How do you plan on staying under 36 macros in WotLK (with multiple 5-box teams on a single set of 5 accounts)

[raz]

I'm in the process of leveling a couple more 5-box teams to try out druids and locks but am a bit concerned with a total of only 36 macros per account. Currently on my shaman team I use up all of the slots on the individual tab and a few on the account wide tab. These consist of the following (from memory as I'm at work so I'm sure I'm forgetting some):

1. An invite macro to invite all of my characters so I don't have to do it manually

2. An accept macro which includes the battleground port, trades, group invites, etc etc

3. A ground mount macro
(this could be replaced by a button where I move the ground mount each character uses and keep the keybinding the same across all characters)

4. A flying mount macro
(same as #3)

5-9. A macro for each character name which sets them as the main focus target, follows them, and sets up twoboxtoolkit notifications
(this is a huge concern as I don't want to have 5*the number of teams I have for macros. This alone could eat up my 36 macros if I create more teams. I'm thinking of spending the money to rename all my characters to start with a set of letters making a single set of 5 macros perform this function for all teams)

10+. Spell Macros. Currently for the shaman alone I have a bunch covering Lightning Bolt/Lesser healing wave, Chain Lightning/Chain Heal, Earth shock (max rank), Earth shock rank 1 castsequence, flame shock, frost shock castsequence, totem castsequence, etc etc.
This one is my second real concern. The basics of these macros outside the castsequence ones could be done if there were a mod that made a certain bars' spells always cast on the current focustarget's target with no modifiers required. I need to look into other bar mods (I currently use Bongos) but this would eliminate a number of macros which might make 36 a reasonable number to stay under once I have 4-5 teams (shaman, Shadow priests, druids, locks, mages, hunters are all possibly planned).

Has anyone else thought of this issue or spent some time working things out? I also play my warlock as my single player raiding character so I have a number ofmacros used in raiding for banishing / seducing focus and the like that take up slots on one of my accounts. I'm just thinking if I can plan ahead a bit I'll save a lot of hassle later. Thanks for any inputs!

[Darcla]

solution, make better use of your macros for startes get rid of:


3. A ground mount macro
(this could be replaced by a button where I move the ground mount each character uses and keep the keybinding the same across all characters)

4. A flying mount macro
(same as #3)
why are these a macro?


5-9. A macro for each character name which sets them as the main focus target, follows them, and sets up twoboxtoolkit notifications
(this is a huge concern as I don't want to have 5*the number of teams I have for macros. This alone could eat up my 36 macros if I create more teams. I'm thinking of spending the money to rename all my characters to start with a set of letters making a single set of 5 macros perform this function for all teams)

this can all be done with one macro. Check the wiki

All in all I would take a look at your macros and the wiki and consolidate, toss out, the ones that could be use with simple key bindings. I run a paly,priest, 3xmage; a 4xshaman, and a 3xhunter, and I have not even used half of my macro slots.

[-silencer-]

I could be wrong, but isn't the WotLK rule just 36 character specific macros that are stored server-side for use anywhere, but a virtually-unlimited number of global (locally-stored) macros? I didn't think it was intended to knock the entire macro count down to just 36 macros and have them all stored server-side..

[Oatboat]

is this including the General Macros and then the Character Specific macro tab?... Cause each character gets a personal Macro tab that i havent come close to using them all.

I just keep Group invites and other group macros on the General tab.

[Drakkun]

I plan to keep using trinity bars which stores it macros in a lua file and not in the standard WoW macro area.

[Anahka]

I plan to keep using trinity bars which stores it macros in a lua file and not in the standard WoW macro area.

Trinity developer seems to be MIA. Doubt it will transfer over to WoW 3.0 without work from him.

