Project Lore

Via a WordPress tech blog. Ever since Onyxia realized she could regrow her head I've had issues with World of Warcraft.  I have no idea if it's patch 3.2.2 specifically, but that is when the problem became obvious.  Patch 3.2.2a, which was supposed to fix bugs created with 3.2.2, did nothing for me.  My more-than-capable computer continues to hit awful spikes that cause the framerate to drop from 60FPS to something below 40 FPS, seemingly at random.  It's not awful, but the switch in smoothness is jarring and not pleasing.  Especially when you are used to the game running perfectly. I haven't been able to fully resolve my issue yet, due to lack of effort more than anything else.  But that'll change tonight.  After spending the better part of this morning looking up similar issues, collecting data on solutions and using plain old common sense, I've come up with a run down of things to do if your WoW installation begins acting up. There are a few details to keep in mind.  First off, they are in order from least to most time consuming, which generally means least to most difficult.  There's a good deal of information compiled here, and likely more to show up in the comments, but we offer no guarantee and take no responsibility for any of the tactics you employ.  As a last resort, you can always do a full reinstall of the game - the most time consuming process by far.  If that doesn't work, then you are likely looking at a hardware problem, not good. Before we even get into the list, a couple general IT rules of thumb.  Have you restarted yet?  No, go do it, it may save you a ton of time.  Have you added anything new to the system - software, hardware, add-ons?  Yes, then that's where you should begin.

1. Grab new drivers/updates - It doesn't matter if you are a Nvidia, ATi or Intel user, if any game starts acting funny, new drivers may help.  If you play something other than WoW then you likely have semi-new drivers.  Be on the lookout for other system updates, Windows Update, as well.
2. Play with the graphics sliders - I know you want the game to play as it did before, but give this a whirl anyways.  It's not a fix, so much as a way to gain a list of symptoms to diagnose the main problem.  If changing the sliders does nothing, then the hardware in the machine is probably okay.  Big sigh of relief.  If it does help, then there could be cooling issues, the graphics card or CPU could be hurting, perhaps your anti-virus scanner decided to kick in or you've got some spyware eating up your precious clock cycles.
3. Try a different game - Same thought process as above.  If comparable or more taxing game X still plays fine, then the problem is definitely software.
4. Add-ons - Add-ons are great, until they bring your game to a frame-dropping halt.  The LUA-based strings of code are one of the main software bugs to crop up in WoW.  Since the buggers aren't allowed to auto update, you could be using ancient code that's causing problems (a likely scenario after a patch), add-ons can be poorly coded or you may have so many add-ons that they are fighting for resources, or causing massive conflict battles.  The simple diagnosis is to disable all add-ons in the loading screen.  If you see an improvement you'll have to systemically enable and disable one add-on at a time to see which is the culprit.  Seek it out, destroy it, and update it with the newest version.  And it could be more than one.
5. Delete WTF/Cache folders - Patching and the general User Interface are another software bug that leeches off of WoW.  The WTF folder is where all your add-on and patching information resides.  Like the topic above, it can cause numerous issues.  Rename the folder (to backup the data) and allow WoW to create a virgin copy for you.  The Cache folder is the new WDB folder, and performs the same important function as cache for your web browser.  It needs to be cleaned out now and then as well.
6. Do a repair - Blizzard now includes its own repair utility in the World of Warcraft directory for Windows users.  The tool will scan through all the game files for corruption and selectively download any and all files that have been touched by Fel energies.  It's quite time consuming, but far faster than the alternative.
7. Reinstall - Grab the disks or begin a download.  This last ditch effort should be attempted only if everything else has failed you, and you have tons of evidence pointing towards a software problem.  I'd be safe and completely uninstall and delete the WoW folder before beginning a new install.

Due to the infinite combination of PC parts, and the complex software we are dealing with, a solution for me may not be the solution for you.  Don't get discouraged after trying a few things and failing to see a return to your previous FPS level.  Feel free to drop a comment with your symptoms, or better yet, suggestions to add to the list and helpful tips to those having problems. I'll just head these comments off before they come; getting a Mac is not a solution. There's also many other things you can check on your computer, but that is outside the scope of this article.  I hope that your machine runs World of Warcraft like new after all of these tasks, but if it doesn't you should begin to worry about your PC's overall health.  Defragging and disk space, RAM tests, CPU test, GPU test, heating issues, these are all things that can be performed to ferret out the faulty piece in your complex computer system.  Unfortunately, they are technical, complex, often time consuming and possibly expensive.  The exacts reason why you hope the numbered list can solve your issue.

