WoW: Cataclysm still on target for a 2010 release
A random pet macro for your noncombat buddies
by Mike Schramm 
Mar 25th 2009 at 9:00AM
This is pretty simple (I know there are a few versions floating around), and just a few minutes with the macro API will probably get you something just like this (or probably better), but if you, like Bornakk, have so many noncombat pets that you don't know what to do with them, this macro that a guildie gave me a while back might help. Plug this text into a macro, save it as "Critter" and throw it on your toolbar./run CallCompanion("CRITTER", random(GetNumCompanions("CRITTER")))
As you've probably surmised, it'll choose a random critter from your noncombat pets and bring it out for you to play with. As I said, this is super-simple -- you could add /dismount on to the front of this and use it as a one-stop "dismount and summon pet" macro, or I'm sure our commenters (who are much better at this macro stuff than I am) will have lots of other ways to play. We posted a more complicated one a while back, and you can still replace CRITTER with MOUNT, but this one's even easier than that.
But like Bornakk, I tend to collect way too many noncombat pets and I can never choose which is my favorite. A random macro like this helps pull out a friend I haven't seen lately.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Tips, Fan stuff, Odds and ends, Mounts, Achievements
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Gossamer Mar 25th 2009 9:11AM
Even better is the mod Livestock. Not only helps you organize your mounts, mount/dismount and smart mount, but it also has the option to automatically summon a random pet when you move! Also has a button that is outside your normal UI to randomly summon a pet.
Viper007Bond Mar 25th 2009 9:17AM
Livestock FTW!
You can do random pets sure, but even better -- you can have it pick a random favorite pet. So pick a couple of your favorites and it'll summon one of those.
I also use it for the excellent smart mounting and random mount picking. :)
Gossamer Mar 25th 2009 9:46AM
True.. that is an option. But pick a favorite?!?! Blasphemy!
fordarkness Mar 26th 2009 12:51AM
echoing Livestock here. I used to have a random pet summoning macro but it got silly because I only wanted certain pets randomly summoned and with the 255 character limit, you can't put 20 pets into it. Livestock lets you either flag all your pets as a possible random summons or pick a subset of what you can summon and randomizes from them. This also works with mounts. My favourite feature of Livestock is that it will automatically summon a pet for you when you dismount, zone in, whatever. I *always* have a pet out now since I no longer have to remember to pop a macro button (although I do have a macro button generated by Livestock on my button bar to summon a new random pet if I just don't like the one LS chose for me, or if I find the current one is getting in the way of what I'm doing).
Nabikula Mar 25th 2009 10:37AM
It also gives you options to dismiss your pet when you go into stealth in any situation, or only if you're flagged. I'm finding out more little things you can do with Livestock all the time
Amaxe Mar 25th 2009 10:57AM
I'll jump on the Livestock bandwagon. Smart random mounts allow you to one click mount in the flyability of the area you are in, and you can remove the mounts you don't like.
Also, if you have a travel form (druid, shaman) and click the button when moving you can transform into that form.
This was much superior to the macro I had.
Also autocasts pets on the arrival from a portal/hearth/flight point.
Random from all, or you can limit your pool it selects from.
The onscreen buttons frees up two slots for your buttons (which is good since I prefer the original screen layout with titan over Dominoes).
See no reason to go back to a macro for these. Livestock simply works better
jaynitan Mar 25th 2009 11:38AM
I agree livestock i my pet and mount savior!!!
You ca set all sorts of things up for random pets, random mounts etc and key bindings and extra buttons!!!
I have it set to only choose between my 30 tops out of my 65 total pets. Anytime I log in, zone in, dismount it summons a random on of my favorites. SO I always have a pet out and it is easy to show off my plethora of hard earned noncombat pets.
Also i used to have a random macro for mount summoning it would check to see if the location allowed flying and summon either a flying or ground mount based on conditions. Problem was in Dalaran flying is enabled and disabled a differnet way same with wintergrasp, so my macro wouldn;t work.
Enter livestock with customizable and addable buttons. I choose to run with more screen real estate, I choose a hotkey for my 'smartmount' option. Simply press my chosen button(s) and voila anywhere I am it chooses a random mount based on if I can fly or not, whats more if I try to mount on my druid or gshaman but I am in combat. . . . It shifts me to travel or ghost wolf form.
