general-chat
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Perfect Ten: Annoying things you hear in general chat
General chat, sometimes called "Barrens chat" or "zone chat" or "the party line," is both the bane and the secret fixation of my existence. It's like a text-based reality show that plays out in real-time whenever I log into an MMO. If -- for some rare reason -- I'm bored of playing the game or talking with friends, at least I have the jibber-jabber of screeching opinions to fill my eye sockets. It's safe to say that general chat earns its bad reputation, but have you ever stopped to analyze exactly why that is? I have. I have traveled that long, terrible path, and at the end I peered over the edge into the abyss, and the abyss told me that I was a carebear who needed to L2P. Here are my findings.
Breakfast Topic: Would you ask for help in general chat on your realm?
Llane (US-Alliance), I am amazed -- amazed enough to try to sneak by WoW Insider's "no emoticons in copy" guideline and say what's in my heart for your general chat last night: pure <3. Two nights ago, my husband (who hasn't played WoW since early Cataclysm) suddenly announced he missed playing an MMO with me and he was coming back to WoW. Did I have any characters in a friendly social guild with very relaxed raiding and absolutely zero pressure to maintain a schedule? I most certainly did, so despite my having been mid-stride in Pandaria with a Horde priest, we soon found ourselves newly guild-tagged on a fresh monk/pally combo. One night in, my partner in crime was ready to fork over the money to transfer a high-level duo capable of hopping into Pandaria immediately. Thirty minutes and two character transfers later, cue the QQ. His badass level 85 shaman lay marooned on a side street in Stormwind, pinned beneath a screenful of options menus as my poor spouse called mournfully from his office to mine, "Where have my totems gone? I can't find my totems!" Writer/editor that I am, I began methodically sourcing shaman links on my second monitor, but he couldn't wait. He plunged into general chat, only to find himself buried yet again -- this time, under an outpouring of commiseration, recommendations, and sheer camaraderie that stunned us both. Nobody mocked, nobody trolled. Yep, they explained, he should have chosen his warrior instead -- his former main, ouch! -- but if his heart was with the shaman for now, here's how he could adjust to the new era. When he thanked everyone for their advice, his chat box immediately flooded with whispers from well-meaning players eager to continue the conversation and lend additional insights. Ultimately, the totem-poor shaman was too stunned by the avalanche of changes to tackle reorientation that night, but his chat with other players had sealed the deal: This was a realm worth making a home on. Well played, Llane. Well played. What's the atmosphere like in general chat in your faction's old-world capital city on your realm? Could you rely on general chat for help or serious feedback about the game? Or (like the realm we transferred those characters from, which shall remain nameless), would you be afraid to even open your mouth?
The Daily Grind: What weird things have you learned from an MMO?
The main reason that Ms. Lady and I knew about Steve Irwin's death wasn't because we were watching the news. It was because it was all over general chat in World of Warcraft. It seems like a strange way to learn about things, but general chat in most MMOs is kind of like that. You find out about movies, learn about strange occupations from your fellow players, and sometimes discover games you'd never have guessed existed without the help of other people. For all that area chat channels can be a mess of bitterness and insults, sometimes you wind up learning interesting things there. And on other occasions, one little quest line or offhand mention can prompt you into a frenzy of research on references or obscure science or whatever. So what's the strangest thing you've learned because of an MMO? Was it something that you happened to notice in chat or something that inspired you to learn more? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Daily Grind: What's your most embarrassing mistell?
