8/17/08

How much is memory?

I'm asking myself this particular question after playing for a few hours while over at a friend's house for the evening. He has mods that do more that I ever though needed to be done...

Bars were all over the place (never did figure out how to move them around...), and I didn't have sound. I did how-ever have an updated Omen, so when I pulled threat away from my new wolf friend (yep, grabbed a wolf out of Badlands, dumping the cat) it would flash, so I knew to click disengage/feign death and let the aggro flip back to the wolf.

Anyways, I wasn't able to glance down and check, which button was which, check which aspect I was under - no it was not in its usual spot- or even use my handly little Hunters Mark + Pet Attack Macro. It was all by memory, and muscle memory.

I realized tonight just how much of playing a hunter for 3 years off and on now, is purely memory. My primary three shots are always, always at 4, 5, and 6. 1-3 are auto attack, raptor strike, and auto shot. I got into a bit of trouble, and even without my regular mods the shots were in the right order, coming off at the right timing to rinse repeat 2-3 times before the trap broke and the extra mob landed on me.

I'll admit, I died a few times while trying to complete a quest... getting ganged up by four things, then being hit by steath - while in an inclosed space will do it every time. But I had fun, and found out that the extensive raiding (six hours solid from Midnight to Six AM) and the general goofing off I did in highly mob packed areas -- Bone Wastes >.< -- served me in good stead.

I play under pressure best. When I know that if my trap fails, somebody dies -- THAT is when I perform my best, and every reaction and shot is pin-point accurate to the very best of my ability.

I guess having good reflexes is a good thing... I get to go back and do it all again tomorrow.

Quote of the Day

"Show me a person who has never made a mistake and I'll show you somebody who has never achieved much." - Joan Collins


It fits, believe me, it fits. I keep screwing up on (MG)Tzia so much its not funny. I've been killed by things that I should not die to... new daze mechanic aside... this hunter is being a bit rough on my playing.

34 right now, questing a bit in STV, at 35 I'm going back to Arathi.

8/15/08

Gnomer Run -- Wipe-a-thon


Well, I ran Gnomer with a pick up group last night. It was pretty good... except for a hunter, and then a mage.

Hunter was wearing Str and Spir gear aplenty. I cringed, and sighed. Its happened in the past, running into lowbie hunters that only see Str Increases AP (Blame Blizzard for bad tips) and so that's what they stack. And they melee stuff to death and only see the pet as a DoT. She couldn't handle her pet, was running under cheetah, pet had growl on... basically hunter nightmare. Luckily she was only level 26, so not too set in her ways.

Straightening out a hunter like this can take a few minutes or longer. We got past I think the first boss, lost our healer, I pulled in a guildmate (who did an awesome job -- yes that priest I was complaining about last post ^_^), and then that hunter had to go. I gave her the basics for a hunter's gear (Agility, Stam, Int) and she logged off. We swapped in a mage while the priest was flying in (couldn't summon at level 38).

We started the run again, killed plenty of stuff, then the mage started blowing my traps when it counted. I could NOT keep my priest alive... blazing freakin' trap target = useless traps, but everything was ticked at my priest because she popped a renew just a second too early, and died, so we all wiped.

While we were running back the Tank, an awesome druid --I love druid tanks--, told everyone to "keep the priest ALIVE". I just nodded, its standard running procedure for me, then some how we partially wipe, losing the Druid Tank and the mage. The dps druid, priest and I manage to pull it off, kill everything, and the priest rezzes the Tank and the mage.

We finished the run, the group broke up. I put both the druids on my friends list... I'd run with them again in a heart beat. I wouldn't be caught dead with that mage again. I'll recognize the name if I ever group with them again, of course, but ugh.

Priest and I ended up talking about our run in guild chat later. We both agreed that the mage was the main problem, he'd panic and forget to Frost Nova, which probably would have saved his butt, and my priest's as well. I've seen a Nova save my butt before -- giving me that extra 2 seconds I needed on a trap timer so I'd not have to drag a mob half way across a room before the trap timer is ready again.

Well, I got my triprunner dungarees... I'm happy. Off to Arathi, I think...