Fire in the Hole!

Seeing as how Ignis is such a complete douchenozzle, I'd like to have a little contest to rename his Slag Pot -- the lovely, lava-filled crockpot of death he wears in his no-touch zone.

To get this kicked off, here are my initial offerings:

• Crotchpot
• Pot o' Gonorrhea
• Hot Crotch-et
• Weinie Roast
• The Fire Down Below
• Flamin' Hot Frank and Beans
• Jalapeno Burrito Hole
• The Devil's Jockstrap
• Can of Cooked Crabs
• Basket of Roasted Nuts

That should get it started. Post your own!

Tempus Don't Fugit When You're Standing Around...

At the risk of sounding like the old man yelling at kids to GET OFF HIS LAWN, I feel that this needs to be addressed.

Please, please be considerate of other people's time when we're raiding.

We spent so much time last night standing around. I understand computer issues and connection problems. As a matter of fact, I had some major issues with my cable internet connection a few months ago and had DC problems. They were intermittent, so I did DC in a couple of instances. But when I saw that it was a problem, I just excused myself because to not do that would not have been fair to the other party members.

And I understand that not everyone can have the best computer in the world. But having a mouse so you can be effective (yes you, Nagu :P) or syncing your bio breaks with load screen delays can make a big difference in reducing other player's frustration and our ability to advance further into Ulduar and continue to gear-up.

I know I'm not an officer anymore, and if I'm out of line just say so. Really. No offense. Just as I mean no offense to anyone with this post. I'm just asking that we be as considerate of everyone's game play experience as we can.

Be an American... Not a-Rush-in

[With apologies to my Northern-Asian comrade brohams...]
I'll make this quick and -- hopefully -- simple:

Slow the Eff Down.

That's it. Not tricky. But SO MANY parties and raids are fail at this. They don't take the time to make sure everyone is on-board and ready to go. I don't know if it's arrogance, cockiness, stupidity, mental instability... it doesn't matter. Take the time -- before every pull -- to check on the following things:

• Does the party know who the tanks are?
• Does the party know what the healing assignments are?
• Does the party know the special instructions/tasks for the imminent fight?
• Are mana reserves full?
• Is everyone buffed?
• [Add your own common sense item here]

Taking the few minutes it requires to ensure the party is properly prepared can save a wipe, a run-back, people bailing, armor repair costs, frustration, dolphins from nets, second-guessing of strategy, and maybe a starving child in a third world nation (prove me wrong). Seems like it's worth it.

Websites for Gear

Over yonder (to your right -- you may have to scroll down) is a list of some interesting websites that can help you figure out gear upgrades and more.

Here's a quick run-down:

• Be Imba
  This site gives a rating to your equipment, then shows generally in what instances you should perform well and find gear upgrades. While a little arbitrary, it does provide some good references on enchants that are best for your spec. It relies on the current WoW Armory info, so if you logged out in your PvP gear, that's what you'll see on Be Imba. Also, you can look up an entire guild... just be aware that this may take awhile.
  
• WoW Heroes
  This is another gear rating site. This and Be Imba are good ways to gear check characters if you're preparing for a 10 or 25 ahead of time. Probably the coolest feature of this site is that you can see how people rank on the server.
• MaxDPS
  This is a pretty powerful site. It will load your character info and/or allow you to manually enter abilities and other variables. Then you can see how your DPS or HPS is affected. It also makes gear upgrade suggestions based on the criteria you've entered.
• WoWJuJu
  This site shows you your rep with all the factions, what you can do to increase your rep, and then the available rep rewards.
• Armory Light
  Just an alternative to the official WoW Armory.

So... check them out and please post comments on what you like or don't, as well as any other sites you've found valuable.

A Hazl, By Any Other Name...

I seriously doubt this post will affect anyone whatsoever, but it's gotta be said once.

Hazl:

Pronounced hay-zil (think, greenish-brown eyes)

Not pronounced:

• hassle
• hazzle
• dumbass
• hozzle
• fo shizzle mah nizzle

Feel free to continue to call me as you will... I'll still respond.

Back in the Ranks of H & G

Wanted to say a couple of important things before I get much further with this blog.

1. I'm very honored to have been asked to rejoin Honor and Glory. I was sort of insane to ever leave, cuz these folks are like family. I don't have anywhere near as much fun when I'm running with others.
2. I give Shyste Chris a whole lotta crap in this blog (which won't change anytime soon, btw). But that guy has more fun with the game than anyone else I've run into. He's got a rare ability to keep the raiding disciplined, but break loose and get silly, too. The guy is a sh!t-ton of fun to run with. So, take any remarks to the contrary with a grain of salt.
   Make sure you check out his blog at shystechris.blogspot.com. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you just might learn something.

Aggro vs. Pull: Yes, There's a Difference

Definitions - 'Aggro' is the result of performing an act that causes a hostile mob to initiate an attack upon you and/or your party. 'Pull' is the intentional action of causing aggro in a way that is both controlled and expected, and almost always results with the tank(s) topping the aggro table.

Usage - Oblivious DPSer: "Sorry, I didn't mean to accidently pull that first Emalon trash mob and wipe us." Tank: "You didn't pull, you aggro'd! [/kick]"

Further Detail - Here are some scenarios that may help you determine if you just pulled or aggro'd:

• If you didn't know you pulled, you didn't; you aggro'd.
  
• If your heart jumps and you say "Oh, Sh!t" inside your head as the mobs attack, you just aggro'd.
  
• If a hunter used Misdirection, you pulled... whether the tank knows it or not.
  
• If a mage uses Polymorph... well, depends on the level of communication before the cast.
  
• If you didn't know the mobs were there until they were attacking you, you aggro'd.
  
• If your back was to the mobs when they attacked, you aggro'd.
  
• If Shystechris is your tank, at best it's 50/50.
  

Line of Sight (LoS)

Definition - An unobstructed (clear) view between two toons and/or mobs. Taken from radio technology, it refers to the characteristic of high-frequency radio waves to travel only in straight lines - much like light - resulting in the requirement for there to be a clear path for transmission between transmitter and receiver.

Usage - "You died, Shystechris, because ONCE AGAIN you got out of LoS of the healer..."

Further Detail - In WoW, this applies to spell-casting. Spells can not be cast on targets with which they do not have line of sight. This goes for damage spells and healing spells, alike. Tanks can use this principle to their advantage when dealing with spell-casting mobs. The tank pulls the mob by intentionally producing aggro (see article "Aggro vs. Pull: Yes, There's a Difference"), and then moves to a position that is out of LoS from them, causing them to run to the tank in order to attack her. A lack of awareness of LoS between a party and it's healers, however, can have devastating results. Heals are spells and are therefore held to the same LoS rules. Remember, very few heal spells can be cast while the healer is moving, so tanks and DPSers need to have an awareness of where they are in relation to their healers, or they risk stacking too much of the Death de-buff (a.k.a., damage) before LoS can be re-established. Please note the following common obstructions to LoS:

• Walls (and most half-walls)
  
• Some trees
  
• Hills
  
• Walls
  
• Stairs
  
• Pillars
  
• Wardrobes (but not lions nor witches)
  
• Walls
  
• Some shrubbery
  
• Large, natural formations (see Trees, Hills)
  
• Large, man-made formations (see Walls)