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The Soapbox: Playing alone together
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect that of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. It's sitting there in my quest log, frustrating me with its presence and quite possibly calling me names when I'm not around. "It" is a fellowship (group) quest for Lord of the Rings Online that I need to complete to continue Volume 2 of the epic storyline. This particular quest has been moldering in my log for over two weeks now, and I'm starting to think I'll never get it done. I hate it. Oh, sure, I know that there's plenty of other things to do, I know that if I'm diligent I'll find a group sooner or later, and I know that eventually enough of my kinship will need to do it and we'll throw together a "help each other out" posse. But I absolutely, completely hate being dependent on others for my gaming, and it always grates when I hit a wall that cannot be passed unless I gather a few friends -- or, more likely, a motley crew of puggers -- to get around it all. Yup, that's right, I'm a solo MMO player. I'm the very oxymoron of what some consider to be the quintessential MMO experience, which is to play an online game together with thousands of others. I like to do my own thing, go my own way, and 95% of the time, chew through content as a one-man act. I don't mind being with other people for fun and adventures, but I don't want to need them to progress. And I'm part of a growing majority of MMO gamers.
Guest Post: Vetting puggers -- beyond GearScore and achievements
This article has been brought to you by Seed, the Aol guest writer program that brings your words to WoW.com. How can you tell a good raider from a bad raider? GearScore? NO. Often times, people will rely on a numerical gear score, but this is not a good way to judge player quality. Very good players will have low gear scores when starting out, and very bad players who have been persistent or been carried can have very high scores. GearScore is not an indicator of goodness or badness; it's purely an indication of how much time and luck the person has had on that character. Achievements? NO. Some group leaders request, "Link achievement, please," but this is not a good method, either. All this indicates is that the person was in the raid when the boss died. You don't know if they were No. 1 DPS or died three seconds into the fight, the same as they do during every fight they've ever been in. So before you can determine how tell a good player from a bad player, you should understand what makes a "good player."
Call for Submissions: Best and worst ways to vet puggers
How do you vet potential PUG raiders? Do you require an inflexible GearScore threshold? Do you insist on experienced players who can link the achievement to prove they've completed the encounters? When do you feel comfortable taking on a more lightly geared or inexperienced player? Do you rely on hard and fast numbers, or does conversation with potential raiders factor in? WoW.com is accepting article submissions on the best and worst ways to vet puggers for your raid group. Your article explains what works, what doesn't work -- and why. Submissions should be between 500 and 1,000 words. We will not accept articles submitted under player names or pen names; please use your real name and email. Artwork is not mandatory, but any you choose to include must be your own work or from creative commons. Ready to submit? Read up about our guest post program, then sign up for Seed and submit your article here. (You won't see the article page unless you have a Seed account.) Unfortunately, the Seed program currently only allows us to accept submissions from individuals living in the United States. (As part of the Aol family of blogs, WoW.com is committed to the Seed program and has no control over this restriction, which is based on international payment and tax issues. We do hope to be able to accept international submissions in the future.) We'll accept submissions for this assignment until 11:59 p.m. EST on Thurs., July 15. Good luck and good writing!
Drama Mamas: When the boot feels like Das Boot
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. Das Boot is the story of a U-boat crew: the adrenaline of battle and the tedium of the hunt. The film shows what IMDb calls "the claustrophobic world of a WWII German U-boat; boredom, filth and sheer terror." If the words "boredom, filth and sheer terror" bring to mind your most recent PUG raid, there's something wrong. And if even the act of getting into and then successfully staying in a PUG raid makes you feel more like a U-boat crewman than a PUG raider ... Well, we've got some drama to torpedo.
