WoW Insider http://wow.joystiq.com WoW Insider http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/wow.joystiq.com/media/feedlogobig.gif WoW Insider http://wow.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2015 AOL, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. View our terms of service here: http://legal.aol.com/terms-of-service/full-terms/ Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/ <![CDATA[Addon Spotlight: Achievements]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/12/14/addon-spotlight-achievements/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/12/14/addon-spotlight-achievements/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/12/14/addon-spotlight-achievements/#comments I have to say; at first I was not a fan of the new Achievement system. Feathers in my cap didn't intersest me on Xbox Live, and even Warhammer Online's achievement system didn't do much for me during my short stint as a Marauder. I don't think I could attribute my newfound obsession to any genius on the part of Blizzard, but I do have to admit that I've fallen for achievements in World of Warcraft. Perhaps it has something to do with the massive amount of time played, or a sense of having been there and done that. Naturally this led me to start mixing my passion for achievements with my passion for addons. This week, we're going to take a look at a few addons specifically built to enhance or simply the new system.

Let's start with one bearing a name alluding to one of my favorite movies. Urban Achiever replaces the default Achievement UI. It adds a search feature, making it easy to find an achievement amongst the many available. It also replaces the tracking feature, while even automatically tracking time achievements when they begin. Players can track up to five achievements at a time. In the end, this one is really a matter of preference.

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Addon Spotlight: Achievements originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 14 Dec 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> achievement-modAchievementAddonjoystiqfeaturestweet-this (Sean Forsgren) Sun, 14 Dec 2008 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Addon Spotlight: Atlasloot Enhanced updated for Wrath]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/11/30/addon-spotlight-atlasloot-enhanced-updated-for-wrath/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/11/30/addon-spotlight-atlasloot-enhanced-updated-for-wrath/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/11/30/addon-spotlight-atlasloot-enhanced-updated-for-wrath/#comments That's right, Atlasloot Enhanced has been updated to include the Northrend instances and raid. Personally, I've been waiting to be able to browse and try-on the gear from the new dungeons and raids since the expansion launched.

Atlasloot Enhanced is absolutely one of my must-have addons, and I've watched it grow with loving admiration since the day I realized I could see what my toons looked liked wearing Sunken Temple loot.

For those of you not using this one, it's a wonderful way to spend your time while waiting for your groups to get situated, double check drop rates on certain items, or even link items from your wish list for typically uninterested group-mates. (Go ahead and take advantage of the captive audience.)

Although we've featured this one before, Atlasloot Enhanced has some great features for the curious player, and in light of all the new content, I thought we'd review some of the reasons to install and use this very useful mod.

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Addon Spotlight: Atlasloot Enhanced updated for Wrath originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 30 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> 5-mansatlasatlas-lootatlaslootatlasloot-enhancedboss-dropsdungeon-lootfeaturedgearjoystiqfeatureslootloot-tablesraid-dropsraid-loottweet-this (Sean Forsgren) Sun, 30 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Addon Spotlight: Mac Dual-boxing]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/09/19/addon-spotlight-mac-dual-boxing/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/09/19/addon-spotlight-mac-dual-boxing/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/09/19/addon-spotlight-mac-dual-boxing/#comments The new Recruit-A-Friend program has taken the World of Warcraft community by storm, perhaps more so in the dual- and multi-boxing circles. I'll admit that while I advocate enjoying the leveling process and experiencing the lore through quests and in-game events, once you've hit 70 a couple of times, the magic tends to wane. With the coming of Wrath of the Lich King, we've had some time to re-evaluate our WoW experience. For many of us, finishing up some alts has become a way to prepare for the expansion. I've had a number of alts since I started playing, but have only managed to ding two paladins and a rogue. Each time I play in a battleground I see a member of another class do something crazy cool and ponder rolling whatever class it is.

With the RAF program in full effect, I decided that dual-boxing with the 300% XP and Summon Friend ability would be the most efficient way to get my alts Wrath-ready. This How-To is specifically for players using Macs, but in essence many of the principles remain true for PC users.

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Addon Spotlight: Mac Dual-boxing originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> clonekeysdual-boxingdualboxmulti-boxingmultiboxrafraf-levelingrecruit-a-friend (Sean Forsgren) Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Addon Spotlight: TwoBox Toolkit]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/09/07/addon-spotlight-twobox-toolkit/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/09/07/addon-spotlight-twobox-toolkit/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/09/07/addon-spotlight-twobox-toolkit/#comments Welcome to a special preview edition of Addon Spotlight. I've been playing around with dual-boxing and wanted to shared this addon with you all, as it adds some great features for anyone running two toons. Rather than succumb to expansion apathy, I've been attempting to level my alts via the ridiculous XP bonus given to players who have recruited a friend. Besides, who doesn't want a new Zhevra mount for their Belf-about-town? Regardless, some savvy developers have come up with some mods to help the aspiring dual-boxer.

This is the only in-game addon I use when I'm burning through the levels via the Recruit-a-Friend program. The developer has combined a lot of great little tools into the package. Once I started using TwoBoxToolkit I noticed a significant increase in efficiency when dual-boxing.

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Addon Spotlight: TwoBox Toolkit originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 07 Sep 2008 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> dual-boxingmulti-boxingraf-levelingrecruit-a-friend (Sean Forsgren) Sun, 07 Sep 2008 22:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Addon Spotlight: Minimalist]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/08/24/addon-spotlight-minimalist/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/08/24/addon-spotlight-minimalist/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/08/24/addon-spotlight-minimalist/#comments Welcome to this week's Addon Spotlight, where I'm going to pay tribute to your feedback by giving an official thank-you to you all for turning me on to Minimalist. Basically, this addon does everything I've been using multiple addons to accomplish in one simple package, with a memory footprint even Tekkub would be proud of. (I think, he gets pretty fired up about wasted resources.)

Alright, back to Minimalist, the addon that makes a bunch of little adjustments, helping to clean up the some-times cluttered default UI. It provides a way to automate some simple commands and remove some unwanted knick-knacks. (Actionbar chickens, begone!) The good news is that this is an Ace addon and there is already a Wrath-compliant version for those of you in the Beta.

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Addon Spotlight: Minimalist originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 24 Aug 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> gryphon-hidingminimal-addonui-cleaningUI-clutterui-fixui-tweaks (Sean Forsgren) Sun, 24 Aug 2008 17:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Addon Spotlight: Spellcraft]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/08/10/addon-spotlight-spellcraft/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/08/10/addon-spotlight-spellcraft/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/08/10/addon-spotlight-spellcraft/#comments As expansion apathy sets in, and my friends and guildmates begin to lose interest in raiding, I have joined the ranks of the many players who have transitioned to playing their alts. To that end, I've had an opportunity to explore some new addons designed for specific classes. Spellcraft stands out as simple and useful for the mage about town.

This addon handles a few mage functions via a simple graphic interface and a set of more subtle features. With automated reagent restocking, polymorph warnings, Evocation weapon-swapping and a simple teleport and portal menu, Spellcraft offers much while asking little. (The memory footprint is minimal)

Granted, there are addons that provide similar functionality, and I've profiled a few of them, but Spellcraft is tailor-made for mages and their unique abiities.

