_NPCScan or SilverDragon

[Deleted]

I'm currently using SilverDragon and it works perfectly. But everytime someone mentions an addon of this type, all they mention is _NPCScan.
Is _NPCScan that much better than SilverDragon, or is SilverDragon simply less known?

Anyone that's tried both, and can offer some insight?

[lawomous]

Never used SilverDragon but by reading the description:

If you have nameplates enabled it'll scan through them to find rares nearby. Otherwise it requires you to mouseover/target a rare, or for your party member/pets to do likewise.

That's kind of a big negative. _NPCScan will scan for rares anywhere in a 100 yard diameter automatically without you having to target anything, or use any kind of targetting macro. Also not sure how SilverDragon notifies you but NPCScan glows your screen red, plays a drum sound and brings up a 3D window with the mob it found that you can click and it will target the mob and mark it with a Green Triangle.

[Pope]

Depending on the size of the mob, it's way more then 100 yard diameter.

[MildCore]

Sounds like _NPCscan is the winner! I use it. Found me a rare mov by accident that I got the jeevess schematic from.

[aqthedruid]

i have tried npcscan and it lagged be horribly when i went into dungeons but i dont have that problem with sliverdragon

[Indiglo]

I use both, personally.

[Sluimerstand]

I've never had lag problems with _NPCScan, I use it on all my characters.
I use it in combination with _NPCScan.Overlay for the routes of the rare mobs, too.

[Deleted]

i recently downloaded npc scan, and within 10mins of enabling it, i found the timelost proto drake while lvling my rogue makes me wonder how many rares i have missed through the years

[ComputerNerd]

SilverDragon is perhaps supplementing the traditional methods of searching such as spamming a targeting macro.
NPCScan is a more "hands-free" approach by which proximity is sufficient, but therefore can pick up on tamed hunter pets.
I am not sure if SilverDragon uses the creaturecache either, which NPCScan certainly does and in order to remain effective needs that cleared regularly to maintain the ability to detect something an additional time.
Seems SilverDragon requires more effort to use, but less effort to maintain.

[DeltrusDisc]

Ahh... good ol' NPCScan letting me know while I'm at the Dalaran south bank that the one giant guy in ICECROWN was up.....

Happened like 5 times at least over the course of using that addon in WotLK. lol!

[ComputerNerd]

It appears that the detection range might be tied to the size of the model.
Putridus the Ancient being such a large model did indeed seem to have that effect of being picked up from inside dalaran, often resulting in a mad rush of people leaving and trying to kill him.

[Taryble]

Just an FYI, I used to use SilverDragon and changed to NPCScan. SilverDragon does not require mouseover/nameplate scanning, it found plenty of rares for me the same way NPCScan does. However, for hunting the rares Always Drop Goodies (especially in OL/NR/Cata) I find NPCScan much better, because of NPCScan.Overlay.

[Deleted]

Silver Dragon and Npc_scan are exactly the same.
I have been a rare hunter for god knows how long now, I have Time-Lost on 5 toons, Aeonaxx's mount on 5 toons, Grey Riding camel on 3 toons and Poseidus on 3 aswell.
Now, I have 100% of the time had both Npc_scan and Silver Dragon running at the same time. I have witnessed both Npc_scan and Silver Dragon failing at some stage, for some reason it bugs and does not show a rare (Yes, cache was clear). I don't know what causes either to bug but it happens very seldom but it has happened. Fortunatly because I have both running, if one addon bugs, the other picks it up so I don't miss much, most noteably Vyragosa spawned ontop of my main, Npc_scan failed to announce but Silver Dragon did, another time, Poseidus spawned (since it started dropping the mount), Silver Dragon failed to announce, Npc_scan did.
The only great difference between the 2 is Silver Dragons announce feature, you can set it to announce when it cache's a rare so if your camping a rare with a couple of accounts and don't have the window open that a something spawns near but they are ina party and Silver Dragon is set to Party Announce, you will see it has picked up something.

I would personally recommend using both at the same time, it never hurts your chances to have both addons running.
*Edit* Also couple Npc_scan with Npc Overlay.
Hope that helps

[Martyn 470]

Personally, i use Silverdragon and _NPCscan overlay, i also use this addon called handynotes? i think, it shows on the world map where ANY rare spawn in the game is, i think its a part of Silverdragon itself, it uses silverdragon to plot on the map where they are, helped me tons when i was leveling on alts.

unless, ofcourse, silverdragon does this by itself, and handynotes does nothing.

[Deleted]

From personal experience, I've had NPCScan alert me of the huge rare in Icecrown whilst sat in Dalaran before now..

I've never used Silverdragon, but NPCScan has never let me down.

The only problem is once if finds a rare, it wont alert you again about that rare until you delete your cache folder, since it works by find rare mobs once they are inserted into your cache folder, not sure if Silverdragon works in the same way.

[Taryble]

SilverDragon uses cache insertion as well as mouseover and nameplate scanning - so if you already have, say, Time-Lost Proto in your cache, but you're flying through Storm Peaks and mouseover him for a fraction of a second, it'll pop up it's warning.

[Pope]

SilverDragon uses cache insertion as well as mouseover and nameplate scanning - so if you already have, say, Time-Lost Proto in your cache, but you're flying through Storm Peaks and mouseover him for a fraction of a second, it'll pop up it's warning.

Of course, this scenario is incredibly likely.
Sorry for the sarcasm, but I just see no point in using silver dragon because of mouseover/nameplate scan. The only moment where silverdragon could be useful if it has all IDs for every rare elite in the game (a thing that npcscan lacks), and you meet a rare while leveling a character.

[Deleted]

Silver Dragon and Npc_scan are exactly the same.

I suspected as much.

I would personally recommend using both at the same time, it never hurts your chances to have both addons running.
*Edit* Also couple Npc_scan with Npc Overlay.
Hope that helps

It did. Thank you very much

[xindykawai]

Ahh... good ol' NPCScan letting me know while I'm at the Dalaran south bank that the one giant guy in ICECROWN was up.....

Happened like 5 times at least over the course of using that addon in WotLK. lol!

hahaha!!! same with me xD i laugh so hard!!... i still looking for that TLPD thou.....

[Deleted]

using both.
whats the difference?
npcscan scans for newly cached mobs.
silverdragon scans for newly cached mobs (same way like npcscan) as well as your target, mouseover and active lifebars nearby for already cached rares.
when properly configured, silverdragon should make less problems with memory usage and such
overall, silverdragon clearly is the winner. npcscan was just the addon that existed earlier.