Thursday, September 6, 2007

Cartographer - A Great mod for WoW maps

Today I wanted to talk about a cool add on I found for WoW maps called Cartographer.

Cartographer adds a tons of functionality to the basic WoW world map. Among its many features, it adds coordinates to the bottom of the world map and to the cursor, which is very useful if you're using a site like Thottbot for help. It also removes the "fog of war" from the map, so you can view the whole map, not just the areas you've explored. I know there are other add ons that do this, but this seems to be more efficient.

Cartographer also shows maps of battlegrounds, even when you're outside the battleground. If you want instance maps, Cartographer has those, too. In fact, it even has boss notes and other notes about the instance on the map. If you want, you can even add your own notes to any map you want, which is really useful.

If you're a gatherer, Cartographer even automatically tracks herbs and minerals for you. You can also change the look of the map by changing the transparency, the position of the map and even its scale if you want.

Possibly the most useful feature of Cartographer is that it offers zone information. Just by hovering your cursor over a zone, it will show you the level range of the zone, which instances are in the zone along with their levels, and how many players that instance is made for. That's just awesome in my opinion.

Just remember that all the World of Warcraft add ons in the world aren't going to earn you gold and level your characters for you. You've still got to play the game yourself. Luckily, there are still helpers for that, too. I use the Ultimate World of Warcraft guide, which helped me level up fast and earn a ton of gold while I was doing it. What I like best about it is that it is always being updated, so I never have to worry about buying another strategy guide again. I also like that it comes with a 1-70 leveling guide for both Horde and Alliance, so it doesn't matter which faction I want to play. Also, the gold making guide is the best I've seen anywhere. All that, plus a money back guarantee means there's no reason not to give it a shot.

Saturday, September 1, 2007

Top 9 World of Warcraft Add Ons

Today I thought I'd write about the 9 World of Warcraft add ons that I can't play without.

  1. Nerfed - Not exactly an add on, but rather a package of add ons. This is my user interface of choice. A lot of my friends use CT Mod instead, but I'll stick with Nerfed, thank you very much.
  2. Auctioneer - This one is essential because I'm far from a master salesman. I can get an approximate price on an item, but I'd never narrow it down. That's where Auctioneer comes in. "Gee, I wonder how much this blue sword I looted is worth? I'll just ask Auctioneer!"
  3. Gatherer - I gather herbs and ore, so this is another WoW add on I can't be without. After a while, I'll remember where the nodes are, but this is fantastic for getting me to them quickly until I have my particular path set and memorized.
  4. Titan Panel - I like having lots of stats and info at the top of my screen. I've actually got my UI set up to have the least amount of clutter and the maximum amount of available viewing area. But I still leave that little strip up top for the Titan Panel. I've got to know how much money I've got and how many bag slots are available. Plus, I love the feature on the money counter that shows how much I've earned/spent per hour and per session.
  5. Atlas - The in game map is great, but I love the instance maps that come with Atlas. A great mod to take care of one of the few complaints I have about WoW.
  6. All In One Inventory and Bank - I hate having to open each back individually. I can't imagine that anyone enjoys it. This takes care of that.
  7. SellValue - This lets me know how much I can sell an item to a vendor for. This works well when combined with Auctioneer.
  8. Scrolling Combat Text - If you're like me, you miss a lot of info during fights because you're not watching the chat box. Again, this is a simple solution to a problem.
  9. Outfitter - I love this, because it takes care of all my gear switches for me. I play a rogue and have it set up with a sword profile, a dagger profile, a sword/dagger profile, and a fishing profile. That would be a huge pain in the ass to switch out every time manually.
But just because you've got your UI tricked out, you're still not done. You'll need to level up and make some gold. The best way to do this is to use the Ultimate World of Warcraft guide. It has a 1-70 Horde/Alliance leveling guide and a fantastic guide to making tons of gold easily. One of my favorite parts is that it is always being updated, so it'll never go out of date. Plus, the Ultimate WoW Guide has a free money back guarantee! So, just get it and some cool World of Warcraft add ons and you're ready to go!

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

World of Warcraft Add Ons - Titan Panel

The next of the World of Warcraft add ons I'll talk about is Titan Panel. I first found out about Titan Panel when it came packaged with the Nerfed UI package. Though it doesn't come with Nerfed anymore (at least it didn't have it the last time I downloaded it), it can still be easily downloaded and added.

Titan Panel basically adds a think panel at the top of your screen with information feeds that you can customize. You can list things like current zone, location, money, amount of ranged ammo, number of empty bag slots and more.

I especially like using those stats as well as having it show me how much EXP I'm averaging per hour. That can be a useful tool in helping me maximize my leveling during my limited play time.

There are numerous plugins that work with Titan Panel, adding functionality. Some of them include ones to show which zones are best for your current level and one to show your pet EXP.

Some people aren't going to want all of this information, so Titan Panel lets you turn on and off whichever stats you don't care about. You can also adjust the transparency of the Titan Panel. It also lets you turn on the stats in any order you want, so just because I like my zone location to be first doesn't mean that's how you have to see it.

Overall, Titan Panel is a great addition to your UI package. While it isn't one of the absolute essential World of Warcraft add ons, it is very useful and one I always install.

However, World of Warcraft add ons will only get you so far. You'll still need good strategy to make the most out of the game. That's where the Ultimate World of Warcraft guide comes in. It gives great tactics for every class, maps, quest info, a 1-70 leveling guide for both factions, and a amazing guide for making tons of gold. All of that, plus it is constantly update and comes with a money back guarantee, so you've got nothing to lose. Check it out!

