Is there a unitId for a player's non-combat pet? I want to be able to iterate through a raid and check to see if each player has a non-combat pet out, and it they do, see if there is a raid target icon on the pet.
If partyXpet and raidXpet don't work, then there's no unitID associated to them. And I'm pretty sure those are reserved for combat pets (especially since you can have both a non-combat and a combat pet out at the same time).
To my knowledge there's no way to find or know about non-combat pets. It can be faked by watching yourself to see when you spawn one, then guessing about when it might have despawned, but that's not foolproof and doesn't work for other players. Correct me if I'm wrong, as I haven't actually done any of this myself.
@egingell: I believe you're right and those are only for combat pets. I think Blizzard technically calls them "companions" but I haven't found any sort of API reference to them other than functions that pull them out and put them away.
since they don't affect game play, there's no reason to be able to select them or target them or anything, right? so a lack of an api is just a reflection of this.
some people use them for marking their own position in fights were the bossmods would overwrite the marks on themselves. The Rotface blob tank for example.
since they don't affect game play, there's no reason to be able to select them or target them or anything, right? so a lack of an api is just a reflection of this.
While they don't affect combat, I wouldn't say that they don't affect gameplay. It's a common technique to pull out a non-combat pet and put a raid marker on him to mark a player's location. The non-combat pet won't have his marker replaced/changed by DBM (provided you use a marker DBM doesn't use for that encounter).
Someone is probably after a "help me harass people that have pets out in a raid because I'm an asshole raid leader" addon.
...or... somebody wants to iterate through the raids non-combat pets and see if any of them have markers on them and then associate those markers with players. Maybe that somebody wants to do this so when they broadcast healing assignments for a specific tank they can also include that tank's non-combat pet's marker in the message thankyouverymuch Thomas Hobb-, er Tek. ;)
Frankly, that sounds like an issue with DBM. Putting markers directly on a player has it's advantages. For one, the marker can be added to unit frames.
I pretty sure that a marker on a non-combat pet shows up on your unitframes, as long as it's your "target", "targettarget", "focus", etc.
It's just that there's no unitID like "raidcompanionX" or "raidcritterX" like there is for "raidpetX" so you can't include non-combat pets in party/raid frames.
I'm really not sure what you call an issue with DBM... It uses specific markers to specific things during an encounter and as there can only be one marker on a unit at a given time, their previous marker gets overwritten. Using the non-combat pet makes it easy to use a static marker for a player's position. That way if there's ever an offtank you need to run to for some reason, you just have to look for (hypothetically) diamond and don't have to worry about their marker having been replaced.
I'm really not sure what you call an issue with DBM... It uses specific markers to specific things during an encounter and as there can only be one marker on a unit at a given time, their previous marker gets overwritten.
Pretty much this. You could, in theory, have DBM push/pop icons instead of just overwriting them, but that leads to all kinds of ugliness. Some players should simply lose their icons and not have them restored afterwards; some players should always have a particular icon to mark a place; some players need the previous icon restored.
Way easier to pick a unit that's never going to have an icon programmatically overwritten for any reason.
I pretty sure that a marker on a non-combat pet shows up on your unitframes, as long as it's your "target", "targettarget", "focus", etc.
Right, but that's not really useful, since you have to actually click on a non-combat pet to target it (tab ignores them). What *is* useful is having raid icons on players show up on your raid unit frames.
I'm really not sure what you call an issue with DBM... It uses specific markers to specific things during an encounter and as there can only be one marker on a unit at a given time, their previous marker gets overwritten.
I would call that an issue with DBM, as it could easily remember if a player had a marker on them before it auto-marked them, and put that marker back on them afterwards.
I certainly don't know the boss fights these days, but I would assume that if players are getting marked by an addon, that's either to draw attention to them for the healers (hence unitframes matter) or it's to make sure the person knows they need to get clear so they don't kill the raid. In the latter case, it seems to make sense to me that the OT should get a skull if he's going to explode, and return to having a condom after he is "safe".
A said before, non-combat pets *can* be targeted by clicking on them. I'm also a bit surprised you can mark them. There are related to the player like any other non-combat companions such as mobs invoked with items.
And for bossmod marking issue, here is a simple case :
On Rotface, a tank is assigned to kite the big ooze and infected people should run near him until the small ooze pops.
Most of the time one marks the tank so anyone can see where he is and bossmods put a skull on the infected people. When the infection ends, the skull is removed but no bossmod restores the previous icon.
It can happen that the kiting tank is infected himself. In this case the previous icon is lost so you have to manually mark the tank again.
Which comes back the point that a bossmod should restore the previous icon. Hence, boss mods are bugged. I don't think any of the boss mods actually does this.
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Curse PremiumWhile they don't affect combat, I wouldn't say that they don't affect gameplay. It's a common technique to pull out a non-combat pet and put a raid marker on him to mark a player's location. The non-combat pet won't have his marker replaced/changed by DBM (provided you use a marker DBM doesn't use for that encounter).
...or... somebody wants to iterate through the raids non-combat pets and see if any of them have markers on them and then associate those markers with players. Maybe that somebody wants to do this so when they broadcast healing assignments for a specific tank they can also include that tank's non-combat pet's marker in the message thankyouverymuch Thomas Hobb-, er Tek. ;)
It's just that there's no unitID like "raidcompanionX" or "raidcritterX" like there is for "raidpetX" so you can't include non-combat pets in party/raid frames.
I'm really not sure what you call an issue with DBM... It uses specific markers to specific things during an encounter and as there can only be one marker on a unit at a given time, their previous marker gets overwritten. Using the non-combat pet makes it easy to use a static marker for a player's position. That way if there's ever an offtank you need to run to for some reason, you just have to look for (hypothetically) diamond and don't have to worry about their marker having been replaced.
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Curse PremiumPretty much this. You could, in theory, have DBM push/pop icons instead of just overwriting them, but that leads to all kinds of ugliness. Some players should simply lose their icons and not have them restored afterwards; some players should always have a particular icon to mark a place; some players need the previous icon restored.
Way easier to pick a unit that's never going to have an icon programmatically overwritten for any reason.
Right, but that's not really useful, since you have to actually click on a non-combat pet to target it (tab ignores them). What *is* useful is having raid icons on players show up on your raid unit frames.
I would call that an issue with DBM, as it could easily remember if a player had a marker on them before it auto-marked them, and put that marker back on them afterwards.
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Curse PremiumThis is the part that doesn't happen. As mentioned, a push/pop mechanism would be cool, but that's beside the point.
You can't do anything with non-combat pets. The game really shouldn't even let you mark them. Dead end, I'm afraid.
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Curse PremiumAnd for bossmod marking issue, here is a simple case :
On Rotface, a tank is assigned to kite the big ooze and infected people should run near him until the small ooze pops.
Most of the time one marks the tank so anyone can see where he is and bossmods put a skull on the infected people. When the infection ends, the skull is removed but no bossmod restores the previous icon.
It can happen that the kiting tank is infected himself. In this case the previous icon is lost so you have to manually mark the tank again.
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