Play Better, Suck Less: Spellcast Part 2: Going Back to the Beginning.

Play Better, Suck Less is a column dedicated to getting the most out of your FFXI experience in game and out. Whether Windower improvements, new game-play techniques, sweet strats or new tech, it will all be covered here! After last weeks bitching, Ringthree gets down to business and tries to figure out how all of this works. The cake is a lie.

You might remember that last week I complained a lot about how Spellcast is for geeks and not nerds like me. Sure, the geeks get it, but man, trying to figure out code is about the moral equivalent to shoving white hot pokers into my ears for me. But for you guys, I am willing to do it (I will be forwarding the doctor's bills to you too). The most important part in all of this is that we find a place to start, and basically all I told you last week was to download Spellcast. So unless you are really lazy we can at least get that out of the way. Well, now that the update has come you will want to get the newest version of Spellcast (if it is even up yet) so that all the new gear will be entered into it (at least I think that is what needs to be fixed). Also while you are over at the Windower site you might want to pick up a few other helpful plug-ins like Cancel, Text and Autoexec. You don't really need to know why you are getting them right now, just know they make Spellcast run better right now.

Now to dive into all of that code, right? Well, not quite. I also mentioned that Aikar's BLM Spellcast XML is a great place to start for BLM last week. Spellcast was originally created to help BLM with the myriad of things that they need to do while casting that are nearly impossible to do by hand or in the archaic macro system. So BLM is probably the best job to start a discussion about Spellcast. Everyone else can stop freaking out though, because there are Spellcast XML files for nearly every job and even though most of this discussion is BLM related you can apply it to any job and role very easily.

Ok, so go download Aikar's BLM Spellcast XML file.

Go on.

Stop reading and go get it. I'll wait.

Did you get it?

Ok, great.

Now, lets take a look at all this. I know it looks intimidating, but Aikar did a great job of adding explanations to each area of the XML document. Now don't be intimidated by "XML" or anything like that. It's just a notepad file, and if you have made a windower macro before you have dealt with this kind of file before. Go ahead and open the file and look at it as we go through it.

The introduction is nice and soothing for those in fear about the whole operation. Once you move through that we go to the first line of explanation, which are the automatic sleep timer notifications. You can turn these on by leaving a 1 on that line and you can turn them off by selecting 0. The next three lines deal with optional BLM gear, and again use a 1 to indicate you have the gear and 0 to indicate that Spellcast shouldn't consider using the gear. After those you can set the HP level you need to activate your Sorcerer's Ring if you have one. If you selected 0 for Sorcerer's Ring already then you don't need to worry about this area.

Now we move into the gear options area. This is pretty easy to understand, but the important thing to remember is that these are "rules" that are set up to pick gear for certain situations. It doesn't mean that Spellcast will always use this gear, but if you tell it to use a certain type of gear it will check to see if you have this gear then use it. That may have sounded a bit complicated, but basically Spellcast just needs to know what you have so it can use it if you tell it to. The first set of gear are the Elemental Grips, and again this is just a 1 for yes, and a 0 for no. The second set of gear is a little more complicated but not much. Basically Spellcast is set up to call all of your staffs by one name for simplicity's sake. So "IceStaff" is used anytime you want to use an Ice Staff or an Aquilo's Staff. Just put in the name of the staff you are using and whenever Spellcast looks for the name of that kind of staff it will use the one that you picked. The next group of gear are the Elemental Obi's and like grips you just indicate if you have them or not.

Now we move onto the gear sets. The first gear set is called "Main" and it is your standing gear set. This set is going to use any gear you have with Refresh on it, and any Defensive gear you might use like an Earth Staff or an Umbra Cape, and any movement speed gear you might like having on. You are never really going to cast in this gear, just stand there or get your face beaten in. The next set is Fast Cast, which obviously is just your Fast Cast gear. Resting is next, and it should be relatively easy to figure out what you need to put into the list. Some of the slots might be missing but they can easily be added if you want to put something into them. Also, not every slot needs to be added for this to work, it will use something from another set. For example, if you are casting a Fast Cast spell it will use your normal casting gear and then place the Fast Cast gear in last. So there is no need to always reconstruct your list of gear if the right circumstances are in effect. If you don't know what those circumstances are then you might want to fill in all of your gear if you are concerned Spellcast won't know what to use.