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Addon Spotlight: Spellcraft originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 10 Aug 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> cc-addonmage-addonspolymorphpolymorph-modportalportal-modsheep-addonspellcraft-mod (Sean Forsgren) Sun, 10 Aug 2008 17:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Addon Spotlight: Mr. Plow]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/08/04/addon-spotlight-mr-plow/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/08/04/addon-spotlight-mr-plow/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/08/04/addon-spotlight-mr-plow/#comments Welcome, my friends, to this week's late Addon Spotlight, where we'll be looking at a little tool to help manage your inventory. First of all, I would highly recommend reading through Matthew Porter's Big bag blowout series over at The Creamy GUI Center, it's not only a fantastic look at many inventory options, but builds a solid foundation for your inventory addon needs. Given all that good information, I thought I'd pipe in with a look at Mr. Plow, an inventory stacker I use in conjunction with Bagnon.

I never could get used to inventory addons that auto-sorted my bags into categories; I just wanted something to consolidate all of my bags into one window. That said, I am also somewhat obsessive about an orderly inventory, and had no problem taking time to organize my inventory so that items I got from grinding or quests were found at the top of the window, where I could easily sell and use them at my discretion.

Then came along Mr. Plow, the handy bag stacker that will organize and compress your bags for that neat and orderly look that former Army sergeants require of their inventory.

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Addon Spotlight: Mr. Plow originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 04 Aug 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> bag-addonbag-modbag-sortinventoryinventory-addoninventory-managementitem-sort (Sean Forsgren) Mon, 04 Aug 2008 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Addon Spotlight: GoGoMount]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/07/27/addon-spotlight-gogomount1/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/07/27/addon-spotlight-gogomount1/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/07/27/addon-spotlight-gogomount1/#comments For this week's addon, I thought I would share one that is built around a macro that we've hinted at over at Macro Anatomy. This addon has been abandoned by the author, but there is a patch available that will update it to work with 2.4. (Although I am using the "unpatched" version just fine.)

GoGoMount will pick the most appropriate mount for you based on given conditions. If you can use a flying mount, it will summon your flyer, otherwise it will randomly select from your ground mounts. (This includes summoned mounts for Paladins and Warlocks.) If you have multiple flying mounts, it will randomly select one of these as well.

It supports Druid travel forms and Ghost Wolf for Shamans as well. So, in less words; this addon is your one-stop mounting shop.

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Addon Spotlight: GoGoMount originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 27 Jul 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> mountmount-addonmount-macrorandom-mountriding (Sean Forsgren) Sun, 27 Jul 2008 17:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Addon Spotlight: Talented]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/07/20/addon-spotlight-talented/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/07/20/addon-spotlight-talented/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/07/20/addon-spotlight-talented/#comments Welcome to another installment of Addon Spotlight, the quiet home of mod enthusiasts amongst the whirlwind of breaking news that is WoW Insider. Reader Kyle "strongly" suggested that I profile Talented, an addon that replaces your talent interface and opens up some extended features for talent planning.

Considering the tone of his suggestion, I would venture to say that Kyle has grown frustrated by his fellow players' tendency to screw up their builds or they're taking too long to respec. This can, indeed, become an issue when one is respeccing for raiding, arenas and different roles for hybrids.

This is where Talented, and its companion Talented_Data, can save you time and a little money if you're prone to selecting the wrong talents when you're in a hurry. This addon allows you to build talent templates, which can be applied via one click after a talent wipe. I do this when I switch from a PvE Retribution spec to Holy for progression nights or arenas. I have to say, it helps reduce the risk of mistakes, which can leave me free to spend more time remembering to grab the correct gear out of the bank.

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Addon Spotlight: Talented originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 20 Jul 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> build-planningbuildscharacter-planningspecspec-planningtalent-addontalent-modtalent-planningtalent-templatestalented-addontalented-mod (Sean Forsgren) Sun, 20 Jul 2008 17:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Addon Spotlight: TourGuide (UPDATED)]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/07/16/addon-spotlight-tourguide/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/07/16/addon-spotlight-tourguide/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/07/16/addon-spotlight-tourguide/#comments Amid the madness of yesterday's patch, there has been some desperate drama happening in the official UI & Macros Forums. It seems the massively popular leveling addon QuestHelper has encountered some troubles, with many users not able to use their beloved quest... helper.

As with many crossroads in life, this presents an opportunity to consider a change, or at least a reason to try something else out while the developer of QuestHelper figures out the disconnect. Some time ago, I stopped using the memory-hogging giant in favor of one of Tekkub's creations. TourGuide may very well be Tekkub's greatest mod to date. It serves much the same function as QuestHelper, but it takes a different approach, one that doesn't eat up nearly as much memory. To me, it was sort of like selling my huge truck for a fast, agile Subaru. (Which I did in RL, yay!)

I've been promising to profile this bad boy for a couple of months now, as I've yet to finish my own work on it, but I felt like you all needed an alternative. Besides, you may end up swearing by TourGuide like I do, it was more my style. (I've been working on a guide for TourGuide, but my day job has been bogging me down.)

TourGuide is more akin to a traditional leveling guide than the so-called smart system of QuestHelper. With the "helper", I felt like I wasn't doing quests in the right order, at the right level and that I was missing out on some great quest chains.

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Addon Spotlight: TourGuide (UPDATED) originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> leveling-addonleveling-guideleveling-modquesthelpertekkubtekkub-tourguidetour-guide (Sean Forsgren) Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Addon Spotlight: PallyPower]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/07/13/addon-spotlight-pallypower/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/07/13/addon-spotlight-pallypower/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/07/13/addon-spotlight-pallypower/#comments Today I thought we'd look at an addon that many guilds require their paladins to use. To be honest, I'd never really understood why until I transitioned to 25-man content. Coordinating blessings with one other paladin (our Karazhan runs rarely had more than two paladins.) was never complicated, but when you've got three or more paladins, it can get messy and can waste valuable raid time.

As my guild continues its efforts in The Eye and Serpent Shrine Cavern, I've found myself somewhat frustrated by paladins who don't use this one. Granted, I was that guy until recently, thinking that because ZOMG Buffs played nice with buff assignments via PallyPower, that I was good to go. Now suddenly I'm taking a more active role in buff assignments and realize that like Omen, Healbot and logging for WWS, the more players using a utility, the better.

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Addon Spotlight: PallyPower originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 13 Jul 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> blessingshealadinpaladin-addonspaladin-blessingspaladin-buffspaladin-healingpaladin-modspaladin-tankingpally-blessingspally-buffspally-powerraid-blessingsraid-buffsraid-healingraid-retret-pallyretribution-raidingtankadin (Sean Forsgren) Sun, 13 Jul 2008 17:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Addon Spotlight: Four for the Fourth]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/07/06/addon-spotlight-four-for-the-fourth/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/07/06/addon-spotlight-four-for-the-fourth/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/07/06/addon-spotlight-four-for-the-fourth/#comments Welcome to another installment of Addon Spotlight. Today I thought I'd present you with four addons that make minor changes to your UI while providing little or no additional functionality. Call these vanity addons if you like, although you may find one or more of them actually useful.

