Impulse of Manaview – A Review

My rating:  – Website reviewed: Manaview’s Impulse

Impulse is the fourth and last add-on in the add-on suite of Manaview.

According to Manaview, too many people are using the mouse to click their ability instead of using the keyboard and key binding.

Impulse can change that: It is a kind of automated system, which will reconfigure the key bindings on your keyboard (you still have to force yourself to stop using your mouse to click abilities, though).

The program is presented with 3 tabs. On the first tab, you have the key binds, where you have three possible key binds:

– A Basic Set, which binds to the bottom left and bottom right action bars according to a modifier set (ALT as modifier 1, SHIFT as modifier 2 and CTRL as modifier 3).

– A One Hand Set, which binds your keys according to the standard (and inefficient) set WASD (to go forth, to turn left, to turn right and o go backwards) and which groups the most other important keys close by, so you don’t have to move your hand much.

– A Shooter Style, which is the same thing than the One Hand Set, but binds your keys to strafe instead of turning.

On the second tab, you have a collection of macros which are supposed to be useful for your character’s class and specialization.

On the third tab, you have help and a mini-FAQ.

Key Bindings
If you are a novice to the game, the key binding part can be useful. Everything gets bound to its place, and you can easily find your way around. You just have to put the abilities on the bar, where you want them, or where it is most natural for you and off you go.

According to Manaview, you can go in arena and go from 1160 before using Impulse to 2200 after using it.

That would surprise me much, to be honest because the key bindings aren’t really optimum. For instance, you do NOT bind anything to TURN on the keyboard. Only strafe (you will turn with your mouse) and you just don’t bind anything to go back, because you will not go backwards (it is called “back-pedaling” and is not done in PvP, especially not at a 2200 ranking!)

To be honest, many top players would say that using WASD is a bad idea for the good reason that you will have fewer keys at your disposition on one hand than if you move everything one step on the right. Your left hand will then be able to come in contact with many more keys, and still be able to reach SHIFT, CTRL and ALT.

So a good add-on for a newbie or for one starting or someone who wants to get (back) in a good habit, but when this is said, that is about it.

You could also read Nimrasil’s article about keybindings here and make them yourself.

Macros
On the second tab, you will have a collection of macros.

For some reasons, you have only 2 possible settings (at least on the ones I tried: Warrior, Death Knight and Rogue): Disabled, and “your.class.and.specialization – level 85-90”. For example: “Arms: Arm Warrior Leveling (85-90) or “Protection: Warrior Tanking Leveling (85-90)”, or for my rogue, for instance: “Subtlety: Subtlety Rogue Leveling (85-90)”.

For some reason, there is no macros for before level 85 and there is no macro for PvP… How do players go from 1160 ranking to 2200 ranking, then? By using leveling macros?

Further more, the macros are just put together in a long list. That means that you have to be careful of what you install. Even though you have selected “subtlety rogue ‘leveling'” (which is the only option if you are rogue, and you have subtlety specialization activated.) then you will have subtlety and combat macros in the same list. I can’t really see my subtlety rogue using a macro which will cast Adreanline (sic!) Rush and Shadow Blades… Or some of the other macros offered by Manaview.

For “subtlety rogue”, for example, Manaview offers you six (6!) macros, whereas two of them are, in fact, for a combat rogue. The four subtlety macros are mostly PvE macros. Not very usable in rated battlegrounds or in a 2200 arena match.

You will have the equivalent problem with the Warrior: The macros are the identicle whether you are in Arms or in Protection specialization.

So if you are to use PvP-macros, I would suggest you googled it and found them elsewhere. And if you want to use PvE macros, be attentive to what the text says since it might not be available to you (so in fact, you can just as well make them yourself!).

If you want to buy Impulse as a stand-alone add-on, you will have to pay their, now famous, “limited time discount” price of $ 37, which, in my opinion, is $ 32 too much.

However, if you really want it, you can buy Impulse here.

I gave Impulse two stars because it is easy to use and can be of use for beginners who want to have a quick key binding in place.