Where’s My Guide?

World of Warcraft and other MMOs throw the gamer into the map with his friends and downloaded online guides as his only possible directions. Sometimes a book comes with the game, but it gives more options than answers. I found myself dying repeatedly, to the same ogres, until my roommate, an experienced player, told me that I had to draw them out one at a time. I was at a low level, on a low level playing field, but there was still no way for me to beat these ogres without knowing this tactic. The fact that immediate human interaction is needed is a huge setback if you just want to try and get some stuff done right from the start. With no practice mode, no time to run around learning to, well, run around, it makes the game harder and that makes a game less fun. When the hardness of a game comes from learning the basics of that game, the game is definitely in trouble. It seems like Blizzard is content to let players talk amongst each other to learn stuff, which again brings up the online requirement. If your internet connection is unstable and your character is lagging, most characters won't help you, even if you're on the same side. The help file Blizzard provides with the game gives only the most basic game controls, and there is so much stuff missing. My roommate only found out after a year of playing that could use a "hot key" function that allows you to link single buttons to specific actions. This tip was nowhere in the help file and most people online did not even know about it. With no guides, gamers are left to their own devices, which is fun, until you get stuck, and then, without a guide, you really aren't going anywhere.