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Addon Spotlight: Geist
Addon Spotlight 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, Geist haunts your action bars. Thursday can only mean one thing -- addons. Earlier in the week, Excellence's UI from Reader UI of the Week made prominent use of Geist, an incredibly useful addon that begged to be in the spotlight. Action bars are an important staple to the World of Warcraft user interface, and most addons in this category are all about changing the attributes of mostly static bars. Geist takes a different approach to action bars, potentially being a full action bar replacement or an augmentation onto existing action bar setups. Click now!
Reader UI of the Week: Excellence's UI
Each week, WoW.com brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs. Have a screenshot of your UI you want to submit? Send your screenshots, along with info on what mods you're using and some background information, to readerui@wow.com. Happy Tuesday, friends. Welcome to another exciting Reader UI of the Week, the WoW.com repository for community user interfaces, tips and tricks. This week, I was fortunate to get a user interface in my inbox that used IceHUD, the unit frames replacement that I had spotlighted a few weeks ago. Many people sent in emails asking to talk a little more about HUD-style unit frames, and hopefully those of you playing the home game can get some decent ideas about how to build around IceHUD for a comprehensive raid interface. Let's motor.
Totem Talk: Basic Power Auras for enhancement
Rich Maloy developed a location-aware, augmented-reality GuinnessAura application for his DROID that would automatically guide him to the nearest bar with perfectly poured pints while simultaneous putting 10 yard radius red warning rings in virtual space around the attractive women in said bar. His girlfriend declared it a little too close to a "do everything and go everywhere this app tells you to" and subsequently broke it. Thankfully Rich has an innate sense for well poured pints--and only that, baby, I swear. In an ongoing effort to spend my extremely limited time doing things that aren't critically important, I undertook some UI tweaking. Granted, everyone that watches Big Crits is subject to my UI, so I do try to keep it clean enough for the show but functional enough to play and raid lead. I wanted to replace the memory-hog Shock and Awe with the lighter and more configurable Power Auras. Surprisingly it wasn't that difficult, and so after just over an hour I had auras set up for Maelstrom Weapon, Lightning Shield, and Water Shield. To get Shock and Awe setup to display MW counts, shield status, and other enhancement-specific items is very easy: open the options panel and enable the ones you want. I wrote about Shock and Awe a few months back, wherein my poor choice of font was quickly noted. The plus side of SaA is its ease of use and quick setup, the downside is the limited customization and massive amounts of memory. Besides, it's well established that using the SaA priority system is a net dps loss for experienced enhancement players. Once you learn your enhancement rotation the priority window is nothing but a distraction. I wasn't using the priority system in SaA. I was only using the bars for MW, wolves, and shields so I could replace it with something better. After the break we'll dive in to a basic enhancement shaman Power Auras setup as well as some good suggestions from the WoW Twitter crew for more information on shaman UIs and PA setups.
Addon Spotlight: HudMap
Addon Spotlight focuses on the backbone of the WoW game play 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, HudMap replaces the hole AVR will eventually leave in your heart when it is destroyed in patch 3.3.5. With the imminent demise of AVR and AVR Encounters, the World of Warcraft community was torn in two. The prominent issue that resulted in the destruction of AVR and its ilk was the simple fact that the game world could be "drawn" on, modified without Blizzard's consent. This simple fact lead to some of the most hilarious comedy and the saddest, depressing tragedies. We even did a podcast about it! In swoops addon guru Antiarc, famous for Omen, Sexymap and Sexycooldown, to deliver us the functionality of AVR and AVR-e without the game breaking, world drawing and inexplicable phalluses. Praise to HudMap, an addon marvel.
Reader UI of the Week: Tyrias' UI
Each week, WoW.com brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs. Have a screenshot of your UI you want to submit? Send your screenshots, along with info on what mods you're using and some background information, to readerui@wow.com. Another week, another reader UI of said week. I hope that everyone in the United States had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. We went to a birthday party for a dog. I know, right? This week, we take a look at Tyrias' user interface. As a warrior, he has some unique needs coupled with a nice, simple layout and some awesome uses of Power Auras and opacity. We get to talk about opacity today! Yay! Why aren't you as excited as I am? Opacity is awesome. Click! Click!
Addon Spotlight: Gathering and trade skill helpers
Addon Spotlight focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. We'll look at everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your interface folder will never be the same! This week, Addon Spotlight lies to you, ditches Power Auras and shows you some resource gathering and trade skill addons instead. Hello, addon enthusiasts. I know that I promised some more Power Auras this week in the form of some more advanced techniques, but as I was writing it, I realized I wanted more time to flesh out some concepts. So, you'll have to cut me the tiniest bit of slack and give me until next week for some more excellent Power Auras selections and suggestions from the community, as well as some of my own tips and tricks. Instead, here are three addons that will greatly enhance your trade skill gathering and crafting. Who doesn't love addons that make things easier? I know I do. Trade skills used to be my favorite thing about World of Warcraft. Then they petered off in usefulness for a while, making a triumphant return in Wrath. I remember back when the game was announced and the Blizzard dev team said you couldn't fail on crafting! As long as you had the materials, you were good. Amazing! What other fun surprises await you? Click on, heroes.
