Requested Changes to Macro Programming / UI

[Cairdeas]

As a Veteran of FFXI for almost 11 years, I love macros.

For those of you who don't know, Macros in this game can make syncing abilities and actions together easily. Creating one hotbar icon to replace multiple hotbar icons. A few things are currently making Macro's uncomfortable as a permanent replacement for all Icons though.

The Wait command can only be used two ways currently.

/wait
/wait 2.5

In the previous Example I have it set to 2.5 because that is what my individual Actions are reporting my GCD is after activating a GCD action. But the GCD time changes based off gear, food, and other items. Meaning that Macros can become interrupted if wait is set to 2.5 but the GCD raises temporarily to 2.6, because the GCD isn't complete.
Requested Addition: Add a <gcd> modifier to the /wait command.
Example:

/action 'True Thrust' <t>
/wait gcd <gcd>
/action 'Vorpal Thrust' <t>

This would automatically put the current GCD time into the macro. So if with an ability, items, food, and equipment you go from 2.6 to 2.4 GCD the wait time adjusts so the macro fires as soon as efficiently possible.

I'd love to see additional icons added to the choices available for macro icons. While I appreciate that many of the icons are the same icons as the abilities, this is a bit redundant with the /macroicon option. I also find the current icon design a little too busy, and would like some simpler, cleaner, icons.

Also I fully support the request for some sort of global cool-down and casting-time wait period that can be either added as its own line, or baked into an action line.

I hadn't thought about this but this would be beneficial to.
We could have something like.

/action "Raging Strikes" <me>
/waitcast "Raging Strikes" 
/action "Bloody Bath" <me>

And it would wait for the casting of "Raging Strikes" to activate.

OP, please add an "on/off" option to raid marking.

For instance, instead of /marking attack1 <t>, I'd love something that was like..

/marking <attack1> <t> on or if they feel that's too complex to determine if the on parameter is there, a new command would do.

/markingon <attack1> <t>

The purpose would be that when this is pressed repeatedly (like it's part of my shield lob macro), it doesn't get removed from the same target. Obviously trying to mark two targets with <1> would remove it from the first target.

Ahh I seem so if you use the same marking as a macro right now it removes it on duplication the same way clicking it in the mark menu does. interesting. That would be a beneficial addition.

Another thing I'd really like is for /macroicon to include the spell's tooltip when mousing over an ability. Right now, that command only allows the display of the GCD and any proc notifications.

ADD AN ITEM MACRO

I would like to know if the gearset icons can be used with /macroicon, and if not if they could be.

Back in beta I had suggested the ability to save the headgear settings in the gearsets, but the response was basically 'make a macro'.


I'm still only wearing what I like the looks of at this point though... (Still waiting on that vanity system.)

1. When activating a Macro its Hotbar Icon does not animate like an individual Ability Icon for GCD or for the abilities activated in the Macro Itself.
Requested Addition: Add a Radio On/Off setting the Macro as a GCD icon so that it performs the same animation as all other GCD icons. Or add a <cd> designation for the /action command.
Example:

/action 'Blood Bath' <me> <cd>
/wait 2.6
/action 'Raging Strikes' <me>

Where adding the <cd> sets the Macro Icon to use that actions Cooldown time for it Cool down Animation.

Alternative Addition: Add a Radio On/Off setting for "Macro Progress" where the macro Icon animates based on the duration of the Macro finishing with a Flash when completed..

Just making a note - this one is actually already in:

/macroicon, /micon
USAGE: /macroicon "action name"
-> Displays the specified action's icon.  
   Can only be used once in the first line of a user macro.

Thank you Haledire this will save me a ton. <3 As for your points about #2 I feel having the option would allow people to chose the benefits vs the negatives on their own terms.




2. When a Macro is activated, it can be interrupted by activating another macro. The majority of the time, this is a wanted functionality as it allows you to interrupt a longer macro for the benefit of instant abilities and Stuns. But there are cases where I feel like being able to lock out other macros would be beneficial.
Requested Addition:
Add a '/lockout x' functionality. Where X can be either On/Off or a Time
Example:

/echo True, Vorpal, Full
/action 'True Thrust' <t>
/wait 2.5 
/echo True Thrust Complete, Vorpal Thrust!
/action 'Vorpal Thrust' <t>
/lockout on
/wait 2.5
/echo Vorpal Thrust Complete, Full Thrust!
/action 'Full Thrust' <t>
/lockout off
/wait 2.5
/echo True, Vorpal, Full Combo Complete, GO!

In this Example, a Lancer/Dragoon would have time to interrupt the macro just after their True Thrust completed, but because Vorpal thrust completed, they would be unable to interrupt the macro until Full Thrust completed.

[necrosis]

I do find this annoying as well. As a CNJ i have two side macros for C1 and C2. Basically /action "Cure" <mo>. All I have to do is mouse over and hit the button. Would be nice if that new macro had the little countdown wheel on it.