The next set is Minus HP which is just for activating a Sorcerer's Ring latent effect, if you don't have one don't worry about this, if you do have one then you already know the gear you need to swap to make it work. Finally, you have your Full Damage set. This is what will be used when you want your biggest nukes with no real fear of resists. Don't worry if you are fighting mobs that could resist you because the next set, High Resist, will put on your Skill and Accuracy gear when you are cast on mobs that are in the High Resist list which we will get to later. The Mid Resist set is next, and you can back down some of your resistance gear here. After that there is the Light Resist set which you can adjust as you need. You will notice that it says that it will use Full Damage as your base set. This is were Spellcast will look first to pick gear, then it will go to the these sets to put on the gear you need for these specific Resist situations. The next sets of gear are Dark, Enfeebling, Healing, Divine and Enhancing. You can fill these in with the appropriate gear.

Once you have filled in all of your appropriate gear you are basically done. After that the gear sets are the rules that Spellcast uses for pretty much all situations. We will go over these next week, and we might even talk about how to how to make our own rules, but I am not promising anything.

<a href="http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff151/ringthreetheicp/Cake_code.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff151/ringthreetheicp/Cake_code.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 187px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Play Better, Suck Less</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">is a column dedicated to getting the most out of your FFXI experience in game and out. Whether Windower improvements, new game-play techniques, sweet strats or new tech, it will all be covered here! After last weeks bitching, Ringthree gets down to business and tries to figure out how all of this works. The cake is a lie.</span><br /><br />You might remember that last week I complained a lot about how Spellcast is for geeks and not nerds like me. Sure, the geeks get it, but man, trying to figure out code is about the moral equivalent to shoving white hot pokers into my ears for me. But for you guys, I am willing to do it (I will be forwarding the doctor's bills to you too). The most important part in all of this is that we find a place to start, and basically all I told you last week was to download Spellcast. So unless you are really lazy we can at least get that out of the way. Well, now that the update has come you will want to get the newest version of Spellcast (if it is even up yet) so that all the new gear will be entered into it (at least I think that is what needs to be fixed). Also while you are over at the Windower site you might want to pick up a few other helpful plug-ins like Cancel, Text and Autoexec. You don't really need to know why you are getting them right now, just know they make Spellcast run better right now.<br /><span class="fullpost"><br />Now to dive into all of that code, right? Well, not quite. I also mentioned that Aikar's BLM Spellcast XML is a great place to start for BLM last week. Spellcast was originally created to help BLM with the myriad of things that they need to do while casting that are nearly impossible to do by hand or in the archaic macro system. So BLM is probably the best job to start a discussion about Spellcast. Everyone else can stop freaking out though, because there are Spellcast XML files for nearly every job and even though most of this discussion is BLM related you can apply it to any job and role very easily.<br /><br />Ok, so go download Aikar's BLM Spellcast XML file.<br /><br />Go on.<br /><br />Stop reading and go get it. I'll wait.<br /><br />Did you get it?<br /><br />Ok, great. <br /><br />Now, lets take a look at all this. I know it looks intimidating, but Aikar did a great job of adding explanations to each area of the XML document. Now don't be intimidated by "XML" or anything like that. It's just a notepad file, and if you have made a windower macro before you have dealt with this kind of file before. Go ahead and open the file and look at it as we go through it.<br /><br />The introduction is nice and soothing for those in fear about the whole operation. Once you move through that we go to the first line of explanation, which are the automatic sleep timer notifications. You can turn these on by leaving a 1 on that line and you can turn them off by selecting 0. The next three lines deal with optional BLM gear, and again use a 1 to indicate you have the gear and 0 to indicate that Spellcast shouldn't consider using the gear. After those you can set the HP level you need to activate your Sorcerer's Ring if you have one. If you selected 0 for Sorcerer's Ring already then you don't need to worry about this area.