Reader UI of the Week: Perasite's UI
Each week, WoW.com brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs. Have a screenshot of your UI you want to submit? Send your screenshots, along with info on what mods you're using and some background information, to readerui@wow.com. Greetings, Reader UI of the Week fans. Did you take some time over the weekend to ponder whether or not you could make some fun changes to your user interface? No? Everyone doesn't pour over user interface submissions all weekend like I do? You guys are really missing out! This week, Reader UI looks at Perasite's user interface, which has a pretty neat layout on the bottom half that pulls off a nice motif with simple borders. The top half of the screen, however, we can talk about. Let's learn a little something from Perasite!
Addon Spotlight: IceHUD
Addon Spotlight focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. We'll look at everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your interface folder will never be the same! This week, Addon Spotlight enters the world of HUDs and presents IceHUD, based on the novel "Push" by Sapphire. The response to my Power Auras Spotlight last week has astounded me. I have been receiving nothing but good wishes and comments from so many people perplexed by Power Auras who are now using it for simple tasks. Next week, we will delve a little deeper with Power Auras for a bit of an advanced class. That is all for another time, however. Today we discuss a different style of unit frames -- the H.U.D. An acronym for "heads up display," HUD references an interface style like that of the information meters on your car or the targeting system on a fighter jet. HUD-style unit frames have pros and cons and aren't always the best thing for everyone's playstyle. However, their straightforward information approach as well as points for style make HUD displays a compelling alternative to the regular batch of unit frame modifications out there. The best HUD, in my opinion, is IceHUD.
Reader UI of the Week: Acacià's UI
Each week, WoW.com brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs. Have a screenshot of your UI you want to submit? Send your screenshots, along with info on what mods you're using and some background information, to readerui@wow.com. Happy Tuesday, Reader UI of the Week fans. Aren't Tuesdays wonderful? Tuesdays are now all about finding something in your user interface that you want to improve upon or could stand to make changes in. This week, we are going to look at the improvements made by reader Acacià and her new, simpler user interface. This UI definitely has some great ideas for managing space using bar grouping and some compacted frames. Let's see if we can get some tips for ourselves by rifling through Acacià's proverbial user interface drawer.
Addon Spotlight: Power Auras
Addon Spotlight focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. We'll look at everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your interface folder will never be the same! This week, I give in to demand and talk about Power Auras. The time has come. The granddaddy of notification addons is again at the forefront of Addon Spotlight, and for good reason. Power Auras comes with an ingrained passionate user base of people who swear by the addon. But why? Today, we take a look at the fervor behind Power Auras and some wonderful use cases, and we declare the winners of the TCG loot card raffle for a Tiny! and Slashdance card for two lucky winners. Speaking of the contest, thank you all for responding so positively to the Power Auras submission contest. I received so many amazing emails that ran the gamut of suggestions and use cases for Power Auras that it was incredibly difficult to choose who to feature in this spotlight.
Reader UI of the Week: Gerzroz' UI
Each week, WoW.com brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs. Have a screenshot of your UI you want to submit? Send your screenshots, along with info on what mods you're using and some background information, to readerui@wow.com. Happy belated Mother's Day, moms. That's about the best I can do for mothers as the addon/UI columnist, unless someone develops a mom addon. Anyway, another week and another reader's user interface. This week we get to take a look at some simple art, give some castbar recommendations and tips, and talk way too much about minimap placement. Let's get to it, shall we?
AddOn Spotlight: TellMeWhen
Addon Spotlight focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. We'll look at everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your interface folder will never be the same! This week, TellMeWhen tells you when to do something, because you were too busy reading illicit tells or drawing male anatomy with AVR all over Dalaran. Welcome, friends! Since the Cataclysm friends and family hoo-hah was announced, all anyone wants to talk about is the future. "Future this" and "Deathwing that." Enough! Live your lives in the moment. What better way to live in the moment than have an addon help you know when things will be ready? TellMeWhen might be able to help you.
Reader UI of the Week: Crazyates' UI Mk.II
Each week, WoW.com brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs. Have a screenshot of your UI you want to submit? Send your screenshots, along with info on what mods you're using and some background information, to readerui@wow.com. Welcome to Reader UI of the Week. You might remember Crazyate's UI a few weeks back (April 6, 2010, to be exact). Crazyates had a problem -- too much stuff in too little of a space. SpartanUI was a large culprit, and his unit frames in general were unwieldy. Today, we revisit Crazyates' UI in a Reader UI of the Week success story and show you how user interface drab becomes user interface fab! My strength is returning! Read on, heroes!
