TSM 2.0: A New Beginning

I will admit that I am not fond of the idea of my favorite addon being changed drastically. TSM works so well for me that I had my reservations about TSM 2.0. Part of me was determined to hate the changes. If you can relate then I have great news. TSM 2.0 has delivered an awesome evolution of the addon. Once set up, adding new things or changing currents things is a breeze. I was surprised at how intuitive it is to use.

One of the important things to remember is that you will want to remove your saved variables for your old TSM. I didn't do this out of laziness and I discovered that the old TSM dealfinding lists were popping up each time I logged in even if I had deleted them previously. I highly recommend deleting the TSM.lua files before downloading TSM 2.0.

Step one in making any changes is you back up the information you are about to change just in case you make a mistake. So I recommend backing up your WTF folder. However, if you prefer to not back up that much information then you can simply back up the SavedVariables folder before you make changes.

You can do so by finding your WoW folder and opening the WTF folder. Once in the WTF folder you then open the Account folder. From there you will need to select the account that your auctioning characters. If your account existed before the battlenet merger then the folder name will be what your WoW account name used to be (i.e. TradePrincess). If your account was created after the battlenet merger then it will be a series of numbers (i.e. 5555555555#1). If you have multiple then just open the folders and locate the server your auctioning character is on and check to see if your character's name is listed. If you only have one account simply click on the account folder and select your the SavedVariables folder (Be sure to back up this folder before making changes). Your progression through folders will look something like this:

In the SavedVariables Folder, scroll down until you reach the TradeSkillMaster files.

You have two choices here. You can either delete them all and have a fresh start or you can keep some of them. The files you might want to keep include the Accounting, AuctionDB, ItemTracker, and WoWuction folders. The way I chose to do it was to delete all of the folders that said TradeSkillMaster_ and added back the four types from my previously saved copy. Each type has two files .lua and .lua.bak so keep that in mind.

I know that the less computer savvy can be intimidated and less inclined to mess with files. I am fairly familiar with some aspects of the computer and I am still intimidated. Just keep in ind that you should always make a copy of something before you make changes to it. that was you can go back and start fresh. Also keep in mind that, even if you deleted the entire folder, WoW would just automatically recreate it. you won't break the game you will just lose your saved settings (like bar addons or unit frames settings).

Once you have cleared out the old then you can download TSM 2.0! This is the Beta version so be sure to update it often. I like to update it once per day but changes are being made constantly and it can change multiple times in one day. There is also an update to the desktop application located on the TSM 2.0 post so be sure to grab that if you use the app.

Take some time and play around. My resistance was quickly smashed by the overall functionality of the upgrade. I honestly didn't think that TSM could be improved but I was glad to be proven wrong. TSM 2.0 is worth the change and it has actually helped me to streamline and control my auctions better. TSM 2.0 gets my seal of approval!

TradeSkillMaster: Special Searches

The Special Searches option is one of the features of TSM that can easily be overlooked. There are a few things are included in this portion of TSM. You have the option to search the auction house for items that you can purchase then sell to a vendor at a profit. It also includes the ability to search the auction house for items you can disenchant for a profit. One of my favorite features is the ability to search your entire dealfinding list. This feature is especially useful when updates to the desktop app are not possible (often due to Blizzard disabling access). 

We start by opening TSM at the auction house. We then click the Special Searches option at the top.

Vendor Search

The vendor search option will search the auction house for items that you can purchase from the auction house and then sell to a vendor at a profit.

I will admit, I was quite skeptical that this would return any results the first few times I used it. It is actually quite rare that I don't return any results. Often the profit from these items can be small but every little bit matters. A profit is a profit, even if it is only 2 copper!

Here we have returned 3 results. The necklace is going to be my largest profit. The purchase price is 1g 40s 46c. I can sell it to the vendor for 3g 20s 23c. That is a profit of 1g 79s 77c just for buying an item then selling it to a vendor. 

I tested this out on a high population server as well and found it returned more than a dozen items. I ended up with just under 10 extra gold simply by purchasing the items and selling them to a vendor.

