Addons in Swtor

[Erasimus]

I would love to have addons, especially UI customization addons. I also like Macros, but I already have them with my Razer products.

 

I believe there could be a lot of Utility added by permitting addons like Weak Auras. Can you customize your bars, at least to some extent, to do much of what Power Auras, Weak Auras, etc. do? Yes, but not to the same extent nor with the same creativity.

 

For me, in addition to enhancing the usability of cool downs etc., UI addons in WoW let me give the interface an entirely different look and feel which makes the game seem fresh and new. I don't know how others feel, but for me this is a very important aspect of addons that adds tremendously to my enjoyment of the game.

 

P.S. I'm currently taking another extended break from the game and the lack of addons to let me do more UI customization is one of the reasons I've become bored with the game again. There are other reasons, of course, but this is a thread about addons

Edited March 3, 2014 by Erasimus

[Erasimus]

Glad the situation in WoW has been mentioned multiple times. The newest morsel of information concerning addons over there is by the way this (emphasis by me):

 

 

"We are currently looking for more information on the Trojan. We have not been able to locate any anti-virus programs that will remove it besides just reformatting your system. If you have been recently compromised and find it on your system please reply with the following pieces of information.

 

Your MSInfo.

A list of any addons you recently installed along with where you got them.

A list of any programs you recently installed along with where you got them.

Any security programs you have run and their results."

 

This is an issue, even in SWTOR (if not more so), when you download any program from an untrusted source. The main addon sites, like Curse, scan addons and they do not have any independently executable addon programs other than the Curse addon program itself. Addons are interpreted LUA scripts that you can actually open in a text editor and read (I ocassionaly write addons for myself). SWTOR desktop addons like the MOX parser are much more vulnerable to being turned into malware if you aren't very careful to only download it, and similar programs from trusted sites. Since this type of "addon" is actually an independently executable program.

 

However, people being people will go to bogus sites and download executable programs that "claim" they will install an addon to do xyz. And it may, along with installing a keylogger or other malware.

 

(P.S. Follow safe computing practices like only downloading software from trusted sites, keep your anti-virus software up-to-date, use good passwords, never click accept during an install unless you know what you are installing, etc. and you're computing experiences will be much more pleasant.)

Edited March 3, 2014 by Erasimus

[DawnAskham]

Add-ons won't happen for two reasons...

 

1 - Adding add-on support would require significant development effort and would be very difficult to monetize.

2 - A large number of players would cry and pitch fits if add-ons were allowed which showed others how bad they really are (meters) or allowed others to perform better using add-ons (extensive UI customization / mouseover - healing frames / dot timers / etc.).

Edited March 3, 2014 by DawnAskham

[genthek]

Ok, for starters let me make this point perfectly clear as many people STILL don't get it and it frustrates me to no end:

 

THIS IS NOT WoW!!!!!!

 

 

Seriously guys! It needs to stop. WoW has this or another MMO has this so TOR should. Bioware are great about keeping everyone on a level playing feed by disallowing addons and macros (for the most part).

 

The ONLY addon that would have been beneficial would have been a GTN addon like WoW has Auctioneer. Trying to make money via an auction house otherwise can be extremely tough and time consuming. Most people wanna play the game, they don't wanna play the auction house. However, it's the only way to make a profit with Crew Skills otherwise you're LOSING credits. That being said so long as you mark plenty above vendor price there's some profit to be made so it's not the end of the world.

 

Bottom line? This game doesn't need addons. Might have benefitted from GTN addon but even THAT's not needed.

[Lacedemon]

Weak Auras would be welcome addition to the game, it has the added benefit of allowing you to spend more time focused on what is going on in the fight and not staring at actions bars so much.

 

Raid frame addons are only required because the current ones in SWTOR are subpar. For example the stupid limit on the number of debuffs that can be displayed on the raid frames (regardless of size of raid frames and debuff size).

 

Hateful entity is a good example where once bloodthirsts debuff has appeared because of the additional debuffs everyone gains from Hateful that death mark gets pushed off and never appears; yes you can still kill Hateful despite this (as we have done several times but it is an unnecessary annoyance that can easily be fixed.

