Rediscovering the discovery factor
by Matthew Rossi 
Jun 10th 2011 at 6:00PM
One of the reasons it took us so long to do it was because there wasn't really any other way to discover what bosses did besides going in there and dying to him repeatedly. Boss kill vids were in their infancy, and there weren't many places to go to get ideas on how other guilds got past X or Y. Our big stumbling block was the stream of adds before Nefarian landed; we kept trying to tank them, before someone got the bright idea of using warlocks and mages to AOE them in place.
Over the years, the playerbase has built up an impressive array of options for boss fight information. Soon, the Encounter Journal will go one step beyond and incorporate loot drop and boss ability information into the game. It won't tell you how to fight a boss, but it will tell you what the boss can do to you.
In a dark time, the eye begins to see
Not only is this a consequence of a player base that has has almost seven years to develop means of disseminating information about boss strategies and encounters, it leaves the primary reason for those sources of information intact: comparing how others do what you're trying to do.
One of the reasons I like reading what other players have done on a specific fight is comparing raid compositions and considering if those ideas will or won't work for my group. Nothing in my experience has ever replaced the experience of starting an encounter for the first time and getting my face smashed in. Bosses like Atramedes go from OMFG, this is so hard -- how are we ever going to do this? to This is it? as time passes and you learn proper kiting and gong management. But no amount of watching videos or reading is ever going to replace doing the thing, experiencing it and having it all click into place in your brain. The Encounter journal in this context becomes yet another tool for preparing for that moment.
Videos and kill strats and lists of abilities are all very well, and it certainly helps speed up the learning curve when you can tell your group what to watch out for. But in the end, the experience itself is still the greatest teacher. Am I discounting preparation beforehand? No, absolutely not, especially since I tend to spend days (if not weeks) watching videos and reading up on fights. I'm simply placing those tools in the context of preparing for that moment when you step into the ring, so to speak. They're useful, helpful, and in the end can reduce the amount of time you spend eating dirt while watching what the boss does and doesn't do -- but they'll never replace the moment of discovery. You learn by going where you have to go.
After all, the Firelands awaits us. I will absolutely use the journal, read previews, and otherwise prepare for them, and yet I know I will spend a lot of time dead watching how the boss kills the raid.
The news is already rolling out for the upcoming WoW Patch 4.2! Preview the new Firelands raid, marvel at the new legendary staff, and get the inside scoop on new quest hubs -- plus new Tier 12 armor!Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Raiding, Cataclysm
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Lukasz Pason Jun 10th 2011 6:37PM
I've deleted my comments about 10 times now and I've come the summary that the old and wise have their stories of death, success and crazy achievements in a game that has attracted millions but I am not going to hold my breath to see if those that have moved on will return. Servers are quiet... people only want a tank and spank... no one really cares about mechanics... Will a patch address this?? Just my 2 cents.
Harvoc Jun 10th 2011 7:03PM
Server's are quiet? What the hell are you talking about?
Harvoc Jun 10th 2011 7:03PM
*Servers
StClair Jun 10th 2011 10:18PM
Stella, is that you?
Lukasz Pason Jun 10th 2011 7:11PM
yup... At least the server I'm on, even at peak hours on Medivh Trade is quite, people are /afk in SW and overall people just don't log on anymore. I'm just saying that there has been a decline in people playing. Blizzard even reported it...
Revnah Jun 11th 2011 2:29AM
Yes, they have reported a decline. A few percent of it, actually. They have also said that this is the normal development about six months after a new expansion drops. Numbers rise to an all-time high at the beginning of the expansion and then go back to normal some months afterwards. It's nothing unusual and nothing to be worried about.
Both servers I'm on are as busy as they have always been - too much so sometimes, in my opinion, as it can be damn near impossible to mine or herb at main hours like the evening (which is when I play, seeing as I have a regular daytime job). If you don't like it, fine, but millions and millions of people apparently do :-)
lethian Jun 11th 2011 4:34AM
Ive personally see Doomhammer get way more active. its nice to see org hopping again.. i missed it very much. I've seen players and names i haven't seen in years, had some old guildies see me and say hi from back just before wrath. So while they are still much more quiet on some than when the game began, some have indeed gotten new life in some form.
Arrowsmith Jun 10th 2011 7:58PM
I dunno if this is a trait of my Asperger's Syndrome or not, but I hate hate HATE going into a brand new situation without a clue of what to do. I like having something or someone there to help me figure things out until i get comfortable. That's why I've really liked the strategy guides for raid bosses on youtube and WoWpedia, and why I'll enjoy the Dungeon Journal. It may not explain everything, but for me it explains just enough that I'm happy and ready to bang my head against a progression wall.
