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Gold Capped: Automating the grind
Want to get Gold Capped? This column will show you how, and is written by Basil "Euripides" Berntsen, also of outdps.com, the Hunting Party podcast, and the Call to Auction podcast. Don't forget to drop by Onyxia-US this Sunday at 7:30 PM eastern time to get ganked by one of the CtA hosts and take the money of the other one! A good time will be had by all, and we'll be sticking around after the event to chat with readers and listeners! Grinding is a pain. Avoiding grinds is why I got into the auction house in the first place. Repetitive and boring tasks are not fun for most people. Unfortunately, while some businesses are relatively grind free, certain tradeskills require us to do something like milling (inscription), prospecting (jewelcrafting), or disenchanting (enchanting). The more volume you want to sell, the more volume you need to process. I know of scribes who sell 1200g a day of glyphs at an average of 8g each. That's 150 glyphs sold, which means 150 Ink of the Sea squeezed out of northrend herbs. You get 5-6 inks per stack of herbs, so this guy mills a minimum of 25 stacks of herbs a day. Each stack of herbs requires at least 4 hardware events (clicks or keypresses).
Patch 3.3.3 addon survival guide
In a perfect world, patch day would be a day when we all get to sit around and do nothing as perfect new content is added to our already expansive world. The reality of the situation is that we live in a harsh, untamed and annoying world filled with Lua errors and user interface masochism. Here are a few quick tips for surviving patch day when it comes to your addons and user interface. Step 0 - See if any of your addons have a "day of" update. Mod and addon creators have been working with PTR code to, hopefully, make sure their addons come ready to roll with Patch 3.3.3. Step 1 - Enable out of date addons. For minor content patches, most of the code should still be perfectly usable. Many addons will have updates available day one, but to hit the ground running, you'll want to load your out of date addons if an update isn't available. Step 2 - Disable any addons giving you Lua errors and make note of those disabled. If addons are still giving you Lua errors that are affecting your gameplay, disable those addons so they do not interact poorly with other code. Check for updates when you can, and remember to re-enable any previously disabled addons. Step 3 - Update DBM/BigWigs/DeusVox. Your raid leaders will thank you. This is especially important for raids that run on Tuesday, so update your raid warning addons early. Don't be that guy. You know who that guy is. Step 4 - /framestack. An incredibly powerful diagnostic tool is the /framestack command. Typing in this command will bring up an interface window that will display information on any addon or user interface module that the mouse pointer is hovering over. Use /framestack to diagnose user interface problems or to figure out what addon is controlling what portion of your UI. You will save yourself a lot of headaches remembering what the name of the addon was that you use to track your buffs, or what addons are hovering over other, possibly hidden, modules. There you have it. A quick and easy checklist to, hopefully, get you going on patch day without too much hassle. Remember to keep your most important addons up to date, and keep your profiles saved. Happy patch day!
The Daily Quest: Showing off your UI
Here at WoW.com we're on a Daily Quest (which we try to do every day, honest) to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment and you may see it here tomorrow! Ah, the World of Warcraft user interface -- your screenshots are the vacation photo of a generation of gamers. We spend so much time tweaking and perfecting our user interface that we just have to share. And for those of us still in search of the perfect UI? Well, screenshots are better than an IKEA catalog. So what's in the offering today? A few bloggers and their UIs: Mystic Chicanery provides a State of the UI. Panzercow makes the obligatory UI post. Cranky Healer shows off an updated UI. Not enough UI for you? Well then, just because you asked -- some more helpful, UI-related links from around the web: Cannot be Tamed shows off a UI and then walks you through your major UI options, covering action bars, unit frames, key bindings, and combat text & notifications. Through the Eyes of a Tree points out useful healing addons. One More Alt helps us get started with Grid.
What happened to TourGuide?
There have been many Addon stories that will live through World of Warcraft's history and beyond, as cautionary tales, expressions of visions or the refinement of a segment of the MMO genre that, rapidly, is becoming the norm in most games. Tekkub's TourGuide is going to be, if it is not already, one of those stories. Join me on this adventure where we discuss what all the drama was all about and an interview I did with Tekkub concerning the transpired events. [This article has been updated.]
Gold Capped: Buying with Auctioneer's snatch list
Want to get Gold Capped? This column will show you how, and is written by Basil "Euripides" Berntsen, also of outdps.com, the Hunting Party podcast, and the Call to Auction podcast. Auctioneer has a myriad of uses. I've covered selling, and this week, I'll be covering buying. This addon has way more functionality than most people use, but because of the incredible quantity of complex options, many people never do any of the really cool things with it. The best way to buy lots of types of items with Auctioneer is with their "snatch" search. The way it works is it goes through your most recent snapshot of the auction house, and presents you with a box that allows you to buy or bid on items you've defined as a "good deal."
