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10-07-09, 11:57 AM   #1
RamGuy459
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Decent UI mods for level 80 Arcane Mage (widescreen)

Hi,

I'm looking for some good UI compilations that would work decently with my level 80 Mage.

I've tried a few and they have simply been badly organized, included out-of-date addons or just not been working very well for me as a Arcane Mage.


What I'm looking for is a package with action bars with space for all my primary attacks and spells in the middle of the screen (preferably with not too small icons / buttons / scaling) and other action bars placed logical around the screen where I can put things like portals etc.. Along with stuff like Threat meter, Mini-map, Damage meter etc well scaled and logical placed on the screen.


Those I've tried have either had too many or too few action bars, being mostly too small for my primary attacks, some have included Omen and Damage meter but the scaling of their windows have been way too small so I've had no chance at all to read what's written there while battling when I run 1920x1200 or 1680x1050 resolution.


Is there anyone that have some modifications they would recommend me?
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10-07-09, 12:06 PM   #2
PigtailsofDoom
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I've been using Chertii UI for the past month or so and I really like it. While it is intended for warlocks, with a few tweaks I've found it to be very useful for mages as well. It's a bit big for my screen resolution, so I had to enlarge some bits, but it looks like it'd be a perfect fit for you.

There are some mods that Chertii uses that I prefer different ones that do basically the same thing, but that's also personal preference and something each person decides for themselves. As a mage though (don't know if you already use these or not) you're going to want to get Scorchio 2, Decursive (makes decursing people and sheeping MC folks much easier), and Power Auras.
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10-07-09, 02:50 PM   #3
Zidomo
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Skip the pre-configured UIs and use individual mods. Pre-configured UIs usually never have the mods that are a part of them updated/fixed after patches as soon as the mods themselves do. As well as lagging behind mod releases between patches (sometimes far behind).

For an 80 Arcane Mage, I use the following mods:

--For alerting you to when Missile Barrage (and/or Clearcasting) procs as well as the time left on activating it: GoodNewsEveryone. I used to use SurgeTrack, but its had some development problems recently.

--For timer bars showing you the stacks and time left on the Arcane Blast debuff: SpellReminder. If you prefer something different, Scorchio! 2 is an alternative to this (as mentioned by the above poster).

--For decursing: Decursive (as mentioned by the above poster).

--For polymorphing (something rarely needed these days unfortunately): ControlFreak.

--For target/focus target spell bars so you can see when to interrupt/spellsteal, the following. It also replaces your default casting bars: Quartz.

Quartz also shows you the total cast time of a spell on the bars (for example "x/2.1"). Which I find invaluable for showing when Heroism cast in your raid/party has expired, you are seeing how different haste equipment affects your cast times, etc..

--For more obvious enemy cast reminders: FocusInterruptSounds.

--For easy access to your portals without using a ton of action bar buttons: Broker_Portals (if you don't have a LDB display mod, you can access it through a minimap icon it provides).

That's it. Other mods I use are common across all characters.

--For a personal standard buff/debuff display to replace the Blizzard icons, I use Simple Buff Bars.

--Threat meter: Omen (you can very easily adjust the size of its window without a problem. Far more important is setting it to alert you when you cross 90%-110% threat).

--Damage meter: Recount (you can also very easily adjust the size of its windows). Recount uses a pretty hefty amount of system resources. But it has--for better or worse--become the generally accepted current "standard" for party/raid combat meters.

Using optimal spell rotations (obtained from studying Elitistjerks), I usually normally hit the "DPS limit" for my equipment as shown by the Rawr program. The default Blizzard bars I find are more than sufficient for casting/consumable usage/etc.. But if you really want action bars different from/in addition to the Blizzard bars, I recommend Macaroon!, Dominos or Bartender4.

Last edited by Zidomo : 10-07-09 at 03:07 PM.
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10-08-09, 06:27 AM   #4
Petrah
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Originally Posted by RamGuy459 View Post
Hi,

I'm looking for some good UI compilations that would work decently with my level 80 Mage.

I've tried a few and they have simply been badly organized, included out-of-date addons or just not been working very well for me as a Arcane Mage.


