Optimization levels and its impact on combat choices/metagame through low-high level.

[Deathcharge01]

How do you guys think optimization changes the metagame? In my experience with casters, this has led to utilizing the damage and buffing options much more often than not, with the use of select debuffs, as BFC, Disables and Control type spell effects simply fail or are largely ineffective because of increased saves and SR. With mundane classes, they seem to mainly have one option regardless of the encounter, melee/ranged dps, they just hit hard or harder (if they can land hits)depending on the level of optimization.

In my current example, I'm level 12 (wiz/sorc/um) with an encyclopedia of spells, yet a typical combat from low level till now has seen the use of some combination of the following: nerveskitter, wings of cover, friendly fire, greater mirror image, ruin delver's fortune, alter fortune , shadow cloak(item from Dotu), belt of battle (item), Lower SR, assay spell resistance, true casting, Haste, scale weakening, extended rot of ages, lesser orbs, scorching ray, orbs, dalamar's lightning lance, moonbow,and if the enemy is capable of spellcasting, a deafening melf's acid arrow or deafening cloud of knives; In case of emergency regroup into teleport. The celerity and polymorph lines are banned. So during combat I'm basically Sorcererish I've still got lots of options, but out of total possibilities, only few are worthwhile. With that said, with higher level spells available I do expect life to become noticeably easier.
We do plan heavily, but usually some unforeseen event foils critical elements of said plan and we(players) then proceed to loose 5 pounds due to sweating. The DM claims that he likes to keep it interesting.

How has the level of optimization of the campaign affected you and your usual style of game play? What changes did you make in an effort to make life easier? I'm talking to you fighter types, because God knows our fighters need some tips to be elevated to something beyond irrelevant speed bump. To the casters, what BFC or Disable options have you used with success in higher powered games to help bring the beatsticks into play.

[Darkweave31]

Your problem could be that you are a theurge (Ultimate Magus) rather than being a focused wizard. Those higher level spells you're missing out on are really big in being able to keep pace with encounters. I ran a solo wizard as an experiment once and was actually able to get through prettymuch any random encounter I rolled in the DMG (not always killing, but at least bypassing; there were a few that I had to escape at lower levels, but sometimes that's a viable option too).

In actual games I optimize not so I can win encounters, but so I can avoid or end them as quickly as possible and get back to roleplaying (combat is tedious and boring to me, I prefer interaction and worldbuilding). I also optimize to do silly things for the sake of fun, like shadowcraft mage with miracle that basically became a prankster god or the vegan necromancer, a pretentious art student that sculpts statues, casts stone to flesh, then animates them or even my current character (level 9) that is attempting to start the magindustrial revolution with factories of unseen crafters and rune circles of fabricate (next invention is the arcanomobile, an animated carriage)...

[Magic Myrmidon]

Out of game, when I make a martial character, it either consists of multiclassing. A LOT of multiclassing. My highest level character had levels in ... 7 different classes, I think? In game... not much changes. It's just a more effective way to survive combats and hit enemies. Strangely, cool tricks like trip and disarm are usually not really optimal, in my experience.

Unless I use ToB. Then I have some cooler options to work with. Yay, Tome of Battle!