There is so much to do and it is fairly easy to configure. . .Want to create your favorite pets list? simply click to select or unselect, want ot desummon a pet when you are PVP or when you stealth? Set up the auto options. Since noncombat pets have no effect on gameplay the addon can do all sorts of automatic stuff with them or mounting so it is truly my favorite addon of all time for making my life easier once I spend 5 minutes to install and config.
After that I simply play and a lovable pet follows my every move!!
Chris M Mar 25th 2009 9:12AM
I use the mod NugMiniPet to make my favourite pets come out to play whenever I dismount/walk. This way I can choose which pets I want to see (love my mechanical squirrel though I do, sometimes I'm just not in the mood for him)!
It's specifically written so it won't waste my GCD when I'm in combat or doing other important stuff (although countless times I'd like to switch to a more menacing pet in Naxxramas, but for some reason when I stop healing my guildies start dying...) so it's perfect for me!
Laz Mar 25th 2009 9:13AM
To take this one step further, there is a fancy addon out there called Livestock (http://wow.curse.com/downloads/wow-addons/details/livestock.aspx). This addon lets you pick favorite non-combat pets, pets that you don't like (but collected due to the achievements), and even lets you pull one out when you start moving (to assure that you have a pet out at all times).
Most of these features even work for your mounts, too, so you can have one macro to mount you appropriately no matter where you are (Dalaran, outland/northrend, etc...).
This is a very nifty addon that I mainly started using because my random pet macro would pull out 5 different owls, 5 different cats, etc... and with this addon I can tell it not to summon those pets. The random mounting business is cool, too ;)
Laz Mar 25th 2009 9:14AM
Damn, beaten to the punch.
Khanmora Mar 25th 2009 9:24AM
I prefer GoGo Pet, since I love GoGo Mount and the pet addon has similar functionality. There was a lot of crap I didn't need on Livestock.
Axolotl Mar 25th 2009 9:25AM
Maybe time to start a free guide to writing macro's for WOW, followed by an equally free guide to creating MODs?
Why not make macro's a new category on wowinsider?
Sadoul Mar 25th 2009 9:57AM
Or... if you just type in WOW macro on google, you can see about 100 websites that already have a million macros. Why reproduce what someone already does better then someone who doesn't do it?
Axolotl Mar 25th 2009 10:34AM
Adoul, those 100+ websites with WOW-macros don't always have the usefull information one needs (though wowwiki is a good place to start) and some of them are overrun with idiots spamming XXX-rated websites.
This particular macro is simple to read, even if you've never written a macro before, and it helps to understand them for people who've never seen programming code:
/run CallCompanion("CRITTER", random(GetNumCompanions("CRITTER")))
reads as :
Run the CallCompanion routine, use the category "CRITTER" and the index of the companion in this category, is a random number from 1 to the number of companions I have in the category "CRITTER"
I rather read one good written macro than 100 bad ones that are posted with a "plz help fix this" at the END of the entire post ;-)
Aaron A. Mar 25th 2009 11:19AM
Also, I believe the macro interface saw significant changes in WoW 2.0 and 3.0; if somebody wrote a guide back when the level cap was 60 and couldn't be bothered to update it, there's a very good chance those macros wouldn't work now. This would be particularly true of pets and mounts, since they're now treated more like spells rather than items.
Murgrum Mar 25th 2009 10:07AM
Is this really all the more that is happening in WoW right now...
We are reduced to posts about random pet macros
Gossamer Mar 25th 2009 10:13AM
Believe it or not, but some people enjoy parts of the game that doesn't involve raiding or PvP. This is for them.
Kajira Mar 25th 2009 10:25AM
My minipet collection is a big pleasure of mine in the game - I go out of my way to earn money and grind for them, so I like features about them.
I don't raid, but you won't catch me bitching about "yeesh ANOTHER raid post?".
Culhag Mar 25th 2009 10:20AM
I use the addon Critters which has the nice feature of allowing you to rank your pets so that it picks your favourite pet more often.
Tha author also made a similar addon for mounts, called Mounted.
dpoyesac Mar 25th 2009 11:15AM
Great -- Mounted is fantastic. I love having weights attached to my mounts (the Swift Zulian Tige is rare and special, so should only appear infrequently, for example). I'm googling & downloading Critters right now! Thanks!