OGaming - Guide to Hotbuttons

[Gloriana]

From OGaming: http://eq.ogaming.com/info/Guides~3.php

The New Players Guide to Hotbuttons
Jetta Starr - 08/26/2005

1) What is a hotbutton? (Skip me if you've heard it)

A hotbutton is a function that lets you map several keyboard commands to a single button. Rather than type out "Move up to me" every time you want your group to move, you can map "Move up to me" to a hotbutton and notify your group with the press of a single button.

You set up hotbuttons on the Socials tab of the Actions window. You can then click and drag your hotbuttons into your hotbox window to map them to a keyboard number. (For example the hotbutton in the first slot in your hotbox window will be executed when you press the number one (not numberpad one) on your keyboard.)

Hotbuttons can also be used to map commands other than chat. For example, you can create a hotbutton to say `/g Slowing %t` and cast the slow spell all with the push of one button. This guide focuses on hotbuttons set up for group chat, though

2) Why do I need hotbuttons?

Most people will set up hotbuttons to reduce the amount of repetitive typing they have to do, and to notify people of dangers or messages quickly. It's much faster to press the number 0 than to type out "Train to zone!," especially if you're running a twisted path to get there. It's also nicer to be able to hit the number 1 than type out "Incoming %t" every time you go to pull.

3) Ok, let's get started. How do I set them up?

To set up your hotbutton, open the socials tab of your Actions window and right click on an empty box. Then just fill in the text boxes. You can set the color of the hotbutton's name in your own socials and hotbox window by clicking on one of the colored "A"s (this does not change the color of the text outputted when you press your hotbutton).

4) What makes a good hotbutton?

I should probably distinguish here between fun hotbuttons and `good` hotbuttons. Fun hotbuttons are good in the sense that they give everyone a laugh and increase people's enjoyment of the group, but they should be used in moderation (probably not more than one fun hotbutton every 15 minutes). Fun hotbuttons include emotes (`/em kicks %t in the shin` is one of my favorite hotbuttons to use on my froggy warrior), roleplaying phrases (`/g By the might of Karana I bestow healing power on %t`), or basically anything long-winded. Considering your character's personality and creating unique socials is a lot of fun and should be encouraged, but it's important to know when to use them.

There are several main hotbuttons you'll see going off during groups: Incoming, Assist, Slow, Heal, Mez, and directional hotbuttons (ie, `Move up,` `Stop here,` `Pulling to here`). Depending on who you have and what class they're playing, you may see more or less of these buttons. What you want to be concerned with is your own use of them (never try telling anyone else how or when to use their hotbuttons: if you can't stand it, politely give notice and leave the group). There are two general rules for good hotbuttons:

They are short and to the point. A good hotbutton doesn't take up more than one line of text, and it coveys the necessary information simply. "Incoming %t" is much better than "%t is right on my tail! Please help or I'll be lunch!" The latter is a fun hotbutton: it will give people a laugh the first time you use it, but after the fifth time it will just be irritating spam.

They stand out. Use some 'gimmick' to make your hotbuttons stand out, whether it be CAPS, >kisses<, or ~~effects~~. Don't make two lines worth of ......., but do put a little emphasis on whatever you're saying. You want people to be able to see the MEZ message amidst all the friendly banter.


Notes: Helpful keyboard commands for hotbuttons!

/corpse Summons the corpse you have targetted or your own corpse (if you have no corpse targetted.

/hidecorpse all Hides all corpses currently on the ground. (Excellent for raids)

/hidecorpse looted Hides all corpses you subsequently loot.

/hidecorpse allbutgroup Hides all corpses currently on the ground except for those of your group members.

/hidecorpse none Shows all corpses currently on the ground.

/autoinventory Stores anything currently on your cursor in your inventory. (Particularly good with Forage hotbuttons)

/doability [number] Performs the ability hotkeyed on the given number in your Actions window. Typically used for /forage: /autoinventory hotbuttons.

/alt activate [number] Activates the AA ability pathed to the given number (AA's have their own specific number which you can find here).

/cast [number] Casts the spell in the spell slot number designated.

/pause [number] Creates a pause between the execution of two lines in your hotbutton. The number is tenths of seconds, and the syntax is `/pause 50, /g incoming %t` to create a pause after /g incoming %t.