Utilities, planners and other useful resources

[EllisDee37]

Here's a collection of my "must-have" resources for DDO. Please to enjoy.


Forums - Stylebot Changes
The default DDO forum style is rough around the edges, with many hard to read (or impossible to read) elements. JJ Flanigan comes to the rescue with a custom stylish design for firefox and opera.


A Comprehensive Guide To BBcodes
Stoner81's guide to formatting your posts to be pretty. Everything from bolding text to creating tables or linking videos, see how with his simple examples.


Character Builder Lite
Build your character one aspect at a time. (Skills, feats, etc...) Output shows the big picture at a glance.


Character Planner - Series 4.xx
Build your character one level at a time, with output that also shows one level at a time. Download the planner via the link in his signature in the OP of that thread, or go to his site R&J Cyberware to find it.


Build Repository
A collection of many (most?) of the current and popular forum builds.


YourDDO
Do a character lookup on any server, or use this to link your own characters for others to see. Based on the old MyDDO feature that has since been discontinued, YourDDO still works and serves up to date data thanks to Turbine continuing to support the API that exposes character data publicly.


Cannith Crafting Planner
JJ Flanigan's ultimate cannith crafting resource has everything you could want: recipes, costs, ML calculations, even augment support. It does it all. You can also search for a shard by hitting the Search tab up top. The above link goes directly to the planner; see original thread here.


Named Item browser
JJ Flanigan's named item browser lets you find the named item you want even if you don't even know it exists. This is part of his cubicleninja suite of tools, which also includes the cannith crafting planner.


DDOWiki
The ultimate resource, of course. The vast majority of the wiki data is easily located, but here's a few useful links you might not find without a search:
Named Item Sets
Crafting Soul Gems
BTA Base Items (for crafting BTA items)
Purchasable Augments
List of weapons with unusual attack or damage mods


Adventure Pack Reviews and Buyer's Guide
Reviews of all the adventure packs for new players wondering which packs to buy, as well as thoughts on how best to buy into the game if you're just getting started.



SHROUD


Shroud loot builder for dummies
tihocan's excellent "montreal" greensteel planner is the ultimate in "point and click" ala carte planning. Sadly it appears that tihocan is no longer playing DDO, but hopefully this utility remains up for the foreseeable future. The above link goes directly to the planner itself; for the original thread click here.


Shroud Puzzle Solver
Yet another one of JJ's invaluable tools over at cubicleninja. Use this to solve puzzles in-game or practice solving randomly-generated puzzles while bored at work.


HOWTO: Solve the vale puzzle yourself
SamX's great guide explains how to solve 3x3s, 4x4s, and 5x5s without solvers, cheat sheets or memorization. He clearly explains a simple algorithm for solving that takes virtually all the thinking out of it. No waiting; immediately jump on a puzzle the moment you port in and start solving. Known by many (or at least, by me) as the "neighbors" method, Sam's guide is full of win. Practice his technique using JJ's solver linked in the previous section.





That's all I have for now. Suggestions welcome.

[Lanhelin]

This is extremely helpful for new players like me. Thank you for summarizing it. This thread should be pinned at top.

[EllisDee37]

Added the "two click forum login" tip to the list. It's second, right after jj's stylish design.

[Nahiz]

Excelent thread, Ellis. Useful to newbies and casual players.

+1 to you for it and for all the time you spend helping new players on the forums.

[Stoner81]

Awesome thread Ellis

Stoner81.

[TheLegendOfAra]

Very awesome thread Ellis! +1 for this.
Pretty amazing resource for new players, and people who don't feel like searching for all of these on their own. lol

[Lanhelin]

*push* for being really helpful.

[EllisDee37]

Added Stoner81's guide to BBCodes.

[Stoner81]

Hey man thanks for adding my little guide, much appreciated

Stoner81.

[Backley]

Two click forum login bookmarklet

[Missing_Minds]

http://www.pingplotter.com/freeware.html

A replacement for tracert. Does the same things as tracert but can be setup to run continuously. In the early days of DDO, it is what a few Turbine techies suggested to use. Trace to gls.ddo.com


Also, look at my own sig for a thread that lists off several ways to avoid carpel tunnel when doing multi mouse click turn ins that this game tends to have.


I have found both of these highly useful for MMOs in general.

[lowfuel1]

Maybe I am missing something, but I don't see how the planner helps you with creating a character. Can someone explain how this thing is intended to be used?

[Cardtrick]

Maybe I am missing something, but I don't see how the planner helps you with creating a character. Can someone explain how this thing is intended to be used?

It lets you plan out your entire build in advance, so that you can make sure you choose ability points, skills, feats, etc. in a way that lets you achieve your goals for your character. If you're not allocating enough build points to strength to take Overwhelming Critical at level 21, better to find that out before you create your character in the game than later on after leveling him up to 21.

It also allows you to export a nicely formatted build for posting on these forums, complete with BB tags for color coding, etc. -- which can be really nice if you want to either get feedback on a build you're considering or share a build you like with the population at large.

[lowfuel1]

It lets you plan out your entire build in advance, so that you can make sure you choose ability points, skills, feats, etc. in a way that lets you achieve your goals for your character. If you're not allocating enough build points to strength to take Overwhelming Critical at level 21, better to find that out before you create your character in the game than later on after leveling him up to 21.

It also allows you to export a nicely formatted build for posting on these forums, complete with BB tags for color coding, etc. -- which can be really nice if you want to either get feedback on a build you're considering or share a build you like with the population at large.

Ok, I guess what I need is something to tell me how to plan a build. I thought that is what this would do.

[Cardtrick]

Ok, I guess what I need is something to tell me how to plan a build. I thought that is what this would do.

Ah. I don't think there's any automated tool to do that. The planner lets you simulate the leveling process in advance so you can make sure everything works right.

As for telling you how to plan a build -- one option is just to experiment in the planner until you find something you're happy with. Another option is to look at the Classes forums here to find something someone else has posted. A third option is the Request a Build, Get a Build thread -- just like it sounds, this is a thread where you can post what kind of build you're looking for and other people will put it together for you (usually using the planner).

[lowfuel1]

Ah. I don't think there's any automated tool to do that. The planner lets you simulate the leveling process in advance so you can make sure everything works right.

As for telling you how to plan a build -- one option is just to experiment in the planner until you find something you're happy with. Another option is to look at the Classes forums here to find something someone else has posted. A third option is the Request a Build, Get a Build thread -- just like it sounds, this is a thread where you can post what kind of build you're looking for and other people will put it together for you (usually using the planner).

Thanks, I am fooling around with the planner, I'll see how it pans out.

[SeriousNonsense]

I would like to humbly submit my DDO Tracker for inclusion on your list. If for no other reason it has solutions, solvers or aids for most of the puzzles in the game.