Optimizing gear

[janin]

I've been fiddling around with a little command-line program that tries to optimize which gear you wear. You start by providing a list of gear you have available to wear (the item IDs from the armory or wowhead). Then, you provide a function that you want to maximize. So far, I've only used linear weights ala Rawr or wowhead. For example, for my arcane mage, I use:

Score = 49*HasteRating + 44*SpellPower + 39*Intellect + 34*CritRating + 14*Spirit + 9*ManaRegen

(The names of the stats are from the armory XML)

Next, you provide a constraint. Cazi uses Constraint = HitRating >= 184.

It'll try every combination of the equipment you provide to maximize the score subject to the constraint.

The gem algorithm is primitive - you just give it a single value of a gem slot such as '23 SpellPower'.

I'm in the process of making it understand item sets.

If anybody is interested in trying it out, let me know.

Adam

[Texaporte]

When you say command line application, you mean it's a little .exe file? Or will it be an interactive spreadsheet or an add-on of some kind? I'm not quite familiar with all of these things

[Daewen]

This is somewhat similar to how the FAQs and spreadsheets on Elitist Jerks come up with the relative stat weightings and the "best in slot" (BiS) list, mostly for particular specs. They're adding in some simulation-craft to estimate dps, and based on a maximized dps, listing out the stat weights and BiS list. But you're onto the truth regarding the 'linear' nature of the weights. The disclaimers on their spreadsheets are that the weightings are based on the BiS gear, and the stat totals in that situation, and that the weightings all change while "gearing up," based on what your current stats are.That depending on what gear you currently have, the BiS might not be the best upgrade, until you have all the matching pieces of their set.

[janin]

The tool is actually a set of programs that I wrote. It's not in a form other people could easily run themselves. Rather, you would have to provide me with a list of items you want the programs to consider and a set of weights, and I would run it. If there's a lot of interest, I might do it as a web app instead.

Adam

[Logos]

I've been keen on doing something exactly like this Adam. It can get very complicated, but just start with something simple. Getting the modifiers (the coefficients for how much Agility equals 1 Attack Power, for example) can be gotten off most class-specific spreadsheets for your current gear or the close equivalent. So instead of plunking in a gear set, determining the modifiers and then determining dps, I think a good starting point would be to simply take the modifiers off those other spreadsheets and using them. It won't be perfectly accurate, but it'll likely be reasonably accurate.

I'd be willing to help port it to the web once it gets refined a bit if you need any help. Someone did that for the hunter spreadsheet (http://www.femaledwarf.com/) and it's pretty nifty (I just wish it did exactly what you're talking about - iterating through all combinations of available gear and determining the highest dps).

[janin]

I've been keen on doing something exactly like this Adam. It can get very complicated, but just start with something simple. Getting the modifiers (the coefficients for how much Agility equals 1 Attack Power, for example) can be gotten off most class-specific spreadsheets for your current gear or the close equivalent. So instead of plunking in a gear set, determining the modifiers and then determining dps, I think a good starting point would be to simply take the modifiers off those other spreadsheets and using them. It won't be perfectly accurate, but it'll likely be reasonably accurate.

I'd be willing to help port it to the web once it gets refined a bit if you need any help. Someone did that for the hunter spreadsheet (http://www.femaledwarf.com/) and it's pretty nifty (I just wish it did exactly what you're talking about - iterating through all combinations of available gear and determining the highest dps).

That hunter page is pretty cool. I am NOT planning on doing something like that - way too much work. Rather, you would use something like it (or RAWR or simulationcraft) to compute the scale factors based on your best-guess gear, then use my tool to find optimal gear for that weighting, then iterate as necessary.

I'm not sure how to handle set bonuses, "on use" abilities, and procs. I've added the ability to assign an arbitrary score to having 2 of a set or 4 of a set (for each set). I suppose I'll have to add scores for "on use" and procs as well.

[Camyu]

Oooooh... The armory data is in XML. I can't believe I haven't realized that even though it's IN THE URL.
Now that I know it's in XML, I wonder what I can do with it... Hmmm...