addon-configuration
Latest
Addon Spotlight: 2 addons by Shackleford
Each week, WoW Insider brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. Everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your addons folder will never be the same. This week: Shackleford. Sometimes when I am out looking for new addons for the Spotlight, I find an author rather than any one addon. Many addon authors are not one-timers -- they've got a few addons under their belts because they either love the work or just can't get enough out of punishing themselves. Suffice to say, we are very appreciative of their work, and really, where would we be without them? Today's Addon Spotlight focuses on two cool utilities from Shackleford, addon author to the stars (maybe). I am a big fan of little utilities, since most of these little wonders sit idly by, performing their functions with nary a whisper or whimper. Things just happen. If you don't already know them, may I introduce CalendarHUD and WeaponUP.
Reader UI of the Week: Going transparent with Quatho's UI
Each week, WoW Insider brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which spotlights the latest user interface addons. Have a screenshot of your own UI that you'd like to submit? Send your screenshots along with info on what mods you're using to readerui@wowinsider.com. Welcome to Reader UI of the Week, WoW Insider's weekly user interface column, where your UI is the star! Last week's edition changed the format up a bit, but this week we're going back to form and checking out a pretty cool setup by Quatho. I chose Quathos' user interface for a couple of reasons, most notably to highlight how cool transparency can be when crafting your user interface, as well as working from a laptop. Many people email me asking for laptop user interfaces, and whenever I can, I do like to oblige. So sit back, relax, and let's jump into Quatho's UI.
Addon Spotlight: Daily Grind
Each week, WoW Insider brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. Everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your addons folder will never be the same. This week: grind, baby, grind. Dailies, dailies, dailies. Dailies are the perpetual new WoW hotness at this juncture -- but really, dailies have been in since The Burning Crusade, introduced in full force during one of the greatest content patches with the Black Temple and then kicked up a notch during the Isle of Quel'danas. We've never really seen a decline in popularity of dailies, as they have been a mainstay in the game for over four years of content. Today's addon for spotlighting purposes is a nice little tool that not only stays out of your way but adds a little functionality to your daily grind. Coincidentally, the addon is called Daily Grind. Are you looking for an addon to manage some of the clicking and dialogue for all things blue exclamation mark? Read on.
Reader UI of the Week: Crafting a UI for a disabled player
Each week, WoW Insider brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which spotlights the latest user interface addons. Have a screenshot of your own UI that you'd like to submit? Send your screenshots along with info on what mods you're using to readerui@wowinsider.com. I'm a sucker for doing things differently, and this week's Reader UI is no exception. Emails usually inspire me with topics to cover, and this particular email made me think long and hard about the software and hardware that I use. Combined with the fact that I'm fairly fresh off of the Razer Naga Epic review, I've got some opinions on alternative ways of controlling WoW. World of Warcraft and Blizzard in general have been responsive to disabled gamers' concerns in many ways, from giving fights and encounters text emotes instead of just sounds to a large amount of UI customization in scale and effect. A largely customizable user interface, in fact, is something not to be taken for granted, as it can help help with a good number of motor disabilities, visual impairments, and issues dealing with the loss of a limb. In addition to the UI itself, World of Warcraft and the MMO genre have spawned a huge market for peripherals that help disabled gamers achieve a level of interaction that might never have been possible at the start of the genre.
Addon Spotlight: LoseControl
Each week, WoW Insider brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. Everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your addons folder will never be the same. This week, take back control of your life with LoseControl. Give me an A! Give me a -ddon! Give me a Spotlight! What's that spell? A half-assed attempt at an engaging introduction for this week's Addon Spotlight! Does that lame joke make you want to charge my office and do physical harm to me? Well, good, because this week's addon is a PvP-centric tool that can help you regain control of your character and potentially your sanity. One of the worst feelings is losing control of your character. In fact, as a design decision, many MMOs including WoW limit the amount of player abilities that cause a player to lose control of their avatar. No one likes losing total control for a long time -- it just isn't fun! Balance reasons aside, there is a reason that most stuns, CC options, and other abilities are on short timers.
