Know Thy Blogger: Pinning Down Amatera
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[caption id="attachment_9345" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="This is where his rogue hopes to be soon."]
[/caption]
In an effort to continue our series on what makes Project Lore tick, I managed to pin down Amatera. Before he could squirm his way to freedom and return to blue hunting and forum trolling I assaulted him with a handful of questions. Between his tantrums and gasping for breath, he obliged to answer.
Project Lore: We know where your name came from, but why did you start playing WoW in the first place?
Amatera: Well, it's a bit of a fuzzy story. Though I purchased the game at release, I've actually "started" playing twice. The first was at launch, of course. At the time, I was really into Final Fantasy XI, and from everything I'd read about the game indicated that World of Warcraft was big on the instant gratification. If you think WoW was hardcore back then (compared to what it is now), then you clearly weren't coming off of playing other MMOs. Simple things like leveling up off of quests just wasn't part of the equation!
But I loved Blizzard's work and the lore was a draw, so I decided to take a brief hiatus from Final Fantasy XI and check it out. I think I got to about...level 28 or so, and made the (admittedly premature) decision that it was just too easy for me.
About nine months later, long after I had stopped playing FFXI as well, I found out that my new roommate played with a raiding guild at the level cap and decided that, with some close friends playing, it might be time to jump in again. The experience was much smoother the second time around and, eager to raid, I was determined to join them for the end-game content. Though guilds have come and gone, and I've taken a couple short breaks, I don't think I've entertained entirely quitting since.
In the end, it was Final Fantasy XI that I couldn't go back to. Despite pretensions of being "hardcore," Warcraft proved to be a hell of a lot more fun.
PL: What's your main right now?
Amatera: It is, and always has been my female troll rogue, Amatera.
PL: For the Horde or Alliance?
Amatera: FOR THE HORDE! I'm entertaining the thought of starting up a Worgen character in the next expansion, but I can't say I've had a whole lot of fun playing on the Alliance side no matter how many times I try.
PL: Do you have any in-game infatuations, ie mount/pet collecting, AH farming, etc?
Amatera: Quite simply, raiding. And raiding accomplishments. It's the nexus of World of Warcraft, where the gameplay and lore come to a head (in my opinion, the most essential parts of the game). I do everything else sort of half-heartedly. I'll engage in other activities when I'm bored, but I never feel truly driven to become the best at it like I do with raiding.
PL: What is your favorite dungeon? What about raid?
Amatera: Favorite dungeon? That's a tough one... I'm tempted to say the trio of Icecrown Citadel 5-mans, but for all the pomp and circumstance, they still feel remarkably neutered. I think I'd have to go with an old world dungeon like Blackrock Depths. It's amazing how it feels bigger and more complete than even the latest raid dungeons, even if it's not nearly as streamlined.
Determining my favorite raid is quite a bit easier. Hands down, it's got to be Zul'Aman. ZA is such a tightly-constructed 10-man experience, with a great set of bosses, and the timed reward structure made it very replayable (the shorter reset timer didn't hurt, either). Even with high-value productions like Ulduar, you get tired of slogging through it week after week. Zul'Aman, in contrast, has always remained fun.
PL: What do you spend most of your time on in Azeroth?
Amatera: Once again, raiding. But I've made a good deal of friends in game, primarily the officer core of my guild (of which I'm a member). We spend a lot of time screwing around in officer chat when there's nothing else to do.
PL: Do you have a favorite WoW story?
Amatera: Not a single experience, per se, but a bit of a lesson learned. When I joined my second guild (after the first one collapsed), I quickly realized how bad of a player I was. I mean, I was a good member and all; I signed up for events, attended on time, and generally tried not to cause any drama. But I didn't realize at the time that good behavior wasn't enough to get me into the latest raids, and I idly wondered why I wasn't getting invited to participate. Well, here I was on a Subtlety rogue trying to play with the big boys.
Once I got over my own stubbornness and naivety, I decided the best thing to do was to, well, improve. I started looking up things on the internet, figuring out what gear I needed to get, and changed my spec to Combat (which was in style at the time). My DPS shot through the roof and, in no time, there I was sitting at the "Adult Table."
Now an officer of the same guild, this is the parable I tell to any member who isn't playing up to par or wonders, like I did, why they aren't getting included in things. I firmly believe that every player has the potential to be a great one, as long as they come to realize they're not nearly as good as they think they are.
PL: Ever quit the game? If so, why, and what sucked you back in?
Amatera: As I said above, I wasn't very enchanted with WoW the first time around. When I started playing again, it was with the prospect of joining a community and engaging in end-game content. Of course, getting to experience a lot more of the game (in terms of zones, quests, and other such ephemera) helped, too.
