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 by ReftSG, Level 6
Last updated at August 1, 2007, 12:54 am
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familiar saying that you say to yourself? Perhaps you need to be a bit
more social. Often times when people are feeling isolated, alone, and
depressed - phrases such as this best describe how they are feeling.
Hell, some people make great music out of this
" />. However, just talking about one’s problems can lead to ultimate
happiness - speaking your mind is one of the best things you can do for
your own good, and can actually have an influence in what others do as
well. Fast forward to World of Warcraft Arena - communicating with your
teammates is one of the most important factors that goes into how much
success your arena team attains. I have been privileged enough to
listen in on many different 5v5/3v3/2v2 arena team’s Ventrilo channels
- and one of the distinctions that makes a team “GREATâ€, versus a team
that’s just “Good†- is by how much they are able to communicate and
work with one another. Developing this “chemistry†is one of the keys
to having a successful arena team.
So, coming from an asian background
- I naturally grew up shy (Most asian kids do, it’s in their blood -
and no, I do not look like Ming). I was never one to speak my mind, and
usually was the push-over growing up. Throughout my younger years, I
was just known as the really cute asian kid that was really nice - but
really brought nothing in terms of thoughts/philosophies to the table.
I played different online games throughout my years of junior high -
Counter-Strike, Redmoon, Diablo 2, Starcraft, etc. Video games really
allowed myself to be me, without having to be nervous of what others
thought of me. When I entered a private catholic high school with 200
students in 9-12th grade, I felt a little more comfortable of where I
was socially. With only 60 people in my class, I felt like everyone
knew everyone else - and the previous feelings of anxiety of speaking
my mind slowly started to whittle away throughout my high-school years.
The point I’m trying to make is that - the more other people talked -
the more I talked - the happier I became, and more people started to
understand where I was coming from, making friends became easier, and
chemistry was being realized.
Now in arena, often times people think they know
what “good communication†entails - I however, would like to clear some
of that up. I think a good communicator in arena lets their teammates
know exactly what they are doing, what they plan to do, and what they
have done during most of the fight. Speaking up in Ventrilo is a must,
to foster an environment in which everyone on the team is free to speak
their mind whenever they choose. I know how hard it is to speak up,
even though you’re behind a computer monitor - sometimes I still feel
like what I say is not needed, however - it really isn’t hurting anyone
on my team, and speaking up can only help. Now, I do not mean you
should be yelling at your teammates every few seconds, “YO I’M
LIGHTNING BOLTING (X) TARGET, 2 SECONDS LEFT AND IT SHOULD BE THERE
BRO!â€. I mean you should be narrating what your [important] actions
are. For example, “I’m gonna counterspell this paladin on his next holy
lightâ€. I’m sure most of you readers out there are thinking,
“well…yeah, I already do that, dumbass†- however, for some people -
counter-spelling a heal is almost second nature to them, and they
sometimes forget to tell the rest of their teams that.
Simply by saying what you are doing
[counter-spelling], the other players on your team know that your
counterspell is down for 30 seconds. And that other players with
interrupts can step up their game on the next enemy heals. Letting
people know what targets you plan to CC in the next few seconds is
especially helpful. Letting your other healers on your team know you
need help, letting someone know a target is at 30% and you need to
finish it. Everything counts.
Often times in arena channels, all I hear is “Kill
Target X, Sheep Target X, Winâ€. Many players are shy - they don’t
announce that they are sheeped, instead they just expect their
dispellers to know that they are sheeped by the icon on their
respective party frames. However, even letting your team know that you
are sheeped is vastly helpful - I am sure that dispellers are so busy
with whatever they are doing, that often times they do not notice if a
teammate is sheeped or not. Saying what target you are dpsing is
important, letting your team know when you are SWITCHING targets is
very important. The more you talk - the more it helps your team build
this chemistry that all teams aim for. You can have 5 damn good players
on a team, but if none of them talk - then the TEAM as a unit - isn’t
spectacular. Put Minti, Dahis, Azael, Radikal, Bynis on a team, and if
they all don’t have microphones - I can assure you that they will lose
to teams of players that are far less experienced, but that are talking
constantly on Ventrilo. (I just used these names as an example..they
are players that I have personal experience with).
Watch some of the WSVG replays of top teams - they
are yelling at each other during the full duration of the fight. I’m
not saying you should clog up your ventrilo, however, having good
communication is key. A tip to those players out there that have their
PUSH TO TALK button at a terribly-accessible place on their keyboard:
Fix it! Move your push to talk so that you do not have to take your
right or left hands off your keyboard/mouse. For example, my push to
talk button is middle-mouse, so I do not have to press some god awful
out of place key to talk into my mic…such as Insert, Home, Page Up,
Page Down, End, Delete, P, K, L, etc.
Having good communication skills will not only
propel your team higher, it will also build your chemistry with your
other players on your team and make you a better player as well. Who
said talking too much was a bad thing anyways? Unless you’re Angel
Cabrera - the 2007 Oakmont U.S. Open Winner, you should have no reason
to say that you cannot communicate with your anyone (Angel Cabrera is
Argentinian - and he can barely speak English). Treat your teammates
like your caddies - your best friends! Tiger Woods has had his caddy
for way too long. And I’m sure the chemistry between those two has been
able to keep him at the top of the golf world — along with hours of
practice per day, a hot Swedish wife, etc. Okay, I gave the golf
analogies a try…I’m not so sure about them. In other news, I fixed my
driver shots - a more open club face as well as a grip that raises my
right shoulder a bit makes me a happy man. Bombing 240+ yard drives is
definitely rewarding to me. Hopefully I can break 90 soon (very easy
IMO, and breaking 80 is next).
Thanks for reading, have a good day guys.
Reft
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Spyy Aug 1, 2007 at 3:54 am
+1 votes
Good read. I think its also important to bind your PTT key so it is not restricting your movement or key binds. Using the thumb to push PTT might be a good idea.
Adiara Aug 1, 2007 at 4:13 am
+1 votes
I've got PTT right next to my thumb (it's on a mouse button)-- it's quite nice. I'm trying to get my arena team to talk more. I'm considering switching to just voice activated though, as the thumb button could be a nice hotkey for something.
Adiara Aug 1, 2007 at 4:13 am
+1 votes
I've got PTT right next to my thumb (it's on a mouse button)-- it's quite nice. I'm trying to get my arena team to talk more. I'm considering switching to just voice activated though, as the thumb button could be a nice hotkey for something.
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