What agile teams can learn from World of Warcraft - Alexandra Schladebeck, BREDEX GmbH @alex_schl
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What agile teams can learn from World of
Warcraft
Alexandra
Schladebeck,
BREDEX
GmbH
@alex_schl
@esconfs
www.eurostarconferences.com
#esconfs
WHAT
AGILE
TEAMS
CAN
LEARN
FROM
WORLD
OF
WARCRAFT
Alexandra
Schladebeck,
BREDEX
GmbH
Eurostar
2012
Agenda • IntroducGons and mandatory geek check • World of WarcraJ – a beginner’s guide • Parallels with agile • Differences to agile • What can we learn?
IntroducGons
• BREDEX
GmbH
– SoJware
development
and
consulGng
– Focus
on
quality
– Focus
on
communicaGon
– Increasing
use
of
agile
pracGces
and
you?
Brief
introducGon
to
WoW
• Create
a
character
Character
– Race
– Class
Race
Class
Profession
– Equipment
Skills
(innate
Skills
(class-‐
Equipment
Talents
Skills
– Talents
abiliGes)
based)
– Profession
Enchantments
Skills
(talent
based)
– Skills
Improvements
Pictures:
ba[le.net
Example
character
Alex’s
Character:
Blood
Elf
Priest
Blood
Elf
Priest
Herbalism
Levitate,
Disrupt
magic,
Magic
cloak
Shadow
form
Shadow
Word:
Lifeblood
(heal)
resist
magic
Pain
+5
intellect
Mind
flay
Picture:
ba[le.net
Example
character
Alex
Trained
Teaching
“Translator”
linguist
experience
A[enGon
to
User
OrganizaGonal
Talking
to
Training
detail
interacGon
skills
groups
+5
knowledge
ConsulGng
Picture:
ba[le.net
Go
on
quests
• Quests
– Find
things
– Kill
things
– Save
things
– Collect
things
• Dungeons
– Killing
and
quesGng
in
a
group
(5)
– Big
“bosses”
to
kill
• Raids
– Killing
and
quesGng
in
a
very
large
group
(25)
Agile
vs.
WoW
SimilariAes
Differences
• Roles
• Team
– Assignment
&
Flexibility
– Reliance
on
members
• Team
– Dragons
and
portals
– CreaGon
• “Easier”
– CommunicaGon
• Task
management
– CollaboraGon
– Dungeon
guides?
– Improvement
• Task
management
– Granularity
– EsGmaGon
– Pace
– Tools
Roles: Assignment Roles in WoW -‐ Healer -‐ Tank -‐ Damage Dealer Assigned based on various factors -‐ Skills -‐ Experience -‐ Equipment Picture: ba[le.net
Roles:
Flexibility
May
need
to
help
others
with
their
role
(short
term)
-‐ Healer
disconnect?
-‐ Unexpected
health
hit?
-‐ Stunned
tank?
Dual
specializaGons
are
possible
(long
term)
-‐ Require
pracGce
Picture:
ba[le.net
Teams:
CreaAon
Role-‐based
-‐ Need
specific
roles
-‐ Not
all
one
role
Diversity
brings
benefits
-‐ Herbalist
Hunter
can
heal
himself
Groups
à
raids
-‐ Self-‐organized
Picture:
techjunkie.co.za
-‐ Smaller
teams
combine
to
large
group
-‐ Each
team
structured
same
Picture: pcweenie.com
Teams
:
CommunicaAon
Quick
Unambiguous
Teamspeak
for
speed
Symbols
everyone
understands
-‐ PrioriGes
for
fighGng
order
-‐ Who
should
fight
whom
-‐ Skull
=
main
focus
Picture:
joysGq.com
-‐ Star
=
Sheep
(mage)
-‐ Triangle
=
trap
(hunter)
Teams : CollaboraAon Can only succeed as a team Know team: -‐ Skills -‐ Members -‐ Experience Pairing, e.g. healer and tank Self-‐organizing -‐ List of tasks -‐ What order -‐ Who -‐ How
Teams
:
Improvement
What
is
hard
now
may
be
easy
later
-‐ Experience
-‐ Skills
-‐ Armour
-‐ New
group
members
Play
more,
win
more
Picture:
pcweenie.com
RetrospecGves
-‐ What
went
wrong?