[Ðeceased]

:S u don't want to know fur ^^ I'm up to around 35 macros per character :P x god knows how many alts = a hell of a lot of macros >.<

basically my set-up is maximising efficiency, completely avoids focus (unless i want to target a player in particular - for boosting friends or dpsing), it allows me to switch Brain character seemlessly without even pressing a button (move mouse to next window and control as normal) etc

but ur right tho.. using focus would probably cut my macro count down to around 15 per character

[king.pa]

can't you just consider combining macros with the modifier keys ?
I've got my invite macro on my main, but you can mix several macros like your

for the mounts :
#showtooltip
/cast [modifier:alt] Flying Mount; Land Mount

For auto accept of group invite . just install Automaton, it will do it for you without the need of any macro.. and much more !!!

[Frosty]

I think i've got like 10 macros on my Shaman. And like four on my Paladin. And I run heroics and PvP just fine....

Then like 8 universal macros (shared)

...wtf do you need so many macros for?Wooooh..ok good it's not just me then. I'm running 5 different classes and have plenty of macros left. And that's counting 4 wasted ones for /wave, /laugh, /dance, and /rude! :P

[Ðeceased]

can't you just consider combining macros with the modifier keys ?
I've got my invite macro on my main, but you can mix several macros like your

for the mounts :
#showtooltip
/cast [modifier:alt] Flying Mount; Land Mount

For auto accept of group invite . just install Automaton, it will do it for you without the need of any macro.. and much more !!!

I've combined everything imaginable :P dps/heal + focusdps/heal on a single target + WTFBBQCLEMNS when needed is all in one key :P I've been min/maxing my brain to death :P

[raz]

can't you just consider combining macros with the modifier keys ?
I've got my invite macro on my main, but you can mix several macros like your

for the mounts :
#showtooltip
/cast [modifier:alt] Flying Mount; Land Mount

For auto accept of group invite . just install Automaton, it will do it for you without the need of any macro.. and much more !!! I don't use modifiers because I'm already using modifiers for all spells used while multiboxing. I have the xKeys (I use a hardware setup with 5 computers for multiboxing) using very strange combinations of keys so that my "normal" bars are still mapped so that I can play any individual character as a normal single-boxer would when not at my home rig. I have to admit I've only done this a very small handful of times, but it was very nice to be able to log into a default UI machine and play without any modifications to the UI.

[Ken]

can't you just consider combining macros with the modifier keys ?
I've got my invite macro on my main, but you can mix several macros like your

for the mounts :
#showtooltip
/cast [modifier:alt] Flying Mount; Land Mount

For auto accept of group invite . just install Automaton, it will do it for you without the need of any macro.. and much more !!! I don't use modifiers because I'm already using modifiers for all spells used while multiboxing. I have the xKeys (I use a hardware setup with 5 computers for multiboxing) using very strange combinations of keys so that my "normal" bars are still mapped so that I can play any individual character as a normal single-boxer would when not at my home rig. I have to admit I've only done this a very small handful of times, but it was very nice to be able to log into a default UI machine and play without any modifications to the UI.

You're doing it wrong then ;) Or at least: it can be done better.
My multiboxing macros also work when playing solo. They have the same key combinations also.
Anything that you can combine should be in 1 macro, group stuff together like:
- different heals
- different shocks
- different pet attack types
- different buffs
- all mount types

Use modifiers then to select the specific heal/shock/petattack/buff/mount type.
Make the scripts so that if you're not multiboxing, that they still work like this:
/cast [target=focustarget,exists,harm] [exists,harm] Lightning Bolt
This will cast a lightning bolt to the target of the focus that is set. If you 're not multiboxing, it will just cast at your current harmful target (if any).
With this focus, you can also easily switch focus(and thus switch team) which makes your setup even more flexible.

[Mercurio]

I had the same problem, then due to someone else on these boards recommendation, I downloaded BindPad, an add-on that gives you room for over 150 more macros.

Quite the lifesaver if you aren't Fur :thumbup:

[Ken]

I had the same problem, then due to someone else on these boards recommendation, I downloaded BindPad, an add-on that gives you room for over 150 more macros.

