This section will give a description of what each of the basic sliders do. I say basic, because these properties will be the easiest to comprehend and grasp for most users. Also, they are all very straightforward and easy to explain. Note: Values can be set higher in Worldcraft than the limits of the sliders (more on this to come later).
Render (First Slider) - Sliding this bar up and down changes the render mode of the sprites in the current particle system. It defaults to transAdd and I advise keeping it like that. The other five modes, Normal, transcolor, transtexture, glow, and transAlpha all appear to have the same effect, which is to turn the transparent parts of the sprite to black. If you can find a neat use for this effect, by all means use it, but it's far more likely that you'll just stick with transAdd.
Size (Sixth Slider) - This bar changes the size of the particle. It ranges in value from 0 to 25. Small values will make the particles smaller, and large values will make the particles larger. It basically corresponds to the magnification level that the sprite will receive. Remember: Large sprites may cause framerates to drop.
Scale (Seventh Slider) - This bar affects how the particle will scale over its lifetime, and ranges from a value of 0.03 to 16.67. At a value of 1, the particle will stay the same size until it dies. At values below 1, the particle will shrink over its lifetime. At values above 1, the particle will grow over its lifetime. It's lifetime is determined by the time amount in the plife bar. The final size (size * scale) will be reached at the time of the particle's death. Remember: Large sprites may cause framerates to drop.
Generate (Eight Slider) - This bar controls the generation rate of the particles in the system. It is given as a value in terms of particles generated per second, and it ranges from 0 to 100. Lower values mean that particles will appear less often, and high values mean that particles will spawn more quickly.
Plife (Ninth Slider) - This bar controls the length of the individual particles' lives. Its value is in seconds, and ranges from 0.1 to 25. Smaller values mean the particle will die sooner, while larger values mean the particle will live longer. Note: Some users may find that infinite particle lifetime is not possible.
PSlife (Tenth Slider) - This bar controls the length of the particle system's lifetime. In our test case, this bar is stuck at "ps can't die." If you change the corresponding value for this field in WC (more on that later), it will show a value in seconds and range from 0.2 to 100. Note: Some users may find that particle systems whose lifetimes are not infinite will not show up in game.
MaxPart (Eleventh Slider) - This bar controls the maximum number of particles alive at any one time. Depending on the particle lifetime and generation rate, this number may not actually be reached. Lower numbers mean less particles, higher numbers mean more particles. Remember: More particles may cause framerates to drop.
