I'd like to take a moment to stop and thank you all for making ODO the success that it is. Any cabal is only as good as its members, and I'm really pleased with the way that ODO has developed since SWL was launched. My apologies for the upcoming wall of text, but we need to make sure everyone is on the same page.
We are now moving into new territories, with cabal groups taking on some of the higher levelled elites, and looking to take down the Lurker on e5.
One of the inescapable facts of having a large cabal is that people's progression tends to spread out across the spectrum. We have some players who are still in the process of levelling to 50, and others who are pushing their gear into the legendary bracket. It's really great to see the way that players of different experience levels are having fun together, but there are a few bumps in the road which I think it's best to get out into the open so that we can try to move past them in a positive way.
I think that the biggest thing is about how we communicate with each other.It's important to accept that as all of us grow more comfortable in ODO, our behaviour and communication will tend to settle into patterns unconsciously. This is a perfectly natural process, and is a good sign that people are enjoying themselves. The problem comes when these patterns clash with those of other people. It's possible to cause offense without intending to, or even realising that you're doing so.
This isn't a problem which is unique to ODO by any stretch. A RL friend of mine stopped playing wow after the warrior class leader laughingly told him that his dps was terrible - the warrior leader was confused when my friend quit the guild.
As our gear improves, there's a danger of unconsciously adopting elitist attitudes. There are some people who will be looking to really push their DPS, but there will also be people who haven't spent much time working on that, and it's important to avoid causing offence unintentionally.
This isn't saying you have to totally change the way you play. For example, rather than asking for 2 DPS and then refusing some people, saying that their dps is rubbish, ask for people with over 4k dps. Just try to remember that for people with better gear than yours, your dps might be considered low too, and try to be considerate.
The game now has various stages where new mechanics are introduced, (going from story to elite, e1 to e2, e4 to e5 etc,) and people will need time to learn how to adapt. It's important to have clear communication at these points to help cut down on problems. The more experienced players need to accept that not everyone will perform flawlessly instantly - there will be wipes, and patience will be needed. The players moving up into these new difficulties need to be aware that not everyone will want to spend a long time wiping. Be up front about expectations - there's nothing wrong with setting a wipe limit, just don't suggest a 2 wipe limit if someone has specifically asked for a learning run!
It's ok to establish ground rules for a run - but make sure you do it up front, and don't suddenly start invoking them mid-run without warning.
It's important to flag up that attitude is not all about the people with the high end gear.
If someone is offering advice on how to up your dps, survivability or healing skills, then the offer is being made in good faith. It's not about trying to make you feel bad about your gear or how you play. If you feel that someone is acting this way, please have a word with an officer about it, because that's not what we're looking to promote in ODO.
So, when someone offers you advice, they are trying to help. This will often involve linking parses - they aren't using them to show you up or to flex their epeen, it's normally being done to provide you with useful data.
Now, you can choose to not take up the offer - that is your prerogative after all, but at least respond to the offer courteously.
We are looking to create a collection of builds so that people have solid starting points to work from without too much effort. There are often little tricks which will have a big impact on your damage or healing output, or your survivability, and those are normally most easily taught by people who know how to use them. We have access to good players, so please, make use of that resource!
Ultimately, this all comes down to respecting each other, and trying to communicate clearly. Remember that the banter which you might have with good friends may well not be taken the same way by others who don't know you so well.
Above all:
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