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Dismounting automatically, or on command
Do you guys like the new AutoDismount option built into the interface? There's now an option that you can check or uncheck (in the interface window) that will automatically dismount you from your flying mount whenever you start casting a spell-- and that includes dropping into stealth, shapechanging (for druids-- Hugsy of Thunderhorn tested it for me), and mining and herbing.I used to use an addon called EZDismount a while back that did exactly this, but I eventually ditched it because it seemed like it kicked me off my mount too much. But since the patch, the AutoDismount seems to be working perfectly-- it saved me tons of clicks farming herbs while flying around (and towing my orphan behind-- what can I say, I'm a multitasker). I don't know if Blizzard has theirs set up differently, because I haven't used the old addon in so long, but so far it just seems to work better.But I do realize that not everybody likes it, and unfortunately, it seems the checkbox only seems to work for flying mounts-- AutoDismount is set on by default for all ground mounts now. If you want to turn it off for all mounts (so that you get an error message, just like before, when you try to cast a spell while mounted), you can simply type this: /console autoDismount 0. That, we're told by Slouken, the UI blue guy, is all you need to type in once, and it's set off for all mounts. I'd assume to turn it back on, you just type /console autoDismount 1. And there's a few helpful dismount macros in that thread as well-- you can use a hotbutton to select a random mount in your inventory, or use a hotbutton to turn on or off AutoDismount (if, for example, you want to use it in battlegrounds, but not in PvE). Interesting stuff. I'll be autodismounting, I'm sure, but with all that info, it's good to know that you have control over when you get on and off your mounts.
Life without working addons
For a certain kind of WoW player -- specifically, the kind that has addons out the wazoo -- the days after a new patch are always days of terror. Which part of my specially-customized setup doesn't work anymore? Where are my chat windows? Why can't I move? Dear God, how do I live? While this addonpocalypse is somewhat less extensive than the one that destroyed virtually all addons last December, there's still a lot of stuff that's just not working. Wowinterface.com has a nice list of updated 2.1 addons, so if something's not working, you can always check and see if it's there. But not everything is fixed yet. Personally, most of my AllDeuce UI is intact, but my Autobar and ag_UnitFrames have bitten the dust, and I'm getting a lot more errors. I can live without Autobar, but not having any unit frames is a little wearing, even though I have ArcHUD for the super-important stuff like health and energy. "Can you kick me out of the party because I can't leave?" "Can you open trade? I can't." "Who's the enemy targeting now?" Here's hoping that all the addons will be updated soon! How many of your addons no longer work? How do you handle post-patch addon confusion?
The Creamy GUI Center: Action bar break down
Each week Matthew Porter contributes The Creamy GUI Center, a column aimed at helping you enhance your WoW experience by offering an in depth guide to addons, macros and other tools we use to play WoW, along with commentary on issues that affect how we all play.As my first column, I wanted to start out with a review of action bar addons. WoW's default UI (User Interface) is built around the action bar and for many is the cornerstone for their interactions within WoW. Comparatively speaking, Blizzard's default UI is elegant and user friendly when contrasted against many other MMOs on the market. In fact WoW's two newest competitors, Vanguard and Lord of the Rings Online, both mimic Blizzard's design to varying degrees. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery after all. Blizzard's UI doesn't overwhelm the user with information or complexity, which can be a barrier of entry to new players. Its information is displayed cleanly, however its faults lie in the fact it's rather inefficient, and nothing about it can be moved or resized. The action bars are a decent size and buttons are easy to click using your mouse, but it's rather sprawled out taking a lot of screen space including the unnecessary art. For those content with the default layout or who prefer using key bindings, Blizzard's action bars get the job done.For a lot of users, this isn't enough. There's always room for improvement. Blizzard being the smarties that they are, gave us the freedom to add usability that they never even thought of through the use of addons. (Sometimes to unwanted effects, hello decursive nerf.). You may crave a customized playing field, or a clean and efficient layout, or maybe you just want to express yourself by creating your own UI for that personal touch. To accomplish this let's take a look at three addons that offer different ways to do the same thing: create and manage action bars.
Ask WoW Insider: What's up with bar AddOns?