What I'm looking for is a package with action bars with space for all my primary attacks and spells in the middle of the screen (preferably with not too small icons / buttons / scaling) and other action bars placed logical around the screen where I can put things like portals etc.. Along with stuff like Threat meter, Mini-map, Damage meter etc well scaled and logical placed on the screen.


Those I've tried have either had too many or too few action bars, being mostly too small for my primary attacks, some have included Omen and Damage meter but the scaling of their windows have been way too small so I've had no chance at all to read what's written there while battling when I run 1920x1200 or 1680x1050 resolution.


Is there anyone that have some modifications they would recommend me?

nUI with nUI InfoPanel MagePorts. It scales with your resolution and there's tons of plugins for it along with many many themes to choose from. I have an LG 1680x1050 widescreen monitor and nUI is just amazing with it. nUI is not a compilation.. it's a stand-alone UI.
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10-12-09, 12:51 PM   #5
PigtailsofDoom
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Originally Posted by Zidomo View Post
Skip the pre-configured UIs and use individual mods. Pre-configured UIs usually never have the mods that are a part of them updated/fixed after patches as soon as the mods themselves do. As well as lagging behind mod releases between patches (sometimes far behind).
While this is true with some UI authors, it's not true of all of them. Chertii does seem to do a good job of keeping his compilation up to date, which I really appreciate.

nUI is a good add on for UI's as well. I had some issues with it when I first tried it out, but a lot of those have been fixed or are going to be fixed in the upcoming 6.0 so I switched back to it yesterday.
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10-12-09, 01:05 PM   #6
MidgetMage55
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Originally Posted by Zidomo View Post
Skip the pre-configured UIs and use individual mods. Pre-configured UIs usually never have the mods that are a part of them updated/fixed after patches as soon as the mods themselves do. As well as lagging behind mod releases between patches (sometimes far behind).
Or you can get a pre-packaged UI to save yourself the initial set up time then continue to update the addons yourself.

Its not as if you have to continue to update your UI through the same bundle download. Of course there are exceptions with people making custom modifications of some addons. These are fairly uncommon by comparison however.

This is of course assuming you can find a configuration you like. But that's an entirely different conversation.
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10-13-09, 09:37 AM   #7
Limb0
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Originally Posted by MidgetMage55 View Post
Or you can get a pre-packaged UI to save yourself the initial set up time then continue to update the addons yourself.

Its not as if you have to continue to update your UI through the same bundle download. Of course there are exceptions with people making custom modifications of some addons. These are fairly uncommon by comparison however.
/highfive

Custom UIs offer an instant layout to novice and experienced users. Depending on the amount of addons included and/or tailored, updating the UI can become a daunting task (don't forget, most authors? game too).

What I've found that works best for me is that I usually try to push an update Tuesday or Wednesday, and also consider one on Fridays. The weekly basis seems to me to be enough as it gives me ample time to test all the addons in a raid environment and know that they are working. Along with tested working updates, visual tweaks are included. If I was to update the UI with every addon update, there just wouldn't be any time to game, and like Midget said, the user can update any of the addons her/himself.

Why would you pick a custom UI?
-unit frame layouts are often very complex and take awhile to learn how to maximize
-UIs often have little addons that you never would have considered using before, but might enjoy
-a UI can be a one stop place to get a bundle of addons which are arranged to work cohesively (which gives you more time to spend gaming)
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10-13-09, 11:28 AM   #8
Petrah
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Stand-alone UI's get no love?

/hugs nUI
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10-13-09, 02:26 PM   #9
Bornabe
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Might I suggest trying out Bornabe UI? I've designed it around all-classes and playing situations. It's got an easy setup and even 4 custom artwork backgrounds so you can have a little variety between characters.

http://www.wowinterface.com/download...I1440x900.html

You can update using Curse. Nothing in my package is modified in any way, other than I added my Artwork to BTex.
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10-15-09, 09:04 AM   #10
Dawn
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Originally Posted by Petrah View Post
Stand-alone UI's get no love?

/hugs nUI
Are you dudes getting paid or something for advertising nUI everywhere? Just curious!
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10-15-09, 01:19 PM   #11
Petrah
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Originally Posted by Dawn View Post
Are you dudes getting paid or something for advertising nUI everywhere? Just curious!
Nah. nUI is just that good! Or maybe they just like the avs and userbanners I made... nah, nUI is that good.
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10-19-09, 03:33 AM   #12
Zidomo
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Originally Posted by MidgetMage55 View Post
Or you can get a pre-packaged UI to save yourself the initial set up time then continue to update the addons yourself.