<br /><br />Now we move into the gear options area. This is pretty easy to understand, but the important thing to remember is that these are "rules" that are set up to pick gear for certain situations. It doesn't mean that Spellcast will always use this gear, but if you tell it to use a certain type of gear it will check to see if you have this gear then use it. That may have sounded a bit complicated, but basically Spellcast just needs to know what you have so it can use it if you tell it to. The first set of gear are the Elemental Grips, and again this is just a 1 for yes, and a 0 for no. The second set of gear is a little more complicated but not much. Basically Spellcast is set up to call all of your staffs by one name for simplicity's sake. So "IceStaff" is used anytime you want to use an Ice Staff or an Aquilo's Staff. Just put in the name of the staff you are using and whenever Spellcast looks for the name of that kind of staff it will use the one that you picked. The next group of gear are the Elemental Obi's and like grips you just indicate if you have them or not.<br /><br />Now we move onto the gear sets. The first gear set is called "Main" and it is your standing gear set. This set is going to use any gear you have with Refresh on it, and any Defensive gear you might use like an Earth Staff or an Umbra Cape, and any movement speed gear you might like having on. You are never really going to cast in this gear, just stand there or get your face beaten in. The next set is Fast Cast, which obviously is just your Fast Cast gear. Resting is next, and it should be relatively easy to figure out what you need to put into the list. Some of the slots might be missing but they can easily be added if you want to put something into them. Also, not every slot needs to be added for this to work, it will use something from another set. For example, if you are casting a Fast Cast spell it will use your normal casting gear and then place the Fast Cast gear in last. So there is no need to always reconstruct your list of gear if the right circumstances are in effect. If you don't know what those circumstances are then you might want to fill in all of your gear if you are concerned Spellcast won't know what to use. <br /><br />The next set is Minus HP which is just for activating a Sorcerer's Ring latent effect, if you don't have one don't worry about this, if you do have one then you already know the gear you need to swap to make it work. Finally, you have your Full Damage set. This is what will be used when you want your biggest nukes with no real fear of resists. Don't worry if you are fighting mobs that could resist you because the next set, High Resist, will put on your Skill and Accuracy gear when you are cast on mobs that are in the High Resist list which we will get to later. The Mid Resist set is next, and you can back down some of your resistance gear here. After that there is the Light Resist set which you can adjust as you need. You will notice that it says that it will use Full Damage as your base set. This is were Spellcast will look first to pick gear, then it will go to the these sets to put on the gear you need for these specific Resist situations. The next sets of gear are Dark, Enfeebling, Healing, Divine and Enhancing. You can fill these in with the appropriate gear. <br /><br />Once you have filled in all of your appropriate gear you are basically done. After that the gear sets are the rules that Spellcast uses for pretty much all situations. We will go over these next week, and we might even talk about how to how to make our own rules, but I am not promising anything.</span>

Play Better, Suck Less: Spellcast Part 1 - Let's Get the Complaining Out of the Way.

Play Better, Suck Less is a column dedicated to getting the most out of your FFXI experience in game and out. Whether Windower improvements, new game-play techniques, sweet strats or new tech, it will all be covered here! Today, we try to decipher Spellcast and make it usable for those that aren't fluent in multiple programming languages.

I have always heard that Spellcast was great, that you can use it to do all sorts of magical mystical things, and that it was a boon to all players. It could also give out ice cream and free blow jobs, but unless you can figure out how to use it, it is basically worthless. And this is the major problem with Spellcast. A lot of people just don't know how to use it. Yes, all of the things it can do are wonderful, but the person that makes it and the people that use it all too often assume that everyone in FFXI does or should know how XML works, how it all should function, and worst of all, their instructions on how to make it work are esoteric and obtuse. I have heard that it is like a tree or a book or some other things that make no sense at all.

So, this is the beginning of a guide to help you figure out how to use Spellcast if you happen to not work in the programming industry.