 

The addons that wow tends to get a bad rep for (and imho rightly so) are things like DBM, BigWigs and the gearchecker ones. I'd be against any of those addons comming to SWTOR as it removes a lot of the skill in learning fights when addons display timers telling you when each phase is commong.

Edited March 3, 2014 by Lacedemon

[Rafaman]

Must be time to talk about Add-ons again. Yup... It has been about a month so right on schedule.

 

Don't need them. It is just that simple.

[Grayseven]

Heh, this old thing again...

 

Add on's aren't needed, but there are a few QoL changes that need to be made. Instead of whining for add on's people should be pushing BW to add these QoL changes.

 

For example, setting up our UI so only our debuffs and dots are visible. Or having a better proc announcement system since in a particle effect heavy environment it can be hard to tell if your proc is up. Or more raid frame customization.

 

The current UI customization is good but it could be better. The GTN interface could use some love as well.

 

I'd rather these changes be made to the game and not by 3rd parties. One of the reasons I left WoW was because I was tired of managing the plethora of add on's I needed to use with the game, especially after a patch breaks them and you have to wait for your add on's to get patched.

[genthek]

Everyone has the same UI to deal with, meaning NO ONE is at a disadvantage.

 

AddOns are only needed when they already exist to put you on a level playing field.

 

and once again...

 

This is NOT WoW!!!

 

Seriously guys, get it through your skulls. WoW needs addons cause it supports addons and the top raiders use them. This is a completely different game with a completely different focus. If you want WoW then play WoW as it's by far the best at what it does. Otherwise deal with what you've got.

[DawnAskham]

Everyone has the same UI to deal with, meaning NO ONE is at a disadvantage.

 

AddOns are only needed when they already exist to put you on a level playing field.

 

and once again...

 

This is NOT WoW!!!

 

Seriously guys, get it through your skulls. WoW needs addons cause it supports addons and the top raiders use them. This is a completely different game with a completely different focus. If you want WoW then play WoW as it's by far the best at what it does. Otherwise deal with what you've got.

 

So much hate...are you angry now?

 

Anyways the reason add-ons are so prevalent in WoW is because the developers took the stance early on that opening up the basic UI and game data like buffs, debuffs, proc notices, etc. through an API would allow the community to customize those elements in such ways that the developers would never think of while at the same time keeping their own development work to a minimum (which is why the stock UI in WoW is so horrible - they expect you to pick from community provided solutions).

 

Over time they have incorporated some of the better more widely adopted add-on features into the base game, but for the most part they still take the stance that as long as an add-on does not automate game play (which gets players banned and add-ons broken when it does), it is better to let the players and the community push the UI development and allow everyone the ability to customize their own UI and sort / present game data to their preferred play style.

 

The problems many people in this thread seem to have with add-ons are two fold.

 

One, they don't want things like meters which would more easily allow any player to measure the performance of another, possibly leading to people being ridiculed or removed from groups.

 

Sometimes they try to hide their worry about being called out with misleading statements such as 'the guy doing the most dps will also be the one standing in the bad and not using their interrupt', failing to recognize a meter used correctly shows not only dps, but damage taken, interrupts used, etc etc, which can already be done with external parsers, they just require players to jump through more hoops than they should in a 2014 AAA title.

 

Two, they don't want any changes that might require them to learn something new and / or which might provide an advantage to those that learn, adopt, and master such changes.

 

Sometimes they will try to deflect from their own concerns about having to adapt by name calling people who use add-ons lazy or saying add-ons play the game for people, yet the truth is running a highly modified UI customized specifically to your own role / preferences would be the equivalent of driving a state of the art performance car versus driving a 20 year old Honda (which would be the TOR UI).

 

Anyways, the real question for BIoware should not be 'when can we have add-ons', but rather one of 'when are you going to bring the stock UI up to modern standards and allow more customization (things like dot timers, showing only your own dots / buffs, better proc notices)?

 

As long as Bioware is willing to put in the work to improving the UI, many people won't care as much about add-ons.

