This entry is more about the things that I lament about the new LFG tool.

Ready Check For Random Dungeon

Like It? Don't Like It?

Now, don't get confused. Overall, I L-O-V-E the new LFG tool. I think it's a wicked upgrade to an already useful tool.

But, there are some things that "just aren't the same" anymore, and I can't help but miss them just a little bit.

Gimme Back My Global LookingForGroup!

The first thing I noticed about the LFG Tool upgrade that I didn't like was the fact that the LookingForGroup channel was now restricted to the cities, and if you moved out of those restricted areas, one couldn't "lurk" in it any longer as a way to find out what PUG raids were going on.

I don't know about you, but I rarely hang out in the city, and when I do, I'm probably doing something very specific and have most of my channels turned off to reduce spam. And when I'm actually interested in getting into a PUG raid, I'm generally out and about, doing Fishing or Jewelcrafting Dailies which take me out of the city.

I used to put myself in the LFG tool under something like the zone of Icecrown so I didn't get ninja invites, but was still able to keep a finger on the pulse of what was going on RIGHT NOW that I could get into with various toons. Now I've completely left the LookingForGroup channel because it's useless and spammy to me.

Don't Force Me To Commit

Space Goat Death Pose

Having to commit to Heroics *or* Raids, and not being able to pick and choose like we used to be able to do, sucks too!

I used to list myself for the one specific Heroic I wanted to do (daily, generally), and then I'd list myself for a couple of Raids as well. Whatever I got an invite for, I went to.

But now I have to commit to what I want to do - raid or do Heroics - and I find that a wee bit restrictive.

Although I do admit, the Heroics pop so fast these days that it doesn't make much sense to list myself in anything else when I list for Heroics. But I still resent being forced to make a commitment right from the start, as it takes away some of my "I like random things" joy. I've basically stopped listing myself for raids at all as a result.

Let Me Vote To Kick More People

In my Lowbie Leveling PUGs I quickly found that there's a limit to the number of people that can be voted out of a group.

So, in the Wailing Caverns run I had on my lowbie Paladin Tank, the guy who went AFK to girlfriend aggro (to do the dishes, 10 min into our run - yah, marry that one and keep bowing down to her, you'll be REAL happy together) got voted out, and then his replacement was a huntard who rolled Need on everything despite agreeing to our requests to only Need on what he'd equip himself, so he got voted out, and then a third person joined who couldn't find his way to us (and we weren't in the twisty part yet at all) yet rolled Need on everything that dropped... and we couldn't vote him out.

Now, I understand that the Vote to Kick feature can be abused if I were to bring three of my friends and myself into a group, and keep kicking anyone who rolls on anything for that fifth person, but when we're all virtual strangers from different realms, I don't see the potential for abuse as much. After all, it only takes one dissenting vote for the kick to not go through, and the tool "knows" whether we were grouped together to start, or randomly tossed together.

Is this Vote To Kick thing limited by time, does anyone know? If we were in an uber-long run, would we be able to Vote Out more than two/three people?

Related posts:

1. To The LFG Tool: An Ode
2. How To "Lurk" On The LFG Channel
3. How To “Lurk” On The LFG Channel

I Love Addons.

I love how much more convenient they make the game. I love how they store and display important information that is otherwise either inconvenient to click around to find, or absolutely, completely impossible to find because it's invisible to what the game allows us to see.

Introducing AlwaysLFG

Okay, this isn't much of an "Ode", but I thought I should introduce the addon first.

AlwaysLFG is an addon that is a "must-have" for anyone who fits the following description:

• Runs dungeon PUGs

• Has a "family" of characters to advance
• Has enough time to fiddle around for a bit before into a dungeon run
• Likes to leave some of their play time to chance

Lurking In LookingForGroup

How Does AlwaysLFG Work?

Simply put, this addon will list your logged-in toon in the LFG tool under a random zone.

The zones chosen are amongst those that particular toon would be able to choose for themselves, so lowbie toons will be placed in lowbie zones, and high level toons in high level zones.

Once you're listed in the LFG tool, you can see the LookingForGroup channel and respond to party requests from there - for this toon, or for another toon you'd need to log in with.

Won't I Get Bugged For Groups?

Most people don't want to list themselves in the LFG tool because they don't want random invites when they're really not sure what group play they want to get into.

Rest assured, it's not in the habits of the majority of players to look at who has listed themselves in a Zone - In the whole time the Looking For Group tool has been in place, I've never once gotten an invite based on the Zone I was in, even back when I lurked manually.

So the short answer is "No" :)

Interface Options for Addons

What Do I Have To Do To Configure AlwaysLFG?

Nothing. It works on installation just as described above and requires nothing from you but activating it for each of your characters (even level 1 bank characters!)