I am learning as we go along too, so if I make a mistake then point it out to me, and we can fix it together. I really wish I didn't have to make a guide like this, because I believe it would be relatively easy for the maker of Spellcast or other people that use it to make an UI that would generate the XML you would need for making macros and equipment lists for whatever conditions. Spellcast as it exist is a half finished work, very powerful but also very user unfriendly and daunting to those that would like to use it but don't know XML. I think Spellcast is a perfect example of why software companies have different people to create the code and to create the instructions to use the program. Ok, wish me luck!

Getting start: The very first thing to do is download Spellcast from the Windower.net website. There are a lot of things that Spellcast does without even having to set up macros. They are almost exclusive for people that type out every command. So if you use a controller most of the time, then it probably isn't going to help you very much from just installing it.

At this point it is hard to even know where to start for those that have never done this before, but I will give it a try. Trying to figure out how to use Spellcast from the beginning is nearly impossible from the instructions provided if you don't already know XML. The best thing to start out with is the work that some other people have already done and making it work for you. You can find those here. Once you find one that you like, you will want to add it to your Spellcast file. Even though Aikar claims that his is the most complicated XML file, it is also the most straight forward, and includes explanations of what information goes into each area, and is preset to be used for BLM. I wish I could add it in here but the code would destroy this post. LOL

Take a look at Aikar's XML file and start thinking about how you can use it. Next week we will start looking at getting it to work with your gear or another job.

<a href="http://www.windower.net/wiki/" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff151/ringthreetheicp/Windower.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 191px; height: 100px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Play Better, Suck Less</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">is a column dedicated to getting the most out of your FFXI experience in game and out. Whether Windower improvements, new game-play techniques, sweet strats or new tech, it will all be covered here! Today, we try to decipher Spellcast and make it usable for those that aren't fluent in multiple programming languages.</span><br /><br />I have always heard that Spellcast was great, that you can use it to do all sorts of magical mystical things, and that it was a boon to all players. It could also give out ice cream and free blow jobs, but unless you can figure out how to use it, it is basically worthless. And this is the major problem with Spellcast. A lot of people just don't know how to use it. Yes, all of the things it can do are wonderful, but the person that makes it and the people that use it all too often assume that everyone in FFXI does or should know how XML works, how it all should function, and worst of all, their instructions on how to make it work are esoteric and obtuse. I have heard that it is like a tree or a book or some other things that make no sense at all.<br /><br />So, this is the beginning of a guide to help you figure out how to use Spellcast if you happen to <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> work in the programming industry.<br /><span class="fullpost"> <br />I am learning as we go along too, so if I make a mistake then point it out to me, and we can fix it together. I really wish I didn't have to make a guide like this, because I believe it would be relatively easy for the maker of Spellcast or other people that use it to make an UI that would generate the XML you would need for making macros and equipment lists for whatever conditions. Spellcast as it exist is a half finished work, very powerful but also very user unfriendly and daunting to those that would like to use it but don't know XML. I think Spellcast is a perfect example of why software companies have different people to create the code and to create the instructions to use the program. Ok, wish me luck!<br /><br />Getting start: The very first thing to do is <a href="http://wiki.windower.net/plugins/spellcast">download Spellcast</a> from the Windower.net website. There are a lot of things that Spellcast does without even having to set up macros. They are almost exclusive for people that type out every command. So if you use a controller most of the time, then it probably isn't going to help you very much from just installing it.<br /><br />At this point it is hard to even know where to start for those that have never done this before, but I will give it a try. Trying to figure out how to use Spellcast from the beginning is nearly impossible from the instructions provided if you don't already know XML. The best thing to start out with is the work that some other people have already done and making it work for you. You can find those <a href="http://wiki.windower.net/plugins/spellcast/userxml">here</a>. Once you find one that you like, you will want to add it to your Spellcast file. Even though Aikar claims that his is the most complicated XML file, it is also the most straight forward, and includes explanations of what information goes into each area, and is preset to be used for BLM. I wish I could add it in here but the code would destroy this post. LOL<br /><br />Take a look at Aikar's XML file and start thinking about how you can use it. Next week we will start looking at getting it to work with your gear or another job.</span>

Preparing to use Spellcast for the first time.

So, I might have mentioned that I got my BLM to 75, but I might not have mentioned that my macros for BLM are in rough shape. I have come to the simple solution that no matter what I do I am going to have to use at least two sets of macros for BLM. This isn't too bad really because I don't have to flip through my BLM macros as fast as I do for my melee jobs and I have been doing it for a while now and I feel like I can do it fast enough to even do an emergency Stun if needed. That being said, I think it is time to fully embrace using Spellcast. Luckily, I am not going to have to dive right in and figure it out myself. I have someone that has offered to write up some Spellcast macros for me, and even if I didn't I could just use the User Submitted XML from the Windower website. I think it will be much easier to learn once I see how it works instead of trying to figure out XML on my own.

My BLM is very strangely equipped right now. I have a bunch of very good endgame gear, and even more coming as I round up the gil for more Imperial Wootz Ingots. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I have a bunch of really crappy gear that I will need to eventually replace. One of my rings look like I am an RMT from 2004. I do, at least, finally have my Moldavite Earring which is a big step for me from my old Cunning Earring. I want to thank Iz, Ice and Rock for helping me get the Moldy Earring. They waited around in the Labyrinth of Onzozo for several hours just to help me get an item I should have gotten for myself a long time ago. :) I don't even have much of an XP buffer on my BLM yet, and I know that is something that is definitely required because everyone I know that has BLM at 75 is always dying. So I need a ton of XP on BLM and I need a bunch of merits too, which at least I am working on right now even though there are a bunch of other merits I need first. Ahh, my merit tangent appears again. Anyway, as I was saying I am ready to use Spellcast because dealing with BLM without it is going to be a huge pain in the ass. I can see this already and I haven't even really done anything on BLM yet, and I don't even have the gear that Spellcast is mostly used for like Uggalepih Pendant or Sea Obi. I figure I should be on top of what I will need in the future and how to deal with it if I learn Spellcast now. Or at least have someone do it for me then poke around with it. Then if I could figure out how to make Text work for floating messages hopefully that will start me on a new project! :)

<a href="http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff151/ringthreetheicp/Ringthree_Magic.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff151/ringthreetheicp/Ringthree_Magic.png" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 330px; height: 465px;" /></a>So, I might have mentioned that I got my BLM to 75, but I might not have mentioned that my macros for BLM are in rough shape. I have come to the simple solution that no matter what I do I am going to have to use at least two sets of macros for BLM. This isn't too bad really because I don't have to flip through my BLM macros as fast as I do for my melee jobs and I have been doing it for a while now and I feel like I can do it fast enough to even do an emergency Stun if needed. That being said, I think it is time to fully embrace using Spellcast. Luckily, I am not going to have to dive right in and figure it out myself. I have someone that has offered to write up some Spellcast macros for me, and even if I didn't I could just use the <a href="http://wiki.windower.net/plugins/spellcast/userxml">User Submitted XML</a> from the Windower website. I think it will be much easier to learn once I see how it works instead of trying to figure out XML on my own.<br /><br />My BLM is very strangely equipped right now. I have a bunch of very good endgame gear, and even more coming as I round up the gil for more Imperial Wootz Ingots. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I have a bunch of really crappy gear that I will need to eventually replace. One of <a href="http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Zircon_Ring">my rings</a> look like I am an RMT from 2004. I do, at least, finally have my <a href="http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Moldavite_Earring">Moldavite Earring</a> which is a big step for me from my old <a href="http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Cunning_Earring">Cunning Earring</a>. I want to thank Iz, Ice and Rock for helping me get the Moldy Earring. They waited around in the Labyrinth of Onzozo for several hours just to help me get an item I should have gotten for myself a long time ago. :) I don't even have much of an XP buffer on my BLM yet, and I know that is something that is definitely required because everyone I know that has BLM at 75 is always dying. So I need a ton of XP on BLM and I need a bunch of merits too, which at least I am working on right now even though there are a bunch of other merits I need first. Ahh, my merit tangent appears again. Anyway, as I was saying I am ready to use Spellcast because dealing with BLM without it is going to be a huge pain in the ass. I can see this already and I haven't even really done anything on BLM yet, and I don't even have the gear that Spellcast is mostly used for like <a href="http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Uggalepih_Pendant">Uggalepih Pendant</a> or <a href="http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/In_the_Name_of_Science">Sea Obi</a>. I figure I should be on top of what I will need in the future and how to deal with it if I learn Spellcast now. Or at least have someone do it for me then poke around with it. Then if I could figure out how to make Text work for floating messages hopefully that will start me on a new project! :)