Disenchant Search

The Disenchant Search option will only be useful if you have an enchanter or access to one. Do keep in mind that if your profit will be enough to cover a tip then you could always pay someone to disenchant them. So if you are lacking an enchanter then don't abandon this option just yet!

You have the option to use the materials from the disenchanting to make enchants or to simply sell the materials. 

Dealfinding Search

This option is priceless in those times that you don't want to manually click and search every dealfinding list you have made or when the desktop app isn't returning results due to a shutdown of the Auction House API where TSM retrieves it's information. The shutdown is most commonly due to problems with the mobile armory app. This option will give you a way to do a complete search in game so you don't miss out on those deals!

It can take some time depending on how many items you have in your dealfinding lists but that just means it's time to make tea!

Conclusion

I was using TSM for a bit before I accidentally discovered these options. The beauty of this addon is that, with a little exploration, there are always new things to discover. With TSM 2.0 around the corner I think it is important to remember the little bits that make this addon so great. Think of all the new and wonderful things to discover!

Trade Skill Master: Crafting Part 2

This is a continuation of the last post on the TSM Crafting Module, to see the first post click here.

So last time we gave an introduction to the crafting module and went through some very useful settings for how to get it prepared for optimal usage. This post will deal with the fun part, the implementation. We'll get to see how to check the data crafting can provide you to determine what to craft with some thoughts on keeping in mind how much to craft. We'll also be using the profession of Jewelcrafting for our module example, though of course this module works the same way with all other professions.

Implementation

We'll begin with a quick Auction House Scan. This requires you to visit the auction house and open the TSM auctioning tab. The default settings will open directly to it but you can simply click on the TSM tab at the bottom if it does not.

After choosing the profession, in this case Jewelcrafting on the left side, simply click on the "Run Profession Scan" button and wait while the addon scans the auction house for any and all materials and craftable items being sold on the auction house for the selected professions. It is also worth noting that there is a warning here stating that "Scanning the auction house in game is no longer necessary!" that points to the TradeSkillMaster Desktop Application. That application might be covered in future editions of this blog, but for now the Auction House Scan is all we need to get started.

The Auction House scan is important because it will keep the information in TSM fresh. The crafting module uses the current data to show how much profit you can make off selling an item right now. The market can fluctuate often so you always want data that is current and accurate otherwise it might tell you to craft items whose prices have dropped so much they're now not profitable to bother crafting.

Next open up TradeSkillMaster and look down at the bottom. There is a profession tab for each profession. In this case I'll be clicking on the gem icon for Jewelcrafting.

You will notice a list of items to the left side under crafts. This is an optional step you can take before opening up the crafting window. When you click on the left side on a gem color a full list of gems will appear. This will include all of the lower level gems. You have the option to filter out gems you prefer not to craft by left clicking anywhere in the row where their name appears. Doing this can cut out most of the useless information that might be provided you by TSM about things like gem cuts for gems from the last expansion or earlier.

If you right click on an item's row you will open up a new smaller window to the left side that looks like this:

At point 1 here you can see that it gives you the option to add this specific item to a shopping group for use with the Auctioning Module. At point 2 you have multiple options given for restock quantities specific to this item alone. At first these options will likely be more than you need to adjust but could be very useful in the future after your more familiar with the Crafting Module as a whole. We'll see more on Restocking too further in this guide.

Craft Management Window

To open the craft management portion you can either click on the gem at the bottom again or you can select the "Crafts" from the left side to bring up the options.

We have two options "Show Craft Management Window" and "Force Rescan of Profession (Advanced)". The forced rescan will check and ensure that you have all the latest recipes you've learned added into the crafting module for consideration. You'll click on "Show Craft Management Window" next to open up the crafting interface. This should bring up the Craft Management window for Jewelcrafting.

So now, on top of your regular crafting window for Jewelcrafting there is this large blue and black box. Already contained is the data for the profession you're looking at, so now we just need to represent it properly. As you can see here I've chosen to show the information I have on Yellow Gems and I am sorting by potential profit as determined by TSM. Not only does it show you the profit in gold per item presumably sold, but also by percentage of cost. Green is good, positive profits, and red is bad, negative profits. This will automatically adjust itself as you scan the auction house and sometimes items that make a profit one day will have cratered and be putting you in the red if you try to craft them the next day. Next lets queue up some items to craft.