It's Friday, folks, which means it's time for our weekly edition of Ask WoW Insider. Last week we looked at the best way to power level alts, and this week we turn our attention to a question from Spyke about AddOns: Ok, my question is simple. I am a huge proponent of addons. When my friend first introduced me to them I gobbled them up, first trying out packages and then finally just searching around sites and downloading them individually. My question however is this, is there really a need for bar modification addons or is it pretty much player preference? I have tried using them a couple of times but didn't feel like spending the time required to configure them when I was happy with the default UI bars. Any answers would be appreciated. We've talked about Bongos, CyCircled, FlexBar and other bar mods before at WoW Insider, but Spyke gives us an excuse to ask you all: what bar mod(s) do you use, and why? Do you feel like it's game-breaking to live without one? If you've tried several, which is your favorite? Send us your questions for next week to ask AT wowinsider DOT com. Get on it!
AddOn Spotlight: WoW UI Updater
Here's something I've been looking for for a long time! It's not an addon itself, but it does make the management and upkeep of your addons a lot simpler. Cairnehoof of Dethecus (US) sent this in to Mike, who kindly sent it my way: I read your article on wowinsider (big fan btw) about the addon issue in the upcoming patch. I have come across an great application for windows that updates your addons from all the popular sites. Maybe you could share it on the site. I know many people would love it. It's alot better than the one offered on ui.worldofwar.net because it not just download from one site. It is maintained on sourceforge.net and does not contain any malicious code. (I scanned with 3 different anti-virus programs and a anti-spyware one) heres the link if you want to take a look: http://sourceforge.net/projects/wuu So, armed with that information, I set off to explore WUU.
Blizzard fights ingame spam (and the addon meant to stop it)
If you've been using an addon like Spam Sentry to quickly and easily report ingame gold whisperers, it turns out Blizzard might not be completely happy with you.You'd think Blue might be happy players were helping them get gold spammers out of their game, but apparently Spam Sentry isn't actually helping... at least in the way Blizzard wants it to. Blue poster Kaone says, in a thread repeatedly linked to by Coreiel, that reports need to be submitted as soon as possible (Spam Sentry collects gold spammers, and then either lets you report them when you click to do so, or all in one go at the end of the day-- apparently more players have been going for the easier option). Addons, Blizzard says, aren't cutting it, because they aren't hearing about the spam quickly enough to catch the accounts while they're logged on.Which is kind of understandable. But what's not understandable is that Blizzard is going to remove the ability of addons to create a GM ticket as of the next patch. So as of 2.1, we can pretty much say goodbye to Spam Sentry in its current form.The good news is that Slouken (the addon CM, if there is one) promises that Blizzard is working on a "much easier-to-use method" of reporting gold spammers in 2.1. However, as we all learned from the LFG system, what Blizzard thinks is easier doesn't always match with what the players want to use. And my guess is that if Blizzard is getting "spammed" with Spam Sentry warnings now, their system will be a lot more full when everyone has access to a quick-reporting ability. It seems like a better plan to help Spam Sentry fix itself by building functionality into the addon system, rather than remove that functionality for a tool that players aren't familiar with.
Getting your addons 2.1 compatible
In expectation of the coming patch (though it might still be a while), Curse has posted a compiled list of all their known 2.1 compatible addons. Unfortunately, that list is of Curse-only addons, so while both KLHThreatmeter and Healbot are on there, lots of other high profile addons are not.That doesn't mean they won't be 2.1 compatible, however-- it just means that, well, in most cases we don't know. Titanbar (an addon I live by) was updated after the last big patch, but hasn't yet been updated for the new one. It's the same story with Auctioneer. CTMod hasn't mentioned 2.1 yet, but they update pretty quickly, and even if they don't get a new version out before the patch appears, it's very likely the latest version (v2.001) will still work.Since I'm not an addon creator, I'm not sure how much functionality is changing in 2.1, but from what I can make of the UI Forum, it won't be nearly as much as the expansion patch did. There may be a few problems (ui.worldofwar.net has a short list of known problematic addons on the PTR), but for the most part, we can probably expect 2.1's addon changes to go pretty smoothly. You'll still have to manually enable your addons (since they'll all be out of date), but chances are none of them will be really broken.
AddOn Spotlight: SpamSentry
"www. Buy cheapest WoW goldpwns4hire. We live to serve your every need!com And we certainly don't ruin the game for everyone else who just wants to play without cheating."Ah, gold spam. It's a bigger problem now than ever, and getting bigger every day. I feel like I get an average of one spam whisper per ten minutes when I play my level 70s, and about a mail a day or so. No, it doesn't really cost me anything, but it sure is annoying. Blizzard are allegedly working on some improvements to the situation for 2.1; one rumor says that trial accounts will no longer be able to whisper people who don't have them friended. I don't buy that, since Blizz have said several times that they want trial accounts to convey the full social nature of WoW, but we'll see.At any rate, there's something you can do about the problem now: SpamSentry. It's a mod that automatically catches and hides spam whispers and emails, and provides a two-click solution for reporting them to GMs (which you should definitely do so they can catch the buggers). It almost makes getting spammed enjoyable, since it's so easy to report and hopefully hinder their foul goals. It plugs in to FuBar and Titan, which is always convenient, and in general is a pleasure to use. Recommended to all who get spammed (but isn't that everyone?).Download SpamSentry at ui.worldofwar.netPreviously on the SpotlightDon't know how to use AddOns?