In the spirit of the holiday weekend (for those of us in the U.S.), I thought I would start with some color-oriented addons. I use these almost entirely for the sheer joy of some more bright colors on the screen, but I as I always say, having a quick visual reference to information adheres to the simple but powerful UI philosophy that less is more.

oGlow is a very simple addon that does one thing, it lights up the icon border of an item with the color matching it's quality. As my paladin's character pane shows, epic items are brightly lit with a purple border, rare items are blue and green items are green. (Okay, no green items there, but you get the point.) I think I replaced that green item with my Medallion of the Horde last week, am I supposed to get a pen for being green-free or something? The only real use I have gotten from this, aside from a pretty glow, is being able to quickly assess another player's gear while inspecting them. I would like to think I am able to tell this by just looking at them, but I like to snoop anyway.

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Addon Spotlight: Four for the Fourth originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 06 Jul 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> actionbar-artactionbuttoncolorsalarartremoverart-removeroglowrawrrawr-addontekkub (Sean Forsgren) Sun, 06 Jul 2008 17:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Addon Spotlight: OPie (UPDATED)]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/06/29/addon-spotlight-opie/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/06/29/addon-spotlight-opie/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/06/29/addon-spotlight-opie/#comments
Ladies and gentlemen, I rarely get very excited about new addons, but OPie has revolutionized my UI in a way that absolutely fits with my clutter-free mindset. Ultimately, as I test addons, only a few end up being a permanent part of my gameplay. I can't necessarily promise OPie will stay, but it's looking like such an innovative mod that I may just come to rely on it.

We've discussed both Totemus and Necrosis here at Addon Spotlight, and praised the way they wrap things into a neat little package. OPie does the same thing, but to an extent that not only are your spells hidden until you need them, but they can be easily integrated with a minimalist play-style.

What OPie does is take spells, items, trade-skills and macros and creates virtual rings for them to reside in. By assigning a keybinding, one can simply press a button and have a quick menu (a ring) appear on the screen, which will cast a spell, use an item or a macro based on where the mouse is hovering in relation to the ring.

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Addon Spotlight: OPie (UPDATED) originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 29 Jun 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> one-ringopie-addonring-addonring-modring-UIthe-one-ring (Sean Forsgren) Sun, 29 Jun 2008 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Addon Spotlight: TipTac]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/06/15/addon-spotlight-tiptac/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/06/15/addon-spotlight-tiptac/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/06/15/addon-spotlight-tiptac/#comments Welcome to the Father's Day edition of Addon Spotlight. I honestly tried to think about an addon that would match the holiday theme for all of thirty seconds before deciding to just write about an addon I've found to very useful. (Although perhaps you got your Dad some tools, or your Dad is a tool, so take it for what its worth.)

TipTac is a tooltip mod that adds a load of features to the little informative frames that appear when you hover over characters and objects in the game. As I've implied before, I enjoy quick and easy visual references to important information. This includes a character's class, health and reaction. (in the case of NPC's)

TipTac provides another way to discern details; a redundancy I embrace for the sake of easy targeting and planning.

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Addon Spotlight: TipTac originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 15 Jun 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> targetingtargeting-addontooltip-addontooltip-modtooltips (Sean Forsgren) Sun, 15 Jun 2008 18:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Addon Spotlight: AuditorFu]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/06/13/addon-spotlight-auditorfu/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/06/13/addon-spotlight-auditorfu/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/06/13/addon-spotlight-auditorfu/#comments It's Friday, which means that it's payday for some of you. With that in mind, why don't we take a look at an addon that helps you stay on top of your virtual finances. For those of us who are not only information junkies, but also control freaks, this addon is a great way to maintain sovereignty over how your gold comes and goes.

AuditorFu, contrary to what the name implies, will function with or without the Fubar addon. However, I find it best suited as a center-aligned, top-bar, Fubar mod, as it allows me to see the important stuff at center stage. (Alongside AuldLangSyne) There's nothing worse than having an inflated view of your gold total and quickly realizing the mats for your Red Belt of Battle are out of reach.

The good news is that this addon can help you be more diligent if you're saving for a crafted epic or your Artisan Riding skill. Every copper counts, my friends.

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Addon Spotlight: AuditorFu originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> auditauditorgoldgold-controlgold-trackingmaking-goldmaking-moneymoney-trackingspending (Sean Forsgren) Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Addon Spotlight: Fuzzy Logic]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/06/10/addon-spotlight-fuzzy-logic/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/06/10/addon-spotlight-fuzzy-logic/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/06/10/addon-spotlight-fuzzy-logic/#comments Welcome to a special "maintenance day" edition of Addon Spotlight. Today, we're going to take a look at one more Hunter specific mod, wrapping up my week of hunter love. Thus far, we've taken a (another) look at Fizzwidget's Feed-O-Matic and some off-the-beaten-path macros. I'm going to, once again, feature an addon that integrates macros into the major functionality and one written by my favorite developer: the ever-candid Tekkub.

True to form, Tekkub wrote this addon to be simple, efficient and easy to use. The aptly named Fuzzy Logic is a macro-based addon that will react differently based on the current status of you and your pet. As with many of Tekkub's Random Crap, this addon works with pretty much no memory footprint, and very little setup required.

What I love most about this type of addon is how much they add to my own gameplay while asking so little in return. I use this, amongst others, so often during my daily grind (when I get around to rolling my Hunter), that I can't imagine life without them. In a sense, Fuzzy Logic has become part of my own "default UI".

Come on back after the jump for Tekkub's description and how to configure this one. (Just for you, Tekkub)

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Addon Spotlight: Fuzzy Logic originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> fuzzy-logichunter-addonhunter-macrohunter-modtekkub (Sean Forsgren) Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Addon Spotlight: Fizzwidget's Feed-O-Matic]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/06/08/addon-spotlight-fizzwidgets-feed-o-matic/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/06/08/addon-spotlight-fizzwidgets-feed-o-matic/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/06/08/addon-spotlight-fizzwidgets-feed-o-matic/#comments It's been awhile since we talked about Gazmik Fizzwidget's little trinkets. As I promised in this week's Macro Anatomy, here is an addon designed specifically for Hunters and their pets.

Feed-O-Matic handles feeding your pet, automating the process of opening your bag, finding food and stuffing into your pets face. The part I find most useful is the reminder it creates for feeding my hungry wolf. I've configured the addon to create an emote when I feed my pet, just so everyone knows how humane I am in my treatment of a pet I ask to fight on my behalf. (Ironic I know, but it helps me sleep at night.)

You can configure this addon to avoid foods needed for quests, anything that provides a "Well-Fed" buff and/or is used for Cooking recipes. You have complete control over what food your pet is allowed to eat, through a series of slash commands, so with just a bit of configuration Feed-O-Matic can streamline the entire process.