 

Personally, I don't care but would love to see an in-game combat log I can scroll back and review everything that happened, the ability to use mouse over macros / raid frame healing (not having to cycle targets to cast heals / helpful spells), the ability to filter and sort dots, buffs and debuffs (show only mine, show only ones I specify, highlight specific ones), and the ability to highlight and control how procs are shown.

 

None of these things are listed specifically in any future development notes, all have had multiple treads asking for them over the last two years, none of them dumb down the game or make it any easier or allow others to ridicule players for poor performance, and all of them exist in other games today making the UI settings in TOR feel like they were designed 10 years ago.

[genthek]

So much hate...are you angry now?

 

Anyways the reason add-ons are so prevalent in WoW is because the developers took the stance early on that opening up the basic UI and game data like buffs, debuffs, proc notices, etc. through an API would allow the community to customize those elements in such ways that the developers would never think of while at the same time keeping their own development work to a minimum (which is why the stock UI in WoW is so horrible - they expect you to pick from community provided solutions).

 

Over time they have incorporated some of the better more widely adopted add-on features into the base game, but for the most part they still take the stance that as long as an add-on does not automate game play (which gets players banned and add-ons broken when it does), it is better to let the players and the community push the UI development and allow everyone the ability to customize their own UI and sort / present game data to their preferred play style.

 

The problems many people in this thread seem to have with add-ons are two fold.

 

One, they don't want things like meters which would more easily allow any player to measure the performance of another, possibly leading to people being ridiculed or removed from groups.

 

Sometimes they try to hide their worry about being called out with misleading statements such as 'the guy doing the most dps will also be the one standing in the bad and not using their interrupt', failing to recognize a meter used correctly shows not only dps, but damage taken, interrupts used, etc etc, which can already be done with external parsers, they just require players to jump through more hoops than they should in a 2014 AAA title.

 

Two, they don't want any changes that might require them to learn something new and / or which might provide an advantage to those that learn, adopt, and master such changes.

 

Sometimes they will try to deflect from their own concerns about having to adapt by name calling people who use add-ons lazy or saying add-ons play the game for people, yet the truth is running a highly modified UI customized specifically to your own role / preferences would be the equivalent of driving a state of the art performance car versus driving a 20 year old Honda (which would be the TOR UI).

 

Anyways, the real question for BIoware should not be 'when can we have add-ons', but rather one of 'when are you going to bring the stock UI up to modern standards and allow more customization (things like dot timers, showing only your own dots / buffs, better proc notices)?

 

As long as Bioware is willing to put in the work to improving the UI, many people won't care as much about add-ons.

 

Personally, I don't care but would love to see an in-game combat log I can scroll back and review everything that happened, the ability to use mouse over macros / raid frame healing (not having to cycle targets to cast heals / helpful spells), the ability to filter and sort dots, buffs and debuffs (show only mine, show only ones I specify, highlight specific ones), and the ability to highlight and control how procs are shown.

 

None of these things are listed specifically in any future development notes, all have had multiple treads asking for them over the last two years, none of them dumb down the game or make it any easier or allow others to ridicule players for poor performance, and all of them exist in other games today making the UI settings in TOR feel like they were designed 10 years ago.

 

As you quoted me I have to assume your post was in direct response to mine in which case you completely missed the point by a long shot.

 

Yes, SWTOR has a kinda shoddy UI but the point is without AddOns we ALL suffer the same UI and therefore if it affects one person's performance it affects everyone's.

 

No hate or anger but I do wanna say again this is not WoW even though you seemed to compare it to the title almost in direct defiance, Let me try to explain better...

 

WoW is all about progression. The endgame content is where it's all at and if you're a PvE player raiding is something almost everyone aspires to. Everything else is just a means to an end and the levelling/questing experience for many is an unnecessary chore. Nobody cares about the story/lore unless they're a die-hard Warcraft fan or extreme lore buff. Due to the focus being on raiding and progression min-maxing and theory crafting is common. AddOns are almost essential because you're at a major disadvantage without them (seeing as most people will be using them and pushing their gameplay to new heights).

