Easily share boss strategies with Boss Blueprint
by Mathew McCurley 
Jan 19th 2011 at 9:00AM
The interface is simple, and it has preset room images for each and every raid boss in Bastion of Twilight, Throne of the Four Winds, and Blackwing Descent. You can add any raid markers, directional arrows to indicate movement, and raid roles onto the map to show where people should stand. Boss Blueprint could make a really great tool when you're explaining a fight to your raid and need a visual aid.
Blizzard has come a long way with its own raid interface with the new raid markers, new tools for raiders like role checks, and beefed-up raid unit frames that look more and more like those of a lot of addons out there. Boss Blueprint looks like it could be a great corollary to the built-in tools, as the images you create are easily sharable just by clicking the generated link.
Check out Boss Blueprint at its website here.
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm has destroyed Azeroth as we know it; nothing is the same! In WoW Insider's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion, from leveling up a new goblin or worgen to breaking news and strategies on endgame play.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Ishammel Jan 19th 2011 9:17AM
SKULL!
Roguesan Jan 19th 2011 9:22AM
Theoretically it's not a bad idea. In fact, it's a very useful tool particularly as a visual aid when teaching players new to an encounter the general makeup for the fight. In practice I find the interface generally leaves a bit to be desired.
When clicking a new marker, it lands at a set point on the map, which, if you've already got markers on it can be a little irritating to select and move. Testing it out, I kept moving my tanks run pattern and directional markers about, which was a little frustrating. It could easily be solved by having the marker spawn somewhere that wasn't on the game field or having a click and drag format for the markers.
Krieg Jan 19th 2011 9:24AM
Click and drag is something we are definitely looking to add, thank you for the suggestion.
Krieg Jan 19th 2011 9:23AM
Awesome, thank you for the feature. I hope everyone enjoys the tool!
Trilynne Jan 19th 2011 9:29AM
rofl, that's awesome xD I'm not raiding yet, but I amused myself with having a giant tank being tanked by several 'bosses'... :3
Nina Katarina Jan 19th 2011 9:42AM
That's a wonderfully fun tool - I foresee hours ahead trying to tweak my raid's positioning. Is there a way to label the people in the different roles, so I can tell people exactly where to stand?
ioo Jan 19th 2011 9:57AM
I'm sure the devs have a list of things they want to add, but I would really like to see:
- Text Fields
- Add text tags to individual markers (Identify Tank1, Tank2, etc)
- Multiple frames or pages for different boss phases
Rollo Jan 19th 2011 12:36PM
Exactly what I was going to say!
Minstrel Jan 19th 2011 3:39PM
I love the idea about text fields/tags. Since it's just an image generator, though, there probably isn't a need to have multiple pages/layers for different phases. Just set 'em up for one phase, save an image. Change the markers around for the next phase, save an image. Etc. Then post all the images wherever your guild looks at information.
tharveyyorkshire Jan 19th 2011 10:08AM
love it!!!
wish i could have had it for back in the day on fights like the four horsemen :)
souvlaki Jan 19th 2011 10:19AM
I could not use the "save" URL in a BB forum post (using the proper code given by the tool). I could only use the image bypassing it via tinypic.com and posting the tinypic URL.
I don't know why this could happen. Anyway... great tool!!
Malozing Jan 19th 2011 10:29AM
Cool, I should show this to my GM
Wither Jan 19th 2011 10:41AM
Great tool. I was thinking a lot about such an application a couple of years ago, unfortunately I lacked the energy and motivation to build it.
Some thoughts:
1) Add maps for battlegrounds.
2) Remove the ads - I'm sure this web site could become profitable, but you want to bait and switch, you don't want to deter your very first visitors.
3) Improve the arrows (use start, finish and a bspline).
4) Allow comments (perhaps integrate with Wordpress or similar).
5) Wow players could be your initial market, but I think there's demand for a very clean, simple tool like this outside of Wow.
6) The UI needs some work, start thinking about how just application would work on a touch-screen interface like the iPad. Less clicking, more dragging.
What started out as a useful tool, could be turned into a business. :D
Wither Jan 19th 2011 10:42AM
Oh, and add a feedback widget on-site!
Dez Jan 19th 2011 11:57AM
Anyone else find it a bit strange that this thing uses green/yellow/red to indicate tank/DPS/healer, when WoW itself uses blue/red/green? Bit of an integration fail there. It's a great idea, but perhaps it could use a little more graphical polish. Either that or I'm a pedant.
brothernature22 Jan 19th 2011 12:30PM
This+Hudmap=Godly. They should talk.
Mondryn Jan 19th 2011 12:39PM
This is a really awesome tool! Just one question: where do I indicate the 50 DKP minus?
Spark Jan 19th 2011 1:18PM
-----
Mondryn Jan 19th 2011 12:39PM
This is a really awesome tool! Just one question: where do I indicate the 50 DKP minus?
-----
You indicate that by forming a cluster of multiple dots.
TaurenBard Jan 19th 2011 2:12PM
If you were really going through a dungeon and came upon a boss would you have time to sit down and draw strategies? Stuff like this makes the game so stupidly boring, like work. I can already hear the bossy group leader yelling orders at everyone. Screw that, just go have fun. It's a game!
Progar Jan 19th 2011 3:57PM
There are many instances where a tool like this would be highly useful. If somebody had to use something like this for a regular dungeon boss then there are other problems in play.
That being said, very nice work Krieg. Very intuitive and easy way to hammer out strategies with accurate pictures and maps of the zones.