Its not as if you have to continue to update your UI through the same bundle download. Of course there are exceptions with people making custom modifications of some addons. These are fairly uncommon by comparison however.
"Initial setup" of individual mods (meaning downloading/installing via MMOUIMinion or similar) takes what? 10 minutes?

I have seen more people using UI compilations with outdated mods over time asking me for help than I have anything else regarding mods. Then again, most people I know don't use UI compilations, but hey .

Of course people can update individual mods. But if a mod in a compilation isn't updated, they have to spend extra time going through the compilation seeing what mod is causing the problem after a patch. Most people using such packages don't pay attention to what is initially installed with them. As well as new users not having any idea about downloading/installing individual mods (see below).

One of the other big problems with UI compilation--besides the above--is it limits the the thoughts of first time users for exploring the wide, wide world of alternative mods. They have a compilation, it does the job right now, why bother looking/learning to look/downloading other mods that might be more suitable for their needs?

I have no doubt that a few UI compilations are "fantastic". Or at least well maintained by compilers over time. I don't recommend them to friends/family/anyone I help with mod issues/etc., but hey, to each their own.
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10-19-09, 11:26 AM   #13
MidgetMage55
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When I'm talking initial set up I'm speaking of configuring and so on. Depending on the look your after it can be up to a few hours. Also some people doubt their creativity/"technical ability" and would rather find a look they want as opposed to muddling through the options. Downloading a compilation fixes all of that in mere moments.

One of the other big problems with UI compilation--besides the above--is it limits the the thoughts of first time users for exploring the wide, wide world of alternative mods. They have a compilation, it does the job right now, why bother looking/learning to look/downloading other mods that might be more suitable for their needs?
The thing here is some people just want a simple change of pace. They may not care about looking for other options. They may well be after just a look or simply experimenting. Aside from the fact that downloading a compilation does not necessarily mean they won't look else where for other options.

I got in to making my own UI's due to trying compilations and not finding exactly what i wanted. Sure as you mentioned I tried some and it was okay for the time. As time went on i found there were things that were starting to not work as I wanted.

I see posts like that on here reasonably often. "Help me I can't find a compilation that does what I want, has this and this and fits my resolution. Is someone willing to make it for me?" That's a person who hit the stage I had hit. They are the ones I advise to start building their own.

I'm not saying that when starting out that building your own UI's or searching for individual mods is a bad idea. Far from it. I just see the value in both options. I see it as learning to walk before you run.
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03-06-10, 11:13 PM   #14
Nuggs
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I like TukUI. Automatic configuration of the user interface so you don't have to change stuff in your wtf folder for your resolution(If your resolution is supported which is most likely is).

A lot of nifty configuration you can do and it's customizable to however you like if you know a little Lua.

That and mage nuggets.

I honestly don't use that many mods for my mage as I use to. For portals and teleports I just type it out..

Last edited by Nuggs : 03-06-10 at 11:31 PM.
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03-07-10, 07:09 AM   #15
Halstrom
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My arcane mage UI is a compilation, stuff all found on WOWI and is still very much a work in progress but contains most stuff you'd ever need as a mage. It's being updated later today as I've just overhauled all the frames etc to tighten it up at hte bottom and give you more free space to see rather than real estate stolen by addons. If you don't like it "out the bag" or whatever, then you can at least use it for ideas/handy addons too I guess
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03-07-10, 07:35 AM   #16
sakurakira
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Originally Posted by Zidomo View Post
Most people using such packages don't pay attention to what is initially installed with them. As well as new users not having any idea about downloading/installing individual mods (see below).
I've found this to be true also. You can see it in action on these very forums when people ask about something going on in their UI that they don't understand because they downloaded a UI-comp. I've also noticed that many UI authors include things in their package that don't need to be in there (IE, it's a "helpful" addon, and not a UI enhancement such as a quest tracker mod, and most likely wasn't featured in the screenshot.)
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WoWInterface » General Discussion » Class Discussions » Decent UI mods for level 80 Arcane Mage (widescreen)

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