Giving Back: Calling All Gamers...

A few years ago I lost someone close, to cancer. And In my 27 years on this earth, I've witnessed how it can affect families, friends, clients and colleagues...

Everyone has been touched by it in some way.

Every year for the past 10 years or so, I've donated a little of my time and energy to the fight against cancer. This May 1st-2nd marks the return of Relay for Life, here locally--and I'm asking for your support. I along with my team of Union Bank, Bankers, will be out at the event 'round the clock, and we are currently seeking donations. I know money is tight these days, but every dollar donated is a step in the right direction. 

I've included links to my personal donation page both in this post, and on the right-hand side of my page, and urge you to pledge whatever you can to support Relay for Life, and the American Cancer Society.

This year, join Sated in the fight against cancer.

Dude, where's my car?

I wanna take a minute to talk about backseat drivers.

They don't work.

You can't reach the pedals from back there.

And when you try, you really just frustrate the people in the front seat, watching you...

Last night in 25-ToC (yes, 25-Trial), there was some, well, confusion, or, disagreement (among officers, no less) while we attmepted (yes attempted) The Twins the first time. Let me preface by saying that I played absentee for the first few fights. Serious lag had caused me to troubleshoot, delete game folders, re-configure addons, etc...I fought on Jarraxus, and then bowed out for a couple of Champs wipes. But, I came back, and was good to go.

Anyway, after 3 wipes on champs, I was able to get back in, and we downed em fairly easily. On twins though, well, things started to get hairy. Darth called for the one group strat that we always run; this is the only way we've ever been successful on 25. I watch as people don't stack, and some are running around getting orbs--we wipe. Here's where it all comes to the forefront. All of a sudden, the stacking model doesn't work. We need to try something different. I don't understand this. Why deviate from normal practice? Why deviate from the only method we were ever successful with on a consistent basis? And why argue about it over officer chat? That's what gets me. ToC: old news, proven strategy. Why are we all of a sudden wanting to change? Who's leading the raid?

Sometimes people just need to execute better. Case in point: Faction Champs. There were 3 wipes last night with no change in strat.

The difference between a success and a wipe: execution.

After all the latency issues and disconnects, I just really wasn't in the mood to re-justify the single group model-- we used the 2 group method, and downed em (with 90 sec till enrage). I just find it funny that people will go and question one strat after one wipe, when it was the most efficient way of doing it when the content was current. Oh well.

Needless to say we lost a few peeps lst night.

LF Competent 5k+ DPS to fill out our 25 again.

Healing: The Other Side of the Story

Take it from Mr. Collins--we always need to hear both sides of the story.


Here's mine:

Cristorpheus (My Pally) dinged 80 approximately 48 hours ago. I gave up my ret spec, hung up my axe, donned myself in whatever healadin gear I could find, and went to work with Hazl on a "how to" exploration into the way of the light.


Started in some regular dungeons--and have gradually worked my way into heroics. And..........


(Drumroll)
(Don't ever let anyone know I said this to you)
(First rule of fight club)
(Drums still rolling)
(I swear if you tell anyone I will flog you)
...


I kinda like it.


Truth be told, I sort of thought I would. I like the challenge. And, this healing aspect of the game, is presenting itself to be a very refreshing one.


On my DK, I can smash through most heroics with disregard to aggro--cause I kill everything so fast. If I pull a mob, it dies without landing a punch. Anymore, I find myself doing more talking, and less playing. And, the only realy thrill I get anymore, is working on raid bosses. So, when I don't raid, its all kinda....well....bleh (save for holidays, helping friends out, etc.).


On the Pally, all the fights are new again; the mechanics are completely different. Sometimes I need to stand close in, others further away...need to wait for this silence, or this interrupt. It creates a sense of urgency--and I enjoy putting myself under pressure.


