1. Why everyone should install Cosmos. | 2/9/2005 6:33:31 PM PST


Hi, I realize this is general discussion, but I'm working on writing a basic description of Cosmos that can be understood by everyone. (Not just those who already understand how to install and utilize add-ons)

I hope this serves to help some people, and the writing will get better as I begin to revise it. Anyway, enjoy.

It's viewable in its intended form here:
http://www.mixmastery.com/mine/images/cosmos/cosmos.htm

I've replaced images with links for better understanding.
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If you are committing $14.95 per month to play World of Warcraft, there is no possible excuse for not installing Cosmos. Cosmos is a bundled package of the best interface add-ons created for WoW to date. Please listen: This page is designed to act as a basic product description of the Cosmos add-on in order to provide any WoW player access to the same tool which is nearly indispensable to any power gamer.

Why bother? This site will cover the most basic features of cosmos which may significantly enhance your gameplay immediately after the simple installation.

First, you should know:
o Blizzard has specifically designed their interface to accommodate interface add-ons. Taken directly off the interface customization forum sticky:

“The interface of World of Warcraft is built from XML files which describe the look and layout, and lua files which contain scripting functionality. This document is a short introduction into modifying these files to customize your interface. Customizing the interface is a very technical endeavor, and you should not attempt it unless you have a good working knowledge of XML and Lua.

There is no official support for modifying the WoW interface. If you break it, you get to keep both pieces. :)”
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.aspx?fn=wow-interface-customization&t=2619&p=1&tmp=1#post2619

o It is important to realize that add-ons are LEGAL, and may (occasionally) cause problems in gameplay.

o Add-ons are different from third-party programs. Add-ons are basically scripts that are run by warcraft at the start of the program. They are not fully fledged applications running simultaneously to WoW.

o Cosmos DOES NOT cause a significant decrease in system performance.

WHAT IT IS:

Cosmos is a bundle of add-ons. You may have heard the word add-on before but not understood the exact meaning or utility of such a device. Add-ons can serve a wide range of purposes by utilizing a limited amount of access to public variables created by World of Warcraft. The range of purposes add-ons can serve is vast and overwhelming, and can intimidate players who may not possess the technical prowess or time needed to study, choose, or develop add-ons which may benefit their style of play.

Cosmos attempts to cut on these factors by providing an easy installation and pre-selection of the most essential add-ons created. The entire installation process consists of running a single .exe file available for download from this site: http://www.cosmosui.org/cosmos/ . In addition Cosmos comes with an automatic patch system which seamlessly updates the add-on to the newest version compiled on a near daily basis. This keeps Cosmos up to date with the newest essential add-ons and provides an easy way of keeping it as reliable as possible. There is virtually no chance that Cosmos can damage your system as it is thoroughly tested and updated on a regular basis.

HOW IT BENEFITS YOU:

I present to you: Cosmos
http://www.mixmastery.com/mine/images/Cosmos/bigscreen.jpg
http://www.mixmastery.com/mine/images/Cosmos/screen3.jpg
Notice the highlighted parts of the display.
These are the most noticeable enhancements commonly attributed to a cosmos interface.
All of the highlighted items are optional components which may be enabled and disabled using the main cosmos interface.
It is important to note that the interface can be customized to your liking using a variety of cosmos options. Many of these enhancements will not be enabled after installing cosmos and you may have to play with the configurations to reach your personal optimal settings.

I have to stress here that Cosmos is a bundle of different add-ons. You won’t use, or have any idea how to use a fair majority of them. Nearly all users of Cosmos have only a basic understanding of the main features which directly provide benefit to them.
Do not be intimidated by the amount of add-ons and customizations available within the program. All of them can be left alone or disabled.

To this end, many players complain that Cosmos is too bloated and complicated to be of any use. It may be true that it contains a large number of useless add-ons, but it is also important to realize that there are a number of subtle features which are automatically enabled and require no customization.
…For instance, Quick Loot.

Quick Loot automatically positions the loot frame to force the cursor over the first item available for looting. As you click on loot, the frame repositions itself to the next available loot. This allows for incredibly faster looting. In addition, once you’ve rapidly snagged everything, Quick Loot closes the window automatically. It’s impossible to describe how handy this feature is without trying it firsthand. Basically, the images below are attempting to show the process by which looting is reduced to a series of four clicks.
(one right click on the corpse, then 3 left clicks on the desired loot)

http://www.mixmastery.com/mine/images/Cosmos/inven1.jpg http://www.mixmastery.com/mine/images/Cosmos/inven2.jpg
http://www.mixmastery.com/mine/images/Cosmos/inven3.jpg

Paging is also enabled when Cosmos is installed. Although fairly worthless, it is a fun feature which is worth learning. You can only page other Cosmos users. Fortunately, cosmos includes a handy way of determining who is using cosmos. Look carefully:

http://www.mixmastery.com/mine/images/Cosmos/argus.jpg
http://www.mixmastery.com/mine/images/Cosmos/page.jpg
…Your party members will have a signature Cosmos icon by their avatar’s icon if they have installed Cosmos.
..If you want to page Augus, you simply type /page Augus heyyy.
This will sprawl bright red letters across his screen and make a startling sound.
Also important to note in the above image is the proximity of Augus’ name to my main health meter. Cosmos enables party member windows to be dragged to where you want them. This is especially handy in designing a more efficient and clean layout.

Also worthy of note is the fact that by default Cosmos users can see the level of high level characters. ?? is replaced by an actual number. It is surprising how useful this information is in situations where you need to request help from the local defense channel.

Extras - Advanced:

You may have noticed the same cosmos icon in the above image near the map in the first image.
http://www.mixmastery.com/mine/images/Cosmos/map.jpg
Clicking on this icon brings up the main cosmos interface.

Here we begin to see the ‘bloat’.
http://www.mixmastery.com/mine/images/Cosmos/bloat.jpg

All you need to be concerned about here is the cosmos configure button located in the upper left corner and the Key Bindings button beneath it.

The additional buttons relate to features developed by the cosmos team which may, or may not be of immediate interest to you.

http://www.mixmastery.com/mine/images/Cosmos/cosmos.jpg
This is the main configuration interface for the many add-ons encompassed by Cosmos.
Do not panic.

To start, you want to look into enabling and configuring the Clock, Quest Minion, PopBar, SideBar, and SecondBar.
These are the most essential add-ons that will provide you the greatest benefit.
This page will focus on showing the benefits of using the Clock and Quest Minion, and leave the rest of Cosmos’ many advantages left for you to discover.

Behold The Clock:
http://www.mixmastery.com/mine/images/Cosmos/clock.jpg
Once enabling the clock, you have access to information pertaining to how fast you are leveling if you hover your mouse over it. This helps in determining the best places to go for experience and how long it will take you to reach your next level. The clock itself is draggable around the interface, and can be configured to show different formats of time.

…The Quest Minion
http://www.mixmastery.com/mine/images/Cosmos/quest.jpg
The log shows the level of quests and brings up a tiny window on the main screen displaying the status of quest objectives as they become accomplished. This helps to save time by not having to keep checking the quest log repeatedly to see if you have completed a quest. In addition, the level approximations provide a better sense of what quests you are able to accomplish at your current level.

Extra Bars:
This page will not detail in how to customize extra bars, as it really is a matter of experimentation and preference. However it is important to realize that the keybindings window has expanded by Cosmos to allow for the extra buttons to be bound to specific keys.
http://www.mixmastery.com/mine/images/Cosmos/bindings.jpg


17. Re: Why everyone should install Cosmos. | 2/9/2005 6:54:42 PM PST


Switched from Cosmos to CTMod. Never looked back. Only feature I miss is the in-game clock.


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