Cast Sequence Macro?
 

Hi, guys. I'm trying to make a Cast Sequence Macro for my Windwalker Monk.
Basically, all I want out of it is to cast Jab, and then cast Chi Wave when it's off CD.

My current macro is:
/castsequence Jab, Chi Wave

However, if I try to cast Jab again while Chi Wave is on CD, it will put the entire Macro on CD. This is extremely detrimental to DPS, obviously, so I can't use this. Is there a way to make it so that the macro never goes on CD while still doing the function I want?

You can incorporate Chi wave's cooldown in a macro like this:

#showtooltip
/castsequence reset=15 Chi Wave, Jab, Jab, Jab, Jab, Jab, Jab, Jab, Jab, Jab, Jab

You'd better improve the reset condition because you might get stuck in the jab part as reset=15 means it resets 15 seconds after the last macro use.

is a nice way as it allows you to check the cooldown of Chi Wave by hitting ctrl. If using a modifier key as a reset condition is not an option because of your bindings, you could also use btn:2 instead of mod:ctrl, but with the disadvantage that a right click on the macro will first cast the spell currently on line and then reset the sequence.

To clarify here, macros are not supposed to account for cooldowns. That is your job to keep track of, not the macro's. If all you want is to put them on one button to conserve bar space, your best bet is to use a modifier.

/cast [mod:shift] Chi Wave; Jab

If you want the macro to be smart and automatically use Chi Wave when it's off cooldown while you spam the button, that's automation and the reason these limitations are in place.

/castsequence was never meant to be used in situations when you mash a button. In situations of high lag, it can and occasionally does stutter on an ability, casting it 2 or 3 times before moving on to the next.

Since the problem with reset=15 has already been explained, the alternative to manually reset the sequence with reset=mod makes it operate no different and perhaps more glitchy than using a /cast macro with the mod condition.




Back to the base of the thread, /castsequence never was a method to cast on reaction to a CD. The fix Blizzard put out was the "fallthrough" that happened when stringing /cast commands together in which if the first failed for any reason, including cooldowns, it would fall through to the next /cast command. Now macros are processed to take the GCD into consideration. This means when dealing with abilities that trigger the GCD, the macro will only analyze if the first can be cast and ignore the rest regardless of individual CDs.

For example:
Prior to the fix, this would've cast Chi Wave if it were off CD and Jab if it wasn't. Now, /cast will only cast Chi Wave and ignore Jab if both are on the GCD.

Is there any way of knowing which spell it's on? Like some kind of a castsequence tracker? would an addon like that be possible?

Well, the icon of the macro will change according to what spell the cast sequence macro is on - but ONLY if you have the ? icon selected for it.

That said, I'm not sure why/when you would need an addon to tell you this information.

Castsequence Tracker
 

I am.

DEBUGGING

= F

different ways to achieve it but simple


/targetenemy [noharm][dead]
/startattack
/castsequence Jab
/castsequence reset=15 !Chi Wave

pirioritizes to cast chi wave as soon as it becomes available

or use Gnome Sequencer(of course more than whats just below)

/cast Jab
/cast Chi Wave

with the above macro GS casts in sequence and skips spells on CD

I don't think that macro does what you think it does...


/castsequence Jab

is the same exact thing as

/cast Jab

because you only have one ability in the sequence.

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The reset part of

/castsequence reset=15 !Chi Wave

means that the sequence will be reset to the start after 15 seconds of *not* pressing the button. It's not to be used to "wait" through a cooldown. Again, you only have one ability listed, so the sequence will just do Chi Wave over and over.

-------

The ! part of

/castsequence reset=15 !Chi Wave

is used to only turn on toggleable abilities. Chi Wave is not a toggle (press once for on, press again for off), so the ! has no effect.

-------

Lastly, Jab is on the global cooldown - this means that you must wait for the global cooldown (usually 1.5 seconds) to finish before using any abilities that are on the global cooldown.

/castsequence Jab
/castsequence reset=15 !Chi Wave

So long as you are able to use Jab, you will not be able to use Chi Wave.

Actually, the way macros are handled, the GCD is triggered internally whether or not the ability is actually used. This means if you line up 2 abilities in a macro that both trigger the GCD, only the first will ever fire. In this example, Jab will always be attempted to be used and Chi Wave will never be activated.

This is my only wonky caster and it does prove to hold some issues...

Basically:
I will see DP after casting VT; it will go back to VT to be cast if :
- 15 sec pass -> Need to recast VT almost.
- I swap targets
- combat state changes
- I press ctrl

Note: I am Insanity specced so DP is kind of important for me :P And I do keep it on another button as well under a shift-modifier so I can cast it if this macro screws up. ;)

Note 2: I only have 6 or 7 buttons on my actionbar