BackseatDriver is intended to help you maintain a shot rotation based on a priority list.
The current version only supports the Hunter class, but the addon has been designed to allow
inclusion of additional classes. The interface of the addon only has an English localization,
but the mechanics should work with other language-versions of the game.
Install BSD as any other addon, start WoW and login. You will see a row of slots, 1 large
and a number of small ones. The addon is currently unlocked and can be moved or resized.
You may setup a priority list by right-clicking on the small slots or load a pre-defined sequence
for Survival or Marksmanship specs by right-clicking on the large slot.
Once you are done, lock the addon with the slash command /bsd and target something attackable.
The addon will then show the upcoming sequence of spells to be cast wíth the first being big and
easy to notice. Whenever you cast a spell, the addon will update (basically shift to the left) and
show a cooldown timer allowing you to time the next shot prefectly. Additionally, the large
slot displays the current health percentage of the target and an in-range indicator.
Background
With the addition of Black Arrow to Survival specs, I was slowly going nuts watching cooldowns
on 5-6 spells. I tried out similar recommendation mods, but found them limited in solely
displaying the next single spell to cast. My experience with my own mod has been that seeing
the next couple of spells to cast allows you to prepare the upcoming necessary finger movements
while still being able to observe and react to the environment.
I take advantage of the flexibility in setup. For example, in Mimiron phase 3 I am usually
responsible for shooting Freezing Arrows at the spawn points for Assault Bots. As these share
cooldown with Black Arrow, I don't want to fire any Black Arrows in this phase, so I simply
use the brief pause between phase 2 and 3 to unlock the addon, remove Black Arrow from the
priority list and lock the addon again. Similar changes are made in other encounters.
Points to notice:
- Duration and cooldown changes from talents and glyphs are correctly detected and handled.
- Lock and Load procs are detected and handled, the addon will basically direct you to make
3 Explosive Shots separated by 2 secs.
- Flight times (from casting ends to spell hits the target) are taken into consideration.
Comments and suggestions are most welcome!
Specifically, I would like confirmation of whether this mod works correctly with non-English
clients. Localization of the interface into other languages would also be helpful, but as
the interface is still being expanded, this will be an ongoing process.
If there is an interest, I would like to add plugins for other classes. As I exclusively
play a hunter myself, I am unaware of the details of ability selection for other classes and
need input/dialog on this. If you feel up to it, you are welcome to submit a class-specific
LUA file for another class.
Installation Guide
- Exit "World of Warcraft" completely
- Download the mod you want to install
- Make a folder on your desktop called "My Mods"
- Save the .zip/.rar files to this folder.
- If, when you try to download the file, it automatically "opens" it... you need to RIGHT click on the link and "save as..." or "Save Target As".
- Extract the file - commonly known as 'unzipping'
Do this ONE FILE AT A TIME!
- Windows
- Windows XP has a built in ZIP extractor. Double click on the file to open it, inside should be the file or folders needed. Copy these outside to the "My Mods" folder.
- WinRAR: Right click the file, select "Extract Here"
- WinZip: You MUST make sure the option to "Use Folder Names" is CHECKED or it will just extract the files and not make the proper folders how the Authors designed
- Mac Users
- StuffitExpander: Double click the archive to extract it to a folder in the current directory.
- Verify your WoW Installation Path
That is where you are running WoW from and THAT is where you need to install your mods.
- Move to the Addon folder
- Open your World of Warcraft folder. (default is C:\Program Files\World of Warcraft\)
- Go into the "Interface" folder.
- Go into the "AddOns" folder.
- In a new window, open the "My Mods" folder.
- The "My Mods" folder should have the "Addonname" folder in it.
- Move the "Addonname" folder into the "AddOns" folder
- Start World of Warcraft
- Make sure AddOns are installed
- Log in
- At the Character Select screen, look in lower left corner for the "addons" button.
- If button is there: make sure all the mods you installed are listed and make sure "load out of date addons" is checked.
- If the button is NOT there: means you did not install the addons properly. Look at the above screenshots. Try repeating the steps or getting someone who knows more about computers than you do to help.
Translations
When you download a mod, please be sure that the mod is compatible with your translation of wow. Some mods only work on the US versions, while some only work on some of the various European versions. These variations are called "Localizations".
TOC Numbers (Out of Date Mods)
When Blizzard patches WoW, they change the Interface number. This means that all mods will be "out of date" unless or until the author releases a new version for that interface. Some people go into the .toc files and update the numbers themselves, but this is STRONGLY advised against as it will cause problems locating possible incompatibilities addons. When you log into WoW after a patch, you DO NOT have to delete your interface directory. All you have to do is simply tell WoW to ignore the interface numbers and load all the mods anyway. All you have to do is, while at the "character select" screen, look in the lower left corner and click on the "addons" button. A window will pop up listing all your installed mods.
If you look in the upper left corner of that window there should be a box that says "Load Out of Date AddOns". You want to CHECK this box. Now simply go into WoW normally and all your mods should load. As of the 1.9 patch, you will have to do this after EVERY patch/update that Blizzard posts! If you encounter any problems with a mod after a patch, please be sure to let the author of the mod know so they can fix it.
See also: About "Out Of Date AddOns"
Mac Support
WoW addons are not platformed based. As such, they can be used on either Mac or PC. You can extract both .zip and .rar files on a Mac using StuffitExpander.
Directory Structure
World of Warcraft
|_ Interface
|_AddOns
|_*AddonName*
|_ *AddonName*.toc
|_ *AddonName*.xml
|_ *AddonName*.lua
|_ (possibly others as well)...
