Winter Addon Roundup: Maps

There are three map-related mods for WoW that I'll introduce today, and they all work pretty well together (all things considered).

Atlas
Simply put, Atlas gives you maps for instances. Due to limitations in the Blizzard API, it's not possible to find one's exact location within an instance, so it won't be able to show you where you are on the map, but between looking at the minimap and having a map of the instance handy this should make your map useful again while in instances. There is also a companion mod to this (which can be used standalone) called Atlasloot Enhanced that will let you see which instance bosses might be dropping things you'll want.

• Atlas v1.13.0 (11-25-2008)
• Atlasloot Enhanced v5.02.01 (11-22-2008)

MobMap
Ever had a time when you were wandering around an area trying to remember whether the hairy wonderbeasts you saw were in the northwest corner of Nagrand or the southeast? Well, this addon will put a stop to those problems. Once installed, MobMap will add a minimap icon you can click on, then enter the name of the mob you're looking for (and optionally, the zone you're looking in) and then it will cover your map with little dots marking the places where that mob normally lives (yes, just like the Thottbot maps). It also comes with a few other useful databases (like what things drop, so you can search for whatever drops the most motes of cheese or whatever) and recently has added a quest tracker. There's a binary you can download from their site that will let you update the addon and it's database with a couple of mouse clicks, but you don't have to take on that risk if you don't want to? Scroll down a bit on the page and you'll see where you can download the latest version of the addon, with or without the latest version of the database (English and German supported with separate downloads). You will need to get the version with the database the first time (or there's little point in installing it).

• MobMap v3.15 (11-27-2008)
  

Cartographer
Now, this addon is something pretty useful and it's all about making your own map information. This might not seem terribly useful to you at first but trust me, it's good.

At it's heart, it's a map note taking mod, so it should go without saying that it will let you make a permanent note (think of it like a virtual push-pin) on your region map with a simple ctrl-right-click. You can then set the raid marker icon it'll use, tweak the location of the marker, and set up to four lines of text to describe the marker. Once you've got some notes on your map, you an send them to other players or your entire guild at once by right clicking on the marker. This is an incredibly handy thing to have when you're trying to explain to someone where something is.

As an added perk, Cartographer communicates with the clients of your other guild mates (provided they've also installed Cartographer) and will allow everyone to see each other's location on the region and world maps, in realtime. This is great for figuring out who else in your guild might be doing something nearby you could help with or vice-versa, as well as getting an idea of how long it might take them to arrive.

• Cartographer v2.3.6 (11-20-2008)