The Daily Quest: Addon edition
Here at WoW.com we're on a Daily Quest (which we try to do every day, honest) to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment and you may see it here tomorrow! Today we're talking about your user interface with helpful addons and macros from across the web: The Hunter's Mark offers 6 addons to make your hunter's life easier. Blade Barrier presents some essential death knight macros. World of Matticus explains macros to make your healing life easier. Flow has addon suggestions for restoration shamans. No Stock UI has an addon recommendation for the Blood Queen Lana'thel fight. Cranky Healer offers a lesson on advanced Clique use. Hungry for more addon info? You might take a look at AddOn Spotlight or Reader UI of the Week.
Totem Talk: Shock and Awe
Rich Maloy is currently working on a real life augmented reality app that will dynamically generate and display his most important priority to accomplish at that moment, as well as cooldowns remaining on important events such as birthdays and anniversaries. Friends and family invited to the private alpha test said the software, known as RichAndAwe, kept getting stuck at "buy more Guinness." Rich reports this is working as intended. Of all the add-ons in all the mod sites in all the world there's one that stands out among the best for playing enhancement: ShockAndAwe. This mod developed by Pericles has a slew of features to keep enhancers on top of their game. While there are other ways to track information and max out damage output, ShockAndAwe is one mod that makes a big difference for beginners and experienced alike. We'll cover most of the features here, two of which stand out among the rest: Timer bars and Priority frame. But first we'll start with the options.
Gold Capped: Using blacksmithing to make gold on the auction house
Want to get Gold Capped? This column will show you how, and is written by Basil "Euripides" Berntsen, also of outdps.com, the hunting party podcast, and the call to auction podcast. Blacksmithing is a crafting profession that has made me a lot of money. Today, we'll talk about how you can use blacksmithing as something more than a couple of extra gem slots for your main, and actually make gold! Many people with crafting skills invariably have tried linking their profession in trade and saying "tips appreciated." Has that worked for you? Me either. If you want to make money with any crafting skill, the true profits are from acquiring the mats yourself, crafting, and selling your wares over the long term. As I mentioned in my previous post, the default UI won't cut it for our purposes, so let's get cracking and set you up with a proper crafting UI.
Solving post-patch addon woes
Lots of changes are on the horizon and with great change comes an awesome new Public Test Realm patch with a boatload of broken addons. Here's a quick tip -- one good way to pick out pieces of addons that you don't necessarily know are a part of a specific addon or addon package is to use a simple mouse over macro. This one in particular: /script DEFAULT_CHAT_FRAME:AddMessage( GetMouseFocus():GetName() ); Create a macro with that script command and hover over a section of your user interface. The name of that particular module of your interface will be displayed in your chat box. Simple and easy, in case you cannot figure out what addon you're looking at. Whenever a new patch comes out or I head off to the PTR to test out the new changes, I like having this macro at the ready just in case one of my addons decides to move in a wacky place or if the game itself broke an addon's position and I need to remember which addon I'm dealing with.
Gold Capped: Making ridiculous sums of money on the auction house
Want to get Gold Capped? This column will show you how, and is written by Basil "Euripides" Berntsen, also of outdps.com, the hunting party podcast, and the call to auction podcast. Hi folks! Welcome to Gold Capped. There are many games to play in World of Warcraft: PvE, PvP, achievements, and today I'm going to introduce you to the one that people overlook-- gold making. Not just making enough to cover your expenses, but making unimaginably large quantities of gold. Making it easily, and enjoying the process. Before I jump in, I want to introduce myself and learn a little about you guys. I have a gut feeling that the majority of players are living "paycheck to paycheck" and treat the auction house as an expensive vending machine where they can spend their hard earned dailies money. Am I right? Please select one of the options on my embedded poll!