Reader UI of the Week: Omegi
This week, Omegi, a member of <J E T T> on Kalecgos horde-side sends in his fairly minimal UI. It gets me to thinking, and I hope it'll get you to thinking too. Here's what's on my mind - what's more efficient: well-placed buttons with easy visual clues, or an array of keybindings that you commit to memory? Omegi has a set of keybindings which are great, and I'm digging the large buttons for infrequently used items/skills. Here is the UI I have grown to love over the career of my mage. Here is a list of mods and key bindings. My mod list: CT Raid Assist: Only for the group bars to show buffs. A raid leader must know his class officers are buffing up their members properly. Bongos: This allowed me to move buttons around and make them smaller or larger. It also allows me to color the square for range notification and allows easy hover and click key bindings. Cryolosys Revived: A mage must have. Otherwise you have 2 bars of useless buffs Natures Enemy Cast bar: Shows enemy and friendly cast and cool down timers. I know when a soulstone is available or when someones polymorph timer is up. Deadly Boss Mods: Better than CT Boss mods by a long shot. Easy Combat log: It's color coded crap for idiots like me. Titan Panel: duh? Improved Camera2 : extends the range you can zoom out. EZdismount: click a spell while mounted and you dismount for the fast attack. Trinket Menu: better trinket management. Xperl Unit Frames: Better group frames Smart Debuff: Every debuff class must have it.
Have you hugged your mod writer today?
This week's issue of the Escapist has an excellent article by Greg Tito discussing the difficulties of being a mod writer in World of Warcraft. And we're not just talking about learning LUA or fixing bugs after Blizzard has released a major patch, but about the community itself. You've all read the official forums, so you know the community isn't always friendly. And when a mod you've written goes from being something you coded for yourself (and uploaded on a whim) to something used by thousands of people (each of them asking -- or demanding -- different bug fixes and improvements), I'd say things stop being fun. Mod-writer Gello explains some of the stress of the situation when he tried to help his users out by writing a German localization:I had spent a couple very intense months working on the localization of Recap. It got so I could understand combat logs in German.... It was just causing way too much stress and time for something I would never see or use.And when French players began requesting a French localization of mage water-summoning mod WaterBoy, Gello refused, suggesting that native speakers could make a localization themselves. And then, as Gello says, the flames began:When I stood by my position (probably not in the nicest terms), they continued in earnest. I got an email with an attachment I thought was safe and apparently it wasn't.... I basically abandoned the email address, formatted my pc, ditched the mod and didn't look back.Really, people: go give your favorite mod writer a hug. It can be an immense amount of work to maintain a good mod and most of it is thankless.
Reader UI of the Week: Silph
Another great and simple UI this week, but I still want to see your outlandish (get it?) designs and crazy UI schemes. Do you have something you think no one else has been able to show us yet? Send it to readerui at gmail dot com. Silph writes: Function over form. I follow that rule in my design work, and did so with this UI. Basically everything is suited to my needs, all while being simple and as minimal as possible. To begin with there are two chat frames, the on the left shows guild, part and raid chat while the one on the right shows everything else from trade to a tabbed combat log. Above the each chat frame there are a collection of buttons. The left ones have macros of my Outfitter gear sets (Tanking, DPS, FR, AR etc etc) along with profession buttons (Enchanting, smelting, cooking etc). The right ones on the other hands are my trade macros. Each button advertises in trade an enchant I can do. The macros will spam something along the lines of: "Enchanting Savagry (70 AP) on 2H weapon I'll wave my rod and make you glow©" but I digress.
Reader UI of the Week: March 15 - 30
This edition's UI is, in my opinion, pretty good looking. It's clean and it looks like all the mods have been tweaked in their settings to look as though they belong to a coherent whole. Zodak of Dark Iron provides an explanation of his UI is as quick and clean as the setup itself: My UI goal is to simply display everything necessary in a straightfoward manner. Minimalism with the most pertinent information shown as possible without creating clutter. I've also focused a lot on maximizing my widescreen display. The mods we can see include:
