Monday, June 28, 2010

WoW-Pro Addon Version 0.9

A new version is available for download! Yes I know I skipped version 0.8, I forgot something in the first upload >_<

 Most importantly in this update, I've added the last few pieces of code for auto-completion. All steps should now auto-complete correctly! Additionally, I've added the preliminary code for item buttons. Unfortunately, they don't yet work with sticky steps, and there isn't a visible cool-down displayed on them. If anyone is knowledgeable in programming and wants to help out with this feature, it would be greatly appreciated.

Bug Fixes:
  • The guide no longer anchors to the mini map. This should avoid issues people were having with Carbonite as well as addons which move the minimap.
  • Thanks to Peter for adding code to keep the guides from other factions unlisted :)

New Features:
  • Auto-completion for set hearth steps
  • Auto-completion based on the |L| tag, support for buy steps
  • Auto-completion based on the |QO| tag (partial quest completion)
  • Partial implementation of the item button (see below)
In other news, we've started rewarding Karma points over at WoW-Pro again. I added a section on the linked page explaining points for addon work as well.

With some luck, we'll have a beta version of the addon available on the main WoW-Pro site in a week or two!

Monday, June 21, 2010

WoW-Pro Addon Version 0.6

The newest build for the WoW-Pro addon is up on the addon's website (http://sites.google.com/site/wowproaddon), and it's packed full of new features! None are quite as impressive as the sticky feature added in the last version of the build, but these are nice all the same:

Bug Fixes:
  • The guide list now has a scrollbar. Sorry about overlooking that!
  • The race (and class) tags will now work if there is more than one race listed - thanks very much Peter!
New Features:
  • Zone tags, for coordinates outside of the guide's current zone, are now operational! Just like in the old Tour Guide version, simply use |Z|Zone Name| to make the coordinates map correctly.
  • Multiple coordinates per step are now functional, just as they used to work with Tour Guide! Simply separate the coordinates with a semi-colon as in this example: |M|36.2,4.38;19.0,52.3|
  • Auto-completion is now enabled for run, fly, boat, and hearth steps.
  • Auto-completion is now enabled for get flightpath steps.
Not bad for a single update!

I'm off work this coming week so I should be putting a lot of hours into the addon. Look for some awesome new stuff next time around. I'm planning to get all of the auto-completion functionality that is in Tour Guide added to our addon by this weekend, and then sink my teeth into the item button feature.

Look forward to it!

Monday, June 7, 2010

WoW-Pro Addon Version 0.5

I just uploaded a new version of the WoW-Pro Addon alpha build over on it's website, https://sites.google.com/site/wowproaddon.

New Feature Completed: Sticky Steps

New in this version is the |US| unsticky tag, which completes the "sticky steps" feature. Sticky steps are created using the |S| sticky tag, which causes the step to float at the top of the guide window. These steps indicate things the user should do as they go, while completing the other steps in the guide.


The |US| tag causes the step to be removed from the sticky part of the frame and come back down to the main frame, indicating that the user now needs to complete that step. All that is required is for the two steps to have the same name. The |N| can be completely different, and often should be during the |US| step to inform the user that it's their last chance to complete that step.

There are still quite a few missing features and bugs in the addon, but it's coming along nicely all the same and the support from the WoW-Pro community has been phenomenal.

Remember, if you want to get real time updates of what I'm working on in the addon, follow me on Twitter!

I'll be very busy the next week moving and visiting family, so expect the next update the weekend after next!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Updated: WoW-Pro Improvements

Wow has it been a while since I've posted here! I'm still active on my Twitter account and over at WoW-Pro. I've been working hard on an addon to bring WoW-Pro guides into the game, you can check it out over at: https://sites.google.com/site/wowproaddon

Jame has asked me to update my old list of possible improvements for WoW-Pro.com, so here is what I've got:
  • Comment Rating - It's been mentioned and I still am looking forward to it. A simple thumbs up or down would be all that's needed for this. Add to this graying out or minimizing badly ranked comments and automatic comment purging.
  • Improved Categorization - Some of the organization of guides can be improved. There are some issues that Jame has mentioned - atm, guides can't be in two categories at once, so things like class-specific leveling guides make for confusion.
  • Featured Guide - it would be cool to have a special "Featured Guide" that changes periodically, that could be based on the guide's ratings. This could appear on the main page or on a sidebar.
  • Automation of the Karma System - As a moderator, I've got to say that keeping track of Karma for comments is just not going to happen. Karma for guides is possible, but what about Karma for addon work? Blog posts? And whatnot. Some automation in the Karma system is on the top of my wish list. Pretty much all the ranks below Moderator could be automated as well, but I would definitely recommend NOT automating the Moderator rank.
  • View Count - Check out how many unique users/IP views a guide has gotten. I always am curious if people actually ever read my guides.
  • General Guides - A silly pet peeve of mine, these guides are not general, they are quite specific - general would be something like "WoW tips" or whatever. Maybe change title to "More Guides" or something.
  • Comment Notification - a simple notification, similar to the PM one already in place, for when someone comments on your guide or responds to a comment of yours. I know this is already in place for watched guides, but having an option to turn it on automatically for comment strings you are participating in could be nice.
  • Karma for Ranking Guides - One point of Karma for ranking guides might be nice, though this might be a bit much too. Some reward to get people out there and rating the guides would be good.
  • Clear Policy for Guide "Purges" - By purge I mean simply putting a guide back to Work in Progress. Something like "If a guide has five votes and has a ranking of 2 or less it goes back to work in progress". We want everyone to contribute but we also want to be known for having high quality guides.
  • Blogs - I know a few users have, in the past, wanted to come out with mini-guides or weekly tips. Having some category or format more tailored to this type of "guide" might be nice, though the current system (putting them in their own category) works okay.
I'll add to this as I think of things.