Sunday, August 26, 2007

The Most Useful of the World of Warcraft Add Ons - Auctioneer

Of all the World of Warcraft add ons, Auctioneer has been the most useful to me. I attribute my entire bank account to it. Before I installed it, I was just selling nearly everything to the vendor for a pittance. Now, I'm able sell most of my items for a pretty decent profit at the auction house.

In case you've never heard of it, Auctioneer is one of the many World of Warcraft add ons available to help with the auction house. It may be one of many, but it is hands down the best.

Once you've installed Auctioneer, you'll obviously want to head to the auction house. Now comes the only bad part about Auctioneer. You'll click the scan button and then wait around 30 minutes while it scans every auction that's listed. What's the point of this, you ask? The answer is simple. Auctioneer is building a database of every item in the auction house along with a the price it is listed. Over time and many scans, it will have a very accurate database of items along with a nice average selling price. What this means to you is that now when you loot some item you've never heard of, you can hover your cursor over it and a little popup will display showing you the average selling price. Now there's no more guess work about whether something is trash or not.

And if you haven't figured this out yet, what this means for you is that now you've got an up to date list of prices and trends every time you set foot in the auction house. There's no more guessing what you should list something at. There's also no more guessing as to whether you're about to pay too much for those shiny new Boots of the Awesome.

Another cool feature is that you can set Auctioneer to see if it finds any items that are selling for below their average price, so you can buy them and flip them for a quick profit.

So, to me, Auctioneer is a life saver. I now use it every day. In fact, I sometimes log in just to run a scan, even if I don't plan on playing that day. And with the use of this tool, I've made a ton more money than I would have without it.

If you've found this article useful, you may also want to check out the Ultimate World of Warcraft guide. It'll teach you tricks like this one to make tons of money in no time flat. That's in addition to the 1-70 power leveling guides for both Alliance and Horde, all the maps, quest info, and class strategies. This guide has everything you'll need to become a WoW master virtually overnight. Even better, it offers a money back guarantee, so if you get it and don't start kicking butt all over Azeroth, return it. So, go ahead and check it out, you've got nothing to lose!

Friday, August 24, 2007

World of Warcraft Add Ons - All In One Inventory

This is, without a doubt, one of the most useful World of Warcraft add ons that I use. I hate having to remember which item is in which bag and cycling through opening each bag. Same thing goes for the bank. Opening all the bags and having all those windows open, plus the bank...ugh.

What this add on does is consolidate all of your bags into one window.



As you can see, this is a much, much better way of dealing with inventory. It leaves the screen free from clutter, and there's no longer any guess work about which bag you have your item in.

Even better, this add on was updated recently and works flawlessly.

To summarize, All In One Inventory lets you keep your inventory under control and organized in the most efficient manner possible. It is painless to install, easy to use, and keeps the screen neat. What more could you ask from your World of Warcraft add ons?

One of My Favorite World of Warcraft Add Ons - Nurfed

For me, Nurfed is always the first thing to download after doing an install of World of Warcraft. Quite simply, I can't be without it. The default UI just bugs the hell out of me. I like things to be small and out of the way so I can see as much of the screen as possible.

Honestly, I know what I've got hotkeyed, I don't need to look at the pictures. So why not make them small and unobtrusive?

For me, Nurfed takes care of everything. From hotkey bars to bags to the target window, it makes everything useful and look good. Throw in an add on to show all your bags at once (which I'll be reviewing shortly) and everything is gravy.

However, nurfed isn't without its faults. As of this writing, the last update was done June 24th, which isn't a huge deal, but new features are always nice. Plus, I get a bit nervous whenever I'm running an out of date add on. I hate it when the UI screws up because one feature is out of date and then I have to start removing things one by one until I find the problem.

But really, that's a problem any time you download a compliation pack of add ons. In fact, that's even a problem if you download the add ons by themselves. Of course, the nice thing about the compliation packs is that you only have to remember one download for all the updates instead of however many different add ons you use.

So, I have to give my highest possible recomendation to Nurfed. In the next couple of weeks, I'll be trying some other UI, no matter how much it may pain me to do so.

But, until then, you should check out this guide for more tips and hints about the World of Warcraft. If you want a leveling guide, its got it. Which side, you ask? How about both Alliance and Horde? Want to make some gold? This book tells you how. Needs maps? They're in there. Really, what you are waiting for? Just check it out!

World of Warcraft Add Ons

In the World of Warcraft, add ons are a very important part of the game. That add an incredible amount of versitility and functionality that you don't realize you rely on until its gone.

Hands up, how many of you have had to reinstall WoW for some reason and been completely useless until you had all your add ons installed and configured? Yeah, me too.

And how many times have you had a friend or guild-mate tell you about some awesome add on that you didn't even know existed? Yep, me too.

That's where I come in. I'm going to try out add ons and let you know which ones are live savers and which ones are just wasting your CPU cycles.

If you have any World of Warcraft add ons that you particularly like, let me know so I can spotlight them.

In the mean time, you might want to check out this guide, which I use all the time. It has both Alliance and Horde leveling guides, all sorts of tactics and strategies, plus it has all the ways to make easy gold.

So, be sure to let me know which add ons you like, and I'll have some awesome reviews coming up!