Addons in Swtor

[Justsusan]

The only addon I would like for the game is to make the font bigger when the NPC's say something or while looking at what a skill does. Yes Im in the over 40 crowd of people who play. I can see what Im doing ingame but half the time cant read what an item is or things like that. That is my only complaint about the game.

[mmjarec]

Seeng how they cant even preven cheatin without them it would be a hackersutream inthis game to have thrm cllthi id support them they are too busy on working on things ppl didnt ask for

[ThiborF]

While there is truth to this... what comes with it however is the darker side of the coin......a never ending series of player declared "must have" addons if you are going to raid, or pick your nose in group, or <insert any pet elitest adventure here>.

 

I prefer we keep the burden on the developers for QoL improvements, and leave addons for other MMOs to deal with....because in the end...it is the darker side of addons that ends up impacting game play more so then QoL shinies.

 

Yes and no. Blizzard has the right concept but far from a perfect implementation, at least in my opinion.

 

By concept I mean the idea that what the creators of the addons have access to is essentially an API that Blizzard strictly controls what data elements are usable. This is what enables Blizzard to "break" addons by making slight tweaks to the API if they determine any addon goes beyond the scope of what they intended.

 

Where they screwed up, again in my opinion, is making so much combat data accessible. Again, keep in mind that they control what data points are accessible. So all those boss timers, damage meters, healbots, etc. are all doable because Blizzard chooses to allow it to be.

 

So, if Bioware were to take the same conceptual idea and severely limit, or outright omit, access to combat data, what would be left would be data elements usable for QoL addons. That scenario, to me, would be a good thing. That would allow more rapid additions of things the players would find useful while at the same time, eliminate all the "if you want to raid with us then you need to have X,Y & Z installed" BS.

 

Personally I would LOVE to see a SW:TOR version of the addon, Altoholic. Being able to see with a couple clicks what any of your other characters have equipped, in their inventory, bank, guild bank, skills, quest log, crafting recipes/schematics, etc etc. is quite useful ... if you're an altoholic. The one feature I would add to it, that would be specific to SW:TOR, would be to allow us to send other alts' companions out on their crafting missions.

Edited October 17, 2013 by ThiborF

[chuixupu]

Addons are a huge part of WoW because advanced gameplay pretty much relies on them. Remove them from WoW so it has to be played purely on its merits and end game drops anchor. No HealBot ... no DBM ... no Omen ... no Recount ... no chance.

 

I disagree - I've played with plenty of people that don't use any addons who were able to do advanced content. But people have become so accustomed to them that they have a hard time keeping up awareness without them. Also, you have them, so why not use them? Whatever it takes to get your group through content. But they really help out the not so pro players more than the most advanced ones.

Usually the only addon a raid leader would ask people to make sure they have is DBM and Omen (though threat is such a non-issue in WoW now). It is true that Blizzard develops content with the idea that players will use addons in mind.

 

Also, Blizzard's standard UI is so bad that you're pretty much forced to get a customizable one.

[ImpactHound]

I disagree - I've played with plenty of people that don't use any addons who were able to do advanced content. But people have become so accustomed to them that they have a hard time keeping up awareness without them. Also, you have them, so why not use them? Whatever it takes to get your group through content. But they really help out the not so pro players more than the most advanced ones.

Usually the only addon a raid leader would ask people to make sure they have is DBM and Omen (though threat is such a non-issue in WoW now). It is true that Blizzard develops content with the idea that players will use addons in mind.

 

Also, Blizzard's standard UI is so bad that you're pretty much forced to get a customizable one.

 

I've been using Bartender, SexyMap, Pitbull, Grid, Recount, AtlasLoot, Elkona Buffbars, & AtlasLoot.

[fresnosmokey]

I could get behind quality of life and cosmetic add-ons. We would've had that sorting by unit price in the GTN a long time ago if we had add-ons. I am not really for them though, because I doubt it would stop at QOL and cosmetics. Try to be nice and allow community created add-ons and people would start acting like jerks and try to take advantage and attempt to create game altering add-ons. BW would either have to allow all add-ons or spend money on add-on police. I suppose it's better if they don't allow them at all.

[ThiborF]

BW would either have to allow all add-ons or spend money on add-on police. I suppose it's better if they don't allow them at all.

 

Not really. Do what Blizzard did AND take it the step further of closing off combat data from access in the API provided for the modders to use.

 

It seems a great many people have the misconception that a game allowing for addons means EVERYTHING will be allowed. With the right implementation that simply isn't the case. As I previously posted, Blizzard got the concept right. Whether you're a fan or a hater of what is capable with their addons has only to do with what Blizzard continually chooses to expose as available data, and not how their addon system itself works.

[chuixupu]

Not really. Do what Blizzard did AND take it the step further of closing off combat data from access in the API provided for the modders to use.

 

It seems a great many people have the misconception that a game allowing for addons means EVERYTHING will be allowed. With the right implementation that simply isn't the case. As I previously posted, Blizzard got the concept right. Whether you're a fan or a hater of what is capable with their addons has only to do with what Blizzard continually chooses to expose as available data, and not how their addon system itself works.

