BottomScanner/Getting Started
Материал из Norganna's AddOns
This page is constructed following the comments made by ElGuapo in this post on the forum.
The steps listed on this page are taken litteraly over from that forum-post (with exception of the last steps)
Getting started with BottomScanner
Step 1: Configure BTM with your desired settings
To be able to configure BTM1 with your desired settings it is wise to take a look at the following wikipages:
- Commands: Here all the commands with which you can make your settings are explained
- Sample Settings: Some further explanation on the commands with added examples.
1BTM is really just an abbreviation for BoTtoM. It originally was meant for BottomScanner's predecessor BottomFeeder (see the last point on the BottomScanner mainpage), but people were so used to it that it is now also used when people mean BottomScanner.
Also the Commands were the same and thus using<command> see Commands
Step 2: Open the AH window
Does this need any explanation? If so look into the WoW user manual, since it is part of the game and not a separate addon.
Step 3: Start BTM using the command line or the play button in the BTM tab of the AH window
There are 2 ways to start BTM: via the BTM tab or via the command-line.
BTM-tab
The BTM-tab is (currently) the last-but-one tab in the AH-window (if you only have the Auctioneer-suite installed and no other addon that might add a tab to the AH-window). When you click on the tab, you see that it is split into 3 parts: A button (Triangle (=Play-button) when BTM is not started; Square (=Stop-button) when BTM is running); an empty space reserved for future uses; and a text-box in which the found items are displayed.
- To start BTM from this tab, push the Triangle-button.
- To stop BTM from this tab, push the button that now has changed into a Square.
Command-line
There are actually at least 2 command-line parameters that do the same and start BTM (just as there are 2 to stop BTM). In the following list first the one listed in the Commands is given and then the synonym which was added since people logically started typing that:
- {{ #slashcmd: /btm begin }}
Begins the scanning process (must have AH open) - {{ #slashcmd: /btm start }}
Begins the scanning process (must have AH open)
For stopping the following 2 commands are there (again starting with the one listed):
- {{ #slashcmd: /btm end }}
Ends the scanning process (must have AH open) - {{ #slashcmd: /btm stop }}
Ends the scanning process (must have AH open)
Step 4: BTM will scan the last few pages of the AH looking for deals
Or in other words, BTM is running. Until it finds something (see Step 5) you wont see a thing of it running.
Default BTM behaviour
Normally BTM only scans the last page in the auctioneer data and once in a while the previous-to-last page. These pages contain the items that have most recently been added to the AH (not to Auctioneer's snapshot!)
This means that it normally only scans the last 50 or so items. But it does this continually until you tell it to stop.
What BTM does not do is add the scanned data to the Auctioneer snapshot.
BTM while Auctioneer scanning
Another way to use BTM is by starting it and then start an Auctioneer scan (when the scan-button shows red again (which may take a while)).
What does this mean? Where normally BTM only checks the latest pages it now runs along with the Auctioneer scan and will also examine the items on the pages that are currently being scanned by Auctioneer.
The drawback is that the Auctioneer scan is slowed down and that you can't leave your PC while you are scanning AH. Another drawback is that BTM is using Auctioneer's (not yet fully) updated snapshot data to determine if the item it is looking at is a nice item to buy or not. For example: BTM sees that 10 wool has a nice price of 5 silver on a certain page it will signal you to buy it, but on any further page 10 wool might still be listed for less.
To avoid this it is advised to do an Auctioneer scan without BTM running, and then start one with BTM. (It is impossible to exclude it, since even the most recent Auctioneer snapshot is not up-to-date with the real-time AH data, although it approaches it very closely).
BTM while Searching
Again BTM is using the data that is searched to check whether there are nice items. And again, it is using the Auctioneer snapshot, since the Search is using that snapshot. (And again again, make sure that the snapshot is fresh).
Step 5: If BTM finds a deal, it will create a popup window that prompts you to buy the item (or not)
When BTM finds something it thinks you should buy it will popup a window with the following options:
- Buy: well if you press this it will cost you money
- Don't Buy: see explanation below
- Ignore: It will be added to your ignore-list (see the /ignore commando on Commands) and you will never be bothered again for that item (some exceptions are items that have the same name but a slightly different makeup, since those items are different according to Blizzard (but in this case if it really is the same item, it will be ignored))
The "Don't Buy" button
Basically it means that you don't want to buy it this scan for the listed price. And in that last part is the reason that it does not mean that it will not be offered to again by BTM.
What BTM basically does if you press "Don't Buy" is that it will ignore the item for this scan as long as the buy-out-price (or bid-price if you are also looking at items which are nice to bid on) is equal or higher than the price for which you pressed "Don't Buy". But when it sees it for a price less than the price for which you pressed "Don't Buy" it will offer it to you again.
Why does BTM not autobuy items?
This is the exact difference between BottomFeeder and BottomScanner (okay, BottomScanner also contains some (major) bug-fixes). BottomFeeder did not present you with the popup-window, but just did an auto-buyout (and thus you had to decide in hindsight if you wanted to ignore an item). But after Norganna asked Blizzard what they thought about BottomFeeder (after complaints on the Blizzard-forums) it was made clear that Blizzard did not like it (although it was not against the EULA at that time). Upon this support for BottomFeeder was stopped, till Blizzard came with a release that forced the user to agree on a buy. And so BottomScanner was born.
(Btw: the main reason for Blizzard not to like Auto-actions is that any Auto-action can be abused by gold-farmers).
Step 6: Profit!
If you have followed this start-up you MIGHT start getting profit. Most users of BTM have made profit with it. Remember: Any results from the past are no guarantee for the future!!!
Step 7: Only read this if you have done some runs using the above settings
It is wise to leave the BaseRule empty till you have some feeling how far the default behaviour of BottomScanner is different from the market-nature of your server.
When you have that feeling read the Constructing a BaseRule page and create your own BaseRule. It might be wise to post it on the BaseRule scratch page (and discuss it on it's Discuss page). So you can even make it better or get inspired by the BaseRules that are listed by others.
Step 8: Make even more Profit
Why: Since now your BaseRule is in tune with your server/faction.
