Inevitable Instructor Weekend Webinar with the Ready to Raid 3D GameLab questline What is a Raid Hangout Recording http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kTHLAhflp0&feature=plcp

1. What is a Raid?

2. Overview
What is WoW?
What is a MMORPG?
Fundamental Concepts of
MMORPGs
What is a Raid?
Aspects of Raiding

3. World of Warcraft

4. World of Warcraft
• Sword and Board Fantasy Game
• Persistent online personae(s)
• Players are Heroes
• Two Factions
• 11 classes with 3 specializations each

5. World of Warcraft
• Monthly subscription fee is $14.99 / month
• 9.6 million players 4th Quarter 2012
• WoW is an MMORPG

6. MMORPG
The term MMORPG was coined by Richard
Garriott, the creator of Ultima Online, the
game credited with popularizing the genre in
1997.

7. MMORPG
In nearly all MMORPGs, the development of
the player's character is a primary goal. Many
MMORPGs feature a character progression
system in which players earn experience
points for their actions and use those points
to reach character "levels", which makes
them better at whatever they do.

8. Fundamental Concepts
MMORPG

9. Endgame
Refers to the content and activities that players
can engage in once they have reached the
max level in the game
Currently, level 90 in WoW
Raiding is an endgame activity

10. Leveling
Initial gameplay is focused on improving the
player
Lots of soft and hard scaffolding applications
Leveling is the Journey to exploring character
ability. Endgame is about mastery and
optimizing performance

11. Teamwork
Many MMORPGs actively encourage
collaboration and teams
Many activities require more than one player
accomplish
Social structures and game infrastructure are
created to allow convenient collaboration and
sharing of resources

12. Leadership
Leadership is organic in most MMORPGS,
minimal at first, but rapidly increasing
opportunities the longer a player plas
Leadership is also flexible and temporal in
many games. Players will take leadership
roles for things they know

13. Guild
A group pursuing a common goal
Social structure with infrastructure attached to
it. Shared Bank, Chat, notification of who is
online, Roster, and Ranks.
Guild Master has greatest control
Remember all members are Volunteers

14. Player v. Environment (PVE)
Traditionally, combat with monsters/opponents
and completing quests, either alone or in
groups, is the primary way to earn experience
points.
Monsters/ Opponents do a set action based on
programming
Most players prefer this type of play

15. Non Player Character (NPC)
Refers to all characters in a game that are
programed into the game
Run on a set of commands / actions
determined by programmers
Majority of player activity will revolve around
engaging with NPCs (Quest givers, monsters,
bosses, repairer, vendors, etc.)

16. Player v. Player (PvP)
Players compete against each other or
opposing faction players
Play is live, enemies are other players
Fast Game play, No set action, Can be unfair
Players can choose to pvp or not

17. 2012 Predictions for MMOs
Of all 50 million MMO gamers in the US, 23
million spend money on free-to-play or
subscription MMOs.
Overall, the US market is expected to grow to
$2.9bn in 2012.
Gamasutra

18. What is a Raid?
Like a Team Sport
Choreographed Dance

19. Everyone has a Role
Tank
DPS
Heal

20. What is a Raid?
• A Raid is typically the final (end game)
content in an MMORPG
• The journey leveling your character to max
level serves as the foundational skill/ training
for end game
• Raids require mastery of player skills and
game mechanics

21. What is a Raid?
• Company's point of view
o Raids are the most challenging content of each
release and need to remain challenging until the
next expansion / edition.
o If not enough players are succeeding, may reduce
difficulty (nerf) to allow more to succeed and retain
subscriptions

22. What is a Raid?
• Player's point of view
o Success in Raids requires collaboration,
communication, and mastery
o Raid Gear symbolizes achievement, status, and
should only be obtained by those that are the best

23. What is a Raid?
• Educator's point of view
o Success in Raids requires collaboration,
communication, and mastery of competencies
o Raids offer hard fun, strategy development, research
opportunities, authentic assessment, critical
analysis, team building, leadership simulations, and
peer evaluation

24. Raid
Need x number of Players
10 players
25 players
40+ players

25. Typical 10 Player raid
2 Tanks
2 or 3 Heals
5 or 6 DPS

26. Raid
Need mix of roles
Tank - take brunt of the attack
Heals - heal up tanks and DPS
DPS - do damage

27. Raid Process
4 - 8 Opponents known as Bosses
Progress through a series of smaller NPC
(Non- Player Characters) and/or monsters.

28. Starting Alignment

29. Once Boss is Engaged

30. World Boss

31. World Boss
Call to all players on the faction
Can takes 30 -80 players

32. Current World Bosses
WoW Mists of Pandaria
Nalak
Oondasta
Galleon
Sha
Zandalari Warbringer ( NPC really)

38. Raid Requirements
• A Raid requires
o a group of players
o a mix of classes and roles
o in depth knowledge of your character
o in depth knowledge of how you fit into the group
o continuous improvement
o acceptance and embracement of failure
o adoption of a fail fast mentality

39. Raid Components
• Bosses
o Big Nasties that are hard to kill
• Adds
o Minions that attack during boss fight
• Game Mechanics
o Each boss fight is a dance, have to learn
the rhythm and adapt

40. Raid Components
• Gear
o Reward must be worth the investment
• Group Size Limits
o Typically 10, 25, 40
o May vary between MMORPG
• Mobs / Trash
o Weaker monsters that occur between
bosses

41. Raid Components
• Wipes
o Term used for when everyone dies
o Raid leader may call for a wipe, if key players have
died
• Failure
o Like sports, raiding is about managing failure
o May take 45-80+ attempts to down a Boss

42. WoW Specific Raid Components
• Item Level (ilevel)
o Average level of all gear worn or in your bags
• Enrage Timer
o Have a time limit before boss kills the group
o Time can be either soft enrage or hard enrage

43. What do Raids Look Like?

45. Types of Raids
In WoW

46. Retro
Raids from Previous Expansions
Looking for Raid (LFR)
25 player intro to new raids
Serve as training ground
Boss stats, mechanics, damage, and gear
drops are reduced
Types of Raids

47. 10 player - Normal
Raid is set to full power
Gear drop is full level
25 player - Normal
Raid is boosted to offset 25 players
Gear is the same as 10 player, but more
drops
Types of Raids

48. Heroic - 10 player and 25 player
Bosses are buffed
Gear is higher level
30 to 80+ player
World Bosses
Types of Raids

49. World of Warcraft
Types of Raid Groups

50. Dedicated
Serious
Tiered
Hard Core
Progressive Raids

51. Mix of players that are typically not part of a
guild big enough to do guild raiding. Heavy
use of pick up groups (PUGs).
Non - Progressive

52. The Raid takes place whenever there
seems to be enough level 90s with minimum
item level on. Group will figure out targeted
Raid as they go along.
Casual

53. Series of raiding times set for people to sign
up as convenient. Raid leader or invited guest
guides the run and explains fights as needed.
Emphasis is on social interaction and
completing the Raid and gear is secondary.
Social

54. Series of raiding times set for people to
sign up as convenient. Raid leader or invited
guest guides the run and explains fights as
needed. Emphasis is on social interaction
and completing the Raid and gear is
secondary.
Gear

55. Quick Vocab Quiz
Boss
Mob
PvE
Wipe

56. Questions / Discussion