Quite the lifesaver if you aren't Fur :thumbup:
Sure, but then the question becomes: Will that still work in WOTLK?

[raz]

5-9. A macro for each character name which sets them as the main focus target, follows them, and sets up twoboxtoolkit notifications
(this is a huge concern as I don't want to have 5*the number of teams I have for macros. This alone could eat up my 36 macros if I create more teams. I'm thinking of spending the money to rename all my characters to start with a set of letters making a single set of 5 macros perform this function for all teams)

this can all be done with one macro. Check the wiki

All in all I would take a look at your macros and the wiki and consolidate, toss out, the ones that could be use with simple key bindings. I run a paly,priest, 3xmage; a 4xshaman, and a 3xhunter, and I have not even used half of my macro slots. The Wiki doesn't have a solution that really fits well with how I'd like things to work while multiboxing working universally when I'm in a single party of 5 or when the BG leader decides that he wants to be a pain and put me into 5 separate groups. Here's the section from the wiki dealing with assisting with my comments inserted:
Assist Macros


Fortis ('../wiki/index.php?title=User:Fortis&action=edit') provided the following macro which provides a method of assisting without using focus, freeing focus for CC tasks



Assist without focus ('../wiki/index.php/Macro:Assist_without_focus')
This looks interesting, but I'll have to do some experimentation. I like using focus since I don't have any CC with the shammy team, but with that changing in WotLK I may use assist rather than focus. The main problem with this is that I can't choose with a different button press to skip my 2nd character as the main assist if he's CC'd. It limits me to only a predefined priority of which characters are my "main" if they are alive.



The IT Monkey ('../wiki/index.php?title=User:The_IT_Monkey&action=edit') provided the following macro which sets the focus to the first live character in a predefined list of characters



Focus Live toon ('../wiki/index.php/Macro:Focus_Live_toon')

This has the main disadvantage of the first as well where I can only have the preset list of leaders in one order based on who's alive. This also would not fit into a 255 character macro if you add in more character names.

Djarid ('../wiki/index.php/User:Djarid') provided the following macro to set the focus to a specific character based on key modifiers



Focus with modifiers ('../wiki/index.php/Macro:Focus_with_modifiers')

This looks the most promising, but I'll have to remap my Xkeys. If I can fit it into 255 characters for all the teams this would still allow me to use 5 separate buttons allowing me to choose at random who is the main.

Vyndree ('../wiki/index.php/User:Vyndree')
uses party assignment for determining the "main assist", which allows
use of focus for CC/interrupt/pet assignment. A focus can be used to
force a party leader assignment in battlegrounds, or when your main
dies.



Assist via Party assignment or Focus ('../wiki/index.php/Macro:Assist_via_Party_assignment_or_Focus')

This one only defaults to the party leader and then would require other macros to choose a focus different from that. In BGs this wouldn't work when I'm not in one group or the leader.

Another way to allow the use of focus is using action bar pages to assist.



Assist using Pages ('../wiki/index.php/Macro:Assist_using_Pages')

This would simply eat up all the pages way too fast. I have separate bars set up for solo playing when I've respecced a shaman to heal in the past so this would be limiting me quite a bit.

[raz]

/cast [target=focustarget,exists,harm] [exists,harm] Lightning Bolt
This will cast a lightning bolt to the target of the focus that is set. If you 're not multiboxing, it will just cast at your current harmful target (if any).
With this focus, you can also easily switch focus(and thus switch team) which makes your setup even more flexible. I'll add in the extra check. My current macro's for combined spells look like:

#showtooltip Lightning Bolt
/use Icon of the Silver Crescent
/use Xi'ri's Gift
/use Glowing Crystal Insignia
/cast [help, nodead, target=focustarget] Lesser Healing Wave; [target=focustarget, harm] Lightning Bolt

My problem is that I set all this crap up way before I'd heard of dual-boxing.com about a year ago. I've got a number of what is realistically "bad" or less than optimal playstyle habits that I'll have to wean myself out of to make things more efficient macro-wise when moving to more teams.

