What is Deserving?

In my last post I mentioned the word "Deserving" in reference to being deserving of gear.  It got me wondering what exactly makes someone deserving of anything.  All 25 people worked to get that boss killed so aren't all 25 people equally deserving?

All in all, on an even playing field the answer to that question would be a resounding yes.  But there is never really an even playing field.  We all have our skills and weaknesses.  We all have our good days and bad days.  We all have our own idiosyncrasies.   Like me, I am grumpy.  I fake it and most don't really know it but in the end I can usually find something to be grumpy about even if there should not be anything.  It is like a thrive off of being grumpy.

In a team effort you have to look at things in the points of a whole team and not the single pieces of the team.  Looking at single pieces should be secondary.  A team should work like a machine, each member of the team is another piece that makes that machine run smoothly.  When upgrading your machine you look at the pieces that need improvement and the options available to you.

In the case of our team we are going to use the "all things being equal" idea and work from there.  The tanks all have enough life and avoidance that they can live without fear of possible spike damage.  The healers make sure everyone lives without running out of mana.  The DPS are doing more then enough damage that it never even gets close to the enrage timer.

From what I just described there really is no need what so ever to upgrade any of the parts of this machine.  It is working perfectly, as it should really.  If something that would upgrade any part of the machine drops it is really not needed.  It is wanted.  Everyone that can use it wants it but by getting to it they proved they did not need it.  There is no NEED there, only WANT.

That is where we get to who is deserving of it.  The ultimate fair way to decide who gets it is with the luck of the roll.  The roll however does not address who deserves it.  Remember what I said, no one needs it.  So using the standard "whoever needs it most" is bullshit.  If they downed the boss they really did not need it.  The might need it to down the next boss, but at the stage you are currently at, loot for that boss, they do not need it.

What do you use to decide who needs it?

Person A: Shows up late.
Person B: Shows up on time.

Person A: Shows up without flasks.
Person B: Shows up with flasks.

Person A: Never brings any supplies.
Person B: Brings enough for him/herself and enough for others.

Person A: Always needs a summon even though they knew a week in advance where they were going to need to be.
Person B: Is waiting there 10 minutes before start time to summon those people to lazy to make their own way there.

Person A: Needs fight tactics explained.  Every time.
Person B: Knows the tactics of the fight.

Person A: Need a bathroom break, a cig break and then a phone break between every boss.
Person B: Might ask for 2 minutes once every hour or two.

Person A: Has a high gear score and does well.
Person B: Has the same gear score and does exceptional.

Player A: Does not stop what they are doing to assist elsewhere.
Player B: Will do whatever needs to get done if help is needed elsewhere.

Player A: Never even notices that something is happening around them.
Player B: Is completely aware of their surroundings.

While looking at those things you will notice that Player B sure as hell seems more deserving of it.  However we revert to need once again.  Neither need it.  Both want it.  Just because Player A is not deserving of it does not mean he wants it any less.  Their want levels are effectively even.  Even with all that you can make an argument that Player B deserves it more.  But it would be only a slight argument.  If anything and there is one spot left to invite to the raid, looking at that, Player B gets the raid spot.  That is what that example shows. Sure Player B put in more effort and is more of the team type of player you want to see but is that enough?

If judging who deserves it, I say yes.  I would like to move on further however.  Looking at things from a purely DPS perspective now.

If giving a piece to Player A will up his/her maximum DPS potential by 500 and giving it to Player B will up his/her maximum potential DPS by 300 would that make Player A more deserving?

Only if you look at the DPS output based on potential.

Lets say Player A has a maximum DPS potential of 8500 and is currently doing 4500 he/she is only doing a little more then 1/2 of his potential.  So giving him/her something that ups their DPS potential by 500 you would have to figure would mean they are roughly going to gain a little more then 1/2 from it based on performance.

Lets say Player B has a maximum DPS potential of 8000 and is currently doing 7000, that would mean they are working at near 90% of their potential DPS increase based on past performance.

So, while Player A has a higher maximum potential then Player B and Player A would gain more potential using the item then Player B it is not that black and white.  The item, when giving to the most deserving person, would be given to the person that will do the most with it.  Which in turn would mean they are the person that brings more to the team. The person that brings more to the team is the person that is doing the best percentage based on their maximum potential.

Now this is where I sit and think about it. 
Am I really the more deserving person for things sometimes?  Ab-so-fucking-lutely.
Would I ever take something that was just given to me because I was the most deserving?  Nope, never.

So if I would not take it if it were given to me why would I waste all this time being grumpy about it?  Well, being grumpy is what I do.  That and the fact that when I sit back and call another person undeserving I would not do that just because I am upset I lost a roll.  Losing a roll I can deal with.  It happens.  I just feel it is a kick in the ass to lose something to somebody that does not deserve it.  Being I explained what deserving it means I am being factual and not just plan old grumpy with my bad rolling.

So when I actually call someone undeserving I would not be like the jerks that got geared up and left saying they did not want to help gear up people that were undeserving.  When it comes to deserving, the one true way to make yourself undeserving is to not need it.  How is someone else getting something bad when you did not need it anyway?  You were undeserving of it.  Not them.

Funny thing is this.  I forever run other people through things I need nothing from to help them get items.  I have no issues gearing people up.  Deserving or not does not make a difference if I don't need it anyway.  Never once have a ran something that I needed nothing from and it got me to the point I could consider quitting.

Yet I sit around now considering quitting because I did not get something I deserved.  The exact opposite of the reason they left.  They left because they had everything they wanted and did not want to help others gear up.  Helping people gear up is fun, not a reason to quit.  I help other gear up even if I do not have what I need.  I wonder something about all these people that won these things.  When they get to the point they need nothing from there are they going to keep going so I can finally get it?  I doubt it.  They will have what they want.  Why should they help gear me.  Yeah, it pisses me off.  If I got it, I would run it with them until they did.  But when they get what they want they leave me out in the cold.

I might be a grumpy elf, but I have damn good reason to be one.  In general I really hate people.