ECMMO Team Blog
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The ins and outs of chatlinks
Oct 30th
I know — most of you will hear the word “chatlinks” and think of horrible times in Trade channel where people are spamming the names of abilities and items in different ways, from nonsense to offensive. But chatlinking is a skill that isn’t talked about much, and there definitely are place where it’s useful (telling guild members about an item that might help them, or linking an enchant to show what mats it needs). So, encouraged by this thread over on Epic Advice, let’s run through a few of the ways you can put links to items in the chat channel.
- First and foremost, we’ve always been able to link the names of items by shift-clicking them — just open up a chat line by hitting enter, and then shift-click anything in your inventory, and a clickable link will appear in chat. This works in almost everything but “Say,” and even then, the name will show up, it just won’t be clickable.
- As you may have seen in the link above, patch 2.4 made spells and abilities linkable as well. You can also go into your professions screens, and shift-click either the item (if you want to create a clickable link for the created item) or the recipe that makes it (if you want to show someone what mats are needed for a certain craftable item). And quests are shift-clickable, too.
- Outside of the items and abilities you have access to, there are also a number of addons that will serve up links for what you’re looking for. Atlasloot is probably the most popular (and it’s actually a standalone database of items with the extra bonus of being able to link them all), but there are addons like Linkerator as well that are specifically designed to hook you up with links of all the items you see.
- Outside of even the game, Wowhead implemented a linking service a while ago that lets you click a button in your browser that then gives you some code to paste into your WoW chat panel. That way, you can link items without ever seeing them in any game or database.
- And if you want to get really crazy, you can jump into the API, and create your own itemStrings, which are small clippings of code that will return item information from the WoW client. If you look at the Wowhead copy and paste code, you can see these at work — they’ll require some coding knowledge on your part (and some extra research to figure out how it all fits together), but if you know how to create an itemString, the item ID of the item you’re looking for, and how to output that out to the chat channel, you can make links of any item you want.
That last one is pretty advanced — with the default system and the addons linked above, you’ll probably be able to cover all of your item linking needs anyway. A game like WoW is all about getting gear — examining what you’ve got, finding out where more is, and getting better wherever you can. A solid knowledge of how to link and share item information will help you do just that.
Ready Check: Communication for raid leaders
Oct 30th
Ready Check is a column focusing on successful raiding for the serious raider. Hardcore or casual, Vault of Archavon or Ulduar, everyone can get in on the action and down some bosses.
One of the most difficult tasks any raid leader is going to face will be one of communication. Communication is a complex, ugly issue. It can be one of your strongest assets, but it can equally be your biggest downfall. This is because communication operates on two levels.
First, there’s the obvious data-based communication. Things like “The next boss is named Anub’arak” are data-based. It’s fact, unassailable, and fairly meaningful. Almost everyone’s going to agree with quantifiable information. You’re not going to round the corner of the instance, and find something that’s not Anub’arak.
Second, however, is “shadow” communication. This is a level of communication that can be a great deal more complicated. In the absence of quantifiable information, the recipient will “read into” your words a whole series of meanings and concepts that you may not have intended. For example, “This next boss is Anub’arak, so you should get ready” can be interpreted as “Get ready because we’re going right now” or “get ready by reading up on the boss strategies.” Now, that’s a fairly hyperbolized example, but it’s a true one none-the-less. We’ve all had experience with “I didn’t mean it like that” in our lives.
One of the oldest business cliches is that “Workers don’t leave companies, they leave supervisors.” While a raid leader isn’t a supervisor in the same way as a business manager, some of the viable tips from the corporate world can still apply to raiding life. Let’s take a look after the jump at some simple tips to enhance communication.
Read the rest of this entry »
Breakfast Topic: The future of the Horde
Oct 30th
One of the things that’s continually surprised me since news broke on the likely changes to the Horde’s leadership is how many otherwise die-hard Horde players have considered going Alliance. Yeah, yeah, most of it’s probably idle threats anyway, but the real issue is one that’s simmered for the length of Wrath’s storyline. Lots of traditional Horde players are happy to fight under Thrall. Lots of traditional Horde players are…not so happy to fight under someone else.
The issue seems to be the growing rift between players and Horde leadership in Northrend, and the degree to which many of us can’t identify with the sub-faction that eventually hijacks the Horde storyline. I burned Saurfang’s letter as he asked. I nodded alongside Golluk Rockfist as he told Horde players, “You are leaving to the Ruby Dragonshrine. This is not a request.” I sat with Thrall in his darkest moments in the Undercity throne room, when he realized that everything was lost.
By contrast, I /facepalmed my way through Icecrown.
Spoiler material past the break.
Like many other Horde, it feels distinctly odd and not entirely comfortable that, after this emotional tour-de-force in Dragonblight, you find yourself being the errand runner for a number of Garrosh’s increasingly stupid and reckless cronies. Between that, Garrosh’s behavior in Warsong Hold, Garrosh’s behavior in the 3.1 trailer, Garrosh’s behavior in Trial of the Champion/Crusader, and…well, just Garrosh period, a lot of Horde players were flabbergasted that one of the most (if not most) hated Hordeside NPC’s can expect a nice, healthy promotion in Cataclysm, with the type of job security that comes from knowing you’ll probably only be replaced if killed.
Maybe that’s where they’re going with this, but if not, the Faction Change button looks a lot less crazy for my beloved Tauren than it did previously.
Kisirani’s assurances in the linked thread aside, this one’s going out to all the Horde players out there; have you seriously considered rerolling or faction-switching? Does the Horde feel uncomfortably different with Garrosh in charge?
Drama Mamas: Reading is hard
Oct 30th
Dodge the drama and become that player everyone wants in their group with the Drama Mamas. Lisa Poisso and Robin Torres are real-life mamas and experienced WoW players — and just as we don’t want our precious babies to be the ones kicking and wailing on the floor of checkout lane next to the candy, neither do we want you to become known as That Guy on your server. We’re taking your questions at DramaMamas (at) WoW (dot) com.
“Reading is hard.” We’ve seen that snarky little comeback all too often around WoW.com comments, the Blizzard forums and various cracks and crevices in between. Judging from the number of comments we get from readers for whom “skimming” has obviously replaced “reading” (yes, all of you who bunnyhopped over the point of last week’s advice on playing a character of the opposite gender – we’re looking at you!), we might be inclined to concur, in a most un-snarky, literal way.
What concerns the Drama Mamas is when players blunder through their game without really reading what their fellow players are communicating, both explicitly and between the lines. We all know how easily humor (and especially sarcasm) can fall flat on the internet. Disaster strikes when players stop reading and start reading into what others say. It’s all too easy to miss connections when we stop “listening” halfway through. Players can even do this to themselves, second-guessing situations and making assumptions that prevent them from truly enjoying the game the way they’d like.
This week, we’ll help two players slice through their anxieties and clearly communicate their wishes. Say what you mean! Mean what you say! And in the meantime, we urge all our readers to read up, line by line, when other players have something to say. Don’t seize upon a single phrase that inflames your sensibilities while heedlessly abandoning the rest. Connecting with other players is best done in black and white — and “read” all over.