Reader UI of the Week: Javey's UI and the UI crashing blues
Each week, WoW Insider brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which spotlights the latest user interface addons. Have a screenshot of your own UI that you'd like to submit? Send your screenshots along with info on what mods you're using to readerui@wowinsider.com. Reader UI of the Week is going to take a personal twist this week. First, I will present a tale of user interface sadness and woe, and second, I will discuss the all-important backup plan ideology. Last night was truly a catastrophe for my user interface, and many of you will hopefully lend your good wishes and support to my sad, grieving heart. This week's UI comes from Javey, who uses LUI as his base setup and adds on some needed functionality that doesn't come stock with the excellent full user interface replacement. While LUI's design is not his own, Javey does still need to make the right decisions when it comes to completeness, as LUI does not provide every piece of the UI puzzle, especially for healers. Your knowledge of heal-intensive interface components will still be tested even if you use a full UI replacement package.
Addon Spotlight: Archaeology made easy
Each week, WoW Insider brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. Everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your addons folder will never be the same. This week, tol'vir rares never drop for Mathew, even though Mathew is a good boy who doesn't kill level 23 worgen while doing archaeology. Okay, I lied. Now that archaeology has been buffed to a certain degree with new tol'vir digsites and a lower cooldown on Survey, it's time to get a little addon-serious about the secondary profession. A few weeks back, I talked about one archaeology addon that took some of the interface away for me, because it was a three-click pain in the butt to get to the artifact counter. Now, with the recent changes, that isn't the case. In that time, however, loads of new tools have come to the forefront of the archaeology community. Read on for archaeology made easy.
Reader UI of the Week: Skulldamage's UI
Each week, WoW Insider brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which spotlights the latest user interface addons. Have a screenshot of your own UI that you'd like to submit? Send your screenshots along with info on what mods you're using to readerui@wowinsider.com. Another week, another Reader UI of said week. I've got a pretty contentious one for you guys, too, so buckle up. This week, we're taking a look at Skulldamage's UI. The general aim of this enhancement shaman's UI is keeping the number of addons active to a bare minimum, including some potentially important ones. What we have, then, is an exercise in keeping as much of the default UI as possible while having enough competency tools to raid effectively. Let's see what we're working with.
Addon Spotlight: My other Top 5 addons
Each week, WoW Insider brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. Everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your addons folder will never be the same. This week, I double cop-out with a second top 5 list because the first one did so well. Who says I don't pander?! There is no way I could have made a Top 5 addons list without these other 5 addons. Many of you had awesome Top 5 lists of your own, and the comments on my last Top 5 column was filled with awesome recommendations. Thank you all for the excellent conversation. This list is my other Top 5, a collection of addons that didn't make the cut the first time, not because they aren't deserving of the top spots but because they probably weren't the first addons to come to mind. Then, after reading the comments and my own addon list, I felt bad and couldn't leave these out. So let's do my other Top 5 addons.
Addon Spotlight: 2 quickies and some addon discussion
Each week, WoW Insider brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. Everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your addons folder will never be the same. This week, two quick addon suggestions, and then a discussion about what makes good addons great. We're doing things just a tad differently today on Addon Spotlight. I received an email last week that really got me thinking and that I thought answering in the column would provoke some great discussion and commentary. Anyway, before we begin, do not fret, readers -- I'm recommending a couple of quickie addons as usual. Let's jump right in. Before I begin the meat of the discussion for this week's Spotlight, let me serve up some appetizers for you. Two quick addon recommendations -- go!
