I plan on sending a request to Blizz to add a Second Focus and to add some improvements to the macro commands and the macro interface. I’ve included some suggestions though I’d like to hear from others. I know some of what I am proposing can be achieved with addons, and I use them, but even with a new PC and relatively expensive graphics card I still run into issues with addons hogging too much memory.
Macros are an integral part of the game and for me are a draw in and of themselves. Playing with macros has given me a better idea of the game mechanics. For example I recently learned that when I cast a harmful spell on my focus that it switches my pet’s target to the focus as well. I understand the need for, and approve of, constraints placed on macros so that one key press doesn’t perform more than one secured function or makes a decision for the player. That said I think there is room for improvement.
SUGGESTIONS:
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MACRO INTERFACE: the expanded icons choice is great but its too easy to have an icon overwritten when editing them. I’d like to have a search function for these icons added so that I don’t have to search through hundreds of icons to find the one I want. If nothing else having a way to search for icons by number would at least let me recover them or easily use the same icon for toon. For folks with multiple toons or who are like me and have memory issues macro icons play an important part in navigating the interface. Another suggestion is to increase the number of allowed player specific macros. 18 isn’t anything to sneeze at but by the time I add a few profession specific macros like fishing I end up running out of space. It’s taught me to get creative with my macros but I still think more macros would be helpful.
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EXPANDED MACRO CONDITIONALS:
Conditionals that applied to the player such as: faction, specialization, race, class, level, in battleground, in dungeon, in arena, zone
Conditionals that apply to my target: faction, race, class, player (i.e. not an NPC), swimming, mounted, equip (not sure if this one would be abused). These could be tfaction, trace, tclass, etc. -
NEW COMMANDS:
/targetdeadenemyplayer I’d like to use things like my Horde’s Might Firework but I don’t want to take up yet another actionbar space with a toy.
[itexists] and [itnoexists] This is the equivalent of the exists conditional but for items. This may be beyond what bliz is willing to allow as it sorta makes a decision, but it’s pretty minor for most things in my opinion. Multiple potions that increase movement speed is just one example of items that could then be thrown into a single macro and not fret about before every battleground or dungeon. I get that healing potions and hearthstones into such a macro defeats the spirit of the desired combat experience and my solution would be to create a list of restricted items that it can’t apply to such as health potions and healthstones.
/petemote Ever wanted your pet to do an emote but couldn’t. I recommend that it uses the player name with the pet’s name so that noone can use it to semi-anonymously harass people. It could look like: PlayerX’s pet Knuckledragger looks at you like a steak. -
Another FOCUS
I’d like to have a second focus. Call it Focus2, secondfocus (sfocus), alternatefocus (afocus), watchtarget, post or whatever. It could allow more detailed monitoring of targets and players in combat. I’ve tied myself in knots trying to manage targets with macros that an additional focus would solve, plus I suspect the added functions would be helpful in other ways. Off-healers may want to fight and monitor both the tank and the group’s healer. Even just as DPS I like to focus CC one target while monitoring the group’s healer to see if I need to use Raise Ally should the healer die. The following possible commands give a hint to the functionality such an additional focus could create.
/targetfocus2 target the Focus2
/focus2target makes the target the Focus2
/focus2focus makes the focus the Focus2
/focusfocus2 focuses the Focus2
Let me know what your suggestions are. It is a binary world out there: some get it, and some don’t.