I'm finally understanding (this is for Haz) the importance of always being in the right place at the right time. Meaning, I more closely see dps being in places they shouldn't be; running into HoL whirlwinds, standing in poison, not paying attention to threat, running out of LoS (Yes, I said LoS)...these things are all taxing...especially on an undergeared healer =P

I'm learning the intricacies of healing on the pull, and what it means to healer-aggro. I'm getting frustrated at the stupid CoS zombies, people standing in shit, and overgeared dps disregarding my tank; I'm becoming an asshole.

I never thought that I'd become an asshole. Maybe I'm over thinking it and am just in telling people like it is. The role reversal here has really got me trippin. As a dps, if I take a bit of damage, no sweat...I have ways to self heal. As a healadin, when I see party members taking damage, panic starts to set in; I clench my teeth, stop breathing (yeah Jules, it happens quite a bit), and get to clicking as fast and furious as I can, all while trying to make sure my cast time allows for a landed heal and smooth transition...

To all the healers out there...I'm sorry.

shyste the love fool...

Real men wear dresses.


Just kidding.


However, I did find myself strangely fascinated with the way I looked in the little black chiffon number that I got from the Love is in the Air Holiday. I guess I just like Tauren curves...


Anyway, the holiday has come and gone, and I hope each of you took the time to show someone how much you care.


I was hoping to be able to make some puns about showing you my Big Red Love Rocket (haha); I really wanted to get it and petition Blizz to make it a 2-seater (ya know, so someone could ride my love rocket, LMAO--anyone else just start hearing KISS' "Love Gun" start playing???) but sadly, I did not see that damn thing drop once. Truth be told, I wasn't nearly as diligent in running that boss as I was for Brewfest.

/sigh


I guess my rocket will have to wait till next year.

If you're wondering about the screenies...

Well, What else is there to do at 4 am besides going to Org and dueling in dresses? There's nothing like smacking someone upside the head with a bouquet =)

The lovely Di, here, won our duel. She cheated though. while I was completely naked under my frock, she somehow was concealing a helm and bow o.O

/cheater

In Loot Council We Trust or The Loot, The Loot, The Loot is on Fire!

The term "Loot Council" is usually enough to scare any would-be raider.

Often times, the basic function that it's meant to serve is degraded and abused so much that its meaning dilutes itself into an abyss of nothingness; raiders then question the inherency of its resolve, and ultimately are left unsatisfied. Many guilds have become extinct over its basic practice.

That was never my intent for Sated.

For the longest time, my own jaded opinion of the "Loot Council" kept me at a distance. I wanted a fair system, but something that didn't require hours of calculation like DKP. I wanted a system that allowed everyone that helped take down a boss, a chance at 25 man gear. After careful consideration we adopted a simple method that we thought would be effective, and distribute loot evenly across all of our raiders, strengthening our 25 core: A very simple, highest roll, one item won per night...

Somewhere over the course of a few months, this system went awry.

The hopes we had for gear to be dispersed evenly, grew thin. Week after week, the same players seemed to win rolls, leaving their colleagues wanting. I, myself, as GM, after months of 25 raiding had failed to win any rolls or procure any gear from our raids. I tried to suck it up--after all, my dps was still consistently good, and I knew that it benefited the core somewhat. But then there were others that were in the same boat.
If you've ever been there, you know how frustrating it can become. I watched as friends all geared up, then geared up their alts, all the while being stuck in a constant state of, "what the fuck."

After one particular night in Ice Crown, my Officers came to me in search of a solution. They too could see that loot ditribution had been poor (and I think a few of them had felt sorry for me too). And after some heavy contemplation, and a defining of terms, they came to a reprieve. Sated would attempt a Loot Council system that was fair, but rewarded those players that were deserving and consistent to our raids.

Rules for Consideration:
1. Keep Loot Class-Specific (leather to leather, plate to plate)
2. Length of Time Since Last Upgrade
3. Appropriate Replacement (does this person have a 232 or higher version? Are they really trying?)
4. Attendance, Effectiveness, Overall Participation

Since that time the Officers have been able to put gear in the hands of players that they believe are deserving--and ultimately it seems to be working. We still keep a running log of how gear is distributed and to whom; we're actually seeing it dispersed across the board.

