Rat Race Tracker
From my brain
Several times a year, our guild (Sleeper Cartel of Perenolde) throws parties for our entire server. As part of these parties, I create a course and organize some sort of race where I (typically) repeatedly kill level one toons.
This was originally written by RTE of Arthas and the guild <Knights of Shadow>. He I began talking on the guild relations forum, and he brought up this wondrous add-on that he had created. From the first time I used it, I realized how much cool stuff I could do than I had before with my races.
As I use it 3-4 times a year, I asked his permission to do some edits/mods to it and he said I could release it for public use. And here you have it.
Contents |
Requirements
Included in the ZIP file are three folders
- RatRaceTracker
- IsBuffActive
- Chronos (which is part of Cosmos)
All three are required.
In addition, you may want to get CTRaidAssist or Grid if only for the unit frames.
How to use it
All three folders go into your WoW/Interface/Addons/ folder. I'll assume you know how to do that.
Initial Setup
Start a Raid Group
In order for this add-on to work, you (and all the participants in the race) MUST be in a raid. It sucks for testing, and in future versions, I'd like to create it to run for just a 5-man party, as well as a 1-person "debug" mode.
Find (beg) a guildie/friend and have them sit in the raid with you while they grind Timbermaw rep (or whatever). NOTE: Don't have someone who's questing join you. The probably won't get credit for their quest due to being in a raid group.
Checkpoints
First you will need to set up checkpoints. It is set up right now for up to 10 checkpoints (including the finish line). Right now, this requires manual edits into the main LUA file, but eventually (as I learn how) this will be as saved variables.
Coordinates macro
Create a macro and make the text
/script RRT_CurrCoords()
And place the button on a bar somewhere on your UI.
Find your checkpoints
This one takes a bit of time. Explore the world on the highest toon you can and figure out where you want the checkpoints to be. Try to make them very obvious / visible points for people to run through like, "The doorway to the inn in Goldshire" or "Inside Abercrombie's shack".
Walk to the center of your checkpoint location, and press your macro. You will get a message displayed on your default chat window telling you the X/Y coordinates of the position you're at. Write them down on paper or into a text file for now. Also, make a short text description of where the point is at.
Do this for as many checkpoints as you want in your race (up to 10).
Enter your course into the add-on
In order to change the checkpoints you will need to go into the addon folder WoW/Interface/AddOns/RatRaceTracker/ and edit the file called RatRaceTracker.lua
Find the function RRT_InitCheckpoints(). In that function the checkpoints are set. Each of them are numbered. (In future versions I fully intend to make this work as Saved Variables...I just haven't learned that much LUA yet!)
Take your list of coordinates above, and put the X/Y coords in places of "posX" and "posY" respectively. In the text string for posLocation, put the text description you had written down.
Just for my own piece of mind, in any unused checkpoints, I simply enter posX=999, posY=999, posLocation="DISABLED" for them so I don't think they're anything I should have enabled.
The last step for the checkpoints involves editing line 14 from
local TotalCheckpoints = 8;
to the total number of checkpoints you have for your race.
Start Testing Mode
Edit line 15 from
local RRT_TestingMode = 0;
to
local RRT_TestingMode = 1;
This variable allows you (and any assistants) to pass through the checkpoints and send messages to the raid warning system.
Remember to disable it during your real race.
Test your course
Reload your UI and walk / run through your course. As you pass each checkpoint, you'll get a message that goes to the raid message area of the screen. Make sure all your checkpoints work before starting your race.
Basic Commands
- /rrt
- Toggles the drag knob
- /rrt reset
- Reset any progress already made in race.
- /rule {number}
- Sends a message to the raid warning with the appropriate race rule
- /cp {number}
- Sends a message to the raid warning with the appropriate checkpoint number
Display Panel
When you log in you should notice a little circle in the top-left corner of the screen, that is the anchor for RRT frame (ie frame will be to the right of it). You can drag it around.
Panel Sections
Round knob (left)
The state of the player
-
= Alive
-
= Dead
-
= In-combat
-
= Disconnected (good way to target those to boot from the raid)
Name (right of round knob)
colorcoded: normally the name is green, if player is caught cheating (rezing at GY or riding a taxi) name will turn red.
Number of deaths (D:# in top-right)
The number of times player died. (This is fun in a level one race. I typically give out a prize to the player with most deaths who actually still finishes.)
Penalty Timer (0:00 to left of death counter)
Total number of penalties added from all checkpoints.
NOTE: I never really got this portion of the add-on, and disabled most of it's functionality. However, much of the coding for it is tied into the timer functions of Chronos and when to loop through the raid, so I haven't gotten rid of it entirely. Just ignore it.
Messages
Crossing a Checkpoint
Every time someone reaches CP message will be sent to raid warning area. Example:
Darias - CP 5: The base of the zepplin tower near Undercity has been reached by Darias!
Deaths
Message will also be sent if someone dies, it will say who died and how many times person died so far.
Darias has died. Total deaths 12
Cheater!
Two things are forbidden in the races: spirit rezzing and using a flight point.
Darias has spirit rezzed and will be eliminated from the race!
and
Darias has used a taxi service and will be eliminated from the race!
NOTE: Spirit rezzing will only be noticed above level 10. In-game mechanic that I can't change...plan your race routes as best as possible and perhaps have an assistant camp a GY so no one can do it sneakily if you do a level one race.
Conclusion / Comments
I'm sure this documentation will expand as the UI gets used by the community. Please put your comments out there and I'll try to add to the documentation. (OMG! This doesn't work!!!!)
I really want to thank RTE for dreaming this thing up. Prior to this add-on, I'd have to take 5-7 guildies and place them all over my course, camping cemeteries and flightpoints, and making them watch for racers at each checkpoint. Now, I have maybe three people as a necessity to do "sweep and clear" tactics when mob density is rough (but that's a rat race discussion, not for this add-on).
I'd also like to thank all the members of Sleeper Cartel that have sat in session after session of debugging while I learned LUA / the add-on / what the heck I was doing with it.
The mod is available for download on wowui.incgamers. Please send me your feedback / suggestions / blog reports there.