Reader UI of the Week: Razariel's UI
Each week, WoW Insider brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which spotlights the latest user interface addons. Have a screenshot of your own UI that you'd like to submit? Send your screenshots, along with info on what mods you're using, to readerui@wowinsider.com. Reader UI of the Week fans, I have a few announcements before we begin this week's thrilling tale of interface creation and customization. First, we've switched over to a new email address for reader UI submissions. The new email is readerui@wowinsider.com. New email address! Use it! Good times. Submit! Second, I'm pretty close to finishing up my panels for distribution, but I'm looking for a free hosting solution. If you have any recommendations, email me at mat@wowinsider.com with the subject "Panels hosting ideas." All right, let's get on to business. So far, this expansion has been pretty great for user interface customization. We've got new UI elements for the player and even for boss encounters like Atramedes, Nefarian, and Cho'gall. The user interface is more important than ever! This week, we're going to look at Razariel's UI, a dual-purpose DPS/resto shaman setup that lives mostly in solo and 5-man content. Razariel's setup is one based on paring down addons to a manageable level while still keeping the fun alive with portraits and a heavy amount of free space.
Addon Spotlight: My Top 5 addons
Each week, WoW Insider brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. Everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your addons folder will never be the same. This week, Mat's Top 5 addons are pretty much what you would expect them to be. There's a kind of magic about "top" lists. For one, they give you a humble look inside of the author's mind, a taste of what he or she values and holds as tent poles of the subject matter at hand. For two, I just like Top 5 lists. A confession -- this is my first "top" list. I've never had to choose 5 things and put them into a list format. So, while my banana bread bakes, I will attempt to whittle down my favorite addons into a convenient list and describe the aspects of what makes each of these addons great, from their purpose to their execution. So, here we go -- my top 5 addons.
Reader UI of the Week: Uth's UI
Each week, WoW Insider brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which spotlights the latest user interface addons. Have a screenshot of your own UI that you'd like to submit? Send your screenshots, along with info on what mods you're using, to readerui@wow.com. Reader UI of the Week makes patch day fun! Unless it's one of those rolling restart types of patch day -- then you're just spamming your refresh key and running around in circles. Either way, I do hope you'll join us for a little user interface discussion. This week, I wanted to showcase Uth's UI, a non-assuming, simple affair that aims to be versatile as well as easy on the eyes. Much like last week, we have a player who alternates between two roles -- healing and DPS. The need for versatility forces many players to fashion their UIs into a catch-all configuration that easily morphs into the specified role at any given time. I like user interfaces that have a bit of bend.
Addon Spotlight: Reforgenator
Each week, WoW Insider brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. Everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your addons folder will never be the same. This week, reforge with ease. Ah, reforging. Sometimes, reforging is the bane of my existence. Other times, this new gear customization shoots rainbows into my brain and shows me visions of other worldly delights. I hold a potentially popular belief: reforging is one of the best, if not the best, new features in Cataclysm. Either put down your pitchforks or raise your glasses higher in toast to me, whichever you feel necessary. Gone are the days of missing out on an upgrade because it doesn't have the perfect stats -- just make a new piece of gear that is almost there in terms of quality, and you're set. The problem with reforging, though, is the trial-and-error aspect for many classes. Sometimes it would be nice to just know what you need to reforge or even what pieces of gear you could tweak just a little bit to squeeze a little more performance out of. An addon that could help out with reforging would be pretty sweet, huh? You know it.
Reader UI of the Week: Adam's UI
Each week, WoW Insider brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which spotlights the latest user interface addons. Have a screenshot of your own UI that you'd like to submit? Send your screenshots, along with info on what mods you're using, to readerui@wow.com. Ladies and gentlmen, boys and girls, I welcome you to another wonderful edition of Reader UI of the Week, WoW Insider's community user interface feature where you, the reader, get to show off your screen. This is my 50th Reader UI of the Week, marking a huge milestone for me. I have been having the time of my life writing for WoW Insider, and I cannot believe it's already been 50 weeks. It's almost my one-year anniversary. What are you going to get me, community? You still have time to pick out the gifts ... This week, reader Adam shows off his UI that has to play two roles for two different classes. Many people are playing alts these days, and user interfaces are playing multiple roles more and more. Let's take this opportunity, then, to talk about ways the UI can be set up for multiple classes and multiple roles. Let's get this party started.
