experience to do their job properly. I really doubt that I could answer "what is out of place..." just from reading strats.
hinu Jun 5th 2008 11:03PM
The test isn't juvenile at all. It's just a simple check to see if people understand, even at the most basic level, what needs to be done.
Something simple could be used to test for what is out of place, like: "Alright, when Aran casts Flame Wreath, we all move out ASAP." and other people could be like: "Err, the strategies on the Internet suggest we DON'T do that." and it would be full marks. Simple stuff like that could be used to test people by throwing opposites into the mix.
Isambaard Jun 6th 2008 10:24AM
Sooooo..you're saying you couldn't look at a strat and recognize that its probably not vital to success that a class leader go $*&% themselves during phase 2?