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Broken Toys 
That’s cute, the WoW players have come up with a fancy word to describe finding the rules and formulas that the developers thought their simple casual audience would be too overwhelmed by to be given up front.
Actually, the term theorycraft comes from StarCraft, not WoW, as it referred to the various strategies people use. Zergling rush, anyone?
Anyways, it’s nice to see that Opera is continuing to struggle with finding it’s place on the desktop, and not accept the fact that it’s place is on device like the Wii and DSi (I think).
Bitter much, Geldon?
Waste of life.
geldonyetic sure talks a lot
As to the topic. Maybe Lum never visited the the DAoC class boards back in the day.
Half the post were doing just this. Of course the other half were complaining that the TLs were manipulating Mythic for class advantage.
Half the posts on DAoC class boards were making a new web browser? I’m pretty sure I would have remembered that.
Theres a public for that, a fraction of the total WoW public. Just like any other add-on for any other game (well, the ones that allows them). And I use Opera, but mainly because Explorer its slooooow and my hate for Firefox.
That puts you in a small minority. As for me, whenevr I try out opera, I am reminded how much I hate its UI and run back to firefox.
The only thing that Opera has a claim to is compliance with web standards, but then, all the browsers (with the exception of IE) are working on that.
What’s there to be bitter about? It’s actually pretty cute they’ve taken simply discovering the rules and spiced it up by calling it “theorycrafting.”
It doesn’t really matter of it originated in Starcraft or World of Warcraft, it’s just that the words “theory” and “crafting” don’t seem to have anything to do with finding out how the somebody else’s game mechanics were coded so you can min/maxing them.
When you get right down to it, it’s downright adorable that this word has come to be. It’s like your 6 year old has invented a cute word for a Bronx cheer because they figured they discovered it on their own.
I didn’t comment much on the Opera thing because, well, it’s skin and link set for Opera. What more’s to be said?
@geldonyetich
I think mayhap you aren’t using the same definition of ‘theory’ that the rest of us are using, or understand the process by which you generate them. Trust me, to determine the unknown rules of any system, whether its WoW or the universe, the generation of theories is very useful. For some of us, it actually takes effort NOT to do it.
I’m fairly sure you have no sense of whimsy since you don’t see the self-deprecating irony of a silly word like ‘theorycrafting’.
On the contrary, how could anything but whimsy provoke calling theorycrafting cute/adorable? I wasn’t putting a bitter ironic spin on the words when I said them, I’m slapping my knee and saying, “I like that this word has caught on, it’s so self-deprecating and silly – cute/adorably so.”
Bah, forum threads, nobody understands eachother.
Granted, there was a little bitterness in my original post. It wasn’t directed as people who use the word “theorycrafting.” It was directed to a current state of game development that feels people are too stupid to be trusted with this information up front to devise intelligent strategies on their own, and so force them to craft their own theories on how the game works (hey, I fit the words in).
Though, to some extent, this can be just trying to preserve the mystique of the game, I still prefer not to be forced to live (in virtual confines) by rules which are not clearly outlined.
People, as in the vast and overwhelming majority of people, most certainly are too stupid to be trusted. And when it really comes down to it the people over at Elitist Jerks, who can understand it, wouldn’t appreciate its release. They’d lose their deeper understanding of the game as compared to the average player and to many of them deciphering the systems IS the game. Actually playing is simply a means to a deeper end.
@geldonyetich
Ah, not bitter, just condescending.
“It was directed to a current state of game development that feels people are too stupid to be trusted with this information up front to devise intelligent strategies on their own, and so force them to craft their own theories on how the game works”
Uh, have you actually…read EJ? Like, ever? Or know even the first thing about WoW theorycrafting? This is so far off base I don’t even know where to start, but suffice it to say that the vast majority of WoW game formulas have been well-known for some time, and where they aren’t the devs often specifically provide them upon request (as with the mystery of armor penetration). Though EJ does do some discovery, what it largely does is take the already available information and use that to optimize class performance and gearing. The “how cute those kiddie WoW raiders learned some math” attitude is amusing, I guess, but I can’t think of a single other game in which this level of attention is paid to the most minute detail of optimization.
That’s not it all, really. It’s the word itself I thought was cute: “theorycrafting.” I’m not even rendering judgment against those who use it, I just thought that, as far as words go… well, I’ve already said enough on that.
Anywho, yes, I’m aware sometimes you can get information out of the developers off the forum. However, the fact that these formulas are not right in the manual or accessible somewhere within the game (without the use of third party add ons) is about the line where I draw, “the developers have chosen not to inform the players.”
Thus far, the chosen dissenting sentiment has been, “yes – players are too dumb, it was a good call that they shouldn’t be informed about anything.”
Well. I suppose that was the way we handled the surfs in the dark ages, and this is a fantasy-based game…
Once again, I think it’s best I leave this comment thread for a bit of geldonyetich-free time. 2 days, unless I’m called out, per usual.
“…I can’t think of a single other game in which this level of attention is paid to the most minute detail of optimization.”
Ever play EVE Online?
EVE is min max heaven.
Meh. Several games have the formulas and the numbers right off the bat, like City of Heroes/Villains and EVE Online.
But i think that it isnt put in most games because a)People, in general, dont like an equation right when they start in the game and b)Writing those numbers and formulas in every single ability takes time, without mentioning that its not like theres a lot of documentaion about the abilities (aka you are going to need search in the source code for the formulas, good luck with that one ;))
And im not a minority, i just have a different opinion that yours.
Min-maxing is everywhere, and that’s really what “theorycrafting” refers to. The “equation discovery” part happened extremely early and quickly.
@JuJutsu
You mean ‘spreadsheets in space’? I’ve been meaning to give it a try.
Heh heh. You should give it a whirl. I tried it once before, a couple of years ago. I’m having a great time this go around…
I’ve just randomly started up Eve again myself. So far it’s much improved from before, IMO. Although I’m sure I’ll find that the end game is still pedantic.
I’ve played that off and on (mostly off) for 4 years now and I still have no clue what I am doing most of the time. It makes my brain hurt 😦
So the “browser” does what exactly? Opens a few websites automatically and comes with a premade list for whatever RSS reader you use? I’m not really trying to knock it, but there’s no way I’m going to use it as I don’t play WoW nor read EJ.
But on the topic of DAoC class boards, Wyrd was the man, he figured out like everything.
@geldonyetich
The reason this information is kept from the players is not because developers look down on players as simpletons. Quite the contrary, it is to keep them from giving it the once over with a fine tooth comb and pointing out all the errors, inconsistencies, and poor decisions. They don’t like everyone being able to look under the hood and see a bunch of string, duct tape, and twist ties holding everything together.
“Theorycrafters” get through all this cloak and dagger nonsense eventually, but usually not without some considerable effort. Even after considerable effort it is still only theory unless the developers confirm it as fact. Thus it is a very effective buffer or insurance policy at the least, allowing things to run wild until they can be fixed and/or the players stop blissfully ignoring them.