Comments on: The complexity, it burns! Do you use gear lists? http://spinksville.wordpress.com/2009/06/24/the-complexity-it-burns-do-you-use-gear-lists/ MMOs and game design Wed, 22 May 2013 22:20:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Kiryn http://spinksville.wordpress.com/2009/06/24/the-complexity-it-burns-do-you-use-gear-lists/#comment-1731 Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:16:16 +0000 http://spinksville.wordpress.com/?p=1700#comment-1731 For the most part, I start with some research on basic stat ratios, and use Pawn to attach them to my gear to quickly see how much it’s worth. I’ll rarely be using the same exact spec or rotation that’s on ElitistJerks or wherever, but it makes a good base, and I tweak it a little until it feels right to me.

I might not have the highest optimal theoretical DPS, but I’m not hardcore enough for it to matter and I’m beating the pants off of the random PUGs I play with either way.

But once I’m going in to raiding, I like to take those numbers I’ve tweaked and go through the drops one at a time, to find out which items are best for me, and which items I’d be better off letting someone else have. Make myself a wish list for each slot so I can check things off as I find them. The WoWHead stat weights page can be great for that, I just wish they’d let me change the gems. I can be pretty obsessive about matching sockets.

I do really enjoy spreadsheets and planning out a new character. It’s one of my favorite parts about getting a new character to the level cap.

]]> By: Stabs http://spinksville.wordpress.com/2009/06/24/the-complexity-it-burns-do-you-use-gear-lists/#comment-1728 Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:07:15 +0000 http://spinksville.wordpress.com/?p=1700#comment-1728 Well if you don’t want to feel divorced from the process you need to research the theorycraft and apply your own formulae.

I find that quite fun myself but it can be very time-consuming. Also do you want to do it for every alt in each of your many games?

Anyway I’ll get back to my Eve spreadsheets now, grats on the new purple!

]]> By: spinks http://spinksville.wordpress.com/2009/06/24/the-complexity-it-burns-do-you-use-gear-lists/#comment-1690 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:29:57 +0000 http://spinksville.wordpress.com/?p=1700#comment-1690 It was actually armour penetration that sparked this post. I picked up some dps gear for Spinks in Ulduar-10 and it was the first time for me that I looked at a piece of gear and had absolutely no idea at all whether it was an upgrade or not.

So I downloaded the dps warrior spreadsheet and plugged my stats and gear into it. But I am now feeling oddly divorced from the whole process.

]]> By: Stabs http://spinksville.wordpress.com/2009/06/24/the-complexity-it-burns-do-you-use-gear-lists/#comment-1688 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:11:24 +0000 http://spinksville.wordpress.com/?p=1700#comment-1688 I’m something of a complexity nerd and I tend to do my own maths.

Interestingly many of the best lists are not mathematically very sound. Either they use a grossly over-simplified model or they use a model that is out of date. How many of these sites re-worked their algorithms when patch 3.1 changed the value of some of the less desireable ratings (such as ArP and Haste) for hybrid dps classes? Probably not many.

Having said that usually I just eyeball upgrades and guess. If I reach a point where gear upgrades are infrequent then I’m more likely to stop and calculate but at the moment with my casual WoW character and my eve ships stuff changes all the time.

]]> By: Linedan http://spinksville.wordpress.com/2009/06/24/the-complexity-it-burns-do-you-use-gear-lists/#comment-1681 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:29:25 +0000 http://spinksville.wordpress.com/?p=1700#comment-1681 I use an addon called RatingBuster to display the changes in stats like attack power, defense, dodge, etc. that an item would give me, but I make my own decisions about what stats to prioritize and thus what gear I need, without a spreadsheet. RatingBuster just helps me make more informed decisions, but I do the deciding–I’ve never used an app like Rawr or a spreadsheet.

]]> By: Klepsacovic http://spinksville.wordpress.com/2009/06/24/the-complexity-it-burns-do-you-use-gear-lists/#comment-1676 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:41:25 +0000 http://spinksville.wordpress.com/?p=1700#comment-1676 I do not use gear lists, especially not lists of “This is the best you can get.” Half the gear I can’t even get because it’s off content I’ve not done or it requires various caps which I don’t yet have because random loot is random and I don’t get to take whatever I want just by screaming “It’s BiS! GIMMEEE!” I must admit I’ve not actually tried that…

I did recently start using Rawr though. I have my prot and ret profiles and when I see an item I compare it. If it’s a small upgrade I tend to pass. Before Rawr I was very bad at comparing relative stat values and ended up passing on a lot of what I thought were marginal upgrades (they turned out to be HUGE).

The exception is when I’m in heroic territory. Then I have a mental list of “I want to do this for that and this for that and…” Then I get invited to one naxx and my list gets completely ruined.

]]> By: *vlad* http://spinksville.wordpress.com/2009/06/24/the-complexity-it-burns-do-you-use-gear-lists/#comment-1674 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:35:41 +0000 http://spinksville.wordpress.com/?p=1700#comment-1674 Generally I just have a look at the drop and decide there and then.
Trinkets are probably the biggest issue; some sound awesome but prove to be turkeys. If you are going to research anything, research trinkets.

]]> By: Kadomi http://spinksville.wordpress.com/2009/06/24/the-complexity-it-burns-do-you-use-gear-lists/#comment-1672 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 09:51:40 +0000 http://spinksville.wordpress.com/?p=1700#comment-1672 One of my favorite parts in WoW is making a gear plan. It’s probably why I love hitting 80 on characters. Yay, another character to gear. I enjoy it. That’s why I post gear lists in my blog as well. Sure, it helps other people, but it also gives me an opportunity to do something I enjoy: researching gear, dreaming of the day the top piece ends up in my hands. :)

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