Come back after the break for some tips on setting up your new pet-feeding addon.

Continue reading Addon Spotlight: Fizzwidget's Feed-O-Matic

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Addon Spotlight: Fizzwidget's Feed-O-Matic originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 08 Jun 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> feed-o-maticfizzwidgetfizzwidgets-hunters-...FOMgazmik-fizzwidgethunter-petspet-carepet-feeding (Sean Forsgren) Sun, 08 Jun 2008 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Macro Anatomy: Hunter love]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/06/07/macro-anatomy-hunter-love/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/06/07/macro-anatomy-hunter-love/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/06/07/macro-anatomy-hunter-love/#comments We recently had a request for some Hunter macro help, so I thought I would present some unique little gems for you ranged DPS types to use. First of all, let it be known that we we have talked about Hunter macros here before, more than once actually. Secondly, a good source of Hunter-specific macros would be WoWWiki's Useful Hunter Macro page. However, given those resources, you may find yourself wanting more.

I turned back to the World of Warcraft forums, where I, once again, found some of Belleboom's work. The witty troll from the Earthen Ring server has written some useful macros for hunters, complete with slightly silly descriptions.

I'll start us off with this macro, which determines what type of pet you have, and uses the appropriate ability:

Dive/Dash/Growl/Wrench!: Casts Dive if you have an owl, dash if you have a cat, or growl if you have anything else... wrench optional.
  • /cast [pet:owl] Dive; [pet:cat] Dash; [pet] Growl
Next, a macro that feeds or uses Mend Pet depending on your current status:

Feed/Mend Pet: Based on combat status.
  • /cast [combat] Mend Pet; [nocombat] Feed Pet
  • /use [nocombat] <FoodLinkHere>
Come on back after the break for a few more.

Continue reading Macro Anatomy: Hunter love

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Macro Anatomy: Hunter love originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 07 Jun 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> hunter-macrospet-macros (Sean Forsgren) Sat, 07 Jun 2008 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Addon Spotlight: Skinner]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/06/01/addon-spotlight-skinner/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/06/01/addon-spotlight-skinner/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/06/01/addon-spotlight-skinner/#comments
For today's Addon Spotlight, we'll be spending some quality time with an addon that serves one function; to make your UI look very, very pretty. I only recently began using Skinner, as I hadn't ever bothered to change the default skins of my UI. Skinner will apply different backgrounds to the different windows of your UI, from your character sheet to the Auction House interface. It will also handle skinning many of your addons, tying your UI into a neat, attractive package.

You have the option to skin just about any part of your UI, as well as creating background panels on the top or bottom of your screen. When I don't auto-hide Fubar, I like to have it sitting on a gradient-background courtesy of Skinner.

There is also an option to create a viewport, which changes the size of the rendered world, allowing you to put UI elements outside of it. There are a number of options and ways to configure this one, so check back after the break.

Gallery: Skinner Addon

Skinner AddonsSkinner usageSkinner Viewport

Continue reading Addon Spotlight: Skinner

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Addon Spotlight: Skinner originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 01 Jun 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> custom-backgroundcustom-texturecustom-UIskinnerskinner-addonUI-customizationUI-skinning (Sean Forsgren) Sun, 01 Jun 2008 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Reader UI of the Week: Papalegba of Skullcrusher]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/06/01/reader-ui-of-the-week-papalegba-of-skullcrusher/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/06/01/reader-ui-of-the-week-papalegba-of-skullcrusher/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/06/01/reader-ui-of-the-week-papalegba-of-skullcrusher/#comments After last week's Reader UI, there was a low, guttural rumbling for Shaman UI's, something I am happy to provide. My own shammy dinged 50 this week and I'm finding it more and more difficult to manage the multitude of spells, totems and abilities in my UI.

Allow me to present Papalegba, proud Troll Shaman of the Skullcrusher server. His UI has got to be one of the most unique I've seen, bearing only a passing resemblance to the default user interface. His approach is circular in nature, providing a different type of utility, one that "square-minded" players might struggle to grasp. If you've used Necrosis or Totemus, this might be right up your alley, so join us after the break for Papalegba's addons, description and biography.

Gallery: Reader UI -Papalegba - 06/01/08

Papalegba in CombatRevealing the Quest LogRevealing the Totem BarPapalegba's UIPapalegba's UI: Warlock version

Continue reading Reader UI of the Week: Papalegba of Skullcrusher

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Reader UI of the Week: Papalegba of Skullcrusher originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 01 Jun 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> papalegbapapalegba-UIshaman-UI (Sean Forsgren) Sun, 01 Jun 2008 13:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Addon Spotlight: Grimoire Keeper]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/30/addon-spotlight-grimoire-keeper/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/30/addon-spotlight-grimoire-keeper/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/30/addon-spotlight-grimoire-keeper/#comments Warlocks, it's time for you to get some love. In this week's Addon Spotlight we're going to take a look at lock-centric addon. One of the first things I noticed when I started playing my warlock was that I had a hard time remembering which abilities my demons had trained on. I thought it was interesting that Blizzard opted to make demon training a unique system, as opposed to skill training at your class trainer or even pet training for Hunters. Cool! I can teach my blueberry about sacrificing itself via a grimoire, the ultimate in fel magic publications.

Then came the caveat; I bought this damned pamphlet on Seduction, used it, and now the merchant didn't save my purchase records like any other bookseller! I didn't expect him to suggest other grimoires I might enjoy based on my interest, but come on! I am aware that I can burn through some shards to summon each of my demons to check at the trainer, but what a waste! There had to be an easier way.

Then I discovered Grimoire Keeper, an addon that aids budding demon-wranglers in remembering which abilities, and ranks thereof, their demons already have. Keep reading to discover it for yourself.

Continue reading Addon Spotlight: Grimoire Keeper

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Addon Spotlight: Grimoire Keeper originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 30 May 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> demondemon-trainerdemon-traininggrimoiregrimoire-addongrimoire-keeperwarlock-addonswarlock-mod (Sean Forsgren) Fri, 30 May 2008 17:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Helping addon developers help you]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/27/helping-addon-developers-help-you/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/27/helping-addon-developers-help-you/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/27/helping-addon-developers-help-you/#comments Many of us take full advantage of the hard work of a small community of addon authors, often without considering how we can give back. Whether you're using a few must-have raiding mods, or you've completely changed the default UI to something more to your liking, your fifteen clams a month don't actually help support the men and women working in the addon community.

The goal here isn't to make you feel guilty, but rather invite you into a more active role in creating and evolving the third-party software we call "addons". Many of you may not possess the requisite coding skills to write your own, but based on Mike's recent Breakfast Topic on addon requests and recommendations, many of you have the ability to communicate new ideas and suggestions about how to improve mods or even for new ones. So let's take a look at some ways you can help addon developers in practicing their craft.

Jump in after the break for some ideas.