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It started out great. Hitting 80, jumping into dungeons, my first downing of the Black Knight and subsequent farming of ToC. Then came the daily heroics. I was slowly building up my collection of purples, and it showed as my DPS jumped from really crappy to only moderately crappy (still working on that part - hoping rounding out with more purples helps!) Yes, Locomomo's advancements in Azeroth made me giddy. What did not was the depletion of my bank from a couple thousand gold to only a couple hundred; mostly from high repair bills and buying gems to socket into my shiny new gear. Those stupid jewels, if you want the good ones, are ridiculously expensive. And I DO want the good ones, at least for the gear that I probably won't replace for a while. I haven't even started looking at enchants yet, unless it's something a guildy can help me out with. In the grand scheme of things, what I've spent so far isn't all that much gold - I'm sure I could make it back pretty quickly if I really needed to. But therein lies the problem. If I take the time each day to run the dailies I need to make back gold, I lose out on raiding time. If I raid, I get more awesome gear that needs gems to make it even more awesome. Not to mention higher repair costs. What's a girl to do!? I'm thinking it comes down to time management. I don't play as much during the week anyway, but if I can manage to pop on for a few dailies each day, then save up longer raiding sessions for the weekend, that might be the key. Finishing up my exploring may have to be put on hold. Another possible solution - finishing off leveling up my leatherworking so I can get my buffs from the profession, and maybe even making some money off what I can make. Then once I get the leatherworking up, I could drop skinning and pick up another crafting profession. But then there's the issue of leveling it up without the gathering profession - of course, that takes more money! Then again, if it's jewelcrafting I pick up, then I won't have to buy jewels anymore, just the reagents. Ack, too many decisions! Any readers out there with two crafting professions? For that matter, any with dual gathering? Do you use it more for the benefit of your own buffs, or for money making? What other methods have you found to manage gold-making and gold-spending?

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So I'm sure many of you are running around in WotLK, leveling up your toon, gaining profession points, maybe a few new achievements. And with all of that 'living' in the World of Warcraft, there's a price: food, water, reagents, ammo and repairs.

But here is what some of you may be missing: Always shop where people know you. In other words, only buy and repair from people you are exalted with or you will lose tons of gold in the long run. Since patch 2.3, your toon's status with a faction can get you great discounts at exalted. These discounts of 20% are huge for guilds that try for world-first boss kills or grind on trash mobs in places they don't have the gear to go into and kill the boss. "But I'm leveling. I don't have time to go to SW or Thunder Bluff. And what's a few more copper anyway?" Okay, okay. you might be right. You might be willing to pay a little more for a service that's right in front of you rather than going to Shatt and porting to IF or Undercity. And really what's the difference on a 10% discount? What does it really matter? Well there may come a day when you might want the epic flying mount riding skill or maybe cold weather flying? That's the day you'll wish you'd repaired at SW or Undercity. Get a little addon called FuBar_DurabilityFu (requires FuBar) or something like it. It will show you exactly how much you save by repairing with a faction that really, really likes you. Now riddle me this: Do you do that in RL? Well? Do you shop at a convenience store for basics like milk, cookies and bread? Do you take your car to be repaired at a big dealership who know you only by your license plate number? Do you spend thousands of extra dollars on on an education or a house because you took the first loan you got approved for by some huge conglomerate who might know who you are if you give them your social security number? Well? So take a look at the game, and the players who have loads of money, already rollin' around on those mammoths you want so much. Take a look at the system of commerce, and really watch it. And then you'll start to see that it really is who knows you, who you're exalted with, that gets you the best deals, the best stuff and those special little things that they won't even consider giving to just anyone. Always shop where people know you. You will save in the longrun and you will get better deals that you ever thought possible.

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When you show up for an instance, or even more important a raid, are you prepared? Do you come with mana pots and healing pots? Do you have your food? Did you repair? Well you should have. And that's what I mean - be prepared. If you're going to raid, have your stuff ready. And when you go to a place you don't know, know what your job is and know what skills will come in handy when unexpected stuff shows up. Who hasn't been in a pug or even a guild raid and someone in chat says, 'oops I forgot my... can you summon me back?' geezz ppl. Come to play! When mobs attack, you know what to do, learn what to do, or at least learn what your class is supposed to do: CC, DPS, Heal, Tank, whatever. If you are prepared in knowing what you can do and should do, you will probably live longer in that encounter. Now in RL, it's hard to be prepared all the time, just like those pats that whack you in BT or worse the ninjas in Heroic Shattered Halls. You can be prepared mentally tho. Know that life is random and that stuff pops up and ultimately it's how you react to it that makes the difference. Be prepared as best you can be, for a raid in WoW or for a job interview in RL. Know what you're good at and be willing to get better at it. And most important of all, if you are prepared and know that whatever happens, it will be okay, then you truly are prepared. So... are you prepared?

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