PL: What aspect of WoW does Blizzard need to attend to the most?
Amatera: You know, I come off as rather ambivalent to Blizzard's recent approach to the game; the whole "catering to casual players thing." But deep down I want things to be ball-bustingly hard again. I want to get put through the ringer every time I engage a new raid boss, and I want people to put in a lot more effort to get the greatest rewards in the game. The margin for hardcore players, though still there, has become razor thin.
And I don't say this as a particularly hardcore player. Though I have always been a part of progression raiding guilds, I've never been privy to experiencing the latest content until quite recently. I don't think we ever fully completed a dungeon past Gruul/Magtheridon in Burning Crusade. Sure, we had our hands in a few different pots, but we never could get the cookie at the bottom of any one of them before patch 3.0 hit.
It sucked not being able to make it as far along as we had hoped, but the farther your mouth is from the old carrot on the sick, the more delicious it seems. Having so much content to look forward to at the level cap made the game seem endless. Now, it's easy to have the latest raid on farm in a matter of a couple weeks.
The other thing they need to work on is the 1-60 game, but that's clearly being redone in Cataclysm.
PL: You've become known for your timely reporting on the latest WoW news. How do you manage to stay so up-to-date on such a wide variety of WoW topics?
Amatera: Mainly not having a whole lot else to do! Project Lore is my only gig right now, so I've got to make that one count. Finding the news is really a matter of efficiently using your resources and contacts.
PL: Do you have a favorite post of your own? What about the other bloggers?
Amatera: I don't have any particularly favorite post, but I wrote more analytical pieces when I first started. Those can be draining when compared to relaying the news, and I've found that my priorities often don't match up with those of our audience. At the same time, they can be rewarding and educational. I think I'm at my best (and have the most fun) when I'm trying to predict the future!
I'm not one to play favorites with my fellow bloggers, either, but any post discussing lore is cool with me. It lives up to the name of the site and with Warcraft having such a rich backstory, there's always something interesting to talk about. Once again, trying to figure out where Blizzard is going to take the plot in the future is entertaining to puzzle out.
PL: What do you to unwind from WoW?
Amatera: Mostly play console games. There are a lot of good ones out there and it's nice, at least every once in awhile, not to be shackled by raid schedules or have anyone else relying on your in-game performance!
PL: Adios?
Amatera: So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, good night!
/me releases his co-worker.
[/caption]
In an effort to continue our series on what makes Project Lore tick, I managed to pin down Amatera. Before he could squirm his way to freedom and return to blue hunting and forum trolling I assaulted him with a handful of questions. Between his tantrums and gasping for breath, he obliged to answer.
Project Lore: We know where your name came from, but why did you start playing WoW in the first place?
Amatera: Well, it's a bit of a fuzzy story. Though I purchased the game at release, I've actually "started" playing twice. The first was at launch, of course. At the time, I was really into Final Fantasy XI, and from everything I'd read about the game indicated that World of Warcraft was big on the instant gratification. If you think WoW was hardcore back then (compared to what it is now), then you clearly weren't coming off of playing other MMOs. Simple things like leveling up off of quests just wasn't part of the equation!
But I loved Blizzard's work and the lore was a draw, so I decided to take a brief hiatus from Final Fantasy XI and check it out. I think I got to about...level 28 or so, and made the (admittedly premature) decision that it was just too easy for me.
About nine months later, long after I had stopped playing FFXI as well, I found out that my new roommate played with a raiding guild at the level cap and decided that, with some close friends playing, it might be time to jump in again. The experience was much smoother the second time around and, eager to raid, I was determined to join them for the end-game content. Though guilds have come and gone, and I've taken a couple short breaks, I don't think I've entertained entirely quitting since.
In the end, it was Final Fantasy XI that I couldn't go back to. Despite pretensions of being "hardcore," Warcraft proved to be a hell of a lot more fun.
PL: What's your main right now?
Amatera: It is, and always has been my female troll rogue, Amatera.
PL: For the Horde or Alliance?
Amatera: FOR THE HORDE! I'm entertaining the thought of starting up a Worgen character in the next expansion, but I can't say I've had a whole lot of fun playing on the Alliance side no matter how many times I try.
PL: Do you have any in-game infatuations, ie mount/pet collecting, AH farming, etc?
Amatera: Quite simply, raiding. And raiding accomplishments. It's the nexus of World of Warcraft, where the gameplay and lore come to a head (in my opinion, the most essential parts of the game). I do everything else sort of half-heartedly. I'll engage in other activities when I'm bored, but I never feel truly driven to become the best at it like I do with raiding.
PL: What is your favorite dungeon? What about raid?
