Monday, August 9, 2010

Icecrown Citadel Raiding Tips

Whether gearing up a raiding guild or playing on a high population server, some of the best loot in the game comes from Icecrown Citadel. Icecrown Citadel is the final raid instance of this expansion where the Lich King makes his home and is currently one of the best spots to get gear.

It's not precisely the only spot to get gear of the highest quality due to the fact the Ruby Sanctum was released which is an instance / lore line that will bridge the Lich King expansion with the new Cataclysm expansion so there is equivalent loot from that raid instance as well.

But the majority of high end loot will come from Icecrown Citadel and there are several things that can be done to improve the chances of a raid actually finishing 12 of 12 in there; whether it's a pick up group or a raiding guild playing.

1) Ensure the raid group is composed of the right mixture of classes. There's an appropriate time to have 10 of the 25 players to all be Rogues and there's not an appropriate time to have that many rogues (there's probably never an appropriate time in a raid to bring that many Rogues). Same goes with Healers and Tanks. There is probably very little reason to overfill the group on any one type class or role so diversifying the raid usually results in the most success.

2) Properly gear check all players. It is true that gearscore does not equate to skill, but what it does equate to is potential. A good player with a higher gear score has more potential than a good player with a lower gear score. A bad player with a high gearscore has greater potential than a good player with a low gear score, not that there is a need to have bad players, but gearscore represents potential. A good player is always key to a successful raid, but at some point, if the potential of their gear isn't great enough to allow them to keep pace with the rest of the group; there's no reason to bring them.

3) Ensure everyone has proper experience or understands what to do each fight. This is a really vital step in successfully completing a raid. If any single player doesn't know a fight of 25 man Heroic ICC for example, the raid will wipe 99 out of 100 times; if not more. One player can ruin 24 other players gaming experience and waste their time so ensure everyone in the raid truly knows the fight before bringing them along. Allowing a player to learn and make mistakes on other people's watch would be derelicting the duties of raid leader.

Vehicle Simulation Types

Vehicle simulation can be done for quite a number of vehicles, including cars, aircraft, wind craft and nearly any other vehicles you can think of. A few vehicle simulation types will be discussed here.

Flight Simulator

The Microsoft Flight Simulator is one such example of a game that gives you a realistic view of flying a civilian plane. This game, alongside others, differs in terms of goals and achievements one must make while simulating. Other games present players with a number of challenges that include flying at night and flying under poor weather conditions with the objective being learning to fly and land the aircraft without crashing. Others still may present challenges such as navigation and tests of speed and accuracy.

Military Flight Simulators

In military flight simulators, the player will have a number of objectives to achieve. These objectives will include fighting and attacking enemy planes and ground patrol. In this simulation, the player will direct various aircraft such as fighter jets and high-level bomber. The idea is to bomb ground establishments using bombs and missiles from an aerial view. Players are confronted with challenges and targets which they must achieve in order to complete tasks and declare victory. Some games will offer rewards depending on the amount of damage inflicted upon the enemy.

Tank Simulators

Tank simulation is another type of vehicle simulation in which the player is able to use military tanks in combat. Players may choose from a wide variety of weapons and avoid being destroyed themselves before achieving their objective. One interesting aspect of tank simulation is that wepaon selection is not limited by reality. Nearly any sort of weapon may be used for most missions.

Train Simulator

A train simulator generally includes simulations of driving and maneuvering trains. In this simulation, players will be able to drive trains in conditions similar to real-life situations. They will be able to use both high-speed trains and slow trams. Objectives will vary according to the situation, but can include arriving at a destination on time and maintaining accurate speeds.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Preventing Death From Breast Cancer Through Diagnosis

One of the steps in an early diagnosis of breast cancer is self-examination. The techniques used to find small abnormalities in the breast are making a great difference for many women. Although medications have been refined there are still debilitating side effects, so early detection in most cases limits their use and greatly improves the overall health of women diagnosed with cancer. Finding these small lumps in the breast can greatly increase the efficacy of the least invasive surgeries and limit the need for some breast cancer medication.

Less than 20 years ago, more women were finding breast cancer diagnosis’s after the cancer had taken hold and spread to other organs, and limiting the chances of surviving the initial disease. With the advances in cancer research and an aggressive media campaign to provide breast cancer info to the general public, many more women are seeking early diagnostic exams and helping to lower the instances of mortality, according to breast cancer statistics.

Self examination training can be found on many medical websites but it is best to talk to your doctor and learn the correct procedures. Women also need to know to look for more than just lumps. Any change in the shape or size of the breasts must also be noted and can only be detected if the self-exam is conducted on a regular basis.

One of the ways to do this is to stand in front of a mirror, with arms relaxed at your sides. Now, look at both breasts, but don’t be alarmed if they are slightly different in size, most women’s breasts are not identical. Look for changes like puckering around the nipples, differences in color, or sores. Now, bend forward facing the mirror and roll your shoulders and elbows forward to tighten your chest muscles and look for changes in contour. Do the same looking at each side carefully for these abnormalities.

Finding a lump or other abnormalities doesn’t always indicate that cancer is present. Women of all ages can find benign fibrous tumors or cysts caused by any number of reasons. However, only through a doctor’s evaluation can these be determined. And if breast cancer is the diagnosis there have been huge advances in breast cancer medication and treatments that have saved thousands of lives. The most important factor in cancer survival rates is seeking medical treatment as soon as possible. The earlier that treatment can take place the better the overall chances for survival and in many cases total remission.

Once you have visually checked your breasts and noted any changes or problems identified above, it is time to feel for thickening or lumps under the skin. For the best results, it is best to have your doctor explain all the steps to make sure you are doing this part of the exam correctly. In all cases the technique and steps are paramount in finding breast cancer early.

Further research shows that breast cancer statistics have greatly improved in the areas of mortality over the last 10 to 15 years. Early diagnosis begins with the individual and with the internet there is reliable breast cancer info to be found. This is good news for thousands of women and their families and a triumph for the doctors and researchers that have worked tirelessly to prevent early death from this type of cancer.