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Helping addon developers help you originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 27 May 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> addon-authoraddon-communityaddon-donationaddon-supportaddon-testingdevelopergame-tester (Sean Forsgren) Tue, 27 May 2008 17:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Reader UI of the Week: Pondera]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/25/reader-ui-of-the-week-pondera/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/25/reader-ui-of-the-week-pondera/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/25/reader-ui-of-the-week-pondera/#comments
World of Warcraft allows all of us an unprecedented ability to modify our user interface to meet our needs. Each week WoW Insider will bring you a fresh and detailed look at reader submitted UIs. Have a screenshot of your UI you want to submit? Send it, along with your character name and server, to readerui@gmail.com.

Pondera of the Blackhand-US server sent in his UI, along with a short description of the major addons he's using. One of the major decisions in shaping this UI was to make it viable for each of his alts, something I strive towards with my own UI. Pondera is a 26 year-old Web Developer from Brazil, which shows in his UI. (Note the aesthetics and organization.)

As you can tell, his setup is similar to many UI's you'll find out there, with much of the game function happening at the bottom, and a compliment of information "gauges' at the top, courtesy of Fubar. I'm not sure what skin he's using for his "Fu-stuff", but I'm digging it myself. Note where Control Freak, his consumables and Decursive are. I like that he's found a home for those in the nooks and crannies of his UI, although I would imagine that Decursive could be problematic in that location when running Alterac Valley.

Check back after the break for his addons and description.

Gallery: Reader UI of Week - May 25th, 2008

Pondera's HunterPondera's Mage in AVPondera's MoonkinPondera's Priest

Continue reading Reader UI of the Week: Pondera

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Reader UI of the Week: Pondera originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 25 May 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> reader-uiUIuser-interface (Sean Forsgren) Sun, 25 May 2008 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Macro Anatomy: Addon counting]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/24/macro-anatomy-addon-counting/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/24/macro-anatomy-addon-counting/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/24/macro-anatomy-addon-counting/#comments For today's short, but sweet, installment of Macro Anatomy, I wanted to share one I found on the forums. Macro superstar Belleboom of the Earthen Ring server has quite a listing of macros, many of which will find their way here in the future.

I wanted to profile this one just for the sheer joy of it. What it does is quite simple, it counts how many addons you're using and prints it in the chat frame. Nothing too complicated, and it works fine if you'd like to copy and paste it to your macro interface.

Here it is:
  • /run local count = GetNumAddOns(); DEFAULT_CHAT_FRAME:AddMessage("You have " .. count .. " addons running, you nutjob!");
I really can't make this any easier, it just tells you how many addons you're using. Some of you may find it interesting to know how many addons you're using. As the screenshot will attest, I am currently using 64 addons on my 20 Night Elf Druid, so I think I'm sort of middle-of-the-road. There have been times when I was pushing over 100 addons, at which point I start feeling like my UI needs some spring cleaning.

That's what you get today, as I've yet to get my head fully out of my posterior this month. (Feel free to send in suggestions on how I could go about doing this.) Vacation ruins my ability to live a normal life. In closing, I want to field this question: How many addons does a player need to be using in order to considered an "Addon Junkie"?

Every week Macro Anatomy takes you on a magic carpet ride through the world of macros. Sometimes you will encounter existing macros that you can use off the shelf. We'll break them down and figure out how they work. Other times we'll just talk about the different parts of a macro and how you can use them to create your own. You can always stop by the shop if you want to catch up or get started with macros.

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Macro Anatomy: Addon counting originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 24 May 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> addon-countaddon-macro (Sean Forsgren) Sat, 24 May 2008 12:30:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Addon Spotlight: TomTom]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/23/addon-spotlight-tomtom/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/23/addon-spotlight-tomtom/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/23/addon-spotlight-tomtom/#comments Greetings, folks, I have returned from my vacation, and the hiatus that followed. (Vacation to recover from vacation? Madness!) Today, we're going to take a look at an alternative navigation tool, an addon that provides some of the functionality found in the Cartographer suite. (We've talked about Cartographer before.)

TomTom is a mod that provides a few simple features that can supplement your adventures, especially while leveling. Combined with Lightheaded, (We've also talked about Lightheaded before.) TomTom can shave time off your travels between quest objectives.

The primary purpose of TomTom is to facilitate the creation and use of waypoints. Using this feature gives a player the option to have a Crazy Taxi-like arrow displayed that will guide them towards their waypoint. Combined with Lightheaded, which can be used to find coordinates for quest objectives via user comments on Wowhead, this addon can let you bounce between quest objectives with a minimum of wasted time and travel.

Unfortunately, it cannot be used to auto-run your character, so you can forget about grabbing a sandwich on your way to Marshall's Refuge. TomTom will also display a coordinate frame that gives a quick visual reference to your current location.

There is more to see, come back after the break to get your addon fix for the day.

Continue reading Addon Spotlight: TomTom

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Addon Spotlight: TomTom originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 23 May 2008 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> leveling-addonnavigationnavigation-addontomtomtomtom-addonwaypointwaypoint-addonwaypoint-setting (Sean Forsgren) Fri, 23 May 2008 17:45:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Addon Spotlight: Steal Your Carbon]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/11/addon-spotlight-steal-your-carbon/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/11/addon-spotlight-steal-your-carbon/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/11/addon-spotlight-steal-your-carbon/#comments Sean is diving, sunning himself and trying to drink all the cervezas in Cozumel this week, so don't feel bad if he doesn't respond to emails and comments. He'll be back in action next week, fresh and ready to re-join the Addon Army's battle for the perfect User Interface!

Welcome to this installment of Addon Spotlight! Today, we're going to take a look at another of Tekkub's addons. I've being singing his praises for weeks now, but don't worry, he's not paying me to do this. I enjoy his addons as they are simple, sleek and highly functional. Besides, eventually I will have written about all of his work, or perhaps not.

So, today we're talking about Steal Your Carbon, a reagent stocking addon. Here is how to get started; open the config window by using this command:
  • /syc
Once you're in the window, drag an item from your inventory into the little box. Then use the arrows to tell the addon what amount of said item you would like to stock. I use the "Overstock Items" option to make sure I always have enough of whatever item I am stocking. There is also a great feature that enables the addon to upgrade water automatically. For example, if you've been restocking Moonberry Juice, Steal Your Carbon will automatically update and stock Morning Glory Dew when you ding 45. This is a simple matter of selecting the "Upgrade water" option.

There's a couple more features, come on in the check them out.

Continue reading Addon Spotlight: Steal Your Carbon

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Addon Spotlight: Steal Your Carbon originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 11 May 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> consumables-addonconsumables-modsteal-your-carbonTekkubtekkub-addonsTekkub-modstekkub-steal-your-carbon (Sean Forsgren) Sun, 11 May 2008 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Macro Anatomy: Fishing fun]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/10/macro-anatomy-fishing-fun/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/10/macro-anatomy-fishing-fun/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/10/macro-anatomy-fishing-fun/#comments Sean is diving, sunning himself and trying to drink all the cervezas in Cozumel this week, so don't feel bad if he doesn't respond to emails and comments. He'll be back in action next week, fresh and ready to get the Macro train rollin' again!

