Addon Spotlight: Raeli's Spell Announcer
by Mathew McCurley 
Jan 13th 2011 at 2:00PM
As Cataclysm chugs along and we grow more and more accustomed to the way things will be from here on out, some addons rise to the top of the importance list. Luckily, here on Addon Spotlight, we get to examine these new essentials and let you know some of the cooler tools you can use to make life in Azeroth a little bit easier.
Today, we're talking interrupts. Well, there's more than interrupts going on here, but the reason I love this addon is mainly its interrupt-announcing abilities. Lost? Don't feel bad. Get ready to introduce yourself to one of your new best friends, Raeli's Spell Announcer.
The new hotness
Cataclysm has brought with it a resurgence of the crowd control and interrupt mindset, once lost to the facerolling of Wrath of the Lich King heroic dungeons. Nowadays, spell and ability interrupting is more important than ever, especially in heroic and raid content. Baron Ashbury is a great example of a fight in which, if players are not competent and vocal with their dispelling, you could be in for a long encounter. Maloriak, one of the fights in Blackwing Descent, is an encounter based around using the interrupt mechanic to stagger adds, making the encounter possible.
With the new importance placed on interrupting and the communication surrounding successful interrupts, I thought it would be prudent to recommend one of my favorite tools for such a job.
Announcing your interrupts
While interrupt announcements aren't Raeli's Spell Announcer's biggest feature, they're certainly my favorite. Letting your group or raid know when your interrupts have successfully or unsuccessfully done their job is vital in case you need some backup on a particularly nasty spell, like Lady Naz'jar's shock attack that can kill pretty quickly. Also, if you miss an interrupt for some reason, healers can see and quickly adapt to the situation, making sure the right people get the heals they need to survive.
Setting up Raeli's is easy and straightforward, even allowing you to create your own custom announcements using a robust set of keywords. From the main customization menu, hit Spell Options and click Dispel Magic. From here, you can set the options for your personal buff and debuff dispels that you successfully or unsuccessfully remove or prevent. You can set what channels your announcements will be broadcast to. Tip: You'll want to keep this to one channel (for the most part) to avoid a bit of spam. Do your group and raidmates a favor and don't make that text scroll too fast!
Raeli's is definitely not a one-trick pony. In fact, I picked out of the addon one of the auxiliary features that just happens to be done the best with this addon. Raeli's Spell Announcer's main purpose of spell announcing is so easy and excellent that it almost feels like a bonus to the interrupt announcing.
Sometimes having a textual/visual cue for important spells like Hymn of Hope are great to have in addition to yelling it over Mumble. Letting people know what you're doing ability-wise is always helpful in making snap decisions based on what is going on in the fight. Speaking of priests, I know a bunch of boomkin who would love a text announcement when they have a Power Infusion go off on them.
Reminders
Raeli's Spell Announcer also has the nice little feature of a configurable reminder system that lets you know when certain buffs that you can cast aren't up. These reminders can be set locally so that they are only visible to you. Sometimes, after getting caught up in the heat of wipe after wipe, charging into battle without all of your buffs up is the norm. Raeli's can offer that gentle reminder, making sure you never go running into the fray without all your kit.
I think you guys will like Raeli's Spell Announcer. I love addons that are simple, easy, and so incredibly useful, and Raeli's hits all three. Interrupts are the new hotness in Cataclysm, so make sure your group or raid knows that you're doing your job.
Download Raeli's Spell Announcer at [Curse].
Mailbag, you say? Mailbag!
With everyone (including me) concentrating on leveling, I somehow missed a key guild leader addon disappearing in The Shattering. I wanted to send out mail to our raiders now that we are looking at raiding soon. My second favorite mail addon MassMailer was gone (Postal is definitely number one). No one wants to get spam mail, but it was really nice to be able to set up one mail item to be sent to my raiders or my officers. Does anyone have a viable option?
If you need me, I'll be at the mailbox ...
Mystris <Running Amok>
Thanks for the email, Mystris. I think that I have answered this question before, but I think it bears repeating. Mass mailer addons were rendered useless and defunct once the 4.0.1-4.0.3 changes went into effect (much like how the auction house now requires more player input to deal with auctions). I know it's a pain in the butt, but you could use the calendar features to send out guild invites to members' calendars reminding them of certain events.
Hey Mat,
It was really cool seeing your UI last week, and I cannot wait until you put your panels up for download. Quick question, though. How did you make your time, mail and durability in plain text? I just cannot find out how to do that.
Thanks,
Jangrot
Thanks for the email, Jangrot. First, I'm glad that you liked my UI, and I should have my panels up soon. I want to make a little tutorial on how to throw it together, too, so it's all dependent on my time.
Second, the addon that I used to get that plain text look for those UI elements is called SLDataText, one of my favorite addons of all time. It's so simple but works so well and has some amazing features, especially for a guy like me who loves plain text where it works.
See you guys next week!
Addons are what we do on Addon Spotlight. If you're new to mods, Addons 101 will walk you through the basics; see what other players are doing at Reader UI of the Week. If there's a mod you think Addon Spotlight should take a look at, email mat@wow.com.Filed under: Add-Ons, AddOn Spotlight
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Variatas Jan 13th 2011 2:44PM
Is there any way to call attention to when an interruptable spell is being cast? I'm still struggling with figuring out what needs to be interrupted/dispelled, since hunters didn't use to have interrupts, and I never managed to get my rogue to cap.