Amatera: Favorite dungeon? That's a tough one... I'm tempted to say the trio of Icecrown Citadel 5-mans, but for all the pomp and circumstance, they still feel remarkably neutered. I think I'd have to go with an old world dungeon like Blackrock Depths. It's amazing how it feels bigger and more complete than even the latest raid dungeons, even if it's not nearly as streamlined.
Determining my favorite raid is quite a bit easier. Hands down, it's got to be Zul'Aman. ZA is such a tightly-constructed 10-man experience, with a great set of bosses, and the timed reward structure made it very replayable (the shorter reset timer didn't hurt, either). Even with high-value productions like Ulduar, you get tired of slogging through it week after week. Zul'Aman, in contrast, has always remained fun.
PL: What do you spend most of your time on in Azeroth?
Amatera: Once again, raiding. But I've made a good deal of friends in game, primarily the officer core of my guild (of which I'm a member). We spend a lot of time screwing around in officer chat when there's nothing else to do.
PL: Do you have a favorite WoW story?
Amatera: Not a single experience, per se, but a bit of a lesson learned. When I joined my second guild (after the first one collapsed), I quickly realized how bad of a player I was. I mean, I was a good member and all; I signed up for events, attended on time, and generally tried not to cause any drama. But I didn't realize at the time that good behavior wasn't enough to get me into the latest raids, and I idly wondered why I wasn't getting invited to participate. Well, here I was on a Subtlety rogue trying to play with the big boys.
Once I got over my own stubbornness and naivety, I decided the best thing to do was to, well, improve. I started looking up things on the internet, figuring out what gear I needed to get, and changed my spec to Combat (which was in style at the time). My DPS shot through the roof and, in no time, there I was sitting at the "Adult Table."
Now an officer of the same guild, this is the parable I tell to any member who isn't playing up to par or wonders, like I did, why they aren't getting included in things. I firmly believe that every player has the potential to be a great one, as long as they come to realize they're not nearly as good as they think they are.
PL: Ever quit the game? If so, why, and what sucked you back in?
Amatera: As I said above, I wasn't very enchanted with WoW the first time around. When I started playing again, it was with the prospect of joining a community and engaging in end-game content. Of course, getting to experience a lot more of the game (in terms of zones, quests, and other such ephemera) helped, too.
PL: What aspect of WoW does Blizzard need to attend to the most?
Amatera: You know, I come off as rather ambivalent to Blizzard's recent approach to the game; the whole "catering to casual players thing." But deep down I want things to be ball-bustingly hard again. I want to get put through the ringer every time I engage a new raid boss, and I want people to put in a lot more effort to get the greatest rewards in the game. The margin for hardcore players, though still there, has become razor thin.
And I don't say this as a particularly hardcore player. Though I have always been a part of progression raiding guilds, I've never been privy to experiencing the latest content until quite recently. I don't think we ever fully completed a dungeon past Gruul/Magtheridon in Burning Crusade. Sure, we had our hands in a few different pots, but we never could get the cookie at the bottom of any one of them before patch 3.0 hit.
It sucked not being able to make it as far along as we had hoped, but the farther your mouth is from the old carrot on the sick, the more delicious it seems. Having so much content to look forward to at the level cap made the game seem endless. Now, it's easy to have the latest raid on farm in a matter of a couple weeks.
The other thing they need to work on is the 1-60 game, but that's clearly being redone in Cataclysm.
PL: You've become known for your timely reporting on the latest WoW news. How do you manage to stay so up-to-date on such a wide variety of WoW topics?
Amatera: Mainly not having a whole lot else to do! Project Lore is my only gig right now, so I've got to make that one count. Finding the news is really a matter of efficiently using your resources and contacts.
PL: Do you have a favorite post of your own? What about the other bloggers?
Amatera: I don't have any particularly favorite post, but I wrote more analytical pieces when I first started. Those can be draining when compared to relaying the news, and I've found that my priorities often don't match up with those of our audience. At the same time, they can be rewarding and educational. I think I'm at my best (and have the most fun) when I'm trying to predict the future!
I'm not one to play favorites with my fellow bloggers, either, but any post discussing lore is cool with me. It lives up to the name of the site and with Warcraft having such a rich backstory, there's always something interesting to talk about. Once again, trying to figure out where Blizzard is going to take the plot in the future is entertaining to puzzle out.
PL: What do you to unwind from WoW?
Amatera: Mostly play console games. There are a lot of good ones out there and it's nice, at least every once in awhile, not to be shackled by raid schedules or have anyone else relying on your in-game performance!
PL: Adios?
Amatera: So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, good night!
/me releases his co-worker.
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