Play Better, Suck Less: Knowing what you need from Windower.

Play Better, Suck Less is a column dedicated to getting the most out of your FFXI experience in game and out. Whether Windower improvements, new game-play techniques, sweet strats or new tech, it will all be covered here! Today, we help to figure out what you need from Windower.

Ah the eternal conflict, console versus PC. I am not going to take that up today, because it could go on forever, but I would like to help to determine what you need out of Windower if you are using it and how to get the most out of it for your job.

Let me preface the "morality" of using Windower instead of the official windowed mode. I am not going to debate the morality of the issue, because if you don't want to use Windower then just don't use it. If you only need to flip between windows then SE's windowed mode is perfectly fine, and you can stick with that. The problem is that in the time from when SE introduced the game to now, the ability to use Windower has become very useful without breaking the spirit of the law when it comes to it's purposes. Many add-on's don't do anything more than you could do yourself by flipping through various menus. You could go farther of course, but most people that use Windower want to do that, those people usually pay for hacks and cheats, etc. I have no interest in that, and I hope you don't either.

Now that is out of the way, lets focus on what you may need while playing with Windower. Initially, you should check pretty often to see what the most current version of Windower is available and what it is including. If you don't want anything included in your Windower, you can always just use Windower Lite, which just simply enables you to alt-tab out of the FFXI window and has no additional add-ons. Windower in it's most current forms includes many different options, including TParty, Distance and other old faithful add-on's that you will recognize with ease if you have ever used Windower before. Recast is now bundled with Windower, but it is still the first thing that you should consider when thinking about Windower add-ons. Recast is a simple conter that tells you when your own spells or actions are going to be ready again. This is nice for some mage jobs, but it is especially nice for melee that use multiple JAs on relatively long timers. For mages, even more functionality can be achieved by using Yarnball. Yarnball is a great add-on that functions like Recast but for buffs that you cast on yourself or on other players. It also works for some JA's but it really needs to be updated for the last couple of updates. Still, it is a great add-on that really helps out for those non-obsessive types like me. :)

There are many other add-ons that are available but none of them are as useful as Recast and Yarnball when it comes to tracking buffs.

Next week, we will talk about another add-on for use in Salvage that may make your life a little easier.

