Hacking World of Warcraft (ExtremeTech)
by Daniel Gilbert, James Whitehead II
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Book Reviews of Hacking World of Warcraft (ExtremeTech)
Book Review: A great guide for newer Warcraft players
Summary: 5 Stars
Ok, lets get something straight right off the bat. I am not a total newb when it comes to gaming, programming or tech. But I am new to WoW, and trust me its pretty overwhelming when you first get in.
This book is really good at 2 things:
1. Its a gentle introduction to the whole addon scene for players who either dont use them yet, or who use them only a little bit. It teaches readers how to find addons, how to install them, how to configure them, and how to use them. Addons are divided by their function: Combat, Maps, Loot, Chat, Raid, Class-Specific, Compilations and Misc and each one is covered the same way so thats nice. Can you find all these yourself by scouring the websites? Sure you can. But this book takes some of the pain out of figuring out which ones are best for the job, and how to use them. This is where the book shines in my opinion and is the bulk of the book.
2. It introduces you to the concepts of writing addons and macros in a way that most readers can follow. If you already have some experience in scripting with something like JavaScript or some actual programming experience this section makes more sense.
This book is not an in-depth guide to writing addons, or a complete guide to WoW programming. Addons are written in a language called Lua, but this book is not an in-depth guide to Lua either. If you are looking for that, then you should look elsewhere.
However the book does walk you through 2 examples, and if you can follow that you will probably want to look for something more to develop addons. Follow it up with a good Lua book, and learn about XML.
My only complaint about the book so far is the images are a little small, and I wish they were in color. Still, that doesnt ruin the book and you can still see what they are talking about.
All in all the book does a good job at what it's trying to do. So if you are newer to WoW or Addons this is a great guide. And even if you are already using some addons the book might point you to some new ones or even get you started writing your own.
Book Review: Guide to Making Full use of World of Warcraft features.
Summary: 5 Stars
Whether your a noob or a l33t player of World of Warcraft, there is always a way to improve your ability of play and this guide is the way to go. Want to make your own macros, but don't know how, then this guide gives you a brief and decent guide to do that. Curious about add-ons, but not sure whether they will work or if they will get you in trouble with Blizzard, this guide gives you a starting place and information to help you.
The 'Hacking World of Warcraft Guide' is a book for anyone who plays WoW, that wants to improve their ability to play, but either doesn't know how or is unable to figure out where to start. Having been in the predicament in which it seems that one-more second could decide the difference between victory or defeat, I know this book helps lay out the ways to improve game-play.
Now despite the name of the book, it doesn't let you hack World of Warcraft. It gives a player a description of features both available at first glance and those hidden just below the surface of the game. Ever wonder how to chain actions, spells, or abilities with one button, this book helps setting that up. Every see screenshots with maps or gadgets and want to know what those are, the book gives an overview of add-ons and options that are available either already in the game or where to find them online. It even warns about programs that Blizzard allows and doesn't based upon past problems. The book even gives you, the reader, fair warning about the dangers of using programs, both on your computer and with Blizzard, so you can't claim you didn't know.
Overall the book gives an overview of features, options, and other such things that can add to your gaming experience. While not as straight forward as Brady Guides, it gives a decent grasp of things for playing World of Warcraft.
Book Review: Not about "hacking", just an out-of-date catalog
Summary: 1 Stars
I'm so disappointed in this title that I'm returning it to Amazon for a refund.
The book's title and description are misleading. The book isn't about "hacking" anything; it's just a catalog of popular add-ons to the game. After an introductory chapter about how add-ons and macros differ, how add-ons can be installed and managed, each add-on is described and reviewed. Unfortunately, the authors don't describe their criteria for deciding which add-ons to include.
Undoubtedly, the term "hacking" was included in the title to make the book appear sexier; the book is really about expanding WoW functionality using available add-ons, not "hacking" in any sense of the word. Perhaps more frustratingly, the authors don't explain why most of the described add-ons are useful. Sure, I can get an add-on that tallies the damage done to me by various monsters, and by myself to the monsters. But why do I Want that? How does the use of such an add-on, for example, help me have a more enjoyable or productive gameplay experience?
Point is, though, that finding add-ons online isn't hard at all. A book cataloging them is practically worthless, as it is out of date just as soon as it is printed. You're better off finding interesting add-ons by searching your favorite World of Warcraft forum and asking other players.
The book's treatment of writing add-ons is superficial at best. Since this book is not a programming tutorial, any reader who wants to write their own add-ons needs to have some software development background. And anyone with some software development background would be able to examine existing add ons to "borrow" code, or learn how to write add-ons by reading the product documentation.
Book Review: Great tool for any WoW gamer
Summary: 5 Stars
"First let me say this is an extremely well written and useful book. I
am very happy I purchased it.
My primary interest was in understanding and creating addons. I am a
programmer of nearly 50 years experience (yeah, punched cards all the
way to C++ and Java) so what I was primarily after was a good intro to
AddOn development. The explanations of XML and lua were well done and
useful. and the character position development teaching project
well-conceived."
I wrote that to the author when asking him a question about the example I was building. I got a quick and courteous reply, and was able to fix my problem.
About the last third of the book is devoted to AddOn development. It covers the subject well without talking down to an experienced programmer, and seemed to me to also lead the novice in a comprehensible way. A tough line to walk, but they did it well.
As for the rest of the book, I found the list and explanations for the AddOns mentioned well thought out. Admittedly I didn't need it much (I have been playing WoW way too long and knew most of them already) but they would have been very useful when I was first starting to get interested in AddOns.
My only real criticism of this book is its title. The first two thirds are devoted to existing AddOns, not the development of AddOns, and that makes the title more than a little misleading. For me, that two thirds came as an unexpected bonus to the AddOn development section, which met my needs and expectations well.
Book Review: Perfect for the experienced proffesional
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is perfect for the experienced programmer who wants to start
adding his own MODS to the WOW UI immediately but does not have time for
beginners programming 101, an Introduction to WOW, or the time to do in
depth research.
My son recently asked for a program to help with the management of his guild
and of course I volunteered. How can you say no?
After browsing the somewhat nonexistent documentation that was available I
found this title. In ONE DAY you are up and running your first hook.
By reviewing the front section, the add-ons, one acquires a comprehensive
list of example add-ons. This list provides one the resources he needs to
mine the information he needs to "Get-R-Done." It is very helpful to NOT
have to wade through hundreds of web pages, tutorials, and a million lines
of code for the right "example" to handle a particular process. It also covers addons in a manner that even non programmers will find VERY usefull.
In the last section, Dan and James do not waste much paper on beginners
programming but set you on a path straight to heart of the matter. Though
this book will give the novice programmer the tools he needs to get started,
it is much more valuable to the experienced professional who wants to get
in, get the job done, and get out.
This book provides you the information resources and links to the tools you
need to get started in a timely manner. Way to go Guys.