For this week's Macro Anatomy, I thought I'd share a fun little fishing macro I found in the forums. Tomza wrote a great macro for those of us wanting to react quickly to enemy players while fishing. I've altered it a bit, as I prefer to use the SHIFT modifier rather than the ALT, but other than that it's pretty much verbatim.

This macro, when clicked will equip your fishing pole if it is not already equipped. If a fishing pole is equipped, it will cast your line. (Two clicks of this macro will equip a pole and cast.) Each subsequent click will cast your line. If you hold down the modifier key (in this case the SHIFT key), you will equip your weapon.

Keep reading for the macro, it's a fun one!

Continue reading Macro Anatomy: Fishing fun

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Macro Anatomy: Fishing fun originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 10 May 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> fishing-macroprofession-macroweapon-swap-macro (Sean Forsgren) Sat, 10 May 2008 09:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Addon Spotlight: OmniCC]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/09/addon-spotlight-omnicc/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/09/addon-spotlight-omnicc/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/09/addon-spotlight-omnicc/#comments Sean is diving, sunning himself and trying to drink all the cervezas in Cozumel this week, so don't feel bad if he doesn't respond to emails and comments. He'll be back in action next week, fresh and ready to join the Addon Army's battle for the perfect User Interface!

Today I'm going to feature an addon that I've been using for a long time, but often overlook because it's so simple. It's certainly one of those "fire and forget" addons that you can install and will start functioning right away. I originally downloaded this one on a whim, without suspecting its potential. OmniCC will add a text cooldown counter to item and spell icons. Simple, right? That's all it does really, nothing fancy, barely any memory use and the ability to have a very easy visual cue to manage your cooldowns. I find this especially helpful when I'm trying to manage cooldowns on my paladin, but having two level 70 paladins might make me biased.

Once you install this, you can access its options menu by using of two commands:
  • /occ
  • /omnicc
There are a number of options you can fidget with, from font size to colors and scaling. However, I have yet to mess with these, I find this addon works right out of the box.

Although there is a simple visual cue to cooldowns in the default UI, I found that having big numbers on the spell icon, counting down for me, helps to time things. Combined with the swing timer from Quartz, I rarely miss an opportunity to cast a spell or use a cooldown. (Except in the Arena, where I am apparently the food of choice for every class)

That's it folks, short and sweet, check out OmniCC for your cooldown needs. Dismissed!

Are you an addon-addict? Is your User Interface a living work of art? Welcome home, my friends! Every week, Addon Spotlight profiles a different addon, brings you mod-related news and dishes out free addon advice. See out what's been said and done in the addon community by checking out past features or our addon and UI directory.

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Addon Spotlight: OmniCC originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 09 May 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> cooldown-addoncooldown-countercooldown-modomni-ccomniccomnicc-addon (Sean Forsgren) Fri, 09 May 2008 18:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[About the Bloggers: Sean Forsgren]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/06/about-the-bloggers-sean-forsgren/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/06/about-the-bloggers-sean-forsgren/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/06/about-the-bloggers-sean-forsgren/#comments Twice a week, our writers will tell you more about themselves, and let you get to know them and the characters they play a little better. Click here to read more About the Bloggers.

What do you do for WoW Insider?

I don't do much blogging per se, I guess I've settled into just keeping up on my two columns; Addon Spotlight and Macro Anatomy. I am constantly looking for new ways to customize my game play, as well as creating little tools to streamline what I do in-game. Aside from that, I pipe in on random conversations once in awhile, but keep to myself for the most part.

What's your main right now?

Right now I'm focused on my Blood Elf Paladin, gearing up in Karazhan for PvE and the Battlegrounds and Arena for PvP gear. I'm a proud holy-specced paladin, who enjoys the tough job of keeping people alive. As my guild knows, I also have aspirations for PvE tanking and PvP retribution endeavors in the future. Ask me next week and I may say one of my numerous alts is my main, its a fluid process.

For the Horde or Glory to the Alliance?

I'm for the Horde these days. My previous main was my Human Paladin (see a pattern here?) on a "Normal Server", but I opted to reroll with a friend on PvP server as Horde. Nowadays I don't even bother playing on my old care bear server, I love the tension of knowing other players are fair game. I used to think I'd never go back to Alliance either. As it turns out, I've recently started working on some Alliance alts on a different PvP server. (I really want to pounce on someone with my Night Elf Druid.) So, as always my allegiances are not to one side or the other, but to my own preferences in any given moment. (Chaotic Neutral!?)

Continue reading About the Bloggers: Sean Forsgren

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About the Bloggers: Sean Forsgren originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 06 May 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> blogger-profilessean-forsgren (Sean Forsgren) Tue, 06 May 2008 17:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Addon Spotlight: Necrosis LdC]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/04/addon-spotlight-necrosis-ldc/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/04/addon-spotlight-necrosis-ldc/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/04/addon-spotlight-necrosis-ldc/#comments Sean is diving, sunning himself and trying to drink all the cervezas in Cozumel this week, so don't feel bad if he doesn't respond to emails and comments. He'll be back in action next week, fresh and ready to re-join the Addon Army's battle for the perfect User Interface!

Poor, poor Warlocks, how you must lament your role as the misunderstood badboys (and girls) of World of Warcraft. Sure, the SL/SL thing seems to work out for you, and Destro locks just can't seem to crit for less than 5k anymore, but if only people knew how hard it is to keep track of so many damned spells.

Truth be told, I love my Warlock, even if he's still terrorizing Azeroth in the forty-ish bracket. However, even by the time I got my Felsteed, I was wondering what to do with all the spells and abilities, I was rarely using some of them and wasn't happy with so many full actionbars. Around the same time, I was beginning to take notice that many Warlocks were saying the oddest things when summoning demons and their mounts. I wondered if there was a group of players taking part in a new "forget leet speak, let's just use grammatically questionable English" movement. I asked one about the random blurbs, and she was kind enough to point me in the direction of Necrosis LdC.

Okay, it was actually Necrosis back then (I need to level my lock...), but the idea has survived the test of time. Necrosis LdC is a circular menu addon that wraps all of your spells and abilities into collapsible menus much like Totemus. (To be fair, Necrosis actually started the whole circular menu thing, the Godfather of Sphere Mods so to say.) It will also manage your Soul Shards, warn you about different procs (Backlash, Shadow Trance), things you can do to your target (Enslave, Banish) or not do (target is immune to fear), and will show you a spell timer to track your DoTs, Soulstone cooldowns and more.

There's more, check in after the requisite break for some tips on using Necrosis LdC.

Continue reading Addon Spotlight: Necrosis LdC

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Addon Spotlight: Necrosis LdC originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 04 May 2008 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> circular-addonnecrosisnecrosis-addonnecrosis-ldcnecrosis-modsphere-addontotemuswarlock-addonwarlock-mod (Sean Forsgren) Sun, 04 May 2008 14:30:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Macro Anatomy: Uncrushable Calculator]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/03/macro-anatomy-uncrushable-calculator/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/03/macro-anatomy-uncrushable-calculator/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/03/macro-anatomy-uncrushable-calculator/#comments Yesterday, I profiled a number-crunching addon that does the math to tell you about the actual effects of your abilities and spells. Therefore, I thought it appropriate to share this number-crunching macro. This is one I've only recently had to use. After a few hours debating the meaning and theory behind becoming uncrushable and uncrittable, I think this macro is a great tool for raid leaders and tanks alike.

