In the case of frustrating wipes on boss fights, one of the responsibilities of competitive raiders is to try to figure out what went wrong. This can be done in a number of ways, but one of the common methods of doing so is recording fight data in-game and then uploading those data to the website, AskMrRobot.com.
To the right is an example of how fight data might appear. Players are ranked based on the amount of damage done during the boss encounter.
From there, a player can mouse over his/her specific rank to see a more detailed breakdown of the percentiles in which s/he ranks.
If a player is in a high percentile, isn't dying, and has a high active time, then that player is doing well!
However, if a player is in a lower percentile, more research is typically done in order to figure out how to improve for next time.
This particular breakdown on the left indicates that the player had room for improvement on this particular fight. While the 78th percentile for this class at this level is not bad, there are still ways to improve.
A good way to examine how to improve is by clicking on the player's name, examining the breakdown of ability usage, and then comparing it to that of a player in a higher percentile.
The breakdown to the right details what abilities did what percentage of the player's damage. When a player compares his/her analyses to that of a higher-ranked player, s/he typically wants to make sure each ability is ranked similarly.
For example, "Mind Blast" did 16.4% of this player's damage during this fight. If someone in a higher percentile had Mind Blast as doing 20% of his/her damage instead of the 16.4% to the right, that would indicate that the player to the right is not using Mind Blast as often as it should be used.
Another analytical tool this player might use it the "Uptime" tab to the far right. "Shadow Word: Pain Tick" only had a 63.8% uptime in this example. Players of the highest rank will typically have an uptime of 75% or above, which indicats that the player to the right has room for improvement.
While some of this analysis may at first appear confusing, there is an underlying message beneath it all. And that message is just how dedicated players can be to the game and, more importantly, their team. No one is receiving a grade for their performance. Players who take the time and effort to improve are doing so for their own edification and because it is important to them on a personal level. Letting down your teammates feels just as bad in WoW as it does on any field or court.
And these analyses aren't just limited to WoW. Every eSport is full of dedicated individuals who spend hours trying to improve their game and be the best they can be.