Thomas Higgins Jun 11th 2011 12:37AM
Snap. I am exactly the same. I hate going into a dungeon for the first time but already being expected by the group to know the exact mechanics of the upcoming battles forwards backwards and sideways. I try therefore to read a bit about the thing beforehand but plans, no matter how good they are, never survive the first encounter with the trash.
Nor does my gears' durability, 8-)
Quasi Jun 10th 2011 9:20PM
I wish people now adays were more willing to put in the time and effort to wipe on an encounter to learn it on their own. Feels wierd on patch release day when you join a raid, dive into the new content, wipe once, and someone is yelling at you to watch the videos or read up on the encounter.
Incoming EQ story (imagine an old man in a rocking chair with cane): I remember in my day back in Everquest we spent almost 3 months trying to down Emperor Ssra, the encounter was designed with a 1 week lockout which was just sick, wipe once, suck it up and come back later, but it never occured to us that this was a bad thing, it was just the reality of the game. So after all these attempts, adjusting strategy every week, he finally dies, and about 75 people scattered all over north america start screaming in excitement at their screens. Time invested is definitely proportional to satisfaction, and I still have yet to feel this much "win" in Wow. Came close when the wife and I duo'd C'thun though.
Erik Jun 11th 2011 3:13AM
"when the wife and I duo'd C'thun" has some real potential as an internet meme. Someone get on that.
Zetsubou Jun 11th 2011 12:24AM
idk i think the dungeon journal is probably just enough info to get an image of what you have to do, which is good. i don't think walking blindly into a boss is ever a good idea, and this at least should reduce the need to look up boss encounters, which is also good.
to the guy above: yes, the long awaited kill after much trial and error is sweet, but 3 months? blizzard wants to be through at least one raid by then and on to the next. and im sure some guilds will take that much time to clear a tier. even with wow's daily reset, it can still take raids weeks to down certain bosses. a week lockout wouldn't be stomached by anyone anymore. if anything wow's system lets you learn by dirt nap much faster.
Quasi Jun 11th 2011 9:11AM
It was a different kind of game, emperor SSra was what most guilds considered "optional" because of his lockouts, excessive keying etc. Even crazier was the fact that he was also the final portion of keying for an entire "optional" zone called Vex Thal which a VERY small percent of EQ players ever saw. So just having gear from him, or the zone he helped open was a serious measurement of prestige, and the gear normally had visual effects (I had a mask that let me turn into a human). I think wow is trying to do something similar with heroic raid gear that comes in different colors then regular, I find this to be less successful.
Lukasz Pason Jun 11th 2011 3:17AM
I figured out my problem... My guild is done. I love the content but I don't have the friends online anymore to keep me motivated. I love the game but its time I move from my server.
That being said... Your post shows passion for the game and it's refreshing. Almost inspiring. Thanks!
Draven Jun 11th 2011 8:16AM
Wondering If i should re-sub when 4.2 hits....I've been gone about 3 months now as I was not happy with Cataclysm.
I hated how hard and long the Heroic's had become and the also the fact that there was no way I could with my limited play time (1-1.5 Hrs Max on weekdays, 3-4 hrs on Sunday's only) hope to PUG raid aka Wrath.
I also hated the fact that there was virtually nothing to do once you were 85 except the few scrap like daily quests here and there.
I really enjoyed Wrath and saw a lot of Raid content joining up the regular Sunday PuG's.
Just read the 4.2 Patch details and the chance at better Gear more easily available and nerfed T11 content has me wondering whether things would again revert back to Wrath like accessibility.
So should I re-sub or is the game still in more or less the same direction it took at Cata Launch?
Prystus Jun 11th 2011 11:18AM
A week lockout wouldn't be tolerated...
As I recall, it wasn't just the lockout.
It was the boss mob race too. Imagine a boss mov coming up to stand til killed, and he only came up ONCE, for a single kill. If you didn't get him first, you were out of luck for a week. Come back and try again, get there first or stand around and watch.
Or try and kill steal it by doing more damage, or stepping in during the corpse runs after a wipe and steal it.
There was REAL competition in Everquest, some times almost bloodthirsty.
Coldbear Jun 11th 2011 10:36PM
It's time for Blizzard's QA team to start stepping up their game to the point that they can comfortably de-bug new raids without having them accessible on the PTR - that will set the community on fire for each new patch as it discovers never-before-seen bosses and mechanics all on Live servers.
The PTR is killing that sense of discovery and the race to compete.