At point 1 you can see we've queued up three Glinting Imperial Amethysts to craft by left clicking on the "Glinting Imperial Amethyst" text three times. If you happen to click too many times, you just need to  right click to reduce the number. At point 2 to the right you can see the current value of each, and to the left we have a set of lists that show how many of those specific cut amethysts we have on all of our characters (assuming we are sharing inventory on the same account from the settings we set earlier). At point 3 you can see the mats list is populated by all the mats needed to craft everything on the right. In this screenshot "Imperial Amethyst" is highlighted in red which means I currently have none in my bags and will need to acquire some in order to craft. Also worth noting the same appears in Glinting Imperial Amethyst which is in orange on the right side crafting list.

Crafting

At point 1 you can click Craft Next to begin crafting the top item on our crafting stage #1 list. At point 2 you see the "Clear Queue" button which will clear everything out of the list. For more automatic posting following your restock quotas and specifically only crafting what is immediately available in your inventory you can use the "On-Hand Queue" button at point 3. Finally, at point 4 the large "Restock Queue" button will populate the list automatically with crafted gems according to the parameters set in the settings earlier.

For automation purposes the Restock Queue button is great, especially if you want to just pick stuff up off the Auction House and start crafting. However, it is very important that you set up the parameters in first. The set up for this is located in the Price/Inventory Settings section of the set up. If set up properly then TSM will find all the items at the profit you select and exclude items that you have already crafted but have yet to sell. Keep in mind that these options were labeled as optional in the setup guide. They aren't necessary but you may find these advanced features a great way to streamline the process. 

Conclusion

The setup involved with this module may make it seem a bit daunting to use at first. However, as usual with TradeSkillMaster, the time taken to prepare is always worthwhile when you start seeing major returns on investment thanks to modules like this one. Its also worth keeping in mind that beyond just the Jewelcrafting example we focused on this module works exactly the same way for all crafting professions. So adapt Trade SkillMasterCrafting to suit your needs and prepare to be amazed at the time it saves you in the long run.

Trade Skill Master: Crafting

The crafting module helps you to select the items to craft for maximum potential profit. It can look at the auction house and find materials that you can convert, using your profession, into items to sell at a profit. Keep in mind that crafting can only determine potential profit. There is no guarantee that the item will sell. It also contains features that organize the information for you. It can tell you what materials you have, what materials you need and it can queue up the items you want to craft. It is a digital list making and it is fabulous because it makes crossing off items on the list as easy as one click!

I will split the crafting module into two posts. First I will cover set up and then I will cover implementation. There is tons of information about this amazing module and I want to be sure to address as much as I can.

Settings

Some of the settings are on a default that requires little attention when starting out but can be very useful as you become more advanced. I will cover each setting and label them as optional or recommend from a beginners point of view. Feel free to poke around and see how you can make each setting work for you.

You will start out locating the Crafting Settings button at the top.

Profiles 

You will want to start by creating a profile for specific profession you wish to use. I find it helpful to do this first. Is is set to default but I have found that I prefer different settings for each profession. As you work more with the crafting addon you will fond that you prefer to tweak it a but to suit your specific needs. For now we will set up the basics.

Simply click on the profile tab and type in the profile name you wish to use then click ok.

You can always check to see which profile is active buy checking the "Current Profile:" listed.

General Settings

Show crafting cost in tooltip (Optional to change. The default is recommended)  - This will add the cost of making an item to the tooltip when you hover over the item. This feature will help prevent you from selling an item for less than it costs to craft it.

Enable new tradeskills (Optional to change. The default is recommended) - When you learn a new tradeskill this option will cause the module to automatically enable it.

Unknown profit queuing (Optional) - When items have an unknown profit price then this gives you the option to use your auctioning modules information to fill in that information. If the item has been placed in an auction group then the price you have set will be reflected as the profit price instead of the auction house price. You can either set it to show you the auctioning group price or simply make it as unknown. 