The Daily Quest: I love Explosive Trap too, Euripides
We here at WoW.com are on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. OutDPS loves himself some explosive trap. Righteous Defense covers tankadin leveling 51-80. GlazerVision Studios has made a nice YouTube video of How To Download World of Warcraft AddOns. The Shadow Troll asks Why do I always pick the good guys? Find out what's in store for the WoW TCG in 2010. Click here to submit a link to TDQ
WoW Rookie: Add-ons for rookies
New around here? WoW Rookie points WoW's newest players to the basics of a good start in the World of Warcraft. Send us a note to suggest a WoW Rookie topic, and be sure to visit WoW.com's WoW Rookie Guide for links to all our tips, tricks and how-to's. Want to add high-powered functionality and high-octane style to your interface and controls? Add-ons, dear readers. You need add-ons. Also known as mods, add-ons can be such powerful upgrades to your gaming experience that some players consider them mandatory beyond a certain level of play. You can get add-ons that show you how much threat you've built as a tank, add-ons that show how much DPS you're doing relative to other members of the raid, and add-ons that show you who needs Dispel Magic now. There are add-ons that let you reconfigure and move your hotbars anyplace on your screen, add-ons that show you how much gold you have on each of your other characters, and add-ons that point the way to the area where your quest objective awaits ... Sweet stuff, indeed.
Redefining MMOs: Player developers!
A few weeks ago, we at Massively started the weekly "Redefining MMOs" series, a collection of articles examining how the MMO genre has been redefined during the current generation of games and where it's headed in the next. So far, we've looked at the terminology we use to refer to MMOs, how the art of storytelling has changed over the years, and the rise of the "massively singleplayer" online game. In this week's article, I examine what happens when players are given the reigns of an MMO or have a hand in part of its development. If you have something important to say on the topic, feel free to post a comment on page 3 or even write your own "Redefining MMOs" blog post and leave a comment with the URL. Traditionally, all content for an MMO is designed by the game's development studio and players have no direct influence on its creation. The idea of handing the reigns of an MMO to its players is considered heresy and we shudder to think of what horrible quests and areas players would construct if given a chance. But is our aversion justified or is it something developers should strive to overcome? Certainly Second Life has successfully capitalised on letting players develop almost every aspect of its virtual world but could successful mainstream MMOs make use of it too? City of Heroes, EVE Online and even World of Warcraft are prime examples which suggest they can. All three of these games have handed at least some part of the game's development over to players, with incredibly promising results. In this article, I look at these three successful examples of players being allowed to develop aspects of an MMO. I then go on to explain why this works and how the next generation of MMOs could learn from these pioneering feats.
Breakfast Topic: Do you wish we didn't have to use AddOns?
AddOns are great. We all use them and they enhance game play. Indeed as we've seen from sites like Curse there's a thriving trade. The thing is a lot of newer MMOs, most notably Aion, have everything that AddOns provide and a bit more built in. While Blizzard is starting to cotton on with the introduction of their own threat meter and quest tracker, there's still a long way to go. Perhaps the most notable change in this direction is the promise of a somewhat basic quest helper in 3.2. Now I've been using the actual QuestHelper for quite a long time (indeed it's one of my essential AddOns) and from what I've seen of Blizzard's version, they have a long way to go.But, it's a start. In the past year Blizzard seem to have finally realised that their player base like the perks of AddOns and the way they enhance the game, but not the frequent updating which is required with every major patch. So readers, what are your thoughts on the whole Blizzard/AddOn thing? Do you think they are just taking the best ideas and adapting the most popular AddOns into their own versions? Do you prefer using AddOns like Omen and QuestHelper? Do you see yourself using them for a long time yet? What would you like to see AddOn-esque feature would you like Blizzard to implement next?
Tweetcraft lets you tweet from Warcraft
Twitter is all the rage right now -- it's the easiest, quickest way to let anyone interested know what you're up to, and because it's so popular, it's also no surprise that we've seen quite a few Twitter and World of Warcraft mashup apps. wowTwitter is a separate update service just for news about your characters, WoWHorn is a script that lets you Tweet when you hit certain achievements, and though services like PlayXpert have let you Twitter from the game before, TweetCraft appears to be the first standalone application designed to do just that. After installation, it works the same way as an addon, though it's actually not -- addons can't directly connect to the Internet, so TweetCraft instead uses an outside script to read and write tweets into settings files, which the ingame addon then reads to get and send your tweets. It gets complicated, but you don't need to know all that to install and use it -- when you run the setup app, it'll put everything in the right places for you.As with all third-party applications, you should install and run this one at your own risk -- the FAQ has more information if you're wondering how things are stored or whether the app is secure. The app is completely open source, which means anyone who wants to can read the code, so if the author of the app was doing anything sneaky, we'd know about it. And yes, right now the app is not violating the ToS, but of course that's enforced according to Blizzard's whims, so again, use it at your own risk. If you're not interested in using this app, you can always update your status here on WoW.com using our own addon -- it's not Twitter, but it will let your friends keep track of you in Azeroth!But TweetCraft does look to be a clever, solid way to access and post to Twitter from right inside your World of Warcraft game. If you've been looking for a one-stop solution like this, there you go. Do be sure to follow us over on Twitter, too, if you haven't yet -- you never know when we might tweet something you'll want to see.Update: Apparently the app on default tweets all kinds of things you probably don't want to (like changing zones). There is probably a settings switch somewhere, but as always, user beware.
