PUGDRAMA

Thanks for wings: when to wing it to make them believe they can fly

2010-03-15T10:24:00.000-07:00

In Halls of Reflection last week, our pug's druid DPS whispered me. The conversation went something like this:
them: hey thanks for wings
me: np
them: bricks were shat. i really appreciate u doing for me even tho i'm not the tank. i'm used to dying by now lol

This player's statement really resonated with me. Have they ever had "wings" (Guardian Spirit) before? Probably not or not very often, which makes sense because they are not tanking. But it reminds me of some myths that should probably be dispelled (priest joke...har har) about when to wing it:

Myth #1: Only the tank gets wings
Reason#1: Like many generalizations, there's a reason to follow this. The tank is the um, tank. But other players take damage, other players besides the tank should stay alive, and the cooldown on Guardian Spirit from the glyph makes this less costly.
Myth #2: Save wings for "oh snap" moments
Reason #2: At the time of this writing, the tooltip for the Glyph of Guardian Spirit reads:
>cooldown is reset to 1 min

and the tooltip for Guardian spirit reads:
>increases the healing received by the target by 40%
>lasts 10 sec

I'm listing these details because they help me tell the story that wings shouldn't be saved for the perfect moment where everything will be optimal and the effect will be at its maximum and everyone will message in party chat and say, "OMG what timing!" If you take a boss fight that lasts 3 minutes (among DBM there are mods that show how long a boss fight might last), that means you have an opportunity there to squeeze in 3 wings.
I'm currently trying to see how many wings I can get in on pugs. My current max is less than 10 which means I can use it more to increase throughput. Throughput is not the only reason to use wings though.

Myth #3: wings look stupid
Answer #3: I've been told that the wings look stupid. I've seen the pally wings and thing those do look a little cooler. But I believe deep down in my dark shadowpriest heart--I mean holy heart, holy heart--that everyone who gets wings gets a minimum stress reduction of 1% with 50% chance to crit for 50% stress reduction. These are actual numbers, of course.

Overaction, baap

2010-02-25T14:55:00.000-08:00

One of my friends (who just dinged 40 on her first toon) is very fond of saying "overaction" to identify when someone is overreacting or just doing something she doesn't like. I told her I was going to analyze it here.

The concept of being levelheaded applies to just about everything, but I remember several places where it really stuck out to me.

While watching an episode of a rehab reality show the other day, one of the participants said "what's hard is loving on a 5, not a 1 or a 10." Then someone else said "what's hard is resisting the pendulum swing--they overreact, you overreact, it gets worse."
Way back when he was king, I saw with MMA fighter Chuck Liddell, the Iceman. The interviewer asked Liddell what his strategy was for that fight, and Liddell said it was the same as any fight. He didn't worry about the opponent's game plan, he only worried about himself.
In pugs, this is a constant challenge: to find your center, to resist the urge to overreact, to be at peace with the pug. If someone starts drama, a natural human reaction is to match the level of their ping:
them: U SUK WORST EVR
you: LOL YOU ARE A BAG OF GNOME S***
instead of:
you: sorry, what should i do better?

In the picture, the box is that middle zone where extreme reactions are avoided--it's between ignoring and matching their extreme action. I've heard many times that the best response is to just not say anything, which is good, but I don't think that's always a realistic option for ongoing relationships. A pug is a mini-ongoing relationship where you are trying to work together for a half hour, and sometimes a "sorry" or bland reaction can go a long way.
Thank you to all the players I've grouped with who have shown me that resilience is not only a stat in game, but a quality in RL.

Diagnosing your group: OCD in the ivory tower and ADHD in the trenches

2010-02-25T14:36:00.000-08:00

As I was sitting at work the other day, I could not ignore my neighbor preach about the need for "prescriptive solutions" and "consistent process" and "elegance"--whoever he was talking to didn't seem to be buying it. They might have even been yelling at him. But he was enjoying every minute of his process press. I was daydreaming until I heard my neighbor say "I know you guys are out in the trenches and think I'm up here in my ivory tower again but we HAVE TO DO THIS."
I had to laugh, because my brain ran out and brought back a memory of the night before, as I was chasing after my pug group to make sure everyone had buffs and I was getting pissed that we didn't take the "2 seconds" to prepare--proper planning prevents piss poor performance and all that.

Those somber chaps up in the ivory tower care about order, planning, policies. They have nice white ostrich leather furniture up there in the tower. They probably only drink Grey Goose (and insist on spelling gray with an "e"). Thou shall always buff by the portal before running in. Thou shall wait for mana before every boss. Thou shall make sure they always within range of thine priest (healer, I mean healer). On the fourth burst of the boss's AOE, remove all 9 levels of the buff while rotating clockwise. They want to analyze the hell out of every fight--what was my dps? What could we have done better? Why did that take so long? If we had to bucketize (the somber chaps in the ivory tower HATE words like "bucketize"--another example) this into a mental disorder, it would be obsessive compulsive personality disorder (or the more common term OCD).

The meatheads down in the trenches just want to get it done. You might here them say "rinse and repeat" or "tank and spank" or "good enough" or "sure whatever." They run around all the time. Never stop moving! Fire and motion! Grab that mob, now this one! Eat a piece of pizza, answer the door, oh yeah I'm still playing. They might drop group after 1 wipe where an ivory tower type might wipe 10 times before dropping. These folks are the ADHD types who have a short attention span, forget what instance they are in, run around "willy nilly."

I think the secret is not that one is better than the other, but that BOTH ARE NEEDED. My coworker on the phone needed the people on the other line and they needed him.

I hope.

winmore

PS for those interested, here's text from wikipedia

OCD
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fourth edition, DSM IV-TR, a widely used manual for diagnosing mental disorders, defines obsessive–compulsive personality disorder (in Axis II Cluster C) as:[11]
A pervasive pattern of preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and mental and interpersonal control, at the expense of flexibility, openness, and efficiency, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by four (or more) of the following:
1. Is preoccupied with details, rules, lists, order, organization, or schedules to the extent that the major point of the activity is lost
2. Shows perfectionism that interferes with task completion (e.g., is unable to complete a project because his or her own overly strict standards are not met)
3. Is excessively devoted to work and productivity to the exclusion of leisure activities and friendships (not accounted for by obvious economic necessity)
4. Is overconscientious, scrupulous, and inflexible about matters of morality, ethics, or values (not accounted for by cultural or religious identification)
5. Is unable to discard worn-out or worthless objects even when they have no sentimental value
6. Is reluctant to delegate tasks or to work with others unless they submit to exactly his or her way of doing things
7. Adopts a miserly spending style toward both self and others; money is viewed as something to be hoarded for future catastrophes
8. Shows rigidity and stubbornness
ADHD
Inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity are the key behaviors of ADHD. The symptoms of ADHD are especially difficult to define because it is hard to draw the line at where normal levels of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity end and clinically significant levels requiring intervention begin.[15] To be diagnosed with ADHD, symptoms must be observed in two different settings for six months or more and to a degree that is greater than other children of the same age. [36]
The symptom categories of ADHD in children yield three potential classifications of ADHD—predominantly inattentive type, predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type, or combined type if criteria for both subtypes are met:[15]:p.4
Predominantly inattentive type symptoms may include:[37]
• Be easily distracted, miss details, forget things, and frequently switch from one activity to another
• Have difficulty focusing on one thing
• Become bored with a task after only a few minutes, unless they are doing something enjoyable
• Have difficulty focusing attention on organizing and completing a task or learning something new
• Have trouble completing or turning in homework assignments, often losing things (e.g., pencils, toys, assignments) needed to complete tasks or activities
• Not seem to listen when spoken to
• Daydream, become easily confused, and move slowly
• Have difficulty processing information as quickly and accurately as others
• Struggle to follow instructions.
Predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type symptoms may include:[37]
• Fidget and squirm in their seats
• Talk nonstop
• Dash around, touching or playing with anything and everything in sight
• Have trouble sitting still during dinner, school, and story time
• Be constantly in motion
• Have difficulty doing quiet tasks or activities.
and also these manifestations primarily of impulsivity:[37]
• Be very impatient
• Blurt out inappropriate comments, show their emotions without restraint, and act without regard for consequences
• Have difficulty waiting for things they want or waiting their turns in games