Theorycrafting madness, part 1

Among the many geek things I love to do I play Warhammer, both 40k and Fantasy. Just like MMOs there’s thriving online community dedicated to the little toy soldiers and just like MMOs we have a ton of theorycrafters(mathhammer) who spends all their free time crunching numbers and lists to provide  us with the ultimate army of doom. However anyone who’s been playing Warhammer for a length of time will tell you that there’s a world of difference between the forums lists and real tournament lists. If only for the simple fact that an online list does not explain subtleties in strategy and meta-game.

I’m part of a gaming club wich gather weekly for games of both systems. We are associated with a local retailer, we organize tournaments, events and when new players show up in the area they are often directed toward us so they have people to play with and show them the ropes. In many ways we’re not unlike  a MMO guild. Whenever we see a new face come in with a “forum list” people nearly line up to play against him(or her) to beat him and show him that internet lists are not the way to go. It’s not always the nicest thing to do but over time the club has adopted a very “L2P” philosophy. We would rather have someone make mistakes and learn from them than just pick a list of the internet.

We have a lot of tournament players,myself included, and we all agree that the theorycrafted  lists are very good as starting point and to give ideas but they should be that,  only inspiration, not a crutch. In short we say that you’ve got to learn to play by yourself before truly understanding how to use theorycraft as a tool to complement your gameplay. It should not be your gameplay.

What was the point of this long rant? Explain my view on theorycraft. A good tool that should be only that, not the holy gospel it has become in most online games.

You need proof? Go check most of WoW raiding guilds. Almost all of them will check your spec against Elitist jerks, then it’s off to Be Imba or WoW heroes(if not both) to check your gear and finally your told to go read strategies on Bosskillers, Tankspot or any combination of videos and strategy guides.On Elitist Jerks for example you literally have pages upon pages for almost any spec for all classes and the theorycrafters have drafted complex spreadsheets to tell you exactly how to squeeze every last bit of dps/healing/threat you can get out of any character.

For example while I was playing my death knigth I would need an Obliterate build with precise points and very specific stats to reach a good enough dps. It didn’t matter that we would still be killing the boss if I didn’t have the perfect EJ spec, I was expected to have that spec and learn how  to use it. I was expected to learn by heart the strategy in the Tankspot video. In short, do you homework,  show up and execute said strategy.

Before going any further I want to address the concerns of readers reading this and telling themselves that what I just described is the right way to do things. That you should check out EJ,videos, do your research and execute it in raid so the encounter is beaten in the shortest time possible.

You are absolutely right.. in a certain way.
Theorycrafting and veterans

Theorycrafting sites often contain basic truths about the game. For example having enchants, gems and potions for a raid will remain true no matter what. Just as healing with a dps spec will always be a worse idea than healing with a healing spec. Another example would be telling you to get out of a boss AoE who can one shot you. It’s not surprise then that they are always refered to. Raid leaders and guild leaders don’t want to have to explain all this and direct their members to the theorycrafters. After all these guys theorycraft more than they play the game and more often than not their numbers are right on the money.

Now, do you remember my little story with Warhammer at the beginning at this post? Where I talked about army list taken off the internet? Remember how I said a newer player would fail with this kind of list because he would not get the subtleties of the list and the strategy? Well the veteran player could probably take that list and win with it. Why? Because his experience and true understanding of the game rules and strategies would allow him to grasp the list strategy. His experience would help him tweak a few minor details before playing with it and winning.

Theorycrafting in MMOs has become so important because exactly of that phenomenon. Veteran players, who get the true meanings and strategies of theorycraft, are often in important positions in guilds and have become natural leaders as their experience and talent is showing. So when asked for advice they often point players to the theorycrafting sites. The problem is that where a veteran would get the right information, a newer player would probably just read it as a step by step guide and try to commit it all to memory. So while the veteran get the right information, the other player might understand the wrong information or simply not get it at all. But you can be sure that if you ask him he will tell you he has read the forums and the theorycrafting sites.

Let me conclude today with a situation I’ve experienced and that I’m pretty sure anyone who has raided  for a while has too.

It’s late at night just before the weekly maintenance. For some reason you have not raided this week so when you get a whisper to go raiding with a PuG from someone you’ve raided with once before you tell yourself, why not? After all if the raid is a fail you’re good to go the following  day and if the raid goes well you can score some loot. So it’s pretty much a win-win situation.

So you get in the raid, full of people from different guilds, a vent is offered but not everyone hops in and every time the leader asks for something people don’t answer or are too busy telling dumb jokes to answer.However by some miracle, this unfocused raid with minimal instructions manage to clear the whole raid in record time. Only a single wipe when the hunter lagged and ran ahead. Every boss one shotted and spirits are high. You even get an upgrade you’ve been after for a long time. When you log off you’re left with that awesome feeling of a job well done.

The next day it’s guild raid time. You’re telling yourself that after acing it the previous day it should be a cakewalk. After all everyone is in vent and focused,you raid got better gear, the strategies  are explained and everyone looks ready. But no… this raid is going nowhere. The raid is moving at a snail pace, you keep wiping on bosses and 4 hours later the raid end with barely 4 bosses down.

… tomorrow the conclusion to this exciting tale and the pitfalls of theorycrafting explained in full 3D!!!*

*special 3D glasses not included