1. #1

    Quick "How to" for SimulationCraft 3.3.2

    DO NOT GET OVERWHELMED BY THE SETTINGS!! MOST OF THEM ARE DEFAULTS!! Just throwing that out there for the "ZOMG WALL OF TEXT NOT GUNNA REED" people. The setup is pretty painless. I am going to break it down just in case assistance is needed.

    Most of you should be familiar with the two popular spreadsheets/calculators out there, Rawr and Redcape. Unless you are a regular EJ reader, you may not know about the third calculator usable by ret pallys. That piece of software is call SimulationCraft.

    A few of the more notable ret pally posters on EJ that regularly spend time ranked on the world's top damage parses, like Bluedeep <CUTIES ONLY>, prefer this type of simulator over the others. I won't claim to be a pro with this software. I am still trying to learn all of the in's n out's. If you are more experienced that me with this software or have discovered any cool tips, you can feel free to add your inputs, as always.

    While Rawr allows you to see all of the pretty icons for the gear while you are plugging in different setups, SimulationCraft chooses to save all of the pretties for the output.

    What you need to have prior to using SimulationCraft:
    1) Download the SimCraft sofware at: http://code.google.com/p/simulationcraft/
    2) You need a link to an armory page or WoWhead profiler page to upload into the spreadsheet
    3) You will need some time. The calculations, depending on what you choose, can take up to 15 on some computers. Have a little patience. Go smoke or walk your dog or grab a Pop-tart and Mountain Dew.

    Getting started once you download the software.
    1) Extract the software to somewhere convenient (like your desktop). The package isn't that big and shouldn't take long to extract. Because the file doesn't extract to a folder, you may want to create on like I do. I place a folder called SimC on my desktop and extract all of the files into it.
    2) Once extracted, you will look inside your new folder for a file called "simcqt.exe" and execute it.
    3) Your first view of this software should read "Welcome to SimulationCraft" with multiple tabs across the top. Feel free to read all of the information on the front page. This is just a tutorial and FAQ section.
    4) Next, we will change to the "Options" tab at the top of the screen. I'll share the options I select for my own personal use. These are completely opitional and are the most time-consuming calculations for the entire simulation. I select:
    a) On the "Global" tab:
    - Latency = Low
    - Iterations = 1000
    - Length = 300
    - Vary Length = 0%
    - Adds = 0
    - Fight Style = Patchwerk
    - Target Race = Undead (Make this change if you are raiding ICC. default is humanoid)
    - Player Skill = Elite (if you don't consider yourself an amazing ret paladin, you may want to drop down a notch on this setting)
    - Threads = 1
    - Smooth RNG = No
    - Armory Region = US ( EU players need to change this one!!!)
    - Armory Spec = active (If you logged out with a PvP spec or offspec active, check this!!)
    b) On the "Buffs" tab:
    I check the "Toggle All BUffs" option then uncheck "Focus Magic". Those mages aren't giving it to you anyway.
    c) On the "Debuffs" tab:
    I select the "Toggle All Debuffs" option. If you are a 10man raider, you may be more picky.
    d) On the "Scaling" tab:
    - I check the "Analyze All Stats" option then uncheck Intellect, Spirit, and Spell Power.
    e) On the "Plots" tab:
    - Plot DPS per Strength
    - Plot DPS per Agility
    - Plot DPS per Attack Power
    - Plot DPS per Armor Penetration Rating
    - Plot DPS per Crit Rating
    - Plot DPS per Haste Rating
    - Plot DPS per Weapon DPS
    5) Next you will need to import the character you wish to analyze. On the "Import" tab, you have a couple options. SimCraft allows you to load a character from the WoW Armory, WoWhead profiler, or from a saved Rawr .xml file. By selecting either of the subtabs for Armory or Wowhead, you will be taken to their websites. Type in your character name and once loaded, hit the "Import" button in the bottom right corner of the screen.

    * I created a Plate BiS profile that I saved on WoWhead. If you wish, you can load that profile by seaching "AdelSim" or copying/pasting the following link in the field at the bottom of the page and hitting enter.
    Adelsim link: http://www.wowhead.com/?profile=20777160
    6) We're almost done, I promise. Once you have loaded your character and selected any appropriate settings, you can move on the the "Simulate" tab at the top. Once on this tab, look in the bottom right corner to find the "Simulate!" button and hit it.
    7) The Simulate button will become a progress bar displaying the different tasks that SimCraft is processing. Once the simulation completes, you will want to slide over the the "Results" tab and take a look at all of the pretty pictures. I have included a few screenshots to show you some of the data this sim can provide.







    Again, while I am not claiming to be an expert. I just wanted to share what I do know about this calculator on the off-chance that it might actually help someone. I'll try to help answer any questions that I can.

    Win7(64)Pro - Intel 3770K @ 4.5GHz - 4x4GB DDR3 G Skill Ripjaws X - XFX Radeon HD 7970 - Samsung EVO 500GB SSD

  2. #2

    Re: Quick "How to" for SimulationCraft 3.3.2

    Late reply is late, but awesome tutorial. Very helpful indeed, good work mate.

  3. #3

    Re: Quick "How to" for SimulationCraft 3.3.2

    Quote Originally Posted by Eüreka
    Late reply is late, but awesome tutorial. Very helpful indeed, good work mate.
    And here I was thinking that no one read this. Thanks.

    Win7(64)Pro - Intel 3770K @ 4.5GHz - 4x4GB DDR3 G Skill Ripjaws X - XFX Radeon HD 7970 - Samsung EVO 500GB SSD

  4. #4
    Pit Lord iktankniet's Avatar
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    Re: Quick "How to" for SimulationCraft 3.3.2

    i added it to the helpfull topic for paladins.

    on behalf of the community, i thank you

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