 

TOR is the exact opposite in the point that while there is some end game OPs/progression it's not where the game's focus is or even the strength of the game. It's in the story and dialogue. While in WoW the questing/levelling is just a means to an end in SWTOR the questing/levelling IS the game. There is some end-game content there to give people something to do after capping but BW pretty much count on you re-rolling. That's where the vast majority of the game content is.

 

The standard UI is more than sufficient for the levelling process (which should NOT be rushed) and people are handling the end-game content with the standard UI also and while not ideal it suffices and puts everyone on the exact same level playing field.

 

AddOns are not needed for SWTOR. The game works fine as it is.

[ptwonline]

While addons are not needed, it sure would be nice to have some. For example, a DPS meter would help people figure out if their damage output is too low and they need to improve their play. Or an addon to help emphasize certain buffs/debuffs to help people see them in the maze of icons. Or ones to make it easier to track achievements, or use emotes, or swap up vehicles/pets for variety, and so forth.

[Kourage]

We need better customization to monitor the buffs (procs) or dots certain classes have to keep a close eye on. Deception Assassin for instance, would be more enjoyable to play. Edited March 3, 2014 by Kourage

[Cidanel]

One, they don't want things like meters which would more easily allow any player to measure the performance of another, possibly leading to people being ridiculed or removed from groups.

 

This isn't true at all. You can easily measure your performance post-fight in SWTOR. The real issue is discouraging people who WANT to measure performance mid-fight. It isn't about being ridiculed, it is about pushing people who would even think to ridicule someone over performance away from the game.

 

Again, it is just a game, not a profession. Add-ons during fights do nothing but make the game feel like work. I do enough work on the job to go home and do more work in my free time.

 

Two, they don't want any changes that might require them to learn something new and / or which might provide an advantage to those that learn, adopt, and master such changes.

 

You have it completely backwards. Add-ons mean there is less to learn in the game. It is easier to change classes/respec/etc. It is much more difficult to master the game without add-ons, which is why the people who want add-ons are the ones who want to feel elite in the game without the work to get there.

 

Personally, I don't care but would love to see an in-game combat log I can scroll back and review everything that happened, the ability to use mouse over macros / raid frame healing (not having to cycle targets to cast heals / helpful spells), the ability to filter and sort dots, buffs and debuffs (show only mine, show only ones I specify, highlight specific ones), and the ability to highlight and control how procs are shown.

 

So turn on combat logging and upload to tortools.com. Problem solved...

Edited March 3, 2014 by Cidanel

[Jeweledleah]

While addons are not needed, it sure would be nice to have some. For example, a DPS meter would help people figure out if their damage output is too low and they need to improve their play. Or an addon to help emphasize certain buffs/debuffs to help people see them in the maze of icons. Or ones to make it easier to track achievements, or use emotes, or swap up vehicles/pets for variety, and so forth.

 

1. torparse. parsec. not sure if anyone uses mox anymore. but the first 2 have in game tracking windows. I usually upload my parses to torparse website for after the run reviews, but going to switch to parsec as soon as I get the computer that can run more than one thing at a time. just having a meter in game doesn't help though. you need to review the logs to see which abilities you are underusing, how often you crit, did you miss any abilities, procs, if there are any rotation issues, etc etc. all the in game "dps meter" generally gives you is essentially an empty number. it teaches you nothing.

 

2. yes, but it doesn't need to be addons that do that.

 

P.S. SWTOR stock UI is actualy very good. its not perfect and lord knows buff/debuff tracking needs improvement, but for a lot people what they are missing is purely cosmetic changes (like making your UI look like its from a completely different game for example). and those are entirely not necessary. right now, what you get in SWTOR, you need multiple addons for to get in WOW.

 

also this

 

Heh, this old thing again...

 

Add on's aren't needed, but there are a few QoL changes that need to be made. Instead of whining for add on's people should be pushing BW to add these QoL changes.

 

For example, setting up our UI so only our debuffs and dots are visible. Or having a better proc announcement system since in a particle effect heavy environment it can be hard to tell if your proc is up. Or more raid frame customization.

 

The current UI customization is good but it could be better. The GTN interface could use some love as well.