Our intentions lie within the preparedness of our raid to take down 25-man ICC bosses. So far the system seems to be working well...but only time will tell. I'll keep you all posted.

Who Down wit OPP (the over powered paladin)?

A couple of weeks ago I was presented with an opportunity to finish leveling my 55 Pally with the lovely, and talented Diona...and I couldn't resist.


At the time, we only had one Healadin (the Notorious Hazl...aka Father Time...aka Old Man River...aka "Walked with Jesus"...aka...Dirt), so I thought I'd help the guild out in the best way I knew how, and level mine to go Holy. All of my officers have alts. Geared alts. Some of them are better geared than I am =/. So I figured it was my time duty to have another 80.

Leveling to 55 on this guy was a chore. It wasn't fun. I wasn't good at that time.


Fast forward to today. My Pally is specc'd Ret, he's a level 77--and I RAPE FACE.


It's just not fair how OP these assholes really are. Di (on her druid) and I will pull 15 mobs, I can heal as necessary, bubble if I get into trouble, regen mana at will, LoH whoever the fuck I want...it's incredibly ridiculous.


Case in Point: Di and I 2-manned (and woman'd) the Pit at level 73....without having trained since 70. And I wasn't using Crusader Strike (I forgot about it till after I hit 77). Di seems to think its mostly due to the fact that we, ourselves, are just Pure Win....I think it's more that my Pally's an OverPowered Asshole.=)

Whatever the case may be, it's been refreshing seeing the world through another characters eyes. Don't get me wrong--I will always be a DK at heart...but this Pally concept is pretty interesting at the moment. The goal is to hit 80 this weekend and smash all over some random heroics till he's in T9. Wish me us luck (don't forget Di).

  =)

I'm coming home...

I've taken a little hiatus from posting these last few weeks.

Mostly so that my raiders could easily see our new raiding requirements.

I've got some new stuff coming up shortly. Good shit; My OPP Paladin alt, shiny purples, overall epic entertainment...


Stay Tuned =)

Upcoming Raid Changes

Sated's raid progression has been phenomenal to say the least. Things that were once hard, are now a walk in the park. Ulduar is run for fun and we hardly flinch when entering ToC. Once ICC opened its door's to us in December, our guild has gone in weekly to demolish the first wing (which is practically on farm now, both in 10's and 25's) and we have been hammering at the second wing, gradually making headway.

However, for the past couple of weeks, we seem to have hit a wall when it comes to progression in ICC. Our 10 mans are being made slaves to the Plague Wing and in our 25 man, we make Deathbringer Saurfang fall before us, and then don't dare set foot in the Plague Wing. In order to work past this, we have decided to make a few changes and rules when it comes to Sated Raiding. The goal of this, is to continually progress in ICC, particularly when it comes to our 25 man runs. There is no other way to progress besides putting in the time, these changes and rules work to accomplish just that.

Starting on Tuesday, February 16th we will be running our 25man ICC at 9:15pm. We will pick it up again the following night, once again at 9:15pm. The raids will run till 12:30am and will be ended at this time, regardless of where we are. If we wipe during an attempt at 12:00, we set up to try again. If we wipe at 12:15 or later, we call it a night, to ensure that we do not run past 12:30 (this is all in servertime). 10man ICC runs can be scheduled at any other point during the week as long as it does not conflict with a 25man run.

• Invites for 25mans will be sent out at 9:00pm sharp. If you wish to participate, you must be on by then. You should not be tied up in a RH, any other instance or doing dailies. If you are, you are expected to leave the groups you are in, and you are expected to use the 15 minutes prior to incoming summons at 9:15pm, to repair, get flasks, get reagents, enchants, gemming and whatever else you need to do to get ready to raid. If you need more that 15 minutes to get ready, plan ahead! You know when invites are going out and you know when you are going to be summoned.
• If, at 9:15pm, you are not ready to accept your summon, you forfeit your spot in the raid to someone else. We have plenty of people who are more then willing to come and who want to come.
• We know that on occasion something will come up that may hinder your immediate availability to prep for a raid. If this is the case, it is your responsibility to inform an officer who is partaking in the raid of your circumstances so we can hold your spot for a short time. These cases will be tracked so ensure that no one takes advantage of this. Also, the reason you are giving, will be evaluated by the officers.

There are also going to be rules for AFKing during raids.

• At no point may a player go afk or "brb" during a raid unless there is an extreme circumstance. This is to ensure that we can dedicate as much time as possible to fights and progression. We all know about the chain of afk's that spring up the second the first one is unleashed.
• Any afkness will also be tracked. If a pattern of this is found, it is highly likely that the individual will not be asked to raid for a while.
• We will have designated, timed breaks. These will be for a duration of two minutes after each boss that is downed. In the event that we are stuck at a boss, which is going to happen, a break will be scheduled.
• A readycheck will be brought up at the two minute mark, and everyone is expected to be ready to hit "Yes". This allows for tracking of afkness and ensures that we are ready to proceed.
• Resetting computers is going to be lumped in with AFKing. We understand that if you need to restart your computer, you need to restart your computer. However, these will also be tracked to avoid any excessive restarting.

Please keep in mind that this is aimed at allowing Sated to further progress in raiding. Afterall, Sated was created on the grounds of being a Raiding Guild. Meaning, that our primary focus is just that, raiding. Until now, Sated has tried to accommodate its 30+ active raiding members, but it is becoming harder and harder to do, almost daily. When it comes down to it, the reason a WoW player joins a guild, is because the guild has similar goals as that individual and fits their schedule. It is not up to the guild to somehow manage to meet the requirements of ALL of its member, it is simply impossible. We know and acknowledge that this new raiding schedule will not work for all members, and we truly do wish that we could make it work for all of you. But it is time to setup guild standards and to see who is willing to adjust and willing to put in the work.


With this new raiding schedule, there is still plenty of time during the week, and even during raiding days, for guild members to fit in their weekly raids, RHs, dailies, play on alts, PvP or whatever else it is that they wish to do. With this small change we have increased the time spent in our 25man ICC runs from a choppy 4-5 hours to a solid 6.5 hours a week.


Something that is going to come with more time spent raiding harder fights, are wipes. There is going to a wipe, followed by another, and then another. What needs to be taken away from wipes, is the opportunity to improve our strategy and learn from it! Anyone who has set foot in any raid, knows that wipes are going to occur, and that we are going to reach a point where we are seemingly backed into a corner with no way out. The only way to beat the beast that is ICC, is to come back at it kicking, punching and pew pewing! For more on wiping with purpose, you can read a previous post made on this blog titled "The Price of Progression: Wiping with Dignity".

We look forward to making our way through ICC with all of you and making Sated one of the top competitive guilds on Blood Furnace!

The Game of Life: Chance

As of late, there really hasn't been much going on, WoW related, for me to write about. I mean, other than our newly deemed weekend Karaoke in vent, our 25's have been chugging along, making headway here and there, and I've actually considered leveling my Pally to 80; everything's going well.


So well, in fact, that I've been able to let my mind drift on to other things. I know, thoughts other than WoW? I must be mad... But who really knows where thoughts come from? Sometimes they just appear (maybe it was Favre letting me down). And since I really don't have any other outlet to direct them to, I might as well expound on them here.


So I want to take a couple of moments to talk about Fate...

I used to think of Fate as someone that opened and closed doors, serendipitously; and that these doors magically correlated to specific life changing events.

In my epicness (age), I've renegotiated my viewpoint slightly. I no longer view Fate as a Wal-Mart greeter, able to alter ones destiny with an act as trivial and mundane, as stepping through a doorway.


Rather, I view Fate as showing us glimpses of all things in this world with possibility; would be's and should be's, ought be's and could be's. These glimpses aren't static; they move and change and are intrinsically woven through every fiber of our being...