-‐ Ba[le
log
-‐ Don’t
step
in
the
green
goo
Picture:
joysGq.com
Tasks:
Granularity
Quests
-‐ Back-‐story,
reason
-‐ InformaGon
-‐ Requirements
to
complete
Quest
sequences
-‐ Overarching
story
-‐ Each
quest
separate
and
individual
-‐ Reward
aJer
each
quest
Dungeon
=
set
of
separate
Picture:
joysGq.com
tasks
with
one
aim
(
=sprint)
Tasks : EsAmaAon Drop rate Ease Risk Amount of players needed Phases in fight are Gmeboxed Picture: wowpedia.org How much mana is enough
Tasks
:
Sustainability
and
Pace
Refresh
aJer
fight
-‐ Eat
/
drink
-‐ Repair
equipment
-‐ Recast
spells
Too
many
fights
without
refresh
can
lead
to
death
/
wipe
-‐ Ideal
situaGon
is
not
having
to
recover
from
fight
Picture:
pcweenie.com
Tasks
:
Tools
Macros
-‐ AutomaGon
for
sequences
and
combinaGons
-‐ Can’t
automate
everything
-‐ Intelligence
and
skill
sGll
required
Tools
-‐ Are
oJen
necessary
(healbot)
-‐ Must
be
used
correctly
-‐ Can’t
lose
focus
on
fight
Picture:
joysGq.com
Differences…
No
automaGc
level-‐up
No
automaGc
new
skills
Picture:
joysGq.com
No
dragons,
portals
or
dungeon
finders
-‐ Make
life
(and
helping)
easier
No
reliance
on
specific
role
-‐ Damage
dealers
are
less
important
than
tanks
and
healers
-‐ Without
the
tank
or
healer
à
die
Can’t
give
up
completely
on
tasks
No
dungeon
guides
Picture:
wow-‐nimbert.de
Who
are
the
WoW
testers?
• Healers?
– “Heal
over
Gme”
à
stop
problems
before
they
start?
– “Your
fault”
if
we
have
a
wipe?
• Damage
dealers?
– Is
tesGng
a
destrucGve
acGvity?
– Do
we
cause
problems
from
afar?
• Tanks?
– Standing
at
the
forefront,
taking
the
hits?
• Rogues?
– Because
we’re
sneaky?
• Mages?
– Because
we
do
magic?
Why
does
the
game
work
so
well?
• Tangible,
a[ainable
goals
• Easy
to
help
and
be
helped
• Instant
graGficaGon
–
it’s
fun
• Because
it’s
not
the
real
world
– Experience
points
– Magic
armour
– AutomaGc
levelling
– It’s
just
a
game
Conclusions:
What
can
we
learn
for
our
teams?
Aim
WoW
Agile
Make
helping
easier
Dungeon
finders
Open
door
policy
Easy
port
in
and
out
Same
office
Extra
seats
Not
punished
Build
on
bu[on
press
Provide
test
environment
Rewards
for
helping
and
$
for
random
dungeon
Thank
people
(also
publicly)
iniGaGve
Booty
Social
/
team
incenGves?
Short
feedback
loops
e.g.
CI
Biscuits
Nurture
a
common
goal
PresGge,
XP,
Items
Pride
in
soJware:
demos
Foster
mutual
trust
Playing
regularly
as
a
team
RetrospecGves
Team
problem
solving
ConGnual
tester
presence
Create
shared
mental
models
World
rules
Transparent
decisions
Common
symbols
Shared
language
PrioriGes,
order
and
risk
easy
to
see
Reduce
frustraGon
AutomaGc
improvement
A[ainable
goals
OpGon
to
abandon
quest
RealisGc
esGmates
Repair
&
rejuvenate
Gme
if
necessary
Conclusions:
What
can
my
“character”
learn?
• Keep
learning
– PracGse
“dual
specializaGon”
– Aim
for
improvement
– Keep
up
with
“extra-‐curricular”
interests
• Gain
pleasure
from
social
incenGves
and
rewards
• Rely
on
your
team
– You
can’t
kill
the
boss
on
your
own
;)
Picture:
ba[le.net
Thank
you!
Picture:
ba[le.net
Alexandra.Schladebeck@Bredex.de
@alex_schl
www.bredexsw.com
blog.bredex.de
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