AddOn Spotlight: NeedToKnow
Addon Spotlight focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. We'll look at everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your interface folder will never be the same! This week, we look at a different style of cooldown, debuff and buff tracker. In a previous Addon Spotlight, I reviewed Sexycooldown, a timeline-style buff/debuff/cooldown timer that brings with it functionality and an awesome look and feel. This week, I wanted to showcase another of my new favorite addons that performs certain tasks similar Sexycooldown/ForteXorcist, but does so in a different style. A few emails that I have received have asked for a bar-style cooldown and debuff tracker. Well, here is your answer: NeedToKnow. I've tried my absolute best to avoid a dumb joke about "you're on a need-to-know basis," but you do need to know about NeedToKnow! NeedToKnow.
Reader UI of the Week: Kiela's UI
Each week, WoW.com brings you a fresh look at reader submitted UIs. Have a screenshot of your UI you want to submit? Send your screenshots, along with info on what mods you're using, to readerui@wow.com. Last week, Reader UI of the Week profiled Mvin's UI, an awesome creation that rose the bar for UI submissions. You guys loved Mvin's descriptions and included legend, if the number of emails I received are to believed. This week, the awesome UI progression submissions continue with Kiela's UI, a story that spans expansions and some excellent insight into how user interfaces evolve over time. Do you hear the clatter of bone and steel coming up the tunnel behind you? That is the sound of your impending Reader UI of the Week.
AddOn Spotlight: Warrior, rogue, druid, hunter addons
Addon Spotlight focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. We'll look at everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your interface folder will never be the same! This week, the actual answer is always Power Auras, but for the sake of talking about Power Auras later, here are some other addons. At last, we come to the final chapter in the first edition of class addons here at the AddOn Spotlight. The only classes that remain are the warrior, druid, hunter and the rogue. Behind the jump is the answer many of you awaiting, my opinion on addons for these four wonderful classes. What are you waiting for? Pull back the curtain!
Reader UI of the Week: Mvin's UI
Each week, WoW.com brings you a fresh look at reader submitted UIs. Have a screenshot of your UI you want to submit? Send your screenshots, along with info on what mods you're using, to readerui@wow.com. Greetings, Reader UI of the Week readers! It has been another awesome week for reader UI submissions, but keep those submissions coming. Mvin, this week's lucky spotlight, has sent in an awesome variety of screenshots to show us not only the evolution of his user interface, but also addon positioning as part of a helpful guide for those taking suggestions.
AddOn Spotlight: Priest, mage, warlock addons
Addon Spotlight focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. We'll look at everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your addons folder will never be the same! This week, I cop to not knowing a thing about casters and give some recommendations from my awesome caster friends. Welcome back to the Addon Spotlight miniseries on class-specific addons. Last week, we took a look at a few specific addons for the paladin, death knight and the shaman. This week, we're forging ahead with three more classes: the warlock, the mage and the priest. If an addon is recommended that isn't particularly useful for your specialization, fear not! This type of Addon Spotlight will happen again in the future. Let us commence the celebration of these three fine caster classes and their addons.
Reader UI of the Week: Stympa's UI
Each week, WoW.com brings you a fresh look at reader submitted UIs. Have a screenshot of your UI you want to submit? Send your screenshots, along with info on what mods you're using, to readerui@wow.com. Greetings, loyal RUIotW readers. We have much business to attend to. First, I wanted to thank you all so much for the comments, suggestions and discussions we have in the comments after each article. It is sometimes an arduous task to hit every aspect of a reader-submitted user interface, and you guys always give awesome advice. The greatest aspect of this column and the comments is, to me, finding out new things by happenstance. You guys make that happen every column, and I thank you for it. It's Reader UI of the Week time, ladies and gents. This week, we are taking a look at Stympa's UI, which uses as its base the wonderful Tukui, along with some tweaks. Kick the tires, light the fires, switch all addons into the "locked" position and get ready for some minimalist fun. The actual fun isn't minimalist ... the user interface ... whatever, just click.
AddOn Spotlight: Paladin, shaman, death knight addons
AddOn Spotlight focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. We'll look at everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your AddOns folder will never be the same! This week, paladins, shaman and deathknights get a little loving of the addon kind. Class-specific addons are a wonderful thing. These powerful addons serve very specific functions for their intended class. Featuring one of these addons in the Spotlight is a bit of a challenge -- I do not want to alienate the players of nine other classes by showcasing one specific addon for one specific class, and nor do I want to dilute a Spotlight with too many addons. You are witnessing the compromise. Behold! AddOn Spotlight Class for Class. For the next couple Spotlights, we will focus on three to four classes with one addon for each. These addons aren't necessary, but could be extremely helpful to these specific classes. Let's get to it!
