Archived from groups: alt.games.everquest (More info?)
Y'know, I've seen so many bogus "EQ killed my child!" kind of claims, I
thought I'd put in an equally silly claim about how EverQuest saved my life
Friday night.
So, it's been snowing all day in Minnesota, our first serious snowstorm this
year. We have pretty good road crews, and they're usually right out there
plowing the snow off the freeways and laying down a layer of salt at the
same time. During continuous snowfalls like today, that means that the snow
gets cleared away and new snow is less likely to freeze and become slippery,
but it's still not the best of driving conditions.
So I'm driving home on the freeway, and it's been plowed with only a slight
layer of new snow on top of it. I'm going about forty, which is plenty fast
enough in these conditions and a bit faster than most other drivers. In fact
I've pulled away from the pack and there are no other cars within half a
mile of me. It's dark and I'm driving through an area of construction, which
means there are two lanes but no shoulders - just a concrete barrier.
Ahead of me, the freeway splits in two - one lane heads off towards an exit
on the right, the other two lanes take a moderate turn to the left. Two cars
are bearing to the right, towards the exit.
As I watch, the driver of one of the cars suddenly realizes he doesn't
actually want to take the exit. In a move which can only be attributed to
pure panic, he slams on the brakes. His car begins fishtailing badly. He
takes off the brakes and tries to accelerate to regain control. He jerks
forward and, realizing he's now heading directly for the concrete barriers
on the other side of the freeway, slams on the brakes again. He ends at
complete stop, perpendicular to the freeway, a hundred yards directly in
front of me.
My headlights illuminate the driver's side window quite nicely. I can
actually see him looking at me, his expression one of someone who has just
lost control over his destiny, fate heading directly towards him at forty
miles an hour.
So, I have two options (three if you want to include failing to react at all
and just plowing into him.) I can try to stop. On dry payment I think I
could stop in time, but under these conditions, I'm not so sure. Or I can
try to change lanes and get by him on the right. There's ample room to do so
as long as he doesn't suddenly put it in reverse.
Both of these options flashed through my mind in less than a second, far
less time than it takes to actually articulate. I decided to go around him,
and smoothly drifted to the right, coming somewhat close but missing him
quite easily. I continue on, and in the rear-view mirror I see him back away
from the barrier and attempt to straighten out.
Disaster averted, and we both escaped both injury and damage. My car is less
than a year old and I would not at all have enjoyed seeing it come to harm.
A couple of miles later it occurred to me that I wasn't nervous or shaky or
anything. In fact, during the whole encounter no surge of adrenaline caused
my heart to start racing. In fact, I just calmly but quickly assessed my
options and chose a course of action.
And then it struck me: this was just like a bad pull! I reacted exactly the
same way I'd react when three mobs run into camp, the chanter starts getting
hit, and the shaman is afk. I'd have to choose who to heal, what heals to
use, whether to DivArb, whether to DA to lose aggro or just stand there and
take some hits until the chanter can mez, etc.
Years of experience as a cleric in EverQuest had trained me not to panic
when things go bad but to instead quickly decide upon the best course of
action and then try it.
So, if not for my years in EverQuest, I might this very second be a
slowly-cooling pile of goo on the freeway.
So, take heart true believers. EverQuest is merely training us for the
life-and-death decisions we may yet have to face in our personal lives.
EverQuest saved my life!
-Richard
Monual Lifegiver
Prelate of Rodcet Nife
Lotus Cult
Quellious server
Y'know, I've seen so many bogus "EQ killed my child!" kind of claims, I
thought I'd put in an equally silly claim about how EverQuest saved my life
Friday night.
So, it's been snowing all day in Minnesota, our first serious snowstorm this
year. We have pretty good road crews, and they're usually right out there
plowing the snow off the freeways and laying down a layer of salt at the
same time. During continuous snowfalls like today, that means that the snow
gets cleared away and new snow is less likely to freeze and become slippery,
but it's still not the best of driving conditions.
So I'm driving home on the freeway, and it's been plowed with only a slight
layer of new snow on top of it. I'm going about forty, which is plenty fast
enough in these conditions and a bit faster than most other drivers. In fact
I've pulled away from the pack and there are no other cars within half a
mile of me. It's dark and I'm driving through an area of construction, which
means there are two lanes but no shoulders - just a concrete barrier.
Ahead of me, the freeway splits in two - one lane heads off towards an exit
on the right, the other two lanes take a moderate turn to the left. Two cars
are bearing to the right, towards the exit.
As I watch, the driver of one of the cars suddenly realizes he doesn't
actually want to take the exit. In a move which can only be attributed to
pure panic, he slams on the brakes. His car begins fishtailing badly. He
takes off the brakes and tries to accelerate to regain control. He jerks
forward and, realizing he's now heading directly for the concrete barriers
on the other side of the freeway, slams on the brakes again. He ends at
complete stop, perpendicular to the freeway, a hundred yards directly in
front of me.
My headlights illuminate the driver's side window quite nicely. I can
actually see him looking at me, his expression one of someone who has just
lost control over his destiny, fate heading directly towards him at forty
miles an hour.
So, I have two options (three if you want to include failing to react at all
and just plowing into him.) I can try to stop. On dry payment I think I
could stop in time, but under these conditions, I'm not so sure. Or I can
try to change lanes and get by him on the right. There's ample room to do so
as long as he doesn't suddenly put it in reverse.
Both of these options flashed through my mind in less than a second, far
less time than it takes to actually articulate. I decided to go around him,
and smoothly drifted to the right, coming somewhat close but missing him
quite easily. I continue on, and in the rear-view mirror I see him back away
from the barrier and attempt to straighten out.
Disaster averted, and we both escaped both injury and damage. My car is less
than a year old and I would not at all have enjoyed seeing it come to harm.
A couple of miles later it occurred to me that I wasn't nervous or shaky or
anything. In fact, during the whole encounter no surge of adrenaline caused
my heart to start racing. In fact, I just calmly but quickly assessed my
options and chose a course of action.
And then it struck me: this was just like a bad pull! I reacted exactly the
same way I'd react when three mobs run into camp, the chanter starts getting
hit, and the shaman is afk. I'd have to choose who to heal, what heals to
use, whether to DivArb, whether to DA to lose aggro or just stand there and
take some hits until the chanter can mez, etc.
Years of experience as a cleric in EverQuest had trained me not to panic
when things go bad but to instead quickly decide upon the best course of
action and then try it.
So, if not for my years in EverQuest, I might this very second be a
slowly-cooling pile of goo on the freeway.
So, take heart true believers. EverQuest is merely training us for the
life-and-death decisions we may yet have to face in our personal lives.
EverQuest saved my life!
-Richard
Monual Lifegiver
Prelate of Rodcet Nife
Lotus Cult
Quellious server
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