Whispercast

Author: Sarris of Blackhand
Official Site: None, but updates available at www.curse-gaming.com and ui.worldofwar.net

Download it here! (v2.9, 43kb, zip format)

Reviewed 3.2.2006 (Version 2.9) by Messiah

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Features:

Whispercast is a buff management mod. While is can be used for many classes it is mainly associated with the Paladin class. Whispercast automatically detects if you are a Druid, Priest, Mage, Paladin, Warlock or Shaman and selects the proper spells to offer. Whispercast allows players to whisper you in game for the buff that they would like and it will add it to a queue window in game, you can then cast the correct buffs on each player by clicking a single cast button that will cast the next buff in the list. This makes organizing buffs in raids much easier as each member of the raid can pick and choose what they would like and receive the correct buff without confusing the buffers. In Alliance raids it is common for each player to create a macro to request buffs from all the Paladins in the group and then setup a toolbar button for that macro and just click it to reset the buffs every 5 minutes (or now 15 with raid buffs).

Throughout the review I talk about the classes that can use Whispercast, and while it is very usable for all the classes listed above, it is used mainly (80%) by Paladins. I also have seen Druids, Priests and Mages use it for Mark of the Wild, Thorns, Arcane Intelligence, Power word: Shield and Prayer of Fortitude, but these are much less common than a Paladin using it. My perspective (as a Paladin player) is that this is mainly a Paladin buff that can be used by other classes.

Following are the release notes from the newest version of Whispercast.

WhisperCast v2.9

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This interface add on allows a buffer/curer to queue up spell requests from members of their party.

**Localization: English, German, French, Korean, and Chinese spell/trigger support**

Members of your party send you a whisper with one of the supported buff/cure triggers. i.e. "/tell Sarris fort" will cause "Power of Word: Fortitude" to be queued for cast on you. For the debuffs, just whisper the type of debuff and it will queue the correct cure spell. The trigger matching is configurable to exact match only, match first whole word, or any whole word in a whisper. '/wc announce' will display a message in party/raid chat about how members can use WhisperCast. They can also send send a whisper with 'wc' for a complete list of the spells you have enabled for queueing.

You use the "Cast" button, "/wc cast" macro, or a key binding to cast that requested spell on the requester. You can't just type "/wc cast" into a chat window, it must be run from a macro.

Right click on the "Cast" button or Titan panel plugin to open the options menu.

Supported buff/cure spells and the trigger phrases:

PALADIN

'Purify' = 'purify' 'poison' 'disease'

'Blessing of Sanctuary' = 'sanctuary'

'Blessing of Sacrifice' = 'sacrifice'

'Blessing of Wisdom' = 'wisdom'

'Blessing of Salvation' = 'salvation'

'Cleanse' = 'cleanse' 'dispel'

'Blessing of Kings' = 'kings'

'Blessing of Might' = 'might'

'Blessing of Light' = 'light'

'Blessing of Freedom' = 'freedom'

MAGE

'Amplify Magic' = 'amplify'

'Arcane Intellect' = 'ai' 'int'

'Dampen Magic' = 'dampen'

'Remove Lesser Curse' = 'curse'

'Arcane Brilliance' = 'group ai' 'group int' 'brilliance'

DRUID

'Gift of the Wild' = 'gift' 'group mark' 'gotw'

'Abolish Poison' = 'poison'

'Remove Curse' = 'curse'

'Thorns' = 'thorns'

'Mark of the Wild' = 'mark' 'motw'

'Innervate' = 'innervate'

SHAMAN

'Cure Disease' = 'disease'

'Cure Poison' = 'poison'

'Water Breathing' = 'water'

PRIEST

'Divine Spirit' = 'spirit'

'Prayer of Fortitude' = 'group fort' 'group fortitude' 'group stam' 'group stamina'

'Power Word: Shield' = 'shield'

'Fear Ward' = 'fear' 'ward'

'Power Word: Fortitude' = 'fort' 'fortitude' 'stam' 'stamina'

'Abolish Disease' = 'disease'

'Shadow Protection' = 'shadow'