Whether you accidentally complain about a fellow teammate in team chat, reveal your current bowel ailment to the entire planet, or something worse, we've probably all made the mistake of entering an embarrassing string of text in the wrong chat tab. But laughing at our mistakes is usually what makes it all worth it. You'll probably double- and triple-check which tab you're typing in next time, and the whole thing results in a fun story for the grandkids one day. So what's your most embarrassing mistell? Let us know in the comments below! Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Breakfast Topic: Mister Jones and me
Jones and I are buds. He's a cat that likes to hang out on the landing in the stairwell of the Legerdemain Lounge in Dalaran. He's a stealthy little guy -- he doesn't even have a listing on Wowhead, but if you stop to give Jones a /pet, he'll purr contentedly. I like to hang out in the stairwell sometimes, just Jones and me -- it's a relatively quiet spot in the middle of a usually busy area, and I can sort through my bags, chat with the guild, harass trade chat engage in some lively banter in local channels, and just hang out without being pestered. I've got a few different spots I like to hang out at, and the locations change every expansion or depending on what I'm focusing on at the time, but nothing beats Jones, he's the best. I'm not sure why exactly I like finding non-crowded places to sit and chat with people -- it shouldn't really make a difference where I'm typing to people from, but I enjoy the relative solitude in what is otherwise a very busy and populated game. And every expansion it happens -- in vanilla, it was the upper buildings in the Drag in Orgrimmar. In Burning Crusade, I liked the relative quiet that could be found in the World's End Tavern in Shattrath, or the rocks up above the city. In Wrath, it's either the Underbelly, or the little landing in the Legerdemain that I share with Jones. He doesn't mind, he's a pretty well mannered kitty. Sometimes we tell each other fairy tales. So how about you guys? Do you have a favorite spot to sit and chat? Does the generally crowded nature of Dalaran bother you? Do you, like me, seek out an area of relative solitude to hang out at when you aren't off storming the castle or otherwise occupied?
Drama Mamas: Don't feed the trolls
Dodge the drama and become that player everyone wants in their group with the Drama Mamas. Lisa Poisso and Robin Torres are real-life mamas and experienced WoW players -- and just as we don't want our precious babies to be the ones kicking and wailing on the floor of checkout lane next to the candy, neither do we want you to become known as That Guy on your server. We're taking your questions at DramaMamas (at) WoW (dot) com.When is a troll not a troll? We can't answer that one for you (when he's a Goblin, instead? /shrug) – but we can definitely tell you when a non-troll actually is a troll: more often than you may oh-so-righteously imagine. Only two weeks ago, the Drama Mamas were reminding readers that you cannot "fix" other people. This week, we must add on to this principle: You may neither "fix" your fellow players, nor may you "beat" them. In fact, when you try to beat 'em, you join 'em. The Drama Mamas explain why.
Behind the Curtain: In praise of solitude
So, I'm back in the saddle. A break to catch my breath and a new alt of a class I've never played before appears to have worked wonders. The alt in question is a Draenei Shaman. Yes, World of Warcraft again. Try not to hate me. Or not; it's a free Internet. This'll only be the second time I've played through the Draenei starting area. The last time was a while after The Burning Crusade came out. Long enough after that the rush had died down, but still close enough that the place wasn't deserted. This time however, things are a little different. Death Knights appear to be the alt of choice as far as one looks. I won't lie, I've got one as well, but I've hardly touched her. The old-world starter zones are even more desolate now than at any other time in the game's history. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Officers' Quarters: (Group)
Every Monday Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership.With every expansion comes a slew of new quests, many of whom have that word at the end that's both aggravating and exciting: (Group). It's exciting because the rewards are generally better. But it's aggravating because now you need a few extra hands on deck to move forward with the questline.Finding help with these quests is easy when everyone is still leveling. But eventually most of your guild will be 80, and those lagging behind or leveling up secondary characters won't have as much luck finding groups. In a month or two, guild chat across every server will be filled with people asking for assistance. In small, tight-knit guilds, it won't really be an issue. Ironically, it's usually people in the larger guilds who have trouble finding groups -- and we as officers can wind up providing most of the help. This week, one reader wants to know how to prevent this scenario.Hi Scott. I'm the assistant GM of a guild with over 400 members (225-250 accounts), and an issue that keeps coming up is the lack of response for help, either with instances or quests. The problem I have faced personally is that at one point I went out of my way to help anyone who has asked and eventually had to make an alt to hide on. If I logged onto my main I couldn't accomplish anything that I wanted to do since all I did was help others. This also happened to one of my Officers. Then there are those who won't help anyone at all unless there is something involved that they need.
Hellfire Peninsula general chat: How I mine for fish?
Stepping into Hellfire Peninsula is like deja noob all over again. You don't know where you're going and what you're going to do when you get there. Where are the trainers? How do I find the flight master? Dear God, what just smushed me? It's an exciting and exhilarating time, but it makes the general chat a really, really annoying place, full of year-old memes and mispelled swear words. Here, from the home office in Thrallmar, we present the Top Ten Questions Asked Every Five Minutes In Hellfire Peninsula General Chat:
