Action Emotes #1
This was my first World of Warcraft addon. For Buxbrew, I wanted my character to feel more expressive during ordinary gameplay. It watches an action-bar slot I choose and, when I press it, performs a randomly chosen built-in emote when its cooldown permits, without replacing the action itself. Despite its original name, it was never restricted to Charge.
Where it began
Before this, I had experimented with WeakAuras in WoW Classic Anniversary for my orc Madaxe Mokaya. When I later played my warrior Buxbrew on an unnamed private server using the older WoW 1.12 client, I wanted some of that personality there too.
The addon began locally with help from an ordinary ChatGPT conversation. During development, I discussed code with my AI assistant, copied Lua snippets into files myself, created the folders, installed the addon and tested it in the game. Each time I spotted something to improve, I went back to the chat, worked through the change, copied the new code and tried again. At the time, I wasn't using Cursor, Codex or another integrated coding agent. It took persistence, but seeing Buxbrew respond in-game made it worthwhile.
To distinguish it from later experiments, I now call the original addon Action Emotes #1 to distinguish it from the related addons I developed afterward. The GitHub repository is ActionEmotes-1, while its historical Lua, TOC and commands still use BuxbrewCharge identifiers.
Using the original addon
- Place the addon in the appropriate WoW
Interface/AddOnsdirectory and enable it. The folder and TOC filename need to match; the committed packaging has not been retested. - Enter
/bbc watch, press a button to identify its action-slot number, then enter/bbc watchagain. - Enter
/bbc slot <number>to select the slot. - Use that action to trigger eligible emotes.
| Command | Function |
|---|---|
/bbc watch |
Report pressed action slots |
/bbc slot 3 |
Save the watched slot |
/bbc emote |
Request an emote subject to cooldown |
/bbc info |
Show slot and emote information |
/bbc timer |
Show remaining cooldown |
/bbc reset |
Clear watched slot |
/bbc save |
Save configuration |
/bbc debug |
Print debugging details |
What the code actually does
The source wraps UseAction, watches one chosen slot, chooses among ten built-in emotes with DoEmote, and uses a fixed 21-second cooldown. It saves the watched slot in BuxbrewChargeDB.slot. It does not verify a successful ability cast, offer a configurable activation probability or automate combat. Randomness determines which emote is attempted, not whether an eligible press triggers one.
The committed manifest is named BuxbreCharge.toc, which differs from BuxbrewCharge.lua. That packaging discrepancy remains uncorrected, and The currently committed addon has not undergone a fresh in-game test during this documentation review.
About this account: This origin story comes from my recollections shared on October 31, 2026, combined with repository evidence. The original step-by-step ChatGPT conversation has not been recovered. Later AI-assisted documentation is not the same as original in-game testing.
Project documentation
Concept · Development journal · AI collaboration · Architecture · Design · Content · Decisions · Changelog · Roadmap · AI development instructions
Document information
Creative: Babuni · Originally BuxbrewCharge · World of Warcraft 1.12