To Optimal or Not To Optimal?

Hero's Journey - Day 1

So, I started Hero's Journey last night at the gym, to keep up with the LoseIt challenge (which starts a week before the Greysky Armada challenge does--so... yesterday). So, I know I'm not in the best shape, but I average about 9k steps a day, eat healthy, and am slowly losing weight. And even at Level 1, I could barely get halfway through.

I was able to do forty of the leg raises, forty of the squats (though I wanted to cry), twenty of the tap toe hops, and none of the climbers. So, what does that mean for the challenge?

I had thought about saying "Screw it!" altogether. But that'd just result in unhealthy habits, which I'm trying to get out of, especially as Chaide and I try to start a family. Instead, I'm still going to do the challenge. But I'm going to keep doing each day until I complete it on Level 1. So it might take me longer than sixty days--but isn't the point to become better at fitness and enjoy it? Do I really need to be "perfect or go home" about it?

I'll admit, while I wanted to cry at the pain, I had fun. And fun is not normally a word I equate with fitness. So why give it up? Why not work my way to the Day's goal at my own pace? Why not...

Thanks, Shia.

Veteran Oregon Malgrave Trail

Last night, I set up a Vet Malgrave Trail for some new guild members who needed to work on Attunement. Being one of the more difficult/longer adventures, folks are less likely to run them as a "quick thing" in-guild, and in general.

We did really well! It was some of the most fun I've had outside of raiding. We introduced it to two folks who'd never seen it before, and we were also able to move two of the three DPS (one is an alt of someone already raiding) onto the Dungeons attunement step. Tonight, the guild is running Vet Crimelords to help those still needing it for attunement as well.

We Silvered it, though barely. All of a sudden, we hit a no-supplies zone (after RNJesus had been so nice to us, too!) and lost six caravan members. Of course, people might fault us for, "Not taking the most efficient/fastest path". But that's not the point, at least how we generally feel in Black Daggers. The guild is based on the idea that you can complete something from every avenue. Sometimes it may not be the easiest, and sometimes you may be spending two hours, but you can still complete it. And you can still get Silver or Gold. 

I sometimes get annoyed with the people who say there's "only one path". Because there isn't--that's the point of Adventures! There's multiple paths! And there's achievements for completing each part of the path, not just one single way.

Hokanu even Tweeted this morning about a similar experience he had yesterday. And I really felt it resounded with the run we'd had in Malgrave.

Ran Hycrest yesterday morn. My team chose options I'd never experienced before! "Optimal" is often "boring". Glad to see the new #WildStar

— Hokanu (@Hokanu_) July 8, 2015

I just wish that in general, more people felt this way about running content. Not only in WildStar, but in other games, as well. Sometimes, based on your group makeup, and the way people play, the optimal way really isn't all that optimal.

For instance, for the longest time when the guild was first learning Drokk in Veteran Kel Voreth (KV), we would wait for four Silos until breaking out of our tethers. Why? Because at the time, it was way too chaotic for our DPS and healers to try to survive after breaking out, and get to Drokk to interrupt the Silo. Nowadays, people would look down on a strategy like that--especially in a PUG. But you know what? While not optimal, it was the easiest way for our groups to perform the fight to completion.

I really feel people would benefit from stopping to smell the roses every once in a while in the games they play--and to try different strategies, even if they aren't optimal.