Amanda A. Jan 13th 2011 3:14PM
I use an addon called tidy plates that will show a cast bar on your current target on their nameplate, as well as details such as an HP bar and the enemy's current target, on all enemies within range. You do need to have name plates on (v key) for this to work. I personally can't live without it.
Is there an addon that will show cast bars for an enemy you're NOT targeting, or otherwise tell you that someone, somewhere is casting a spell you might want to interrupt (via reading the combat log, perhaps?) I know that you can if you set the enemy as focus, but I usually focus the tank as dps or healer (or the healer as tank) so various other macros work properly.
Bluegrass Geek Jan 13th 2011 4:59PM
If you watch your target's spellbar, anything that CANNOT be interrupted will have a shield icon on the end of the cast bar. Everything else is interruptable.
venomslife Jan 13th 2011 2:46PM
being someone who is new to addons
once i've downloaded the addon, how to i set it up ?
i had this same problem with priest friend, /pf show never worked !
Tim Sweeney Jan 13th 2011 3:01PM
once you download the addon you usually need to unzip it, then you take the folder inside the unzipped file and place it in your /program files/world of warcraft/interface/addons folder.
Moeru Jan 13th 2011 4:21PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuImQiN2deA
Jebediah54 Jan 13th 2011 4:35PM
If you're /command doesn't work to bring up the options menu, try (using your example priest friend) /pf options, /pf config, or even just /priestfriend. If after trying that type of stuff, you can just hit your escape key to bring up the menu, click on interface, then in that window there's a tab at the top that says "Addons". In that tab, you should be able to find the addon menu that you're looking for.
And if after all that work you still can't configure it, go to the page that you downloaded it on and look for a /command that works.
Lumi Jan 13th 2011 2:48PM
Is there an add-on that announces when, say, my Inquisition is down?
I have been using SexyCooldown for that now, but I feel it does a bit more than I want it to; I just want a little text popup that tells me to get Inq up.
Zalvi24 Jan 13th 2011 3:08PM
Mik's Scrolling Battle Text is what you need to download
Crazyates Jan 13th 2011 3:18PM
As useful as the build in spell alerts are, I still use PowerAuras for notifications like that.
Just set one up for when you are in combat/but do not have Inquisition up. I do the same on my warr for battle shout.
Nub Jan 13th 2011 3:32PM
TellMeWhen is a fantastic add-on for telling you when buffs are missing, present, proc'ing, expiring, on cooldown, off cooldown, whatever you want.
It can "tell you when" Inquisition is down, but not if you don't have any/enough holy power (as determined by you), or factor in how much health the target has left if you want to try to gauge whether it's worth it.
Personally I use it to tell me when I charge into to battle with Crusader Aura on, among other things. :)
It's not as pretty as, e.g., Power Auras, but in my opinion it's a much better communicator.
Kuro Jan 13th 2011 7:29PM
Depends on what you mean by "text popup" -- if you just want a bit of text to float by when the spell falls off, something like Mik's scrolling battle text can work.
If you want something to pop-up on the screen when an important buff is not active, I suggest using PowerAuras. It can be a bit daunting to set up. Sooo many buttons and sliders to fiddle with. But they're importable and I usually just go borrow one from the wiki and modify it to do what I need.
i.e. On my mage (and shaman) I have a power-aura that lights up when my shield falls off.
Superstone Jan 14th 2011 7:42AM
I'm also going to vote for using power auras. It CAN be daunting to use when you first start because of all the options but, once you figure it out, it can be used for freaking anything that pops up in game. I used to use it on my Enh. Shaman to make sure lightning shield was up and to tell me when MW hit five stacks with a neato lightning bolt icon that showed up over my character's head.
Seriously, even if you have a completely stock UI. Power Auras is a great addon to learn and use.
Samual Barshow Jan 13th 2011 3:17PM
I am currently looking for aa lightweight quest tracker addon. One that will allow me to change the location, font, and size. Everything I seem to find is bloated or part of a larger addon such as carbonite. Any help from you fine folks is appreciated.
Fel Jan 13th 2011 4:02PM
Your best bet is actually Move Anything, it will let you adjust the built-in frames to your liking. Quest helpers are going the way of the Dodo since the in-game quest tracking has been updated.
Sicadastra Jan 13th 2011 4:12PM
I have to strongly disagree with the assertion that quest helpers are dying. Quite the opposite, there are several out now vying for a spot in your addon folder, including Questpointer, Questhelper Lite, and Questhelper 2. Why? Because the greatest feature of the old questhelper or Carbonite isnt the quest databases (now provided in game) but the routing features. Now with the built in database these new quest helper addons can run much lighter and require a lot less upkeep.
Sicadastra Jan 13th 2011 4:15PM
I forgot to address the original question. I suggest QuestGuru. It is more than just a tracker, but not much more. Its fairly customizable for what your asking, and also features my favorite little nicety: checkboxes for tracking specific quests or entire zones!
Wulfkin Jan 13th 2011 4:30PM
I use Tomquest. Takes a little setting up, but its one of the best quest tracking addons i've found (at least since Uberquest died... again).
Camo Jan 13th 2011 4:50PM
An easy solution would be:
http://www.wowinterface.com/downloads/info15780-WhoFramedWatcherWabbit.html
Ez Jan 13th 2011 6:27PM
WoW-Pro Guides is super! if you don't want Carbonite you can use it with tomtom. I use it with Carb and it rocks!