Basically this macro adds up your total avoidance to determine whether or not you meet the sacred uncrushable numeral: 102.4% total avoidance.

Regardless of any arguments about the mechanics behind this system, its what is accepted as the way things are. If you're tanking, pushing Crushing Blows off the attack table is one of your primary goals. As a note, Druids cannot become uncrushable, sorry, you're stuck taking it like a bear.

Come back after the break so I can share the macro without cluttering the front page with scripting code.

Continue reading Macro Anatomy: Uncrushable Calculator

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Macro Anatomy: Uncrushable Calculator originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 03 May 2008 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> paladin-macroprot-warrior-macrotank-macrotankadintankadin-macrotanking-macrouncrushableuncrushable-macrowarrior-macro (Sean Forsgren) Sat, 03 May 2008 13:30:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Addon Spotlight: DrDamage]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/02/addon-spotlight-drdamage/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/02/addon-spotlight-drdamage/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/05/02/addon-spotlight-drdamage/#comments You all know a World of Warcraft number cruncher. You may, in fact, be that person, the one who can spout of stats about your class or game mechanics. Although, in the beginning, I rolled my eyes at people who pondered the math of the game, today finds me holding a deep respect for you number junkies. You've all helped many of us become uncrushable, uncrittable and even understand how +spell damage and +healing work.

If you don't have someone around to crunch numbers, try recruiting DrDamage. Some World of Warcraft stats-fiends may not like this addon, as there are people who disagree with the numbers it produces. I would have to say that its done well for me thus far. (I rarely have the inclination to work the numbers myself.)

Enough rambling, let's talk about what DrDamage does. This addon does all of your in-game theorycrafting for you. It will work the actual values for your damage, +spell damage and +healing based on your gear and talents. It will display the average damage or healing done by a spell on the actionbar.

Come on back and we'll look at little more closely at what DrDamage does.

Continue reading Addon Spotlight: DrDamage

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Addon Spotlight: DrDamage originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 02 May 2008 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> Dr-DamageDr-Damage-AddonDrDamageDrDamage-addonhealingspell-coefficientspell-damagetheory-crafttheorycrafttheorycrafting (Sean Forsgren) Fri, 02 May 2008 19:30:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Addon Spotlight: Buffet]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/04/27/addon-spotlight-buffet/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/04/27/addon-spotlight-buffet/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/04/27/addon-spotlight-buffet/#comments Welcome to the Sunday edition of Addon Spotlight. Today I am going to spotlight one of my new favorite addons. Many of you may shake your head in silent ridicule of my constant love for Tekkub's addons, but you need to check out Buffet!

Buffet, in Tekkub's words, is a simple water and food managing addon. It combines two of my favorite addon characteristics; saving actionbar space and making use of the macro system.

So, basically, what you get with this addon are two automatically generated macros that will manage your food and drink items. The addon will create the two macros, which are placed in your General Macros tab, you just place them on your actionbar. Suddenly you will have two great little automated buttons. In combat, they switch to consumables you can use in combat, like Super Healing Potions, Super Mana Potions and Master Healthstones. Out of combat, the macros (to include the icon and tooltip) switches to the best food / drink combination available.

Check in after this for the best description available; Tekkub's.

Continue reading Addon Spotlight: Buffet

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Addon Spotlight: Buffet originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 27 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> buffetbuffet-addonbuffet-macrosconsumable-addonconsumable-macrosdrink-addondrink-macrofood-addonfood-macrotekkubtekkub-addonstekkub-buffettekkub-mods (Sean Forsgren) Sun, 27 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Macro Anatomy: Faerie Fire and Faerie Fire (Feral)]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/04/26/macro-anatomy-faerie-fire-and-faerie-fire-feral/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/04/26/macro-anatomy-faerie-fire-and-faerie-fire-feral/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/04/26/macro-anatomy-faerie-fire-and-faerie-fire-feral/#comments Welcome to this week's Macro Anatomy! Today we'll be taking look at a simple macro I found for my druid alt, whom I am secretly leveling late at night after studying for finals, when I can't seem to bring myself to play my main. On that note, my apologies for the somewhat lackluster installations of this feature, until finals are done, and after my diving trip to Cozumel, things will be back on track.

Now that you are almost aware of my entire life, let us get down to business. This macro serves to make two spells fit into one button, without button modifiers. To be honest, I had to read the spell description for Faerie Fire and Faerie Fire (Feral) a couple of times before I got it. (I really shouldn't be trying to assimilate non-school information right now, but I love WoW.) These two spells come in handy, I've already used it on a pesky undead rogue, and I wanted to make sure I wasn't leaving Cat Form or Bear Form while using it.

Come on in to get this little space-saver.

Continue reading Macro Anatomy: Faerie Fire and Faerie Fire (Feral)

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Macro Anatomy: Faerie Fire and Faerie Fire (Feral) originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 26 Apr 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> druid-macrodruid-macrosdruid-pvpdruid-spellsdruid-tankingfaerie-firefaerie-fire-macroferal-druidferal-druid-macro (Sean Forsgren) Sat, 26 Apr 2008 18:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Addon Spotlight: Altaholic]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/04/25/addon-spotlight-altaholic/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/04/25/addon-spotlight-altaholic/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/04/25/addon-spotlight-altaholic/#comments Altaholism is something we've all heard of, talked about and possibly suffered from. I have struggled with this as long as I've played World of Warcraft. I use a variety of addons, as you can well imagine, to enhance my game play. Some of these addons provide information about my alts, although not across servers and factions. The information I am typically concerned with is rest bonus, gold and recipes. I usually use the Armory to check my alt's gear and reputation, or God forbid I relog to the character in question to check something.

Enter Altaholic, an addon I have recently started using to keep track of just about every detail about my alts. Developer Thaoky tipped us off to his addon, and I thought I'd give it a test drive. I'm not going to lie, I was a little doubtful about the usefulness of this one, but I have changed my mind. Altaholic looks akin to Auctioneer (and therefore the default AH interface) to allow the player to navigate different information regarding alts. Some of my addons duplicate features of this addon, but this package brings much more to the table. It's an Ace addon, and the developer seems to be very proactive about the future of this one. One warning, however, this addon will total up your /played time, which may cause you to ask serious questions about the direction fo your life.

Come back after the break for a look at Altaholic.

Continue reading Addon Spotlight: Altaholic

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Addon Spotlight: Altaholic originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> alt-addonalt-modaltaholicaltaholic-addonaltaholism (Sean Forsgren) Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:30:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Addon Spotlight: Linkerator]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/04/20/addon-spotlight-linkerator/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/04/20/addon-spotlight-linkerator/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/04/20/addon-spotlight-linkerator/#comments We've looked at Fizzwidget's gadgets before here at Addon Spotlight, so you might be familiar with his wares. For this installment, I want to bring Linkerator to your attention. It's a little addon that does a big thing, it allows you to type the name of an item in brackets and Linkerator will create an item link for you.

