_NPCScan tracks seldom-seen rare mobs by proximity alone, making the old “/targetexact …” macros obsolete. It has the same range as those targeting macros, but you won't have to mash any buttons. Just go about your business and let _NPCScan alert you when it finds something.
Details
The Cache
This addon doesn't use nameplates or mouseover units to find rares. Instead, it checks your creature cache for the moment a rare mob is found. There is one catch to this technique however: Once a mob is “found”, _NPCScan won't be able to find it again until your cache is cleared. If you find a rare mob's corpse—Dirkee for example—you would have to clear your cache before _NPCScan would find Dirkee again. Thankfully, clearing your cache is a safe and simple matter.
Clearing Your Cache
To clear your cache, follow these straightforward steps:
- Exit World of Warcraft.
- Delete the “Cache” sub-directory inside your World of Warcraft folder. For example on a standard Windows XP installation, you would delete the folder “C:\Program Files\World of Warcraft\Cache”.
Note: Windows Vista users see this info to find your Cache folder in WoW's Virtual Store.
That's it. Log in after you've done that and you'd be able to find Dirkee a second time. It's completely safe because WoW will recreate your Cache folder after you log in again.
Cache Warning
If a rare mob is already cached when you log in, _NPCScan will print a warning message with the names of those mobs. If you see this message but still want to find the listed NPCs again, it's time to clear your cache by following the above procedure. Otherwise, you can quit searching for those mobs using the Search options window detailed below. You can suppress this log-in message using the main options pane, as well.
“Found” Alert
When a rare mob is found, _NPCScan alerts you by playing a loud and distinctive sound, making your screen pulse red, and displaying an animated targeting button. To get a feel for what this alert looks and sounds like, try the “Test Found Alert” button in the addon's main Interface Options panel. (See the Options section below.)
Targeting Button
When clicked, the targeting button tries to target the most-recently-found mob. You can also bind a key to hit this button. If the default button position isn't to your liking, you can move it while holding your <CTRL> key.
Note: The button cannot be shown during combat. In the unlikely case that you do find a rare while fighting, the button will appear after you leave combat. You will still hear the alert however, and the name of the mob will appear in your chat log.
Options
_NPCScan's main options window can be accessed from the Interface Options menu. This panel includes a “Test Found Alert” button, various ways to customize the alert sound, and an option to suppress cache warning messages on log-in.
New sounds can be added to the alert sound dropdown menu by installing SharedMedia-type addons.
Search List
The list of mobs that _NPCScan searches for can be modified easily through the Interface Options panel, however it comes pre-configured with most rare Outlands and Northrend mobs. To access the mob list, type “/npcscan”.
Grayed out NPCs in a list aren't being searched for, either because they're cached, a pet, or not needed for their achievement.
- The first tab available lists Custom NPCs that you can enter or remove manually. NPCs that are already cached show a red “X” in the first column. You can add or remove Custom NPCs with the [+] and [-] buttons at the bottom right.
- All other tabs control achievements like Bloody Rare and Frostbitten. These tabs show an additional column on the right with green check marks for completed achievement mobs. You may enable or disable tracking each achievement with its tab's checkbox.
The two checkboxes at the top left of the pane allow greater control over which mobs to search for. “Search for tamable NPCs” controls searching for mobs tamable by hunters (to avoid the issues detailed in the “Limitations” section below). “Search for completed Achievement NPCs” allows you to keep looking for mobs you no longer need for achievements.
Finding NPC IDs
A mob's NPC ID is its unique identification number, and it can be found on sites like WowHead or WowDB. For example, search for the mob “Dirkee” on WowHead and go to the mob's page. That page's URL will look like “http://www.wowhead.com/?npc=32500”; 32500 is Dirkee's NPC ID.
Limitations
The only problem mobs for _NPCScan are tamable beasts. Even when you run across the tamed version, _NPCScan gets tricked into thinking that mob is nearby. In order to prevent those false positives, _NPCScan only shows alerts for tamable mobs in their original zones. That is, if you spot Loque'nahak in Dalaran instead of Sholazar Basin where it usually patrols, _NPCScan would ignore it. When one of these tamable mob false-alarms happens, you'll see a message in your chat window explaining why it got ignored.
Since this makes tamable mobs are so difficult to track, I suggest you fly to the tamable mob's zone first, clear your cache, and then search for it. Any time you pass through a populated area like Dalaran, you risk filling your cache with popular rare pets.
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)...