 

I'd rather these changes be made to the game and not by 3rd parties. One of the reasons I left WoW was because I was tired of managing the plethora of add on's I needed to use with the game, especially after a patch breaks them and you have to wait for your add on's to get patched.

Edited March 3, 2014 by Jeweledleah

[Erasimus]

This isn't true at all. You can easily measure your performance post-fight in SWTOR. The real issue is discouraging people who WANT to measure performance mid-fight. It isn't about being ridiculed, it is about pushing people who would even think to ridicule someone over performance away from the game.

 

1. Again, it is just a game, not a profession. Add-ons during fights do nothing but make the game feel like work. I do enough work on the job to go home and do more work in my free time.

 

 

 

2. You have it completely backwards. Add-ons mean there is less to learn in the game. It is easier to change classes/respec/etc. It is much more difficult to master the game without add-ons, which is why the people who want add-ons are the ones who want to feel elite in the game without the work to get there.

 

 

 

3. So turn on combat logging and upload to tortools.com. Problem solved...

 

1. I feel just the opposite. Addons let me customize the UI so I can play the game the way I want to see it. Having to squint at bars and use the limited alerts provided makes the game seem like work and doesn't add anything to my enjoyment of the game.

 

2. Using add ons like Weak Auras actually makes you understand the game better. You have to have an intimate knowledge of your skills, cool downs, etc to create a meaningful display.

 

3. It is a matter of convenience.

 

There are many things that make it impossible to have a "level" playing field in any MMO. Ping, mine is usually 24ms or less. GPU I have a high end GPU with a large screen. CPU Ram, etc. I have a high end system with an SSD 24GB Ram. Macros, I use Razer products and have mouse over and other macros. Anyone without the preceding is going to be at a much bigger disadvantage than would be caused by UI customization add-ons.

[Obiwanson]

Heh, this old thing again...

Add on's aren't needed, but there are a few QoL changes that need to be made. Instead of whining for add on's people should be pushing BW to add these QoL changes.

 

For example, setting up our UI so only our debuffs and dots are visible. Or having a better proc announcement system since in a particle effect heavy environment it can be hard to tell if your proc is up. Or more raid frame customization.

 

The current UI customization is good but it could be better. The GTN interface could use some love as well.

 

I agree with this post. I had a similar post in suggestions...this game doesn't necessarily need addons but they should look at the most common features of like the top 5 and build those into the game.

 

People compare this game to WoW constantly...but really they are comparing it to WoW + Addons. WoW's default ui is terrible as is their AH interface. However you overlook this because you've had an addon for it since vanilla. Without addon capability Bioware is on the hook for these features and they aren't delivering.

 

If you think addons/qol do not matter - Would you buy a new model year car from me if I told you it didn't come with power-locks, power-windows, ABS, and no built-in CD Player? The car would have to offer a heck of a lot elsewhere for you to even remotely consider it.

 

QoL is frequently overlooked but it is almost intolerable when its diminished/missing/outdated. How do you feel whenever the AC in your car dies? That's what the GTN feels like compared to Auctionator/Auctioneer anytime I use it. I can still get from point A to B, but the ride sucks the whole way.

Edited March 4, 2014 by Obiwanson

[Cidanel]

1. I feel just the opposite. Addons let me customize the UI so I can play the game the way I want to see it. Having to squint at bars and use the limited alerts provided makes the game seem like work and doesn't add anything to my enjoyment of the game.

 

2. Using add ons like Weak Auras actually makes you understand the game better. You have to have an intimate knowledge of your skills, cool downs, etc to create a meaningful display.

 

3. It is a matter of convenience.

 

There are many things that make it impossible to have a "level" playing field in any MMO. Ping, mine is usually 24ms or less. GPU I have a high end GPU with a large screen. CPU Ram, etc. I have a high end system with an SSD 24GB Ram. Macros, I use Razer products and have mouse over and other macros. Anyone without the preceding is going to be at a much bigger disadvantage than would be caused by UI customization add-ons.

 

Add-ons let you blindly switch specs, download a few addons/macros and begin playing while being clueless on how the spec works. It makes the game ridiculously easy. I don't play WoW anymore because it is so easy (due to add ons/macros) that is is boring.

 

Having the game automatically alert me when things drop off makes it boring. Having a macro that sets off multiple abilities at once makes the game boring. Do you enjoy having a challenge when playing, or do you want to be able to mindlessly stop through everything on the first try?

 

Also, you wasted some money if you built up a machine as you described. I play on a $400 laptop from best buy and do high level raiding just fine. If you think you need add ons/macros and a custom gaming mouse/machine to play adequately, you might not be as good as you think at the game.

[DawnAskham]

Add-ons let you blindly switch specs, download a few addons/macros and begin playing while being clueless on how the spec works. It makes the game ridiculously easy. I don't play WoW anymore because it is so easy (due to add ons/macros) that is is boring.

 

Having the game automatically alert me when things drop off makes it boring. Having a macro that sets off multiple abilities at once makes the game boring. Do you enjoy having a challenge when playing, or do you want to be able to mindlessly stop through everything on the first try?

 

Also, you wasted some money if you built up a machine as you described. I play on a $400 laptop from best buy and do high level raiding just fine. If you think you need add ons/macros and a custom gaming mouse/machine to play adequately, you might not be as good as you think at the game.

 

WoW doesn't let you chain multiple abilities in a macro, though Rift does and possibly others. Not that it matter in a discussion about add-ons as macros are something entirely different.

 

As to difficulty, SWTOR is one of the simplest games I've ever played, in part because it has such a basic interface the game is balanced around players playing at a basic level. There isn't anything hard about this game and just because some random mob can kill you if you afk or fail to use your interrupt doesn't make it hard.

 

Oh and I'd love to see you run the latest raid in WoW on heroic mode and tell me it is easy. Hell I bet if you were geared at the level for which it is designed (e.g. not over-geared with the equivalent of comm / crafted gear in TOR), you and a lot of TOR players would struggle with normal mode and end up having to run the LFR versions for your welfare gear.

 

And I'll just leave it at this, if you are fearful of people using add-ons to customize their interface and presenting basic game data in ways that fit their play styles while using their gaming mouse, then you probably aren't as good as you think.

Edited March 4, 2014 by DawnAskham

[DawnAskham]

This isn't true at all. You can easily measure your performance post-fight in SWTOR. The real issue is discouraging people who WANT to measure performance mid-fight. It isn't about being ridiculed, it is about pushing people who would even think to ridicule someone over performance away from the game.

 

Again, it is just a game, not a profession. Add-ons during fights do nothing but make the game feel like work. I do enough work on the job to go home and do more work in my free time.

 

 

 

You have it completely backwards. Add-ons mean there is less to learn in the game. It is easier to change classes/respec/etc. It is much more difficult to master the game without add-ons, which is why the people who want add-ons are the ones who want to feel elite in the game without the work to get there.

 

 

 

So turn on combat logging and upload to tortools.com. Problem solved...

 

OMG did you really equate manually clicking all the talents in a tree when you respec with an increased mastery of the game?

 

An add-on that saves multiple specs to make swapping faster and less cumbersome is simply a QOL feature much like being able to Fleet Pass on no cool down is a QOL feature.

 

One would still have to set up their saved specs beforehand, and it isn't like the people using the refill the tree every time method can't open a browser window with a spec to copy each time anyway.

 

But to be clear, for some people, some add-ons (such as mentioned many times in this tread having the ability to sort, filter and highlight specific buffs, debuffs, and dots or having an in-game combat log / meter) allow players to perform closer to perfection than without.

 

Add-ons in this vein have nothing to do with wanting one-button wonder macros like Rift so anyone can spam 1111112 over and over and feel like they are the best player ever, it is about going from playing at 90% to 95% to 99% of perfection.

 

For some, perfection, while never obtainable, is the goal.

 

I get that for others, playing at 80% or 90% or whatever is possible with the basic UI is 'good enough'.

 

I also get that some players can't stand the thought that others would be able to move their play much closer to perfection if using add-ons, as doing so would inevitably push the design of the game in a direction where add-ons could become mandatory for progression (the devs at Blizzard have stated their encounter designs for progression PVE content assume players will use add-ons).

