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Ready Check: End of the road?
Ready Check is a weekly column focusing on successful raiding for the serious raider. Hardcore or casual, ZA or Sunwell Plateau, everyone can get in on the action and get mad purpz. Today, we look at the increasing numbers of player departures and wonder when enough is enough. In this column I've talked about what makes raid guilds as a whole break up, but not what makes individuals decide raiding isn't for them. Having seen multiple guilds go through this process en masse recently, and breaking up as a result, here's a point-of-view on raiding and when it's time to stop or move on, based on personal experience in a European PvE guild.
Risen is mad as hell, and they aren't going to take it anymore
You may remember the raiding guild Risen, from the Alleria server, for their work in Naxxaramas back before The Burning Crusade, being among the first to grab Atiesh and the Corrupted Ashbringer. They're back at the forefront of WoW news again, but this time for a different reason. They've decided to tap out of raiding until WoTLK, and they aren't being very shy about telling us why, with a post on their website under the oh-so-witty title "World of Casualcraft."
The Daily Grind: When will you be done with WoW?
Who knows if/when World of Warcraft will ever end? While I'm by no means a power player, if WoW disappeared tomorrow, I'd be a little saddened by all the things I hadn't gotten to experience in it. At the same time, however, no matter how often I drop in, I eventually reach a burnout state before the month is up, and I cancel service until the next time I get the urge.So, for me, it's just a general malaise that sets in that makes me quit WoW. For those of you who've quit, even briefly, what did it? And what would make you stop playing, forever?
The Daily Grind: The end of the affair
Stephen Totilo over at MTV's Mutliplayer blog actually canceled his WoW subscription recently, and to his surprise, actually found the experience easy and fun. He hadn't updated the game since last September, and speaking as someone who's played the game many, many times since then, I can safely say he was wasting his money. A great MMO is worthless to you if you're not playing it.Thinking back on it, I believe I've only canceled one MMO ever, and that was Dark Age of Camelot (and I only canceled it because I started playing WoW). It was so long ago that I don't remember if I had any problems or not, but it must have gone smoothly enough. Other than that, I've pretty much considered all my subscriptions money well spent, so I haven't had to end anything.But surely there are many more cancellations going on. When have you stepped up and ended the subscription, and for what reasons? Ever had a bad cancellation, or a really good one? And maybe we can help, too-- if there are any subscriptions you're paying right now that you shouldn't be, feel free to commiserate about them here-- we'll help you quit, if you need it. There are always more MMOs in the sea, if we're allowed to mess up a metaphor.
The Escapist explains how your guild can avoid a "failure cascade"
So you're the leader of a guild in your game of choice. All is well at first; everybody's having fun. Then, one or two people get upset about something someone said, or the schedule for a raid, or someone's failure to pay the guild hall maintenance fee. You try to contain it, but all hell breaks loose. Each player's departure leads to another's. Three weeks later, just you and two people from your office are still in the guild.The Escapist calls this a "failure cascade" in a new article. The author of the article uses EVE Online as an example as he explains what a failure cascade is, where the term came from, and what kinds of guilds can be immune. The article is particularly interesting because it illustrates how EVE Online's open PvP combat can exacerbate the problem and lead to mass departures from the game.
WoW Moviewatch: I quit!
If you're going to quit the game, why do it with a boring video showing you disenchanting epic gear or deleting characters decked out in the game's best loot? At this point, practically everyone seems to make the same "I quit!" videos when they decide to leave the game behind. If you're going to quit, do it with a little panache, as seen in this 300-style "I quit" movie.Previously on Moviewatch...
Oh, World of Warcraft, I could never quit you
Over at Casual WoW, Delaney has compiled a detailed list of the various options players are given when attempting to cancel their subscription. Yes, before you can cancel your account, you're required to select a reason from this Blizzard-provided list. (Just above the pulldown menu offering you a list of reasons you see the graphic and text above, including the sad news that, by quitting, you're making this poor peon cry.) Some of the more interesting options include: Content / Unexpected Genre Harassment / Conflict with player/guild Other Game / Ultima Online Technical / No Computer Other / Offline play not available But take a look at the entire list: it's clear that someone at Blizzard has put a good deal of thought into all the reasons players might be leaving. And I agree with Delaney's opinion -- to heck with the stats Blizzard provides us on most often killed monster, etc, I'd love to see a percentage breakdown on these exit stats.
Breakfast topic: Can I have your stuff?