<a href="http://www.windower.net/wiki/" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff151/ringthreetheicp/Windower.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 191px; height: 100px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Play Better, Suck Less</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">is a column dedicated to getting the most out of your FFXI experience in game and out. Whether Windower improvements, new game-play techniques, sweet strats or new tech, it will all be covered here! Today, we help to figure out what you need from Windower.</span><br /><br />Ah the eternal conflict, console versus PC. I am not going to take that up today, because it could go on forever, but I would like to help to determine what you need out of Windower if you are using it and how to get the most out of it for your job.<br /><br />Let me preface the "morality" of using Windower instead of the official windowed mode. I am not going to debate the morality of the issue, because if you don't want to use Windower then just don't use it. If you <span style="font-style:italic;">only</span> need to flip between windows then SE's windowed mode is perfectly fine, and you can stick with that. The problem is that in the time from when SE introduced the game to now, the ability to use Windower has become very useful without breaking the spirit of the law when it comes to it's purposes. Many add-on's don't do anything more than you could do yourself by flipping through various menus. You could go farther of course, but most people that use Windower want to do that, those people usually pay for hacks and cheats, etc. I have no interest in that, and I hope you don't either. <br /><br />Now that is out of the way, lets focus on what you may need while playing with Windower. Initially, you should check pretty often to see what the most current version of Windower is available and what it is including. If you don't want anything included in your Windower, you can always just use Windower Lite, which just simply enables you to alt-tab out of the FFXI window and has no additional add-ons. Windower in it's most current forms includes many different options, including TParty, Distance and other old faithful add-on's that you will recognize with ease if you have ever used Windower before. Recast is now bundled with Windower, but it is still the first thing that you should consider when thinking about Windower add-ons. Recast is a simple conter that tells you when your own spells or actions are going to be ready again. This is nice for some mage jobs, but it is especially nice for melee that use multiple JAs on relatively long timers. For mages, even more functionality can be achieved by using Yarnball. Yarnball is a great add-on that functions like Recast but for buffs that you cast on yourself or on other players. It also works for some JA's but it really needs to be updated for the last couple of updates. Still, it is a great add-on that really helps out for those non-obsessive types like me. :)<br /><br />There are many other add-ons that are available but none of them are as useful as Recast and Yarnball when it comes to tracking buffs. <br /><br />Next week, we will talk about another add-on for use in Salvage that may make your life a little easier.

Play Better, Suck Less: New Windower 4 info!

Play Better, Suck Less is a column dedicated to getting the most out of your FFXI experience in game and out. Whether Windower improvements, new game-play techniques, sweet strats or new tech, it will all be covered here!

Azaril, the person that appears to be the main developer for Windower 4 has been slowly releasing more and more details about the features that will be included as part of Windower 4. Most recently he has released pictures of what he simply calls "Bar" which is a much more eye-pleasing and integrated space for add-ons to appear on screen. Azaril has also indicated that we will not just be seeing the graphical improvements of the interface for Windower 4, but many useful plug-ins will now essentially be directly integrated into this "Bar" function, including popular add-ons like Infobar.

Additionally, Azaril has indicated that Windower 4 should be able to parse information without having to have all information unfiltered. This will be a godsend for those that want to be able to collect data from the game and actually still be able to read the combat log. It will also mean that things like an enmity meter might actually be possible in the future, although that does not appear to be a project that Azaril is personally working on.

Here are a few preliminary shots of what the Windower 4 "Bar" will look like inside: and outside: Are you as excited about this as I am? Well, maybe not, because I am probably a bigger nerd than you, but you can tell us what you think anyway!

<a href="http://www.windower.net/wiki/" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff151/ringthreetheicp/Windower.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 191px; height: 100px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Play Better, Suck Less</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">is a column dedicated to getting the most out of your FFXI experience in game and out. Whether Windower improvements, new game-play techniques, sweet strats or new tech, it will all be covered here!</span><br /><br />Azaril, the person that appears to be the main developer for Windower 4 has been slowly releasing more and more details about the features that will be included as part of Windower 4. Most recently he has released pictures of what he simply calls "Bar" which is a much more eye-pleasing and integrated space for add-ons to appear on screen. Azaril has also indicated that we will not just be seeing the graphical improvements of the interface for Windower 4, but many useful plug-ins will now essentially be directly integrated into this "Bar" function, including popular add-ons like Infobar.<br /><br />Additionally, Azaril has indicated that Windower 4 should be able to parse information without having to have all information unfiltered. This will be a godsend for those that want to be able to collect data from the game and actually still be able to read the combat log. It will also mean that things like an enmity meter might actually be possible in the future, although that does not appear to be a project that Azaril is personally working on.<br /><br />Here are a few preliminary shots of what the Windower 4 "Bar" will look like inside: <a href="http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff151/ringthreetheicp/BarLatest.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff151/ringthreetheicp/BarLatest.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 312px;" /></a> and outside: <a href="http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff151/ringthreetheicp/barlatest_2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff151/ringthreetheicp/barlatest_2.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 312px;" /></a> Are you as excited about this as I am? Well, maybe not, because I am probably a bigger nerd than you, but you can tell us what you think anyway!