Some Simple Macro Fun

Macros are fun.  Macros are useful.  Provided  you don’t try to DPS or Tank via the abomination that is the “/castsequence” command, they can help you keep your action bars tidy,  your keybinds uncomplicated and your game more enjoyable.  Every  now and then I come across some simple macros that don’t add to your DPS or make you an uber player – but they’re clever and they make things easier.  I figured I should share.

Hiding (or Showing) Your HELM or CLOAK

We’ve all be stuck with lame looking helms and cloaks in game.  Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to toggle them on and off without having to open  up the interface options menu screen?  You can.  Just create a new macro and add the following text:

For Helms:

/run ShowHelm(not ShowingHelm())

For Cloaks:

/run ShowCloak(not ShowingCloak())

You’ll have to make 2 macros if you want to be able to turn both items on and off.  Once you’re done, just click once to toggle either your helm or cloak “off” – click again and it’s back on!

Doing Something Random

Another kinda neat one is throwing a random number generator into a macro.  There are a lot of folks that like to make their characters “say” something everytime they use an ability….(Yes – we’re all thinking of Death Knights right now and their GET OVAH HURRR! macros for Death Grip….)

Well – what if you wanted to do something like that – but didn’t want to be an annoying twat EVERY TIME you pressed the key?  Well – a Paladin I know wanted to be able to macro the phrase “Repent!” when she used an instant Exorcism.  After a while – this got to be a bit obnoxious and she decided she just wanted it to happen “now and then”.

Thus:

#showtooltip
/cast Exorcism
/stopcasting
/run if random(5)==1 then SendChatMessage(“Repent!”) end

The /stopcasting command is there to kill any Exorcisms that aren’t instants.  What the rest of the macro does is simply roll a 5 sided dice – if the pips come up “1” – then the Paladin will say “Repent!” as she casts the spell.

There are lots of things you could do with this.  I know one WoW Insider writer that macros the Headless Horseman’s laughter sound to his Paladin’s Hammer of Wrath ability.

WoW.

I bet that gets annoying if you’re on the other end of it 🙂

Have any fun macros?  Feel free to share!

Cogwheel of Doom Work Around

## Thanks to Lerali and Mattie who posted this workaround to me here! ##

Additional Credit to Deyneth of Wyrmwrest Accord who posted the fix to the official forums HERE

The Cogwheel of Doom has a workaround.  If you’re willing to turn off tool-tips there is a marked lack of SUCK when dealing with anything requiring cogwheel interaction.

The workaround is to turn off tool tips.  A wonderfully simple way to do this is to setup macros like the following:

A macro to “turn off tooltips” and one to “turn on tooltips”.

Turn Off Tooltips:

/script GameTooltip.Temphide = function() GameTooltip:Hide() end; GameTooltip:SetScript(“OnShow”, GameTooltip.Temphide);

Turn On Tooltips

/script GameTooltip:SetScript(“OnShow”, GameTooltip.Show);

Before jumping into battlegrounds or doing instances I will turn tooltips off and go about my business without worrying about Cogwheel.  Once I’m done – I just turn them back on.

Now.  If someone could just do something about that fancy new water freezing my computer I’d be home free!

Don’t Click That!

Anything in fact.  If it has the little Blizzard “cogwheel” effect – fear it – for it will destroy your world.

Or, barring that it will dump you from the game.

Thus far I have been locked out of WoW clicking on the following:

• Flags in Battlegrounds
• Mage Tables
• Soul Wells
• The Headless Horseman’s Summoning Pumpkin
• The orbs in Nexus

The problem is widespread and is platform agnostic as it is being seen across both Mac and PC operating systems.

There is a HUGE thread in Blizzard’s Bug Report Forum regarding the issue with a terrible lack of feedback from support.  You can find it  HERE.

While bugs suck and this bug in particular is no fun at all – it has lead to some rather entertaining moments.  The funniest (saddest) I can recall was during a string of battlegrounds the other night.  We had just managed to take down the Alliance flag runner in Eye of the Storm.  The flag is just sitting there on the ground waiting for us to grab it and run with it.

No one was willing to click the silly thing.

Every Headless Horseman run I’ve done has included at least 1 person doing the “Running Man” as the game locks on them as they try to click the summoning pumpkin.  I’ve also found the problem to occur when simply mousing over the object to be clicked.  It’s as if there’s something malevolent trying to load itself through the ether into my game.

I’m hoping today’s downtime comes complete with some bug fixes.  I  honestly don’t recall the Public Test Realms being this buggy.

The Monday Gnombliteration

The Yog Guys found yet another amazingly bizarre quest in the Cataclysm beta.  Who wouldn’t want to roll up 1000 crazed gnomes, Katamari style with a flaming fusion core?

Anzu Available to Everyone

According to folks in the customer support forums, Anzu no longer requires a druid for summoning.  Apparently when you head into Heroic Setthek Halls he’s just hanging out in his old summoning room waiting for people to come along and PwN him.

While Blizzard hasn’t come out and said that this is expected or intended, I rather think that it is.  Increasing the drop rates on the epic Brewfest Mounts was likely the first sign of things to come.  After all – with old world flying coming in Cataclysm, where exactly are we going to be using these epic ground mounts?

**Quick update – It’s true.  Anzu awaits all comers in his summoning chamber.  A chamber that is usually filled with tons of trash mobs.  All of the trash is gone.  The summoning stone is gone.  Even the trash before Talon King Ikkis is gone.

Bastard still didn’t drop the reins though…