Hotbutton Macros Needed (a serious request from a joker)

[Litz]

I may be missnaming the tool we have to create string messages with a few keystrokes, but I'm talking about the one where you assign a string like "/party Stop traps ahead" to a combo of keys like "<enter> T" or whatever you choose. Now what I'm suggesting is instead of, or in addition to, the key combo we need to be able to assign them to hotbuttons. I would even go as far as have a way to add a /cast <spell> to the embedded commands. This would greatly help alot of classes. Rogs could alert people of traps as they begin to search for the box, pallies could inform clerics not to heal them as they lay on hands, and a big one clerics could inform other clerics when they are casting a heal spell so heals don't overlap. Granted people can use voice, or type it, but that isn't very fast, and could occupy the voice chats bandwidth for low priority communications during peak communication time (like raid leader informing others of timing).

I'm sure others can use other ways to use this tool. We have the tool and it does work to an extent, but we need to add to it to make it more user friendly. This should be a rather simple upgrade compared to some of the auction house upgrades, or creating new character or monster models. Anyhow does any Dev have any info or questions, or anyone else?

P.S. Btw between trebuchet or this macro request, it was a hard decision, but I still would rather have trebuchet..:)

[Strakeln]

Believe it or not, this already exists!








...it just doesn't work...

/alias add ;t "/p Hi Mom" <-- assign "/p Hi Mom" to ;t
/alias shortcut ;t 101 <--- assign ;t to hotbar 11, spot 1

[Corran99]

i like the alias thing that they have in place currently, the only thing i dont like about it is the interface.

Currently the only way to make aliases is to type them all out, but if you want to edit, review, or anything there is not a good way to do it.

I wish when you typed /alias it bring up a window that showed all the aliases you have created. At the bottom of the window would be a add, delete, import and export buttons. to me that would be very helpfull in makeing custom greetings and fun phrases.

[Twerpp]

Didn't Kate Paiz in the interview say that upgrading the UI would be a major focus this year? Maybe this is something they are considering.

[Petro]

I know some keyboard/mouse utilities will let you write your own macros. I made one that I use for triggered attacks (cleave, grt.Cleave,Whirlwind, Trip, sunder). I use a MS desktop elite keyboard and mouse. The macro writer is in the intellitype/point software. I think logitec stuff prolly has the same type of software for their stuff too. Really easy to use.

[Ardanroth]

and a really easy way to dumb the game down.......

[Coldin]

I support the OP. Some in-game way of hotkeying various commands, emotes, and phrases would be a very nice addition to the game.

[Eladiun]

/signed

[Mercules]

and a really easy way to dumb the game down.......

That depends...

CoX has Macros but keeps macro-bots from existing(with in game features, you can never stop the people who wrote a macro-bot that functions from commands given to the game from outside it such as programmable macro keyboards). They do this by allowing you to create a bind or macro that won't activate another macro. The way they did it also keeps you from firing off multiple functions at once with a few exceptions. You can do a /say style command and a power activation but not two power activations. However, if you have powers that toggle you can put them both in and it will turn off an active one and activate the inactive one. I use this with a bind to make flying easy.

/bind c powexec_name Sprint$$powexec_name Hover$$powexec_name Fly

I think that is the order. This allows me to hit C and it will turn off Sprint(which I use on the ground to get around faster inside) to save endurance while Flying, and then turns on Fly. Hitting it again will turn off Fly and switch to Hover which costs less endurance and has better fine control.

I also make heavy use of things like this:

/macro RI "g Anchoring Radiation Infection to $target - please drop them last.$$powexec_name Radiation Infection"

Then I can pick a fairly unique minon(minor mob) to attach that power too and hopefully no one will target it as that power debuffs the mob and ALL OTHER MOBS IN RANGE.

So I think they handled it correctly, giving us some tools to help us customize things but not enough to automate playing. Just being able to active an ability while Emoting and/or /say-ing something would be nice. Thus, I hit a hotbar or key and my Rogue does the /stop emote, states /g Trap! Searching now., and then triggers the Search skill.

[Litz]

Ya I'm not asking for a way to string multiple actions together, or even timer commands to delay execution of other commands. Nothinig too fancy. Just making what we supposedly already have work. Namely the ability to assign a alias text message to a hotbutton that can be shared with something already assigned to it. Example armor assigned to hotbutton 1. Press hotbutton 1 and you equip it and "/say Darn I look sexy in pink". Another example but this one with a twist, cleric has hotbutton set up for resurection spell. He targets <dead guy> and presses it and spell is cast along with "/p Casting Rez on <target>". Where <target> is it spits out the name of whatever is in his targeting gem. Its not going to dumb up the game or unbalance it in any way. It will help to ensure two clerics don't cast rez on the same target, thereby wasting mana, which is inline with what would happen in a PnP D&D session. No PnP cleric would cast rez on the same target as another cleric why?, because the other cleric said he was doing it. Its just making the game more real.

Again I want to point out I'm not advocating multiple actions such as:
/cast spell 1
/wait 2 sec
/cast spell 2

I just am asking for adding alias text to hotbuttons which can also have the actions or items we already have so at most a player can get one action and maybee a few text strings.