[Ken]

/cast [target=focustarget,exists,harm] [exists,harm] Lightning Bolt
This will cast a lightning bolt to the target of the focus that is set. If you 're not multiboxing, it will just cast at your current harmful target (if any).
With this focus, you can also easily switch focus(and thus switch team) which makes your setup even more flexible. I'll add in the extra check. My current macro's for combined spells look like:

#showtooltip Lightning Bolt
/use Icon of the Silver Crescent
/use Xi'ri's Gift
/use Glowing Crystal Insignia
/cast [help, nodead, target=focustarget] Lesser Healing Wave; [target=focustarget, harm] Lightning Bolt

Even though it combines multiple things, it does not combine them as effective as it could. I was more thinking about things like these:
http://www.dual-boxing.com/wiki/index.php/Macro:Ken%27s_complete_Shaman_macro_set#Healing
http://www.dual-boxing.com/wiki/index.php/Macro:Ken%27s_complete_Shaman_macro_set#Fire
(more here: http://www.dual-boxing.com/wiki/index.php/Macro:Ken's_complete_Shaman_macro_set )


My problem is that I set all this crap up way before I'd heard of dual-boxing.com about a year ago. I've got a number of what is realistically "bad" or less than optimal playstyle habits that I'll have to wean myself out of to make things more efficient macro-wise when moving to more teams.
I know it sucks to reorganize everything, but can really be helpful, as:
- you will reach buttons more easily with your keyboard, as you will have to move your hand less far (less buttons = more things grouped within range)
- the whole setup will feel more logical and it will be more easy to fit your keyboard scheme with other classes. Example setup of mine:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2138/2511460900_ecbb107ab2_o.png
- because you use less buttons, you will be quicker in our actions

[raz]

I think tonight will be spent redoing everything, but I'm still not sure if I'll be able to integrate a single player setup well with the multiboxing teams at the same time. My problem is that single boxing I don't use modifiers embedded in macros, so I have a stack of 3 bars with the first bound to 1 though backspace, the 2nd mapped to shift-1 through shift-backspace, and the 3rd to alt-1 thought alt-backspace because I'm just used to it after almost 4 years of playing single classes this way (I have all classes singple leveled to 70 other than a mage which my wife refuses to let me level on the premise she needs a character I don't have......).

In order to set up modifiers I'll have to use keys other then my normal 1 through backspace if I want to maintain the current single player defaults so I'm not sure what I'll use yet. I also have a sidebar stack with F6-F12 used taking up modifiers on those as well, lol.

[Old Dirty Bathtub]

Take a look at the addon Bindpad ('http://wowui.worldofwar.net/?p=mod&m=6337') if you are running out of macro space. It has a function (similar to Trinity Bars) that gives you a pretty large number of additional macro slots.

Bindpad is actively being developed and already has a beta for 3.0.

On a related note, I hope Maul turns up and fixes Trinity; I can't bear the thought of going to Domino or Bartender.

[Fortis]

In really hope there will be a trinity version for WOW 3.0! Redoing all stuff for my teams would be REALLY annoying.....

[zanir]

3. A ground mount macro
(this could be replaced by a button where I move the ground mount each character uses and keep the keybinding the same across all characters)

4. A flying mount macro
(same as #3)
I use a macro I lifted off wowwiki for my mounts, which combines land and flying mount, as well as my non-combat pet:

/stopmacro [flying]
/cleartarget
/targetexact Murky
/use [noexists] Blue Murloc Egg
/cleartarget
/cast [flyable,outdoors,nocombat] Purple Riding Nether Ray; [noflyable,outdoors,nocombat] Yellow Mechanostrider
/dismount

It's something like that, anyway.