Addon of the Day..DBM

Ok...starting today I am going to TRY (please note TRY) to every day take on a new addon and discuss it, explain it and rate it.

At the top of the list is Deadly Boss Mobs, most commonly referred to as DBM. If you have a slow system that gives you a lot of difficulty and you can only have one addon....this is the one in my opinion. Raiding guilds actually require it in order for you to get in on guild raids. I for one will make it a point if I am leading a raid that everybody has it.

Name: Deadly Boss Mobs (DBM)
Category: Boss Encounters
Link: http://www.deadlybossmods.com/ This addon is also available at http://www.curse.com/ which is where I get it from since I have the curse.com addon manager.
Description: This is an alert system that will help guide you through boss encounters in dungeons and raids. Basically it will alert you of upcoming boss actions so you can make the necessary adjustments.
Features: (Note: this is copied from the DBM site)

•Boss mods for all raid bosses
•Colored raid warnings (players will be colored according to their class) with icons - so you will know what's going on without even reading the message
•Auto-respond during boss fights. DBM will inform anyone who whispers you during a boss fight that you are busy. These messages contain the name and health of the boss as well as the raid's status
•BossHealth-frame: you can enable a simple frame that shows a health bar for all active bosses. This is enabled by default for multi-mob bosses like Four Horsemen
•Bars can be enlarged with decent effects when they are about to expire
•Crash recovery: you had a disconnect or crash during a boss fight? No problem for DBM! It will request the timer and combat status information from other DBM users in your raid group and you get your timers back
•Synchronization system for accurate timers
•No dependencies, no embedded libraries (except for the optional LibDataBroker plugin that embeds LibDataBroker)
•Modular design - all boss mods are plugins and can be exchanged, removed or updated separately
•Load on demand - all boss mods are separate AddOns and they will be loaded when they are needed. So they don't use memory or cpu until you enter the corresponding instance
•Efficient code: DBM uses less than 250 kb memory and the cpu usage is also very low
•Special effects like the screen flash effect, huge warning messages and sounds will draw your attention to critical events
•Bars can change their color over time and flash before they expire
•There are many bar designs to choose from, all designs are are customizable: you can change the color, size, icon position etc.
•Support for SharedMedia, so you can use any texture for your bars
•Option to create custom timers, so-called "Pizza Timers" for your pizza or whatever you prefer to eat while raiding. You can also send those timers to your raid group
•Powerful object-oriented API - you can use it to write your own boss mods! this is copied and pasted from the DBM website...
•Boss mods for all raid bosses
•Colored raid warnings (players will be colored according to their class) with icons - so you will know what's going on without even reading the message
•Auto-respond during boss fights. DBM will inform anyone who whispers you during a boss fight that you are busy. These messages contain the name and health of the boss as well as the raid's status
•BossHealth-frame: you can enable a simple frame that shows a health bar for all active bosses. This is enabled by default for multi-mob bosses like Four Horsemen
•Bars can be enlarged with decent effects when they are about to expire
•Crash recovery: you had a disconnect or crash during a boss fight? No problem for DBM! It will request the timer and combat status information from other DBM users in your raid group and you get your timers back
•Synchronization system for accurate timers
•No dependencies, no embedded libraries (except for the optional LibDataBroker plugin that embeds LibDataBroker)
•Modular design - all boss mods are plugins and can be exchanged, removed or updated separately
•Load on demand - all boss mods are separate AddOns and they will be loaded when they are needed. So they don't use memory or cpu until you enter the corresponding instance
•Efficient code: DBM uses less than 250 kb memory and the cpu usage is also very low
•Special effects like the screen flash effect, huge warning messages and sounds will draw your attention to critical events
•Bars can change their color over time and flash before they expire
•There are many bar designs to choose from, all designs are are customizable: you can change the color, size, icon position etc.
•Support for SharedMedia, so you can use any texture for your bars
•Option to create custom timers, so-called "Pizza Timers" for your pizza or whatever you prefer to eat while raiding. You can also send those timers to your raid group
•Powerful object-oriented API - you can use it to write your own boss mods!


Rating: 5 stars! A+! Essential! If you do not get ANY addons...get this one!

All Shook Up?

http://www.wow.com/2009/12/28/are-invisible-mobs-ushering-in-the-cataclysm-world-event/

So I had noticed while in game the other day that the screen did this whole jumpy thing. I started looking around for a mammoth or something and there was nothing around...I found it odd. Had that creepy feeling you get when in Hellfire Peninsula, and the ground starts shaking and you just know you are about to get your ass handed to you by the dreaded Fel Reaver. You know the feeling I am talking about right? (as a sidenote...how the hell does that big ass mofo manage to sneak up on you???)

Then yesterday somebody in the WoW yahoo group I am in mentioned it. So I figured, damn it's not just me. I began doing some looking around and it appears that more and more people are actually reporting this phenomena.

As mentioned in the posted article, Azeroth is going to be torn apart. Everything is going to be reshaped as Deathwing takes flight and rips out from the very core of Azeroth. It would make sense that this "breaking out" and "cataclysmic event" do not happen from one day to the next...so why not have rumblings? It would make sense that Deathwing is testing the confines of his prison and the Earth Warder will eventually break free destroying Azeroth as we know it.

I find this to be an extremely cool concept and just proof once again of the great depth the programmers of WoW go to to design this game. Time and again I have seen NPC fights occuring in the middle of no where in places that nobody would really be, unless you are a ridiculously obssessed farmer such as myself. Little things and details.

I know there is a lot of talk all the time on how easy the game is, and how it is nerfed beyond the point of being fun. I understand where they are coming from. But I also enjoy the complexities of the game, the landscapes and the little details that make me chuckle. If this is intentional, and not some bug, I say kudos to the developmental team at Blizzard for making this next expansion intriguing and I hope events keep leading up to the cataclysm expansion.

Who's the Tank?

So I wanted to start a blog that has nothing to do with anything serious other than the very serious business of playing World of Warcraft. So here it is...

I didnt know what to make my first post so I decided to put this video. If you are a fan of the oldies then you will recognize the similarity to the old Abbott and Costello routine of "Who's on First"