November Waypoints

Q: What do you get if you divide the circumference of a pumpkin by its diameter?
A: Pumpkin pi.

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Even though you haven't seen the usual slew of postings this month, we've been mighty busy working on feature updates, dealing with Beta, and getting the next utility version ready to publish. Here are three things scheduled for November that are pure dynamite.

Loadouts Command/Ability Mode Swap

You've already seen some cosmetic and internal improvements to the clock window here. And in that post I mentioned that we're working on a way to cast multiple potions/painlinks/temps with a single click, or every X number of minutes on a timer.

As it stands right now (and remember this is all just beta code at this point) the trick will be to call up a Loadout, but instead of casting a list of spells in sequence, the loadout will cast a list of commands like use_itemvdl in the case of buff potions. Hard to set up? Of course not! You'll toggle beteween Command and Ability modes like this:

So depending on how you want to configure the loadout, your list will either look like this:

...or something more like this:

Darq Side members AlilsTInker and Tazz have both expressed an interest in seeing something like this, and I'll bet you will find new uses for the updated feature. I'm very optimistic about this one, so stay tuned! [Editor's Note: Here's the video that shows how to apply multiple temps -- so cool!]

Smite Soundly Thine Enemies

Several DarqUI components give us ways to conveniently cast beneficial spells, buffs, cures, etc., on ourselves and each other. Examples include Group and Raid windows, Player, Extended Player and Threat. The Icon Bar, Loadouts and Gear Buff Macros can also be configured to apply beneficial effects.

That's a lot of attention on players. But what about enemies? For nearly 20 years we've been targeting the baddy, or targeting through pets and tanks who in turn target the baddy, and casting detrimental spells from there. We have the amazing custom Heroic Opportunity window that casts on targeted enemies, but that's limited to specific detrimental spells at specific points on the HO wheel. Recently Darq Side member Purajh believed there must be a better way, and boy do we have a cool update in the works for you.

Since we already have an Enemy List that can be used to target anything that hates us, it makes perfect sense to add some spell buttons similar to the ones in the Group and Raid windows -- except in this case they can be turned around to zap, enrage, demoralize and mesmerize the bad guys instead! We've already got some things working, and here's what it looks like so far:

In Purajh's words, these new controls can turn the Enemy List into the command center for large fights, no matter your role in a group or raid -- holding aggro, dealing damage, locking down adds; a tank or raid leader can even use the controls to put overhead tags on specific enemies mid-battle. This feature promises to be super-useful, so stay tuned during November for updates.

Bag Colors

Good UI design, especially in the context of our favorite video game, often uses color as a mnemonic device to help us make quick decisions under pressure, such as in battle. And color is also an ideal medium for coordinating and organizing groups of things. Think of spell background colors and enemy "con" colors as examples, where color conveys information far more effectively than text labels or other devices.

Not long ago Darq Side member Leejin posted a screenshot in Discord of the bag color feature from a previous incarnation of DarqUI, which is at least a decade old. I rummaged around and found the old DarqUI utility from that era, and posted a somewhat embarrassing screenshot of the old bag setup page.

Back then you could rename a bag to "Vendor" or "Harvestables" and the UI would give the bag and its titlebar a certain color to make it stand out against the others. This was a classic use of color to organize, but it was very hard on frame rate so I quietly let it go when DarqUI v3 was first published.

The current UI has a setting to change all bags to one color, which doesn't affect frame rate, but Leejin wondered if we could take another look and find an efficient way to allow the creative re-tinting of individual bags. Inventory management is such a pain in the culet these days that any device to ease the process is an improvement.

We came up with a new way to tint bags that has virtually zero effect on frame rate. Leejin (and hopefully new member Kattster who dug up the old screenshot) will be working with a beta version. I've seen some truly striking screenshots where Leejin uses color to separate bank and inventory groups by their contents, and I think you're going to really like having this organizing tool available to you.

Thank You

Thanks to you, I am among the luckiest EverQuest II players in Norrath because I get to assist in bringing so many of your great ideas, like the ones in this article, to the game window for every play style. To our new, returning and loyal patrons, your continued support makes it possible to do more every month. And an extra thank you goes to our members who have upgraded or joined with an annual membership. It's good to know we have so many players who will be enjoying EverQuest II long term.

A note to our new followers  Thank you for your interest in the Darq Side and DarqUI Premium. As you can see, there are amazing new ideas coming from members to members every month. And they will tell you the premium package is a whole different ballgame with literally dozens of unique automations, conveniences and QoL improvements large and small over the free version. It's not just a 2K/4K upscale project.

Our basic annual tier works out to around 8 cents per day, which is about as close to free as it gets. We'd love to have you join us as a patron and start getting the most out of your game time!