Let's face it, one day we're all going to stop playing World of Warcraft. Sure, maybe that day is later for some of us than others (the phrase "pry it out of my cold, dead hands" comes to mind), but whether it's to a new game, a new relationship, or any of a multitude of reasons, our time with WoW will come to a close. What I'm curious about is what you all plan on doing when you go. Will you give away all your hard earned loot, or maybe even your account? Will you make a video of removing all your gear and deleting your toon? Will you just let it expire and sit on a shelf somewhere? I've seen people in my guild leave the game before, but more often than not they come back to it after a few months. I've never actually known anyone to do anything shocking, or give away large sums of gold. Well, there was that one guildie near the end of beta who gave me 20g, but that doesn't count. Share your personal vision of what you want to happen when you leave WoW, and any stories you may have of people who've left the game and what they did, in the comments below.
Breakfast Topic: I quit!
I've noticed an astonishing number of players on the forums claiming, at least, to be ending their relationship with the World of Warcraft that we all know and love. Complaints are all over the map -- warlocks are overpowered, warriors are underpowered, fear needs to be nerfed, too much lag, too much downtime, too few world events... Indeed, everyone has their beef with the game, but with the recent patch throwing a lot of things up in th are, a number of players seem to think it's just not worth coming back. But what about you? You're reading a game-related blog, which hints that you're still in the game. Do you see the game's last straw somewhere in the immediate future, or are all of these quitting announcements dramatic nonsense?
How to quit a group
We've talked quite a few times here about how to play the game well and how to get into good groups and guilds. But (and this is inspired by personal experience, trust me), sometimes things don't go so well. Sometimes, your warrior leaves halfway through the instance, or it's clear that your priest isn't interested in doing her job when she lets the tank die and says "srry watchn grays anatmy." Sometimes, you just want out. So here's five ways to do just that, ranked in order from "nicest and most helpful" to "harshest and least likely to get you invited back again".5. Be honest. Sometimes people just have bad days. One way to gracefully exit a group after a wipe is to just make it clear: "one more wipe, and we're going to call the group off." That might be just what the players need to get their acts together. Be honest, share your concerns, answer questions or clarify things if necessary, and then when the hunter pulls aggro off the tank again, thank them for the group and move on.4. Find a replacement. This one actually runs neck and neck with #5, but it's still a little harsher because you're leaving instead of sticking around and helping. Still, finding a replacement is an easy and fairly pain-free way to get out of a group that just isn't working out. Throw a few tells in LFG until you've nabbed someone, tell the group you're tagging out, and exit stage left.3. Just disconnect. It happens. People lose their connections. If you're ever stuck in a bad group, pull the plug on your network cord for a few minutes, then log back on and play an alt for a while. For extra believability, combine with #2: jump back on the character after you notice your group is out of the instance and apologize for the freak thunderstorm that just rolled through.2. Lie. Am I the only one that's done this? Just throw a quick "sry gtg mom's makin dinner" in the party channel (never mind that I'm a long way from living with my mother and that she doesn't make me dinner anymore), and boom you're out of the group without any questions. Do it too many times (or to someone you've spoken normally with before), and people on the server might start getting suspicious, but every once in a while it works like a charm. "Whoops guild is calling me, later" does wonders, as well.1. Tell them off. Strangely enough, the harshest way to ditch a group looks very much like the nicest way, but with a lot more yelling, maybe a little cursing, and even some angry tells afterwards. If you've had enough and finally decided that yes, this might be the worst PUG you've ever been in, feel free to scream at the warrior to L2P NOOB, and tell the healer that you can't make water because you're a warlock, then "leave group" with gleeful abandon. Ok, it might get you put on some ignore lists, and do it enough and you'll get a reputation on the server, but trust me, after an hour and half wiping in a terrible PUG, a little yelling will make you feel much better.
Breakfast Topic: Game Over (redux)
Drakedog's graceful exit made me think about leaving the game as a concept again (although not something I'm planning on doing any time soon). The video shows two things--the popularity of WoW machinima, and how easy it is to casually destroy everything you've spent hours working towards.If you leave (or when you left), how will you go? Quietly? Via eBay? Or will you make a statement, solemnly destroying your epics (so you can't be tempted back), clad in the clothes you started out in, sitting cross-legged on the floor waiting for your doom?Me, I'd probably run naked into an opposing faction city for laughs. I'm that kinda girl.