In Patch 2.4, we saw the introduction of spell links, which have become the subject of Trade channel jokes. This mod provides a similar feature, to include the ability to link items you don't currently have or see. This can give you another way to torment people in global channels, in case Murloc movies or Chuck Norris get old.

So, the way this works is simple. To create an in-text item link, simply type the name of the item in brackets. Linkerator will also auto-fill names as you type them, in case you forget the full name. I use this mostly to compare an item I'm looking for to what I currently have equipped, especially when I was considering changing over to Engineering for some of the epic crafted items.

I'm sure you can find a use for this feature, whether its for good reasons or not. Its definitely one of those little extras I have for the off chance I use it, but that is part of what addons can do for you as a player. That's it folks, short and sweet for you on a Sunday before I make my second excursion into Karazhan since rerolling.

Are you an addon-addict? Is your User Interface a living work of art? Welcome home, my friends! Every week, Addon Spotlight profiles a different addon, brings you mod-related news and dishes out free addon advice. See out what's been said and done in the addon community by checking out past features or our addon and UI directory.

Addon Spotlight: Linkerator originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 20 Apr 2008 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> chat-linksfizzwidgetfizzwidget-linkeratorgazmik-fizzwidgetin-text-linksitem-linkitem-linkslinkerator (Sean Forsgren) Sun, 20 Apr 2008 18:30:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Macro Anatomy: Mouse-Over Spells]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/04/20/macro-anatomy-mouse-over-spells/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/04/20/macro-anatomy-mouse-over-spells/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/04/20/macro-anatomy-mouse-over-spells/#comments This week I profiled Decursive 2.0 over at Addon Spotlight, which has a macro feature that allows you to use its cleansing functionality via a keystroke or a mouse over macro. Many of the comments in the article, as well as those in the Healbot Continued feature, center on the concept of mouse-over healing and casting. To be quite honest, I really didn't understand or use this way of doing things, so I thought I'd look into it and try to break away from my "clicker" tendencies for the sake of change.

I'm primarily a paladin healer, which usually means I concern myself with four spells for healing; Flash of Light, Holy Light, Holy Shock and Cleanse. Although I toss out the occasional Blessing of Protection, this is the bulk of my healing, so I thought I'd work on making two mouse-over macros for my Karazhan run tonight.

The basic use for a mouse-over spell is this command:
  • [target=mouseover]
That's pretty much how you target using a mouse-over, there's more to using this feature, so come back after the break to get cozy with mouse-over macros.

Continue reading Macro Anatomy: Mouse-Over Spells

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Macro Anatomy: Mouse-Over Spells originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 20 Apr 2008 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> healing-macroMouse-overmouse-over-healingmouse-over-macro (Sean Forsgren) Sun, 20 Apr 2008 16:30:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Addon Spotlight: Decursive 2.0]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/04/18/addon-spotlight-decursive-2-0/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/04/18/addon-spotlight-decursive-2-0/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/04/18/addon-spotlight-decursive-2-0/#comments Things have been pretty slow around Addon Spotlight this week, which can be attributed to a brutal set of finals for yours truly. I was thinking it would be great if there was an addon for life that I could simply click to remove the Finals debuff. Unfortunately, there isn't anything yet, although I'm waiting for one of you savvy developers to come up with something. (Hint hint, wink wnk)

However, there is an addon that can make removing debuffs in World of Warcraft easy and efficient. Decursive 2.0 is a lightweight, subtle addon that holds great power. This mod has been around, in a couple different variations, for quite some time. In fact, it was one of the first addons I installed. Since then it has become as much a part of my user interface as any of the default tools.

Decursive 2.0 configures itself to your class and will work straight out of the box. It handles anything you can cleanse, allowing you to use it with little or no configuring on your part. Keep reading find out what Decursive 2.0 can do for you.

Continue reading Addon Spotlight: Decursive 2.0

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Addon Spotlight: Decursive 2.0 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> decursedecurse-addondecursivedecursive-addondecursive-modhealer-addonhealer-mods (Sean Forsgren) Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:30:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Macro Anatomy: Polymorphing with the Focus Target]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/04/13/macro-anatomy-polymorphing-with-the-focus-target/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/04/13/macro-anatomy-polymorphing-with-the-focus-target/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/04/13/macro-anatomy-polymorphing-with-the-focus-target/#comments Using your focus target has been the topic of much discussion in the past few days here at WoW Insider. Mike mentioned his interest in using macros to utilize the focus functionality built into the default UI. Tekkub's Control Freak was profiled, which basically automates the process of using crowd control abilities through the use of macros.

WoW Insider reader Aaron provided a very good macro for those of you wanting to make use of your focus target to maintain Polymorph on a focus target.

Here's the macro, ready to be copied and pasted into your macro interface:

#show Polymorph
/clearfocus [modifier:shift]
/focus [target=focus,noexists]; [target=focus,dead]
/clearfocus [target=focus,help]
/stopcasting
/cast [target=focus,exists,harm] Polymorph; Polymorph

Come on back after the break for an explanation of what this macro does.

Continue reading Macro Anatomy: Polymorphing with the Focus Target

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Macro Anatomy: Polymorphing with the Focus Target originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 13 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> cc-macrofocus-macrofocus-targetpolymorphpolymorph-macrosheep-ccsheep-macro (Sean Forsgren) Sun, 13 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Addon Spotlight: Control Freak]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/04/11/addon-spotlight-control-freak/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/04/11/addon-spotlight-control-freak/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2008/04/11/addon-spotlight-control-freak/#comments WoW Insider co-lead Mike Schramm brought up an interesting question for today's Breakfast Topic; how can players utilize the Focus Target feature in World of Warcraft? Macros are certainly a great way to manage your focus target and what is being done with it. I've yet to write a installment of Macro Anatomy that covers the topic, so where can one turn if you want to utilize this feature?

Bad boy developer Tekkub has created Control Freak for people wanting to have fun with the focus target and their crowd control abilities. Granted, there are a lot of other things you can do with this feature, but this addon very efficiently automates the process.

After I profiled Tekkub's ChatSettingsFix (2.4), I thought I should start looking into his other mods. As it turns out, Tekkub is a man with the unique ability to provide little fixes and additions that greatly enhance gameplay. I am quickly becoming a fan of his work, so you can expect to see more of the grizzly dev's work here at Addon Spotlight.

Enough of my professions of love for the guy's mods, read on for details about how to use Control Freak.

Continue reading Addon Spotlight: Control Freak

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Addon Spotlight: Control Freak originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 11 Apr 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> cccc-addoncc-modcontrol-freakcontrol-freak-addoncrowd-controlcrowd-control-addoncrowd-control-macrotekkubtekkub-addonstekkub-mods (Sean Forsgren) Fri, 11 Apr 2008 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider