Better Homes and Dungeons…
by Lady Sirse

No, it isn't the name of a new magazine about dungeons beautiful in Vanguard.
It's a look at how to make the most enjoyable raid experience possible.

In any MMO, there are ups and downs when it comes to raiding. There
are bugs in the raid process, from interfaces to the encounters themselves.
What will Vanguard do to make the process better? There isn't much information
out there yet, but I can offer my thoughts on this. In this holiday season
of magical wishes whispered into Santa's ear, here are my wishes for raiding…
As a guild and raid leader for many years, there are a few things that
can easily make my blood boil at raid time. The biggest one is the tardy
arrival of those who wish to join in on the raid. Threats of no loot,
loss of points, locking out the raid at a certain point and just plain
ranting in guild chat have all been a part of the chore of getting people
to show up in the right place at the right time. What's a raid leader
to do?

I dream of a magical button that allows me to summon wayward raiders
from wherever they are. Not into a dungeon, or into an area where an actual
raid encounter would be active, but to a set rendezvous. No longer would
the messages of, "I really want to raid, I'm running as fast as I
can. Can't you wait another 10 minutes?" send blinding pain into
my eyes! With a click of a button everyone would be able to at least be
in the right place at the right time. Still I will rant, threaten and
lock as long as the world of Telon and our own late great planet Earth
are filled with those hopeless few who will most likely be late for their
own funerals. But maybe, just maybe, Santa will think this idea over.

Another part of raiding that I am sure drives both raiders and raid leaders
alike stark raving mad is the inevitable hurry-up-and-wait syndrome. What
causes this other than waiting for key players to show up? In my experience,
it's a combination of trying to gather information from out-of-game sources
and making sure that everyone knows what they are doing.

Even with the best organized team who researches everything, posts on
their guild's forums, emails the information to the raiders and explains
it at the start of the night, there are bound to be things that come up.
What is this drop for? Who needs this nodrop? Whose turn is it to loot?
Where are we going again? Why are we doing this? These are just some of
the echoes of questions that still haunt my dreams.

So to Santa I say, "Help us!". While putting too much information
into the game would be bad and take the fun of exploration away, a bit
of general information regarding an encounter or dungeon in the game would
be helpful. EverQuest, at one point, offered zone maps. Some people loved
them and some hated them. Personally, I leaned towards the side of loving
them, though I could understand the arguments the others made.

Perhaps a map isn't the answer. I envision a book or pull down menu that
gives a general overview of an encounter or an area. Think of it like
those travel books you find on the shelves of any bookstore. Hundreds
of books herald the best places to stay, the must-see areas and the author's
personal view of Paris. It doesn't mean that the fun of exploring Paris
on your own is gone. It just means that you have an idea of how to prepare
before you travel thousands of miles from home.

Typically, when raiding, you are raiding with your guild. Sometimes there
are pickup raids that are open to anyone, but the best chance is to look
at your guild for your raiding enjoyment. Vanguard: Saga of Heroes promises
to offer a community environment the likes of which we have never encountered.
I am sure this means we are in for a treat when it comes to raiding as
well, but I wonder if better guild tools might mean a better raiding experience.

In a game that will offer grouping opportunities from the moment of creation,
it is easy to surmise that raiding will be a much more common thing in
the lower levels than ever before. I recall the strange looks I got in
EverQuest when, as Raid Leader for my guild, I insisted on "training
raids," beginning at level 15. We hit some of the out-of-the-way,
low-level dungeons and areas like Befallen and learned to move as a unit,
communicate effectively, and practice the roles each would take on in
a raid situation. Could this uncommon approach become the norm? It is
a hopeful thought for me.

What I think would be a helpful guild tool is a place within the guild
interface to list who has completed certain raids or training. It would
have to allow a certain level of customization, so that each guild could
input what it was they wished to keep track of. It would need to be accessible
by the guild leader and, since we're wishing here, a group of leader-selected
people in charge of maintaining the list. Sure, this can be, and in most
guilds is, done out of the game. It's my hope of one day seeing something
like this in game, right at your fingertips for leader, officers and members
alike to have easily accessed and open communication.

Santa…Brad…I sure hope you're listening. I'll be happily waiting
to unwrap my version of Vanguard: Saga of Heroes on that special day it
is released. It may not be December 25, 2005, but whatever the date, it
will seem like Christmas to me!