 

Personally I play this game just fine without add-ons, and find it easy. I also find myself at times wanting to push and measure my performance in such a way that isn't possible with the current interface / no add-ons.

 

Either way, I'm ok with or without add-ons. Maybe keeping add-ons out will keep my 'must do better at all costs' mentality in check and learn to just relax and enjoy the game at face value.

[Grayseven]

WoW doesn't let you chain multiple abilities in a macro, though Rift does and possibly others. Not that it matter in a discussion about add-ons as macros are something entirely different.

 

As to difficulty, SWTOR is one of the simplest games I've ever played, in part because it has such a basic interface the game is balanced around players playing at a basic level. There isn't anything hard about this game and just because some random mob can kill you if you afk or fail to use your interrupt doesn't make it hard.

 

Oh and I'd love to see you run the latest raid in WoW on heroic mode and tell me it is easy. Hell I bet if you were geared at the level for which it is designed (e.g. not over-geared with the equivalent of comm / crafted gear in TOR), you and a lot of TOR players would struggle with normal mode and end up having to run the LFR versions for your welfare gear.

 

And I'll just leave it at this, if you are fearful of people using add-ons to customize their interface and presenting basic game data in ways that fit their play styles while using their gaming mouse, then you probably aren't as good as you think.

 

WoW did allow me to set up a macro that used multiple abilities on one button though I did have to press that one button multiple times to actually launch the abilities. My Pally tank was set up for two buttons for the rotation where I would spam the first button until a certain proc and then hit the second button twice before going back to spamming the first. I could eat dinner while tanking a raid boss because of that macro set.

 

I don't want to see that Pandora's box opened again. I imagine a good many raid boss mechanics in WoW exist because the Dev's know they have to deal with add-ons and tweak the mechanics of fights to take those into account.

 

Games would be much better if the QoL changes were made directly to the game instead of opening the flood gates to 3rd party programs.

[Ruddertail]

This is reason why neither addons or macros can't be allowed to run free.

If it would allow to increase one's performance, it would be used by most people, providing advantage over anyone not using it, altering gameplay for everyone. And since those addons would not be made by BW, they would lose control over their own game.

 

I hate to break it to you, but making macros in this game is already quite doable, if you feel like it. I can have my keyboard automatically do my whole rotation perfectly if I feel like it.

 

WoW did allow me to set up a macro that used multiple abilities on one button though I did have to press that one button multiple times to actually launch the abilities. My Pally tank was set up for two buttons for the rotation where I would spam the first button until a certain proc and then hit the second button twice before going back to spamming the first. I could eat dinner while tanking a raid boss because of that macro set.

 

This is also doable.

Edited March 4, 2014 by Ruddertail

[Grayseven]

I hate to break it to you, but making macros in this game is already quite doable, if you feel like it. I can have my keyboard automatically do my whole rotation perfectly if I feel like it.

 

It's against the ToS to do this, just so you know.

[Ruddertail]

It's against the ToS to do this, just so you know.

 

When it comes to automation/macros the rule is "it's ok as long as you're actively playing, and each active ability use is a keystroke."

 

It isn't. Every skill executed by spamming the same button.

 

edit: As in, the keyboard doesn't do the next step without me actively doing a keystroke. It just automatically decides which ability to use.

Edited March 4, 2014 by Ruddertail

[Venea]

I really only want one thing..... Harm/Help macros. If I'm targetting a valid target for Force Lightning, electrocute it. If I'm targeting an Ally, heal it. I don't need it to cycle through abilities, nor try to cast several abilities until one fires. Just if Enemy, cast this. If Friendly, cast that.

it'd SOOOO clean up the hotbar clutter.

[Grayseven]

It isn't. Every skill executed by spamming the same button.

 

edit: As in, the keyboard doesn't do the next step without me actively doing a keystroke. It just automatically decides which ability to use.

 

That isn't what you said. You said you could set your keyboard up to go through your entire rotation. That is automation and not allowed. You did not mention anything about having to spam one button.