And that's the key. These glimpses aren't doorways. They're not waiting around for us to walk through them. They exist merely to test our resolve; our drive for the things we most desire, the strength to choose the path to reach them, and faith to follow that path when we are at our weakest.


Glimpses that exist but momentarily--tiny, reflective notions of memories that are yet made, calling our character into question; asking us which path we will choose.
I guess the point is, that if you happen to be fortunate enough to see one of these glimpses, you should have the guts to go after it; unfalteringly. Bet on yourself. Let go. Jump.


Frost very eloquently chose the path less traveled by. But I believe that he spoke of that path, and his life, retrospectively.


My path, on the other hand, changes with each step that I take. As I walk through the trees, my glimpses on the other side of the forest, light the night sky...I walk with the resolve to trudge along un-weathered ground, the strength to always move forward, and the hope that my glimpse will welcome me when I reach the other side.   

A January Romance....

So last night (this morning?) I'm in the middle of some good conversation, when GChat starts blowing up...

Apparently all the good shit happens when I'm normally fast asleep.

It seems as though one of my guildies has an admirer.

This guildy, who shall remain nameless to conceal her sexy female tauren ass, is apparently being serenaded over vent--merely a channel above where I was at.

Its better than I expected.

It's soooooo delicious.

I almost shit myself.

I spit crown and coke all over my computer screen.

It's here for your listening pleasure.




*Special thanks to Joe for being smart enough to record it*

Guild Progress: It was the Heat of the Moment

Saurfang 25: Check.
Festergut 10: Check.

The state of the guild is looking very, very good. Great players gearing up each week, synergy smelting together like the 2 hot nurses I've been dreaming about peanut butter and jelly; every week I see progress being made--gearscores, dps, heals...its amazing.
 
We're almost completely outgeared of 25 ToC, save for a couple tinkets *Cough*
 
And next week we'll start delegating all 3 nights to 25 runs. Its time to push it to the limit.

Surprise! I'm dualboxing!!! And I'm in a world ranked guild...

I'm lying.
I would never dual box.
I think its dumb.
But more importantly, I think its disrespectful.


Here's the scoop:


So Stinky and I jump into a random the other day to partake in a little free frost give-away.
Nexus.


Stinky- Bear Tank
Me- 1337 dps
Hunter- 4800 gearscored
Lock- 4400 gearscored
Pally- 5000 gearscored Holy


So we're runnin through this place, Stinky's pullin 5-6 iceblocks at a time, pulls the boss--and I'm mashin close to 7k on the chart. Hunters at 2200 and some change. Lock is hittin around....I dunno....650.

No lie.

And the Holy Pally is playin tank the etire time, pullin groups, runnin ahead, pullin more groups, starting boss fights...

Stinky: "So it looks like we have another tank."
Me: "WTF is this guy doing?
Stinky: "I should go cat and let him holy tank."
Me: "Fuckin do it! This guys doesn't need to be pullin this shit..."

Anomolus pulled. Everyone dead. Stinky healing himself. I rush in--the two of us take him down to about 15% before we wipe.

Hunter Exits.

I first call out the lock for the absolutely shitty dps. He's just walking around basically.
Me: "Dude--WTF are you doing...besides walking around with a thumb up your ass?"
Holy Pally: "Trying to heal."

This assmonkey has been keeping us in combat so we couldn't kick his fail ass. He's been intentionally pulling shit so we'd have to keep fighting--fucker knows the system; If you're in combat, you cant kick (I didn't even know this till then).

Enter Rakshas. Shaman from Sated. Vote Kick the Pally--I thought the lock would bounce too. This was not the case.

Fail-Lock: "blah blah blah...something, something, something, you shiteater...I'm in a world ranked guild....blah, blah blah."

Me: Buh Bye.

Shit. Can't kick a second time.
Enter Aldoraine, a Sated Hunter. Misdirect Keristraza to Lock. Dead. We burn in hopes it goes down before lock runs back in.

Miss it by a sec.

If you're gonna have the balls to be shitty and dual box. Do it with your own guild. I will endure a completely retarded repair bill to piss you off.

You are warned.