One thing you CAN do, however, is configure the "comment" that shows up by default, and you can specify a different comment to appear depending on which toon is logged in. This is helpful for when you do actually list yourself in the LFG tool under specific instances.

To configure the comment:

Type: /alfg config

In the Interface window that pops up, the LFG comment currently in place is the default one that will show up for all characters. If you only dungeon with one character, you can set or clear the comment here.

If you play multiple characters, click on the "Profiles" sub-menu on the list to the left side of the window, and create a new profile for this character before you clear or set the comment.

Where Can I Get AlwaysLFG?

Personally, I use both the WoWMatrix and Curse Client addon updaters because they offer different addons and thus update different addons.

However, this one in particular is updated through the Curse Client, so look for it there.

Alternatively, if you don't like to use applications you've downloaded from the Internet (and I can't blame you, I make my decisions very carefully in this area as well, although being on a Mac helps an awful lot) and you're comfortable with installing addons the "old-fashioned way", you can find AlwaysLFG quite easily by searching for "AlwaysLFG wow addon" in Google.

What's Your Favorite Addon?

I'd love to hear from you about your favorite addons - how long have you been using it, how does it help, and what's the best thing about it?

Leave a comment!

Related posts:

1. WoW Addon Review: Reagent Restocker
2. Player reputation WoW addon, Karma
3. To The LFG Tool: Some Laments

Now there's an LFG Tool that you have to list yourself in, in order to subscribe to the "LFG line". You could just "/join lfg" but you wouldn't be subscribed to the same one as the tool - you need to have yourself listed as looking for a group or looking for another member for your group, in order to subscribe to the Global channel.

Often, I don't really want to commit myself to doing anything in a group, but I want to hear what's going on in general - what dungeon parties are being formed, what classes are required, who's doing the call-outs, etc. Even more often, I'm not sure what toon of mine I want to hit a dungeon with - it often depends on what others on the realm are looking to do, especially in low population hours.

So, what do I do? I "lurk" in the LFG Channel, and I'll show you how to as well.

What Is Lurking?

In short, to lurk is to prowl around, hoping to be undetected. Watching. Listening. But not actively participating in the activities at hand.

In this case, that means not listing yourself as available for a specific dungeon but still listing yourself in the LFG tool so you can keep up with what might be available for you to join if it interests you.

How To "Lurk" On The LFG Channel

Here's how you do it - you list yourself as available in a ZONE instead of a Dungeon or Quest, and if you choose a zone that is ill-frequented, it's quite unlikely anyone will ever do the proper search to find you there:

De-lurking To Join A Party

Sometimes I just subscribe to the LFG tool to hear what's going on but know that I don't have enough time to get into anything myself. Most times, however, I subscribe to the LFG tool and watch for something that one of my toons can do... and then when someone advertises on the LFG line for something I'm interested in, I whisper to them from whatever toon I'm on and offer to hop over to the other to join them. I've never been turned down, and find it's a reliable way to burn off rest bonus on my pre-Outland toons.

Related posts:

1. How To “Lurk” On The LFG Channel
2. How To Join A PUG
3. To The LFG Tool: Some Laments

Now there's an LFG Tool that you have to list yourself in, in order to subscribe to the "LFG line". You could just "/join lfg" but you wouldn't be subscribed to the same one as the tool - you need to have yourself listed as looking for a group or looking for another member for your group, in order to subscribe to the Global channel.

Often, I don't really want to commit myself to doing anything in a group, but I want to hear what's going on in general - what dungeon parties are being formed, what classes are required, who's doing the call-outs, etc. Even more often, I'm not sure what toon of mine I want to hit a dungeon with - it often depends on what others on the realm are looking to do, especially in low population hours.

So, what do I do? I "lurk" in the LFG Channel, and I'll show you how to as well.

What Is Lurking?

In short, to lurk is to prowl around, hoping to be undetected. Watching. Listening. But not actively participating in the activities at hand.

In this case, that means not listing yourself as available for a specific dungeon but still listing yourself in the LFG tool so you can keep up with what might be available for you to join if it interests you.

How To "Lurk" On The LFG Channel

Here's how you do it - you list yourself as available in a ZONE instead of a Dungeon or Quest, and if you choose a zone that is ill-frequented, it's quite unlikely anyone will ever do the proper search to find you there:

De-lurking To Join A Party

Sometimes I just subscribe to the LFG tool to hear what's going on but know that I don't have enough time to get into anything myself. Most times, however, I subscribe to the LFG tool and watch for something that one of my toons can do... and then when someone advertises on the LFG line for something I'm interested in, I whisper to them from whatever toon I'm on and offer to hop over to the other to join them. I've never been turned down, and find it's a reliable way to burn off rest bonus on my pre-Outland toons.

Related posts:

1. How To "Lurk" On The LFG Channel
2. How To Join A PUG
3. To The LFG Tool: Some Laments