This is OpsCom, where we bring you a weekly dose of Operations-related content from the world of Star Wars: The Old Republic. This column will serve as an inside scoop on new content, developer feedback and community gossip. Stay tuned in the coming weeks, and we will keep you up to date on all the news you need to stay on the cutting edge.
In this edition of OpsCom, we’ll hear several opinions on just how badly players want new content. We’ll also check in with the official forums on the subject of “Need vs. Greed” in various Group Finder encounters, and how everyone feels about it. Players have also recently requested the addition of phases for World Bosses, specifically for Voss’ Nightmare Pilgrim; we’ll check in with the official forums for ideas on this subject. For these stories, as well as the weekly Community Spotlight, hit the jump.
Weekly News Round-Up
In what is becoming a trend, more and more players are becoming hungry for content. Guild after guild has now checked Hard-mode Denova off of their progression list, leaving them to ask, “now what?” Over on the official forums, Borowmir weighs in with his opinion on the subject, which has started a lively debate.
By now, most players have at least attempted to use the Group Finder, and many players are depending on this feature as an essential, perhaps only, source for obtaining gear. Without a system of checks and balances to regulate “Need vs. Greed” in the Group Finder, the issue of when you should Need as opposed to Greed has become a hot-button issue. Pop on over to the official forums and speak your mind.
Lag continues to be an issue for some players attempting to get in their Nightmare Pilgrim kills. This has led several players to express interest in the addition of phased areas for World Boss locations. User Synchronised posted a thread on the official forums on this very topic. Head over and have a look.
In this week’s community Q&A, a few topics related to PvE Operations were covered; Imbalanced stats on campaign armoring were discussed briefly, as well as the current trend to use PvP relics inside of a PvE environment, and what changes in the future would prevent such competitive cross-content gearing. Pop on over and have a look.
Community
For this week’s Community Spotlight, we’re focusing on the Republic guild Momentum. Presently, Momentum is knocking out all of the newest content, recently emerging with a Hard-mode Explosive Conflict 16-man kill. In addition, they’ve recently put both Nightmare-mode Eternity Vault and Nightmare-mode Karagga’s Palace under their belt, both on 16-man. Congratulations guys, and top notch work on those kills.
This week’s Video Spotlight is on the guild Provectus. Check out their video for a particularly impressive kill of Toth and Zorn 8-man Hard-mode.
Are you interested in having your guild featured here? Send us an email at (darth@darthhater.com) and give us a general run down. Submissions should include Guild Name, Faction, Server and how far your progression has come. Bonus points for a YouTube video of any boss kills that we can feature in this section.
Op-Ed
The Perils of Leadership
For anyone who has had any kind of experience in leading either a guild or an Operations group, will be familiar with the the stress and pressure that comes from success. Whether it comes down to formulating the perfect strategy for their group composition, making hard decisions on roster placements, or ensuring that 7 or 15 other people can coordinate a kill, officers, guild leaders and Operations group leaders all have a very difficult job that can sometimes get lost in the shuffle and exultation of a successful kill. Oftentimes, leadership is a thankless position. It is usually only occupied by people that innately enjoy being leaders and enjoy the sense of accomplishment that comes with pulling together the perfect strategy.
But as is always the case in these kinds of situations, unless the group comes together as a whole, the only thing that an Operations group will inherit at the end of the night is a hefty repair bill. Managing strengths and weaknesses is the hallmark of a good leader, and only through proper management of the aforementioned attributes can any guild hope to succeed at clearing content on a week-to-week basis. Many times, personal feelings can get caught up in the administration of a guild as friendships and alliances are formed. This is only natural, as accomplishing these kinds of serious challenges with others will almost always result in this kind of bonding. Many officers will tell you that they take a hands-off approach to leading a guild, preferring not to mix personal feelings with business. Others would argue that an officer needs to be close to the pulse of the guild, and the closer the better.
In the end, the situation will be up to personal preference. If there’s one thing that leading Operations and administering a guild has taught me, it’s that you’ll really gain a personal feel for each individual member. Some members will prefer to just show up and do their job, while others will prefer a much more social environment. For me, it’s a mixture of the two that makes a really phenomenal guild, and all those involved should never forget that we play games to have fun. I think that many more guilds would be more successful if they would leave their baggage at the door and just show up expecting to have a good time. There obviously is a need for buckling down, focusing and putting on game faces, but there’s no reason that people can’t enjoy themselves and the company of good friends in the pursuit of these goals.
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