'Dispel Magic' = 'dispel'

WARLOCK

'Ritual of Summoning' = 'summon'

'Detect Greater Invisibility' = 'invis'

'Unending Breath' = 'water'

WhisperCast features:

o Automatic available spell selection based on your class

o Smart rank selection based on your targets level

o Smart target range and cooldown detection

o Doesn't queue up duplicate spell requests from the same person

o Can only queue requests from members of your raid/group

o Can hide buff/cure request whispers

o Can play a sound then queue fills or is empty

o Can flash queue count display when it isn't empty

o Titan panel support

o Dropdown menu to change queue settings, right click on Cast button to access

o Small interface, with minimize cabability

o Display of what is waiting in your queue

o Queued requests have to fail 3 times before being dequeued

o Will only queue spells that you really have, no kings if you don't have the talent or never bought a spell

o Can limit queue casting to critual spells while your in combat, only cures and blessing of wisdom currently

o Hidden automaticly for classes without any group castable spells

o Configurable trigger matching on exact, start of whipser, or whole word in whisper

o Dump status of queueable spells and their triggers - '/wc status'

/wc <command>

Commands are:

announce - Advertise WhisperCast availability in raid/party chat

enable/disable - enable disable spell queueing from whispers

status - display all your queueable spells and the triggers

cast - execute one cast out of your queue

clear - clear your queue

reset - reset all options and standalone gui position

match [exact|start|any] - set your trigger matching level: exact=whisper is the same as a trigger, start=whisper starts with a trigger, or any=whisper contains a whole word matching trigger

show/hide - set standalone gui visability

min/max - minimize or maxamize the standalone gui

debug - dump internal info about spells ids and action button ids

help - this message

Dependability - Do this mod's creators keep pace with game patches?

Yes, Sarris has been very good about updating the mod after each major patch and whenever there are issues found with the mod. Since I started using this mod over 8 months ago, I have never been left waiting for a new version longer than a day or two after a patch. Excellent work.

Functionality - Does it work as intended?

This mod does its job perfectly. As a Paladin in a raid it is very difficult to track 39 other player and what they would like as buffs and re-buff them every 5 minutes. Trying to manage this without Whispercast and before raid versions of the buffs was so complicated and time consuming that you ended up spending most of your time in Molten Core as a Paladin just buffing and tracking buffs. This lead to the name assigned to the Paladin class: Buffbot.

Usability - Is it easy to install, or are there underlying dependencies? Is this mod easy to use, or do users climb a steep learning curve?

Whispercast is very easy to install and super easy to use. The early versions of whispercast were far less graphic and a little more confusing to use with less feedback. Sarris has done an excellent job increasing the mods usability since its early stages, to the point that it now feels like part of the game, not an add on.

The queue window that displays who is waiting for what makes it very easy to see what needs to be done. You can also select which gets done in which order. This can be very important in long fights in Zul'Gurub, the Molten Core, or Blackwing Lair when you are short on mana 5 minutes into a fight.

Novelty - How cool / ambitious is this mod?

Being a class based mod with a fairly small scope it would not normally be considered that ambitious. However what it does for the Paladin class in particular is nothing short of amazing! It can completely change the late game in WoW for you as a Paladin player. There are no more notes scribbled beside your computer saying who wants what buffs, no more complaints in game that you put the wrong buff on the wrong player, and most importantly far less time spent figuring out what buffs go where and casting them.

Overall - How do we rate the mod, overall?

As with any class based mod this question depends to a large degree on your class. However if you are a class that can use whispercast (especially a Paladin) you will seriously wonder how you got along without it. Even for those classes that do not get to use this mod, you will appreciate the fact that you can get the correct buff at the correct time very easily. In large raids everyone will see the benefit of this mod, as the group will be operating at peak efficiency (full buffed) far more often that when not using this mod.

While I talk about this mod being useable for several classes, its main use is for a Paladin. If you are a Paladin and play in end game raids, I can not suggest that you try out and use this mod strongly enough. It completely changes the way you need to play your class. It makes the game so much easier and more enjoyable to play!

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