The Daily Quest: Best in slot
We here at WoW.com are on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Wildstorm has hired a new artist to create #20 in the World of Warcraft comic book series. BlizzPlanet has the low down, along with a sample image. No Stock UI takes a look at the Taeo UI Compilation. Skeleton Jack is back, and this time covering the 10 Best in Slot Death Knight Bracers. 4Healz shows how you can Use Recount to its Full Potential. Rolling Hots studies the Resto Druid Gems in Patch 3.2. Click here to submit a link to TDQ
More moogles than you can shake a chocobo at in the upcoming Final Fantasy add-on
Moogles. A rich, noble race that's been around for ages. Sure, their contributions to society are overlooked -- such as their dedication to keeping your house clean, changing your jobs, and acting like a save point in oh so many Final Fantasy worlds. But that doesn't mean that this race has many more things to share with society.Things like haunted mog houses, engagement rings, and... um... mogfia bosses? What's going on here?It's a Moogle Kupo d'Etat, the next add-on expansion pack for Final Fantasy XI! Just like the first pack, A Crystalline Prophecy, this expansion will once again provide a short storyline and an augmentable item at the end, all for the low price of 10 bucks.This time around, it's the headpiece for the sets! The Champion's Galea, Anwig Salade, and Selenian Cap are all up for grabs once the mini-expansion is completed.The add-on pack will be available for pre-order on July 5th, and will most likely roll out with the next version update later in July. Check out our gallery of some of the scenes from the upcoming pack, as well as our look at the new items!%Gallery-67047%
Scattered Shots: Where to find Hunter information
WoW.com decided it was time to bring back some Hunter luvin'. It was that or they just needed a new Dwarf to pick on. So now you got me Eddie "Brigwyn" Carrington from The Hunting Lodge. Make sure to drop by here every Thursday as we explore what it takes to play a Hunter. Have you ever caught yourself wondering, "Hmm... where I should go for my next upgrade?" Or how about "I wonder what pet I should get for raiding?" Another favorite of mine is "What spec should I use for raiding?" (This is always a trap. Even if you give a solid spec, someone will always find a something wrong with it.) For these types of questions, I feel it's always better to follow the maxim "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." What's my point? Well, it seems that many Hunters don't know that there is a wealth of information out there. I would bet that there is probably a resource that can help answer all of your questions. You just need to know where to look. For solid information, we all know about Elitist Jerks. But sometimes finding you can't help but say to yourself, "There has to be an easier way." Believe it or not, there is. There are many other resources and sites out there.
Workaround for WoW.com addon's /note issues.
Since we launched WoW.com late last night, we've had numerous people writing in about an issue that has cropped up regarding one of the aspects of our tracking addon. We'll continue to respond to those reports personally as necessary, but we figured it would be wise to get the issue and the fix out in the open right off the bat.The command that's used for the WoW.com addon's Adventurer Notes function, /note, is a fairly common command used in various addons. For example, Cartographer makes use of it. Since the command overlaps between addons, it causes conflicts and one addon ends up blocking the others from using it. If you've run into this issue, there's a very easy workaround if you're not afraid to look at a little LUA. Don't worry, you won't need to do any serious coding. It's a simple fix, I promise.
Playxpert brings Twitter, web & more into your favorite MMOs
As if we needed an excuse to spend more time in our favorite MMOs, PlayXpert has now integrated yet another insanely awesome tool into their "in-game operating system" - Twitter! That's right, now you can browse the web; chat; monitor your PC's system usage; halt annoying memory-leeching processes and tweet. Of course, you can also use Google, check Wowhead, pop out to EQ2 Players, use free Vivox voice chat, and noodle around on Facebook - but we know some of you are just as thrilled about the Twitter widget as we are. If you haven't had a chance to check out PlayXpert, you can pick up a free copy of the software over on their site. Twitter, Wowhead, etc. are all done via widgets, also freely available on the site. At the current time, this program is PC only, so the Mac crowd will have to fire up Boot Camp to use it. Of course, while you're adding Twitter to your in-game mods, we're sure you'll want to follow the Massively twitter account too!