Addon Spotlight: Raeli's Spell Announcer
Each week, WoW Insider brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. Everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your addons folder will never be the same. This week, announce yourself with style and grace! As Cataclysm chugs along and we grow more and more accustomed to the way things will be from here on out, some addons rise to the top of the importance list. Luckily, here on Addon Spotlight, we get to examine these new essentials and let you know some of the cooler tools you can use to make life in Azeroth a little bit easier. Today, we're talking interrupts. Well, there's more than interrupts going on here, but the reason I love this addon is mainly its interrupt-announcing abilities. Lost? Don't feel bad. Get ready to introduce yourself to one of your new best friends, Raeli's Spell Announcer.
Addon Spotlight: CursorCastbar
Each week, WoW Insider brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. Everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your addons folder will never be the same. This week, make your castbar round?! Whaaaaat? Addon Spotlight fans, rejoice! The first installment of your favorite column for 2011 is here, and we're going to start off with a good one. Take a seat, grab a hot cup of tea, and settle in for some addon goodness. In the middle of writing Addon Spotlight for this week (which will become next week's), a friend of mine shot a link across the interwebs to me via instant message. "Here's an addon I think you would like," he said. Well, "like" is an understatement. I love CursorCastbar not only for the functionality that it brings but the aesthetics of a radial castbar. This is exciting.
Reader UI of the Week: 2010 roundup
Each week, WoW Insider brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which spotlights the latest user interface addons. Have a screenshot of your own UI that you'd like to submit? Send your screenshots, along with info on what mods you're using, to readerui@wow.com. Happy 2011, everyone! I hope your New Year's was an excellent one. Reader UI of the Week is going to do things a bit differently today, as I return to where I began, so many months ago, and talk about the evolution of my own user interface as well as wrap up 2010 with a little review of the biggest things to take away from the column last year. In addition, we have a very generous offering from Vhei, last week's Reader UI of the Week, with a video describing how to achieve his setup and some links for the artwork. If you're an adventurous user, you may want to check that out.
Addon Spotlight: Worgen Auto Transform
Each week, WoW Insider brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. Everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your addons folder will never be the same. This week, I spotlight your suggestions for Community Choice 3! It has come to my attention that there are worgen in Cataclysm. Like... wolf people. Real-life wolf people. I see them scampering about the fields of battle and inside the keeps of Tol Barad, sniffing the ground, frolicking in the grass, and chasing abandoned siege vehicles. Bark all you want, worgen -- you aren't taking The Slagworks. As a Horde player, seeing worgen is a novelty for me. And, for the most part, I see worgen in their combat wolf-state -- a growling, menacing wolf man who will occasionally act like a worgen mage and make funny arm motions at me. Is he trying to tell me something? What is is, boy? What is it? The Alliance are losing Warden's Vigil?! Come quick?!
Reader UI of the Week: Vhei's UI
Each week, WoW Insider brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which spotlights the latest user interface addons. Have a screenshot of your own UI that you'd like to submit? Send your screenshots, along with info on what mods you're using, to readerui@wow.com. There is so much snow on the ground right now that I can barely leave my house, even if I wanted to. Insanity has engulfed the city; snow madness will soon set in. Why do people live in these terrible climates again? Oy. Hopefully, dear reader, you are somewhere nice and warm, kicking your feet up on the desk and giving yourself the break you deserve with some Reader UI of the Week. You might remember Vhei from a long while back -- in June, to be exact -- when we looked at Ve's UI. Same person, new name. Back then, Ve's UI was a nice, segmented interface that relied on strong border contrasts to separate interface elements from one another. I probably said something like, "I don't like spaces!" You know me all too well. Ve, now Vhei, has returned with a new offering, one that I very much enjoy, since I'm a sucker for good texture work. So stand back as I plow through this column like the snow plow that never showed up on my street. Please send help. There's so much snow.