[Gryzz]

they need to bring the /random /roll command back

[Felis]

they need to bring the /random /roll command back

And /countdown ^^

[Haledire]

1. When activating a Macro its Hotbar Icon does not animate like an individual Ability Icon for GCD or for the abilities activated in the Macro Itself.
Requested Addition: Add a Radio On/Off setting the Macro as a GCD icon so that it performs the same animation as all other GCD icons. Or add a <cd> designation for the /action command.
Example:

/action 'Blood Bath' <me> <cd>
/wait 2.6
/action 'Raging Strikes' <me>

Where adding the <cd> sets the Macro Icon to use that actions Cooldown time for it Cool down Animation.

Just making a note - this one is actually already in:

/macroicon, /micon
USAGE: /macroicon "action name"
-> Displays the specified action's icon.  
   Can only be used once in the first line of a user macro.

#2 Is a bit of a concern. While it would be nice to have a single hotkey for your whole combo, there are things that will break something like this quite easily, and would become quite unwieldly to try to "program" into a button.

Example:
Pugilist / Monk
-> Say you miss one of the skills. The next skill will not activate, now you're stuck with a button that cannot be activated or shifted to the next attack that restarts the combo without providing the bonus you made the macro for.

Marauder / Warrior
-> You use overpower to grab hate from escaping monsters - combo is broken, thus breaking the combo and now making the next part of the combo fire off needlessly (I used to have a macro for this, found out in short order it became less useful as time went on since my ability to hold hate requires the combo to be activated - the first swing does not get the enmity bonus thus making restarting the combo constantly highly detrimental).

[Cairdeas]

Thank you for the Info Haledire

[ZhangoSqu]

I'd love to see additional icons added to the choices available for macro icons. While I appreciate that many of the icons are the same icons as the abilities, this is a bit redundant with the /macroicon option. I also find the current icon design a little too busy, and would like some simpler, cleaner, icons.

Also I fully support the request for some sort of global cool-down and casting-time wait period that can be either added as its own line, or baked into an action line.

[Haibel]

I'd love to see additional icons added to the choices available for macro icons.

I wish there were more options for target marking macros. Really more signs in general. while 1-5 bind1-3 and don't attack 1 &2 are great
sometimes they don't make the point. I would love a big ass bullseye to mark targets I want ARC/BRD's to hit.

[Haibel]

The Wait command can only be used two ways currently.

/wait
/wait 2.5

Are you saying you can only 2.5 as a delay because I have been using 1.6 in between actions and Instant off ability. ie.

/ac "swiftcast" <me>
/wait 1.6
/ac "Stoneskin" <t>

works great for getting tank stoneskin mid-battle.

[Haledire]

Another note, but one I haven't tried yet:

/hotbar [subcommand] [number]

Subcommand:
-> change [number] - Replace current hotbar with hotbar [number].

(obviously there are other subcommands but this is what I'm focusing on here)

In theory, you could make a macro that changes the hotbar you are on after you hit the macro on the first bar.

/micon "True Thrust"
/echo True, Vorpal, Full
/action 'True Thrust' <t>
/wait 2.5
/hotbar change 2
/echo True Thrust Complete, Vorpal Thrust!

/micon "Vorpal Thrust"
/action 'Vorpal Thrust' <t>
/wait 2.5
/hotbar change 3
/echo Vorpal Thrust Complete, Full Thrust!

/micon "Full Thrust"
/action 'Full Thrust' <t>
/wait 2.5
/hotbar change 1
/echo True, Vorpal, Full Combo Complete, GO!

Though this is one of those unwieldy solutions as you'd need an extra macro on each bar to revert to the first bar if a portion fails and you need 3 full bars with identical other slots in it with the exception of skills that would break the chain. This would also only work on the one hotbar that can actually be changed (only the one cycles and responds to this command that I am aware of). If you know the timer for how long the chain is available for, you can put another wait into the macros that will revert automatically, but if you have any other macro on the 3 bars, this functionality breaks.

Also, there's this thought:

Subcommand:
-> set "action name" [number 1] [number 2] - Set the specified action to slot [number 2] on hotbar [number 1]

-> remove [number 1] [number 2] - Remove the action assigned to slot [number 2] on hotbar [number 1]

Possibly a more desirable method, but still requires another macro to revert the hotbar to basic form. Unfortunately, this requires a macro that changes an action name. I haven't found anything that lets you specify a macro slot. I suppose it could be the name of the macro, but again I haven't tested this thought at all.

I wish there were more options for target marking macros. Really more signs in general. while 1-5 bind1-3 and don't attack 1 &2 are great
sometimes they don't make the point. I would love a big ass bullseye to mark targets I want ARC/BRD's to hit.

The circle isn't good enough? -_- Granted, I know people use that for organizational purposes (Gather on the circle! ... what circle? oh "that" circle)