Show profit percentages (Optional) - When checked this adds a percentage as well as a profit price in the craft management window.

Frame Scale (Optional) - Adjusts the scale of the craft management window.

Double click queue (Optional) - This sets the amount of increase and decrease that will occur when you double click on a craft.

Price/Inventory Settings

Get mats price from (Optional) - When determining the cost of material for the items you craft you can choose from various sources. The default is set to AuctionDB - Market Value. This will give to the most up to date current materials price directly from the auction house. 

Get craft prices from (Optional) - When determining the value of crafted items you will make you can choose from various sources. The default is also set to AuctionDB - Market Value. This will give to the most up to date current price directly from the auction house. 

Secondary price source (Optional) - When something isn't returning a valid price then the module will look to this source for the price. 

Use lower of price sources (Optional) - When checked then crafting will use the source with the lowest profit as it's profit price. 

Profit deduction (Optional) - Percent to deduct from the profit price. Often set to 5% to account for the auction house cut if an item sells.

Addon to use for alt date (Optional)  - TSM has a built in ItemTracker it will use but you have the option of using an alternative addon if you prefer.

Include items on auction house (Recommended) - By checking this box you will be tracking the items you have posted on the auction house as well as the items in your character(s) bags.

Characters to include (Recommended) - This lets you include multiple characters to look at when determining what materials you have and what items to have. If you sell items on a separate character from the one who is the crafter then you will want to add both.

Guilds to include (Optional) - This feature will let you include any guilds that you have when evaluating what materials you own. This is ideal if you have a private guild you use to store materials or crafted items.

Step 1 (on banking account) Character(s) (Recommended if using different characters to craft and post)  - If you happen to use more than one account and you need the accounts to communicate what is on both of them then you will want to fill in this feature. Here you list the "banking" character(s). So if you have a crafter on one account and the character you use to sell the items on another account then this is where you would add the character who sells the items.

Step 2 ( on crafting account) Characters(s) (Recommended if using different characters to craft and post) - If you happen to use more than one account and you need the accounts to communicate what is on both of them then you will also want to fill in this feature. Here you list the "crafting" character(s). So if you have a crafter on one account and the character you use to sell the items on another account then this is where you would add the character who crafts the items.

Send crafting costs button (Recommended if using different characters to craft and post) - This is used when you have both accounts open to start them communicating. I like to use this feature after scanning the auction house.

Queue Settings

Minimum profit method (Optional) - Here you get to select what is worth your crafting time. You have the option to set a specific gold amount you wish you make as a minimum or you can set it as a percentage. 

Min restock quality (Optional)- If you prefer to not craft just one of an item and prefer to always craft more than one then you can set this as the minimum you wish to craft for each item.

Max restock quality (Optional)- This lets you set the maximum you wish to craft of each item. This is useful for preventing too much of an overstock.

Minimum profit (in %) (Optional)- When an item has a profit over this percent amount then it will automatically be added to your queue when you use the restock button.

Minimum profit (in gold) (Optional)- When an item has a profit over this gold amount then it will automatically be added to your queue when you use the restock button.

Filter out items with low seen count (Optional) - Checking this box will filter out items that have not been seen much on the auction house.

Seen count source (Optional) - This lets you select where you want to have your information regarding how many items have been seen on the auction house. 

Seen count filter (Optional) - Any item that has been seen less than the amount you place in this box will be filtered out.

Ignore vendor items (Optional) - Checking this box will cause you to ignore the vendor items needed to craft.

Limit vendor item price (Optional) - This option lets you ignore vendor items below a specific amount.

Maximum price per vendor item (Optional) - This is where you list the maximum amount you wish to be ignored with regards to vendor items.

Conclusion

The set up of this module isn't too bad to start. there are only a few items to address before you can get started. The versatility of this module makes it quite useful. You have a wide variety of options to choose from so that you can set it up for your specific needs. I simply love the option to be able to sync up multiple accounts.

Up next: We will implement the crafting module and make some items to sell.