 

Correct. Blizzard has set rules and limitations on what kinds of addons are permitted. Sometimes ones get through for a while that are questionable, but if Blizzard deems is unacceptable they will simply switch off it's functionality. I think I mentioned it already before, but there was an addon that everyone was using for a couple of weeks that drew lines and images on the ground to help people know when and where to run to avoid boss abilities, and Blizzard went "NOPE!" and broke it.

[Trollokdamus]

Also, Blizzard's standard UI is so bad that you're pretty much forced to get a customizable one.

I agree that it's pretty bad compared to UI you see in modern MMO's, but "forced"... that's not true. The game is perfectly playable with the standard UI and many people play like that.

 

I've been using Bartender, SexyMap, Pitbull, Grid, Recount, AtlasLoot, Elkona Buffbars, & AtlasLoot.

You can live without any of them just fine.

[Grayseven]

Add-on management became such a huge pain in WoW, so much so that I'm glad this game has stayed away from them.

 

There isn't anything in this game that needs an add-on. UI customization is good and the GTN is getting better and outside of that there isn't a need for add ons.

 

Most people used them as crutches in WoW. The various Boss mods and raid warnings took player skill out of the equation. Part of the difficulty of Boss fights is being aware of what the Boss is doing and when and making an add on to take that out of the players hands and automate it is...well, cheating.

 

Let us not forget how awful it was to have all of the add ons broken for a week after a major patch as the add on writers scrambled to fix their add ons to work under the new patch.

 

No thanks. This game is just fine without add ons. If there is something you think would add QoL to the game, post it in the suggestion forums and make your case for the change/addition.

[chuixupu]

I agree that it's pretty bad compared to UI you see in modern MMO's, but "forced"... that's not true. The game is perfectly playable with the standard UI and many people play like that.

 

Of course nobody is really forced to do anything, however, let's just say I feel very sorry for people using the default UI. I did it for a while before I discovered UI addons. It was like discovering utensils.

[kelamor]

And that ladies and gentlemen, would be why WoW is more popular. I love this game but it is a huge bummer to not have NPC trackers, or TomToms or Proc Modules. These features and many others provide a major convienience to the game and in turn make the game more personal. Add-Ons are a HUGE part of what helped make WoW so successful. Parsing is good when ranking is on the line. But its far easier to check an ingame digital report . Than have to sign up for a third party site and refer to it. The game is very user friendly, its just a matter......That it can be better.

[Kontraz]

And that ladies and gentlemen, would be why WoW is more popular. I love this game but it is a huge bummer to not have NPC trackers, or TomToms or Proc Modules. These features and many others provide a major convienience to the game and in turn make the game more personal. Add-Ons are a HUGE part of what helped make WoW so successful. Parsing is good when ranking is on the line. But its far easier to check an ingame digital report . Than have to sign up for a third party site and refer to it. The game is very user friendly, its just a matter......That it can be better.

 

Honestly, the only reason why WoW is more popular is because WoW was already more popular. A game could come out that is better in WoW in every single aspect, and WoW will still be more popular because people are playing it, have invested years of their time into it, and simply don't want to leave (many who do make the internal argument "its just not the same" and go back). Apart from that, those who venture off miss their friends/guilds that are in WoW and often return for that reason alone.

[Doomsgrip]

You do realize that Blizzard tunes its raid encounters with the assumption that the raid is using addons, right? They set up the encounters and bosses assuming players are using DBM and heal frames, among others. Now it is to a point where not using the addons puts the raid at a significant disadvantage. they are almost manditory now.

 

Sorry, I left WoW for many reasons, but the elitist crowd and the culture/environment they created, may not be the main ones, but they are reasons.

 

If you want an MMO that pretty much requires addons to do most end game content, WoW is thata way -------->

 

Blizzard doesn't tune the encounters for addons, where did you get this information. Some of the best players I know, in WoW, refuse to use addons of any description. And yes they're clearing current heroic content.

 

Personally I love Altaholic, Move Anything (allows you to move any element of the wow UI) and my Rogue Power bars addon (great for tracking buffs/debuffs, for any class).

 

So for me all this game needs is a solid customisable buff/debuff tracker, proper dual spec, the ability to save armor sets and Legacy storage (this would almost fill the spot of Altaholic).

Edited November 3, 2013 by Doomsgrip

[Eterous]

I would at least like a way to tell what loot can drop in a Heroic,Flashpoint, or Op. That way you don't have to keep doing on site comparisons. It doesn't have to be an add-on but could just be a feature in the Legacy section.

[Sangrar]

I am a total noob but what are addons?

[kimdante]

I personally wouldn't mind an RP addon or simple chat bubbles

 

damage meters (not MOX) so a flashpoint pug group can kick lazy players who aren't pulling their weight. I'm willing to deal with the invariable d-bag who spams their dps after every pull in exchange for this. OR it could be a useful learning tool for a computer illiterate casual such as myself to track my personal progress and better fine tune my rotation and skill tree allotments

 

I would like a better way to track my procs (I am a telekinetic Sage) Aura's could be simple to implement.

 

Macros.

 

Aside from these quality of life requests, the game is still playable and fun - so whether or not it ever happens I will still sub and continue to love this game.

 

Thank you.

Edited December 27, 2013 by kimdante
typo

[TheSkate]

Deleted post. Edited December 28, 2013 by TheSkate

[TheSkate]

I disagree with this. Any encounter on any difficulty level can be defeated without the usage of any addons.

DBM feels "mandatory" simply because it makes your life a bit easier by helping you track boss ability timers, announcing important things during the encounter and yelling at you when you stand in the fire. If you're a good player you can do just fine without it, but for an average player DBM provides convenience. And it's easy to get used to convenience.

Speaking about heal frames - i have a healer alt in WoW and was effectively healing normals and a number of heroic modes in Cata and LFR in MoP using the original in-game frames. Same as DBM, healing frame addons provide just convenience, which is even not needed unless you're in a top 10 guild fighting for the world first. But of course many players are using them nevertheless, simply because of the customization options they provide. Not needed, you can do just fine without, but convenient to use.

 

 

Don't like the elitist crowd? Noone forces you to play with them. You can always join the semi-hardcore or even the casual crowd. There's room and things to do for everyone no matter what your playstyle is.

However, i do not question your other reasons, maybe that game is just not for you and that's ok.

 

HOLY LORD GOD ABOVE! Saying any and all content in WoW is beatable without addons and then complaining about not having addons in SWTOR? Really? REALLY? REALLY?

One word... DERP!

[Spatology]

Addons are not needed at this point in game and they open up a large can of worms. The difficulty level of content doesnt even come close to needing it and it makes the game more seseptible to boting and other 3rd party garbage.

 

I think this is a bad idea until swtor, as a game, matures quite a bit.

[Froley]

Add-on management became such a huge pain in WoW, so much so that I'm glad this game has stayed away from them.

 

There isn't anything in this game that needs an add-on. UI customization is good and the GTN is getting better and outside of that there isn't a need for add ons.

 

Most people used them as crutches in WoW. The various Boss mods and raid warnings took player skill out of the equation. Part of the difficulty of Boss fights is being aware of what the Boss is doing and when and making an add on to take that out of the players hands and automate it is...well, cheating.

 

Let us not forget how awful it was to have all of the add ons broken for a week after a major patch as the add on writers scrambled to fix their add ons to work under the new patch.

 

No thanks. This game is just fine without add ons. If there is something you think would add QoL to the game, post it in the suggestion forums and make your case for the change/addition.

 

this makes no sense. just dont use them in wow then........

[Froley]

HOLY LORD GOD ABOVE! Saying any and all content in WoW is beatable without addons and then complaining about not having addons in SWTOR? Really? REALLY? REALLY?

One word... DERP!

 

^^^^^^^^^^^

Edited January 4, 2014 by Froley

[Aries_cz]

I am a total noob but what are addons?

 

A software that is usually not created by the game developers meant to simplify the way the game is played.

For example, a huge arrow on screen pointing you in the direction of your next quest (which is not as bad) or a "boss advisor", which basically tells you the entire tactics on boss through on screen warning like "Dodge now" or "Activate defensive cooldown now" (which is pretty bad, as it makes the boss fight pretty dumb and forces people to use the addon if they want to fight bosses)

[tanktest]

A software that is usually not created by the game developers meant to simplify the way the game is played.

For example, a huge arrow on screen pointing you in the direction of your next quest (which is not as bad) or a "boss advisor", which basically tells you the entire tactics on boss through on screen warning like "Dodge now" or "Activate defensive cooldown now" (which is pretty bad, as it makes the boss fight pretty dumb and forces people to use the addon if they want to fight bosses)

 

 

 

SWTOR is that way now . . most boss fights let you know when to move or how to kill the boss, in wow it was never really like that on boss fight why they used boss mods or big wig etc but in SW if you watch the fight read the red letters etc , it about the same as boss mods or big wigs we just don't have as much control over the warning in SW other then turning off some effects in the UI . beyond that its about the same as using those addons . and most of the addOn for raid boss fight don't have as much detail as your saying any more in wow, wow blocked a lot of it .

 

 

to add in SW there is a lot of stuff the game does that addon can do . I would like to see the use of addon's but not for combat more for saving the UI letting us adjust it more , sorted our still books ,trade books or even some kind of client side key binding .

Edited January 4, 2014 by tanktest

[Aries_cz]

SWTOR is that way now . . most boss rights let you know when to move or how to kill the boss, in wow it was never really like that on boss fight why they used boss mods or big wig etc but in SW if you watch the fight read the red letters etc , it about the same as boss mods or big wigs we just don't have as much control over the warning in SW other then turning off some effects in the UI . beyond that its about the same as using those addons . and most of the addOn for raid boss fight don't have as much detail as your saying any more in wow, wow blocked a lot of it .

 

I think I have seen some WoW mod that said every small thing, including where to stand etc. In SWTOR it is still required to pay attention to some things and know what means what. If I give an example, on Corruptor zero it would throw out a "get away" notice when he charges the gravity field, on Brontes it would be "hammer the tentacles now" etc...

However, it has been a while, so it is possible those things to not work anymore...