Vamp
Automates the selection of bite targets during the Blood-Queen Lana'thel fight in Icecrown Citadel. Works for both 10 and 25 player normal and heroic modes.
Ask your guild to install VampArrow for the ultimate in bite navigation!
VampArrow adds an arrow to your bite target, as well as a speech bubble. Never miss a bite again! Make sure your raid leader is running Vamp r94 or later to take advantage of VampArrow.
Example video
This video shows Vamp and VampArrow in action during heroic BQL 25: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vY9TWPWSDs
The UI used in the video is available for download here.
What makes this different from other BQL add-ons?
- Uses up to three separate DPS groups, a healer group, and a tank group. This allows the add-on to make intelligent choices, and lets you control positioning and limit movement during the fight.
- Configuration uses the standard WowAce UI and is entirely manual, giving you more control and reliability.
- Group lists are persisted forever, and can be setup to never change if you raid with a fairly consistent group.
- Setup group lists in advance based on guild rank, or set it up on the fly based on players in your raid.
- Continually overwrites other boss mods (like DBM) that are trying to use raid marks, ensuring bite marks are up at all times.
- Can optionally reverse marks (for strategies where the bite target finds the biter).
- Uses the Ace3 profile system, allowing you to switch between several predefined priority lists.
- Can output a detailed log of everything that happened during the fight, to help diagnose issues afterwards.
- Integrates with VampArrow to help your players locate their victims faster.
- Note: players in groups 1-5 are the only players that Vamp considers to be participating in the fight. This applies to both 10 and 25 player modes.
AddonLoader recommended
Installing AddonLoader will cause this add-on to only load when you enter the appropriate raid zone or sub-zone.
Comments and bug reports
General comments and questions can be posted at the WowAce site. Bug reports and feature requests should be made using the ticket system.
Frequently asked questions
How does Vamp inform the raid of the bite target?
A few seconds after someone is bit, that player receives a whisper. The whisper tells them who to bite and what raid mark the bite target will have. It also sends a whisper to the bite target, saying "Soandso is coming to bite you!" It will then mark all bite targets and maintain those marks until more bites occur. The raid marks are reapplied every second, so they will overwrite other boss mods (this is intentional).
When does it announce the bite target?
The delay between bite and whisper defaults to 10 seconds, in order to make sure all bites have happened. The delay is configurable. This gives players 50 seconds (65 seconds on 10 man) to find their target and get ready.
How does it choose the bite order?
The goal is to "seed" each of the three DPS groups as early as possible. Vamp's first priority is to make sure at least one member from Melee, Ranged A, and Ranged B is bitten. It will always try to limit movement as much as possible - for example, a player from Ranged A will be used to seed Ranged B, melee will bite the offtank if possible, ranged will bite healers if possible, etc.
You don't have to use all the groups. If any group is empty, Vamp will just ignore it.
Once the three DPS groups are seeded, players will try to bite other players within their own group. When DPS targets are exhausted, the offtank is the next priority. Unlisted players will be bit next, if that option is enabled. Healers are after that. The very last target will be the main tank.
Vamp will always try to re-seed a DPS group if all vampires within that group die, disconnect, or are mind controlled.
Will it automatically skip players who are dead or disconnected?
Yes. If your bite target dies or disconnects before you bite him or her, Vamp will immediately recalculate a new target for you and let everyone know. Vamp will also send a raid warning, letting the raid know that somebody died or disconnected. This warning can be turned off, and is throttled to occur by default no more often than once every 10 seconds. This throttle is also configurable.
Will Vamp adjust if someone doesn't follow it's directions?
Yes. Decisions are only made in response to actual bites.
Does it require raid leader/raid assist status?
Yes. You must be a raid assistant or raid leader.
Can multiple players in the same raid use Vamp at the same time?
No. Choose one player (preferably the raid leader) to run Vamp.
If a player is in my raid, but I didn't list them in any priority list, will they ever be a bite target?
Yes, if you've turned on the option: "Bite unlisted players". This is on by default. Unlisted players have a priority just below ranged and melee, and above the healers.
Does Vamp provide an arrow to my next target?
Not by itself. Have everyone in your guild install VampArrow.
I'm running Vamp for my guild. Can I tell who's running VampArrow?
Yes. Use the command /vamp ver.
Ranged A and Melee groups get seeded. Ranged A then bites Ranged A until that group gets full, at which point they start biting Ranged B until that group gets full. If at any point all ranged or melee die, Ranged A or Melee will be re-seeded.
Once I get back, I'll most likely make it so that Melee, Ranged A, and Ranged B groups all get seeded as soon as possible. Ranged A will get first priority, and then one of Ranged A will be used to seed Ranged B. From there, targets will be chosen from within their groups until they run out.
This feature hasn't been tested at all yet. Please let me know if it works as intended.
See this screenshot - http://yfrog.com/jbwowscrnshot022110223159j
It might be something to do with FD given the target was a hunter?
This build hasn't been tested yet, since I've killed BQL on both modes this week. Once I kill her again with this build, I'll push it up to release status.
Vamp is now release quality. Continue to report any issues you find. Thanks.