For the Alliance! Again!

A little while back I got in to an Alliance raid to assassinate the four leaders of the Horde. Whilst Thrall and Sylvanas Windrunner fell to our onslaught a second raid had already visited Cairne Bloodhoof in Thunder Bluff and Lor'themar Theron in Silvermoon City, cutting the adventure short. I had hoped that I would be able to finish the attack another day and it looks to be today.

I turn up to enter the battle for Wintergasp and find that the same fellow is setting up another morning raid on the Horde cities, taking advantage of the early hour and the Horde's involvement in Wintergrasp to enter the capitals with as little fuss as possible. I am happy to relinquish control of Wintergrasp Fortress for the chance of a victorious raid and get invited in to the group.

Our first target is again Thrall, members of the raid getting invited and summoned to a hill in the Barrens, close enough to ride to Orgrimmar but sufficiently out of sight not to be spotted and provoke a defensive reaction. Once we have good numbers we make our move, planning to strike fast and hard and move to new targets quickly.

It must be quite a sight to see over thirty aggressive enemy players ride in the side entrance to your capital city, because it is certainly exhilarating to me. Thrall's guards are despatched before the leader of the Horde is attacked, with a careful eye being kept on the entrance to his keep to ensure any heroes coming to his aid are kept at bay. Thrall falls to our might eventually, after a huge battle, to cheers all around.

A portal is opened up to Shattrath City, where we take advantage of the city's portal to Quel'Thanas before flying down to Zul'Aman. A ride north through the Dead Scar of Ghostlands and we organise ourselves just west of Silvermoon City, where Theron unknowingly awaits. Another rush through the heart of the city and we face the Blood Elf leader, his elite guards not keeping us at bay. The second Horde boss is defeated.

Using a portal to get to Theramore Isle we ride out to Mulgore for Thunder Bluff. Even though some members get distracted by the lure of Darkmoon Faire we have enough numbers to defeat Bloodhoof, keeping him in his hut so that the vicious swings of his huge club don't knock everyone off the bluffs.

One last stop to make on our whistle-stop tour of Horde cities, using a portal to Ironforge and flying up to the Western Plaguelands for Undercity. Entering through the sewers to the east of the city, avoiding most guards in the process, we charge through to the throne room. The battlemasters are drawn out first before Windrunner is engaged, but some over-enthusiastic bating by Undead characters pulling raid members out of the room allows Windrunner to heal fully. A bit more discipline enables us to focus on Windrunner and we prevail before long.

All four Horde bosses are defeated! Not only is this a fair achievement by itself but the King of Stormwind, Varian Wrynn, personally sends each of us a congratulatory message, along with a gift. For our heroic efforts we are rewarded with a special mount, a black war bear!

If the raid on the Horde isn't enough I find that I am close to hitting 80th level. I am sure I will finally reach 80th level by the end of the day, but I have a stronger goal to level up before the next battle of Wintergrasp, in forty minutes time. Being 80th level will let me make use of all my abilities at their greatest strength as well as wear the armour and wield weapons only available to 80th level characters.

I head to Icecrown and agree to a dozen quests or so, maximising my opportunity and blasting my way through the enemy with icy efficiency. A couple of trips to the Shadow Vault, where I witness some excellent use of phasing, and a few daily quests push me to the level cap as I finally get my death knight to 80th level! I do a little dance before opening a death gate to get back to Ebon Hold and upgrade my abilities to their most powerful level. I then equip the gear I've bought with honour points awarded from my many visits to Wintergrasp before heading back to Dalaran, just in time to join the latest battle for control of the region, riding out on my bear.

It has been quite a day.

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Tags: death knight, gnomesblight, mmorpg, pvp, world of warcraft

Working on my refinement

Back when I was making the move from mission runner to industrialist in EVE Online I looked at the certificate system and the skills available to determine what I should train to be effective. As there is no Mac version of EVEMon I had to create my own low-tech version, a note floating around my desk with a list of skills I wanted to train to which level. However, I have been what can politely be described as distracted by the lure of Tech II production, mostly because whenever I find myself needing to train a skill that will take longer than a week I get a bit fidgety and would rather see some more immediate gains.

