It's been awhile since we talked about Gazmik Fizzwidget's little trinkets. As I promised in this week's Macro Anatomy, here is an addon designed specifically for Hunters and their pets. Feed-O-Matic handles feeding your pet, automating the process of opening your bag, finding food and stuffing into your pets face. The part I find most useful is the reminder it creates for feeding my hungry wolf. I've configured the addon to create an emote when I feed my pet, just so everyone knows how humane I am in my treatment of a pet I ask to fight on my behalf. (Ironic I know, but it helps me sleep at night.)
You can configure this addon to avoid foods needed for quests, anything that provides a "Well-Fed" buff and/or is used for Cooking recipes. You have complete control over what food your pet is allowed to eat, through a series of slash commands, so with just a bit of configuration Feed-O-Matic can streamline the entire process.
Come back after the break for some tips on setting up your new pet-feeding addon.
We've looked at Fizzwidget's gadgets before here at Addon Spotlight, so you might be familiar with his wares. For this installment, I want to bring Linkerator to your attention. It's a little addon that does a big thing, it allows you to type the name of an item in brackets and Linkerator will create an item link for you.
In Patch 2.4, we saw the introduction of spell links, which have become the subject of Trade channel jokes. This mod provides a similar feature, to include the ability to link items you don't currently have or see. This can give you another way to torment people in global channels, in case Murloc movies or Chuck Norris get old.
So, the way this works is simple. To create an in-text item link, simply type the name of the item in brackets. Linkerator will also auto-fill names as you type them, in case you forget the full name. I use this mostly to compare an item I'm looking for to what I currently have equipped, especially when I was considering changing over to Engineering for some of the epic crafted items.
I'm sure you can find a use for this feature, whether its for good reasons or not. Its definitely one of those little extras I have for the off chance I use it, but that is part of what addons can do for you as a player. That's it folks, short and sweet for you on a Sunday before I make my second excursion into Karazhan since rerolling.
Are you an addon-addict? Is your User Interface a living work of art? Welcome home, my friends! Every week, Addon Spotlight profiles a different addon, brings you mod-related news and dishes out free addon advice. See out what's been said and done in the addon community by checking out past features or our addon and UI directory.
Many of you may already be familiar with the wondrous little gadgets coming from the secret factory of Gazmik Fizzwidget. For those of you who are not, I would recommend you visit the Fizzwidget showroom and browse the wares. I'll profile them in the coming months, starting with a handy one for newly crowned level 70's.
Fizzwidget's FactionFriend will automatically change the default Blizzard reputation bar based on your current zone or the faction you've most recently gained reputation with. You can also right click the reputation bar to select another faction, open an options pane or open the Reputation window.
I find this a nice "information speedometer odometer" for my paladin, who recently hit 70 and is beginning the reputation grind. Although I wouldn't call this addon a must-have, I embrace the fact that it helps me obsess about gaining reputation. With the shiny, new Shattered Sun Offensive faction, it's nice to know just how close I am to the the next level of reputation while doing the Sunwell dailies.
Read on for some of the other intuitive features of FactionFriend.
Every week, Brian Karasek and David Bowers bring you help, tips and advice for the leveling Hunter in Scattered Shots. For those veterans looking for high end Hunter goodness, BRK is back on active duty.
You probably know by now that Big Red Kitty refers to himself as "we" in all his articles. For the longest time I thought this was just him being silly, but with his return to WoW Insider after a long hiatus, he explained that this is actually a kind of philosophical statement as to the oneness of hunter and pet.
You needn't worry that we (being Brian and I) will start trying to mimic him, but he really does have a good point. When a hunter reaches level 10 and gains his or her first pet, your pet becomes an extension of yourself, and an incredible source of power. The game suddenly gets very easy, and enemies start dying very fast. In effect, with a pet at your side, you become your own tank-damage-healing group all by yourself, able to finesse the control over your character and pet alike to achieve all sorts of neat stuff.
In anticipation of the patch, many addons, calculators, and the like are already being updated. Wowhead's talent calulcator, which affected the evolution of Blizz's own calculator, has been adjusted for 2.3 and is now live. While you're waiting for the servers to come back up, why don't you go ahead and play with it?
If you are the type to get your legwork done ahead of time, then don't forget to check the websites for your favorite addons. Curse already has their patch 2.3 portal up, and several have already been made Tuesday-ready.
Gazmik Fizzwidget has also been busy, having already posted updates for his wares. They are not only compatible with the new patch, but have had some spiffy tune-ups. Hunter's Helper has itself a new pet skills database, and AdSpace has new vendor recipes. We also say goodbye to Trackmenu, our beloved and invaluable hunter addon that Blizzard will finally be integrating into the default UI.
Stay tuned for more information on updates for 2.3, as they're bound to be rolling in all week.
Addons; they can do everything from seemingly changing nothing at all to creating what would appear to many to be total chaos. They can enhance the gaming experience so greatly that to be without them can seem downright apocalyptic. I know that I bond with my addons, and when I finally find "the one" that will do that thing I've been wishing the game would do for months, I feel renewed excitement for playing.
At the same time, I understand all too well the hesitation that many harbor about delving into the user customization world. Worries that they'll be difficult to install, require a doctorate to use, and give you a migraine, are all very valid concerns. This week is dedicated to those who are timid or reluctant about using addons, as well as those who have had bad experiences with them. No matter what your playstyle or your level of l33t UI sophistication, I guarantee that there are addons out there that you'll love.
The "!" and "?" quest-giver symbols now show up on the minimap very clearly.
Clicking on the new magnifying glass button gives you a list of all the different things you can track, including existing tracking abilities, as well as places to repair, buy ammo, aucions, banks, and so on.
Flight Masters you haven't met yet will always show up, whether you are tracking them or not.
Quest-givers' "!" symbols disappear from the minimap if their quest is too low-level for you (which is too bad if you are going back for more reputation).
For hunters: the various creature-tracking abilities now distinguish between neutral and hostile mobs, via yellow and red dots, respectively.
It's been awhile since we talked about Gazmik Fizzwidget's little trinkets. As I promised in this week's Macro Anatomy, here is an addon designed specifically for Hunters and their pets. 
Are you an addon-addict? Is your User Interface a living work of art? Welcome home, my friends! Every week, 
Many of you may already be familiar with the wondrous little gadgets coming from the secret factory of Gazmik Fizzwidget. For those of you who are not, I would recommend you visit the 
In anticipation of the patch, many addons, calculators, and the like are already being updated. 
Addons; they can do everything from seemingly changing nothing at all to creating what would 
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