Theory of I.D.D.

So my latest thoughts go into what it takes to be a good player. There's a lot of things such as not standing in fire, holding back on threat, or even just knowing a boss fight. Of course, we could go on forever discussing those types of things. What I want to touch on is what comes before all of that. Before boss battles, before threat capping, before fire (okay, might be hard to predate the origins of fire). I'm talking about I.D.D.—Having the initiative to gain the experience and self-discipline to rise above the impossible, pursue greater interests, and to devote oneself to becoming the most hungry hippo in the herd.

1. Initiative

One must be at the forefront of their class. They must learn, research, and capitalize on the mechanics behind their class using all available resources. One must learn to tell the difference between good or bad information and make decisions responsibly, from their own knowledge as well as that of others. Thus, having an open mind is key. One must also be accountable, calling themselves out before others when making a bad decision (there are rarely such occurrences as mistakes or accidents).

2. Discipline

Learn to control yourself and stop trying to control others. You will be part of a team. That is when one player is doing one job they are entrusted with that responsibility (for example using Polymorph or cleansing poisons). If the team cannot trust a player, then everyone is distracted. Learn to discipline yourself, to trust the team to do their roles and focus only on the task at hand.

If in a leadership role, which you may sometimes assume, learn to take the initiative to make judgment calls (and make them count). When you mess up, and you will mess up, take responsibility and learn from it. As they say, "Crap happens." Players who can't follow simple instructions need to go back to the basics. Leaders who can't give simple instructions need to be fired.

3. Devotion

If a player doesn't know much, do they take initiative to understand it or do they wait to be spoon fed? If they house a database of information in their cranium, how well is their execution? Combat experience in group content is the only way one can gain the discipline necessary to become better.

This is the most simplest of all because if one doesn't involve themselves in group content or teamwork for several hours on a regular basis then one will never learn. One can learn all the intricate details of a boss encounter, but it does nothing if the person is unprepared. Spend time with your character, don't settle for less (ever), and always be on time. If you aren't committed to being there, then don't go. Your guild will thank you for not signing up.

Conclusion

So like a lot of players I have A.D.D., but I'm a smart person. I'm going to try and cope with any of my weaknesses and turn them into strengths so. One way of doing that is by following the theory of I.D.D. By doing that, I am able to set goals for myself and later ask, "Am I really doing this the right way? Do I need to ask for help? Is this an independent or team-based task?"

These are the types of issues I face everyday at work. I have "independent work," such as monitoring traffic and logging guests, but then I have group work such as a two-person safety report. Even though this report is done together throughout the main facility, my partner and I do take separate routes along the same path at times. This means there has to be a trust between us that we, as individuals, are able to observe and record discrepancies on a similar level together, into a single report. I need to know that he is capable of handling his half of the workload just as I must be capable of handling my own because there's not a second head checking over our shoulders. This is called "individual effort."

In a group or raid, each individual must be capable of putting forth enough effort (either by tanking, healing, or dealing damage in most cases) to collectively complete an objective. In a fight such as Gruul, each player must avoid the high damage or be destroyed. If everyone is destroyed, then no one will win. The smaller the group content, and the harder of course, the more individuals are accountable for putting up big numbers or keeping a tank topped off. This probably isn't news to most of you, but sometimes it's good just to see it in print.

What does it take to be a great DPS?

If you could recommend one piece of advice to a damage dealing class (DPS) in a group, what would it be? What does it take to be a good DPS?

I'm curious to learn what exactly your opinion on this subject is. Remember, keep it short and concise - I want the one thing which makes a good DPS stand out among the thousands. What is it? The way they carry themselves? Their methodical mindset which allows them to stay objective? What about initiative or valor? Are they passive or aggressive? Boring?

I'll start off.

I think it takes patience. Knowledge and understanding are great virtues, but experience and prowess comes from but the fruit of one simple tree: patience.

Your turn!

Prelude to a Close

"Out with the old and in with the New Year!" my brother once told me. The more and more I think about it I realize he's right—it's time to throw it all away, to invite the unknown, to embrace the new. As many of you may know, I seem to reminesce quite often. While one can never move forward living in the past, history does have a tendency to repeat itself.

When The Burning Crusade was released I took my favorite character, a rogue, to level 70. I used the experience to have fun while learning about the game. After a while, I grew a little bored. I was interested in raiding, but it seemed like a lagfest to me at the time. I also had trouble with guilds and bad guild leaders which left a sour taste in my mouth (ever been called to fill in a raid, then told once you got there and helped clear the dungeon you were being replaced?).

It was at that time I took a renewed interest in my warrior, yearning to see what was beyond level 47. Tanking was a fun and rewarding experience for me. All I did was tank Zul'farrak when I saw people spamming and I had nothing else to do. Hop on my DPS warrior, tank a dungeon with a pick-up group. I probably tanked ZF at least 20 times and after each dungeon I would log out and not play that character again for several weeks. However, at this point in time where TBC had just been introduced, I decided I really wanted those Big Bad Pauldrons. One last run that week yielded the fabled epaulets and ended an era. I became a warrior.

In the beginning...

I was a druid. My name was Eridani, some sort of sub-star of a red one named Antares. It just so happened the name Antares was taken by a warlock on Illidan (US) server so I had to improvise. My druid was the love of my life. Back then, the only way to level was Restoration, but of course I took a talent near the top of the tree to gain increased stealth. You see, Illidan.us is a PVP server--and everyone was prey, and predator, over there. Don't even ask about Stranglethorn Vale.

So the time came to make my alt and at this time most players didn't make stupid names like Ssuperrogglol. Even if that was the trend, that isn't my style. I swapped two letters in Eridani to become Arideni.

Here and Now

So here I am, a level 80 rogue who can't participate in Naxxramas or certain areas of the game (I can't get into Dalaran at all, where at least I could visit the banks in Shattrath City). That pretty much cuts the entire Violet Hold experience out of the game for me. Also, my Internet can't handle Sartharion. I can do Archavon, though!

So I'm left with a little bit of PVP. While AB & AV are the mainstays, I've been doing those for years. I'm tired of that, and world PVP was my specialty to start with. So I'm reduced to riding my (wonderful) netherdrake around Sholazar Basin and ganking everyone who tries to mine my nodes. It's really very fun, but honestly...I have just as much fun on my bank alt, Missbanker.

A New Direction

Insert Iredani. This is my new, yet old, character which I'll introduce in my next post entitled "History of the Scarlet Sisterhood."

Sayonara!