Taking a dozen days to learn a skill to a high level is only a matter of perspective, though. Quite often, a week can fly by, as can a fortnight or more, depending on what else I am involved with, so whilst quick gains from short skills are quite satisfying there is ample opportunity to learn a longer duration skill. The extra efficiency or ability granted from the level IV or V skill is a good benefit, perhaps offering bigger profit margins directly, but often it also allows a new, better skill to be learnt that can significantly change the way I run my operations. Such as it is with refining.

Ever since I scribbled down my basic skill training plan refining V has been on the list, which although is perhaps aimed at refining mined ore can also be used to melt down modules for the mineral contents. I have hundreds of modules stored in my mission base from level three missions, all of which refine to feed my production lines. My training distractions moved me away from refining to learning Tech II production skills as well as improving my drone skills, helped along by the useful training queue introduced in Apocrypha. On top of that, I realise that my core skills are still languishing below even the standard certificate level in nearly every case and have tried to correct that.

At the moment, I am buying all the minerals for my production runs from the market. Whilst this is not affecting my ability to profit, thanks to the economic value of labour in EVE Online, if I could get the minerals using my time rather than ISK my operations would then be pure profit. It is a little disheartening to see my wallet bulge from good sales only to have to spend 80% of my profits on minerals for the next run.

I could sell the modules on the market to make ISK, with which I can then buy the minerals and effectively make the overall available profit, but even though some loot is lucrative many of the modules don't sell readily. Rather than trying to sell the randomly looted items I can instead melt them down and produce modules that I know sell quickly and for profit. Without good refining skills, though, there will be significant waste when extracting minerals from the looted modules, hence the modules have been sitting in my hangar gathering dust for months.

I need to focus a few weeks of training on getting my refining skills improved. Each level of the refining skill decreases my waste by 2%, which isn't too bad, but now that I finally trained refining V I have access to the refinery efficiency skill, which reduces waste by another 4% per skill level. This is why a small push past the level V skill to train the next tier is worth the investment in time. Once I have trained in refinery efficiency I can then learn scrap metal processing and finally be able to scrap all the modules I have looted without unnecessary waste.

With an efficient refining process that can feed my production lines I will also have more options available to me. Being able to melt down mission loot efficiently means that I can guarantee the loot will be profitable. Rather than avoid time-consuming encounter missions when I am trying to increase faction standings I can take on the encounters knowing that I am also feeding my industrial endeavours. Indeed, it may be a more profitable use of my time to loot several missions, also gaining the mission rewards and bounties that go with it, than to pilot my Badger half-way around the region to pick up cheap minerals.

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Tags: eve online, industry, mmorpg, penny ibramovic

Nearly there

Gnomesblight, my death knight, has been spending most of her time in Wintergrasp still. Most of the time is spent participating in the regular battle to control the zone, but in-between battles the zone is almost empty, with no regular quests or accessible entry routes or flight points, making it an intermittently productive area to gather crafting materials, particularly as it is a zone for 80th level characters. There is an occasional vein of titanium to be found amongst the plentiful saronite. Even in-between battles the zone remains fully PvP, though, so care must be taken, even if I seem to spend less time fighting off the Horde and more time fighting for resources with remarkably selfish Alliance players.

The problem with spending most of my time in Wintergrasp is that it garners no XP for my efforts, causing me to linger at 76th and 77th level for a long time. However, learning that there are daily PvP quests for Wintergrasp, which also earn Stone Keeper's Shards that can buy decent 80th level equipment, has me keen to be able to pick them up. A few visits to help the Argent Crusade in Icecrown soon has me gain a level and at 78th level I am able to get the Wintergrasp daily quests.

On the one hand, access to these quests is greatly beneficial, as I am gaining some good XP on their completion as well as the shards so that I can equip myself better as soon as I reach 80th level. On the other hand, being required to meet some fairly arbitrary objectives in order to complete the quests can encourage me to focus on quest completion rather than actively pursuing a winning strategy in Wintergrasp. Luckily there is also the Wintergrasp Veteran achievement, which helps me focus on winning the battle rather than complete a daily quest, as the achievement will take a fair bit longer to gain than reaching 80th level.

As it turns out, completing the Wintergrasp daily quests is quite an efficient way to gain XP, at least compared to the speed I've been levelling so far. Combined with the Dalaran cooking quest and an occasional Wyrmrest daily quest, the Wintergrasp quests push me to 79th level surprisingly soon after reaching 78th. As I have somehow kept Gnomesblight and Sapphire synchronised in levels most of the way through Northrend the new level gained on my death knight gives me a perverse desire to run around as my protection warrior again.

Rather than repeat the content of Icecrown I head over to Storm Peaks and start working with the goblins at K3 before heading in to the peaks proper to become acquainted with the Sons of Holdir. It is quite easy to get back in to the swing of questing and Sapphire reaches the lofty heights of 79th level before too long. With a burst of XP gained by taking both characters through the Halls of Lightning, as part of the daily instance quest, it looks like I might actually have not only one but two characters at the level cap before the next expansion.

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Tags: gnomesblight, mmorpg, sapphire, wintergrasp, world of warcraft

Fujiya & Miyagi at Cargo

It is a night of overturned expectations for me. I was thinking it would be a simple matter of turning up to the venue, waltzing inside with my ticket and watching an electronic band perform some groovy tracks for an hour. My expectations didn't last as far as getting in to the venue, as even though I turn up over an hour after the doors open I am greeted by a fair-sized queue that hardly seems to be moving. Checking at the front, it is the line for ticket-holders, so I join at the back.

It is another half-an-hour before I am in, with Cargo making the process of accepting the ticket and stamping my hand far more complicated than other venues. But I make it inside and it is a relief to see that Cargo isn't a venue that has welded a metal barrier with a three-foot gap between the audience and the stage, instead keeping the experience intimate and personal.

The next expectation to be shattered is the appearance of the band. I was aware that they are neither a duo nor Japanese, but their recordings sound to be heavily electronically processed, relying on synths and drum machines, so it was quite a surprise to see only one synth player. The other members of the band play lead and bass guitars, and the drummer joins them after the opening song. Thinking I would get a few nerds bobbing behind a stack of keyboards and samplers, occasionally prodding buttons and twiddling knobs, I am happily amazed to see a traditional four-piece line up on stage.

It is a good thing that the band make a good impression on stage, as the wait for them to come on stage was rather long. After the wait to get in to the venue, the lights being dimmed for what seemed like an age and even a lapsed countdown that had been projected on to a screen I got so tired of waiting that I became hostile to the band's appearance, not even caring enough to applaud their eventual arrival. But as soon as the guitars and synth start playing Sore Thumb, taken from their current Lightbulbs album, and the breathy lead vocals begin I can't help but bounce a little, getting drawn in to the groove.

With the second song being the amazingly catchy Ankle Injuries from first album Transparent Things, its repeated opening lines of 'Fuyija & Miyagi' being soothingly hypnotic, all my frustrations dissolve and are forgotten, replaced by an effervescence at the sounds and sights of Fujiya & Miyagi, plucking, strumming and occasionally thrashing at guitars.

With dice art—a variation of ASCII art, but created with six-sided dice—projected on to the screen behind the stage there are electric visuals to accompany the music. The dice art is impressive. There are blocky images in an 8-bit graphical style of dancers, as well as complex and remarkably detailed representations of the band singing and playing. At one point, a game of Pac-Man faithfully created with this dice art is projected, complete with the ghosts and power pills.

With my cares blown away I am easily carried in to the bliss of the music. Old songs such as the excellent Photocopier are mixed with the newer Pussyfooting and Knickerbocker, and I get a huge kick out of hearing personal favourite Cassettesingle. Some bands sound better live and some better recorded, but Fujiya & Miyagi have managed to transcend this to create two different and equally exciting experiences. Their recordings sound processed and electronic, which works really well for the genre, but live their presence and reliance on instruments produces a vibrant and expansive sound suitable for engaging performances.

The band leave the stage eventually, but as a roadie comes on to tune the guitars it is obvious they are coming back. When they do they blast through a few more magnetising songs with such vigour that a mosh pit forms, something I thought I would never have seen when Electronica Krautrock is being played. But the mosh pit is definitely not out of place tonight. Fujiya & Miyagi are more than their recordings, they are a band that must be seen live to be appreciated fully. The evening is an incredible fusion of music and visuals, leaving me gasping to repeat the experience.

Posted in Audio | 2 Comments »
Tags: cargo, fujiya & miyagi, gig

Panda cattery

My neighbour's cat has been spending an awful lot of time with me, seemingly either being inside my flat or outside and roaming, and the neighbour hadn't been around to check that Panda cat was okay. However, after quite a few weeks my neighbour calls and asks, 'Is my cat... oh, there she is', as Panda is sitting at the top of the stairs with my cat, Kenickie, both curious to see who is at the door. Panda comes downstairs to say hello and wanders outside, although she is quite tentative about heading back in to what should be her home.

I have a bit of a chat with my neighbour. She wonders if everything is okay, if Panda is spending much time in my home and that she is thinking about perhaps relocating Panda to her mum's. From what I can gather she is more concerned that Panda is being a burden rather than wanting to take her away from me and I do my best to assure her that Panda is no trouble and that I quite like her company, as does Kenickie. It seems that Panda really likes Kenickie too, maybe looking up to him as a big brother. The two of them play together and although it looks a bit rough at times neither of them run off and hide but end up sleeping next to each other on the bed once they have worn themselves out. Panda likes to explore places Kenickie goes too, but without displacing him. I think they get on well.

My neighbour has been trying to keep Panda in more but says that she just meows to be let outside, after which she no doubt comes over to sleep on my sofa. My neighbour mentions that she is going on holiday for a week and is thinking about putting Panda in to a cattery for the duration, but I say it would be no problem for me to look after her, if that would be okay. After all, it feels like she is part of the home already. She agrees that I can look after her whilst they are on holiday, which is good. At least she trusts my being responsible and caring.

But I feel a bit guilty. It's clear that Panda goes home occasionally and that they are trying to make a home for her, but perhaps I have the advantage of an excellent kitty that serves as a companion. When my neighbour drops some food off for Panda for the holiday I reassure her that Panda really is no bother and, acknowledging that I was being quite blunt, say that I wouldn't mind keeping her, if it comes to that. I didn't know how else to say it and it may not have come across well, but at least it's an option. We agree to try to work out ways to encourage Panda to spend more time at her home instead of mine, and I really should work towards that, however much I like having her around.

I suppose it's a good thing I didn't end up buying a collar for her, as that would have been difficult to explain. I was also careful not to call her Panda in my neighbour's presence as it's not her given name. But she answers to it.

Posted in Personal | 4 Comments »
Tags: kenickie, kitty, panda

Argument to allow non-80s in Wintergrasp

I join a raid group for another battle for Wintergrasp in the middle of another discussion about throwing out all the characters below 80th level. The raid leader is 74th level and there is a smattering of other lower-level characters in the group, including myself. Appeals to reason are not changing this fellow's mind about the worth of every character in the battle and so the raid leader has no problem in kicking him out of the group to fend for himself.

The Alliance are defending Wintergrasp Keep and despite the battering of the walls the Horde are kept at bay. Realising the power of the southern towers a couple of groups head down to destroy them to weaken the Horde's attack. With only a few minutes left before the end of the battle I find myself near the south-eastern tower as a siege engine trundles towards it. I jump in to the gunner's position to help protect the vehicle from any Horde that would attack it, as well as to supply additional fire-power to the assault on the remaining tower.

Approaching the tower indeed draws attention from Horde players, who try to destroy the siege engine before the tower can be destroyed. After all, as there are only a few minutes remaining and the destruction of all three towers removes ten minutes from the clock, successfully destroying the last tower would automatically win the battle for the Alliance. The Horde knows this, the driver of the siege engine and I know this. We are close enough to the tower that my gun can begin demolishing it, so I turn it away from defending the vehicle and towards the tower.

The race is on for the Alliance to destroy the tower and the Horde to destroy the vehicle, and the destructive strength of the siege engine prevails. The tower is toppled, the battle for Wintergrasp is successfully defended! With the end of the battle the vehicle is dismantled. The gnomish pilot and myself are thrown out in to the path of quite a few disgruntled Horde, but once we are safely resurrected we both huzzah one another for a job well done.

But I wonder what the argumentative 80th level player would have said about this. I am not 80th level and so, according to him, not effective in Wintergrasp. Yet I had a decisive effect on the battle, instrumental in its victory. I am not about to claim that I won the battle, as there was obviously a lot of fighting and defending that occurred throughout the zone, but I certainly would suggest that I made a difference. The idea that characters below 80th level are not positive contributors to the battle for Wintergrasp is absurd.

There seems to be a notion amongst a few players that the raid spots should be given exclusively to 80th level characters, that anyone below the level cap is not an effective choice. I can see how the idea could come about. In battlegrounds there is a cap on the number of characters present, so it makes tactical sense to include the most powerful characters, even if this excludes others. In general PvE or PvP battles the forty-character limit on raid groups generally excludes anyone not in the group from participating, because of the way tagging mobs and completing quests works within the general group mechanics of the game. But the notion that only 80th level characters should be invited to Wintergrasp needs to be disabused.

Wintergrasp is not a battleground, there is no cap on the number of players that can enter the zone and thus the battle. Neither is it specifically raid content, as the raid group is simply a convenience that allows players to combine efforts better. The raid group means that group members are visible on the map, available buffs can be applied across the whole raid and healers have better visibility of targets. Once one raid group is full a second, and sometimes third, forms, all of them entering the same Wintergrasp battle. Thus there is little negative consequence in allowing characters below the level cap in to a Wintergrasp raid group.

Underpowered players may offer easy targets for the opposition but, just like stopping to mine some titanium, getting distracted by an easy kill removes attention from the main objective. In a timed battle, as Wintergrasp is, distracting the opposition is a viable tactic. They could choose to ignore the lower-level characters as inconsequential, but that just allows those characters to deal damage unmolested. Either way, the characters are contributing. The only real danger of low-level characters in Wintergrasp is giving early, easy HKs to the opposition so that they get quick access to vehicles, but this risk is also present from poor strategies and is easily mitigated by the lower-level characters showing appropriate care in a hostile zone.

In its simplest form, the argument for the inclusion of all characters in the battle for Wintergrasp is to show strength in numbers. We can just send wave after wave of our own men at the Horde until the timer shuts-down. There is no collision detection between characters in World of Warcraft, so it is not like the old Nemesis the Warlock game on the C=64 where the Horde could clamber over an ever-increasing pile of corpses to gain access over the walls of the fortress.

The are some players who need to realise that battle for Wintergrasp has no limit on the number of players who can enter and that the raid group is created for convenience and is neither a requirement nor a restriction. Getting as many players involved in the battle will only lead to positive results, both for morale and the possibility of victory.

Posted in Gaming | 3 Comments »
Tags: gnomesblight, mmorpg, pvp, wintergrasp, world of warcraft

Starting research

In-between running mining missions and being a courier to raise my standing with Core Complexion, Inc. I found a local R&D agent I could access with the corporation. He is only a level two agent, so I believe any research point gains will be relatively slow, but being able to begin the research process early can only be a benefit to my aspirations to invent Tech II blueprints.

With a corporation colleague informing me that agents can be dropped at any point, as long as I remember to exchange the research points for datacores before cancelling the research, I am happy to start with the level two agent and upgrade my research once I have access to higher-level agents in the future. I hop in to a shuttle and make the few jumps to the agent's system and ask him to start working for me in electronic engineering.

It is also important to know that research agents can be dropped because only a single agent can be employed at a time, unless training in the research project management skill is undertaken. As I haven't trained in the skill I needed to be sure that I am not limiting myself with a level two agent early on.

The research project management skill book costs about forty million ISK, which still seems like an awful lot of currency to me. As my wallet never seems to get particularly stuffed I am a little concerned that not only will I not be able to afford the invention process but that my industrial efforts are not making ISK. However, although my wallet is remaining at a fairly constant ISK level I need to remind myself that over a short period recently I have spent about forty million ISK in other skill books, BPOs and other materials, learning about encryption methods and a couple of engineering disciplines.

I clearly must be making good profits if I can spend tens of millions of ISK and still see small gains in my balance. So whilst my wallet doesn't seem like it is accruing wealth what is actually happening is that I am reinvesting the healthy profits I am making back in to my industry. It is interesting to see how quickly I can recover a ten or twenty million ISK purchase, although I am a little reluctant to spend forty million ISK without a bit more of a cushion.

Hopefully it won't be too long before I can afford the research project management skill book. I still need to increase my standings with Core Complexion, Inc. significantly before I can get access to level four agents and I am working on that. I think there is only one level four agent that works in the field of mechanical engineering for the company, but before I can work with him I can still take advantage of other research agents for different datacores and it makes sense to maximise the number of datacores I can accumulate.

Posted in Gaming | 2 Comments »
Tags: eve online, industry, invention, mmorpg, penny ibramovic

Shield recharging time

In a previous post about EVE Online's certificate system I noted how the description of the certificates isn't just the corporate nonsense typically found on meaningless awards given merely for turning up to a course, but can be informative and useful both for determining whether the certificate will benefit you personally as a capsuleer and as a method for presenting the physics and mechanics of New Eden. For example, when getting my core competencies up to a level that isn't embarrassing for someone piloting a battlecruiser I stumbled on some information about shields that I hadn't realised previously.

A couple of basic numbers about the shield are its capacity and recharge time. You could have, and for the sake of the maths I will use simple numbers, a shield capacity of 5,000 HP and a recharge time of 500 s. Because other games I have played have been based on unit gain per tick my instinct was to create a third property of my ship's shields, the recharge rate, which would be 10 HP/s using the example numbers, and apply this value to EVE Online. I thus assumed each ship had a recharge rate that was derived from its base capacity and recharge time before any skills or modules had been fitted and, although I could fit modules that changed the capacity or the recharge time of the shields, the recharge rate was fixed for the ship.

My assumption led me to believe that if I increased my shield capacity the recharge time would also increase, with 10,000 HP taking 1,000 s to recharge because the base recharge rate of the ship would remain at 10 HP/s. However, it turns out that I was entirely wrong, as the skill certificate system points out that the shield capacity and shield recharge time are independent variables. In other words, the capacity of the shield has no effect on the recharge time.

The third property of the shield that I inferred is a real property but it is this recharge rate that is derived. If I take my example shields above and add a shield extender to boost my shield capacity to 10,000 HP nothing happens to my shield recharge time. In fact, extending my shield in such a way not only increases my maximum shield capacity but it increases the recharge rate of the shields, because the recharge time remains at 500 s to give a recharge rate of 20 HP/s. Not only can I soak up more damage overall but my shields are also recovering more HP each second, allowing a passive tank to withstand greater damage per second values.

If I had been paying more attention I would have noticed this myself, particularly as the fitting screen has a nifty function of highlighting in yellow all the properties of the ship that will be modified after fitting a module when you are hovering your mouse over that module. Still, even though I missed this it shows that learning skills through the certificate system can offer information beyond simply learning appropriate skills for a role and that the text accompanying the certificates can be educational.

Posted in Gaming | 3 Comments »
Tags: certificates, eve online, mmorpg

The battle to enter the battle for Wintergrasp

The raid group for the Alliance battle to take control of Wintergrasp is filling up nicely, with only three spots left, when someone asks if we should 'kick all the non-80s from the raid?' It is quite poetic, then, that he is quickly booted out of the raid by someone selfishly taking up a raid slot at the low level of 78, two below the cap. Somehow finding his way back in to the raid group, although not difficult with most members being able to assist with group invitations, he is quick to find out 'who kicked me?'

That would be me. I have no trouble admitting it either. With over 30 victories in Wintergrasp, and maybe a dozen or so defeats, all since 76th level, I am confident I know what I am doing in the PvP combat zone. And even if I can't compete one-on-one against 80th level characters in good equipment I can certainly cause them trouble, and in a big group I definitely contribute to the team effort.

It isn't even as though space is limited and that for a chance of winning only the best should be picked. Wintergrasp is a non-instanced world zone that anyone who can travel there can enter. The raid group is formed for the purposes of better cooperation and completion of shared quests, and if the first one becomes full a second quickly forms. Gone are the days where people refused to take responsibility to form the raid group in the smaller battlegrounds like Warsong Gulch, Wintergrasp has everyone coming together to fight for the common good that comes from controlling the region.

If being able to contribute and space not being a problem aren't reasons enough to assure my raid spot, perhaps being the raid leader and having spent the last ten minutes starting the group, inviting anyone who wants to join and promoting people so they can help with preparations should count for something. The belligerent fellow doesn't think so, 'no one wants you in a raid group, no offense', he tells me.

I reply with a couple of choice words, fully intended to offend him as his did me, followed by my own 'no offense' to show how ridiculous a disclaimer it can be. Then I kick him from the group again. The last few spots in the raid fill up without his returning and a second group forms and starts to fill up as more people come to add their support to the battle for Wintergrasp. I move the kicked character to my 'ignore' list after he sends me a couple of insulting /tells, without feeling a need to reply to him.

There is no more drama before the portal to Lake Wintergrasp opens and we all jump through, ready to battle the Horde for control of the region, the ability to gain Stone Keeper's Shards and the chance to run the Vault of Archavon instance in Wintergrasp Fortress. The Alliance are on the assault, and with some good coordination and a battlefield that favours the attackers the battle of Wintergrasp is soon won. The Horde are displaced from the fortress and repelled back to the snowy plains. Huzzah! Another victory under my belt and hopefully the other people in the group below the level cap got a good enough taste of open PvP to return for more. Everyone is welcome in the fight against the Horde.

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Tags: gnomesblight, mmorpg, pvp, wintergrasp, world of warcraft

Defending Wintergrasp

It may be that the regular open PvP battle for control of Lake Wintergrasp is an attackers' game but that doesn't make defending the keep impossible. The Alliance raid group that has collected seems experienced and determined to repel the Horde from invading and taking control. Of course, some groups are almost resigned to defeat when defending but most are optimistic initially, only to be routed by the almost-inevitable onslaught of the opposition as they roll through the walls with siege engines.

This time people seem more organised and coherent, staying in close-formed groups rather than attempting individual glory. The Horde forces are pushed back without being chased further than necessary so as not to weaken the integrity of the defensive line. When the vehicle workshops are assaulted it is done by small groups working as teams, acting as effective and competent skirmishers who, if not successful, are certainly disruptive.

The call goes up that one of the southern towers has been destroyed, weakening the Horde attackers. Destroying all three would strengthen our position considerably. My contribution to defending has seen me promoted to a position where I can pilot a demolisher and there are free vehicles to be built, so I head to the internal workshop and requisition a demolisher to help with the destruction of the towers.

I head for the south-eastern tower and trundle along slowly, thankfully avoiding any loose Horde on my journey. As I approach the tower I get a single escort, casting an AoE spell around my demolisher as it progresses. I wonder why this is being done until I reach the tower to see the previous demolisher broken to pieces and a minor battle between Horde and Alliance around the tower. My escort was ensuring my safety from stealthed characters. Now the small entourage protects my demolisher as I steadily weaken the tower with hurtling balls of flame, a few Horde rushing to try to destroy my vehicle before the tower collapses.

The organised Alliance drive to the southern towers, with vehicles to attack the tower and a small group to provide defence for the vehicle, leads to the successful destruction of the tower. I turn as the last required shot brings the walls crashing down and head towards the final tower, but the Horde inflict too much damage on the demolisher and I soon find myself back on two feet. I can hear that the third tower already is being pummelled so I ride back to the fortress to defend against the Horde vehicles.

Two external walls are broken through and one internal wall has fallen to expose the keep. The enemy's approach is broadcast efficiently and, with a fluidity that looks well-practiced, the entire defence moves to repel the threat of the invaders' vehicles before returning to a central position, not losing sight of our objective and hunting individual kills over the security of the keep. The time available to assault the keep is drawing to a close, the destruction of the towers having significantly reduced the amount of time available, and everyone is callled back to the inner walls to present what should be a blockade impassable in the remaining time.

And impassable we are! It was a massive battle and one that could easily have gone to the attackers. But with dedicated and coordinated groups working together, understanding the objectives and knowing the field of battle we were able to defend the keep successfully. Let no one say that the Alliance cannot defend Wintergrasp.

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Tags: gnomesblight, mmorpg, pvp, wintergrasp, world of warcraft