Discussion: User Created UI Addons?

[Melisenna]

good that you understood my irony

I think they were laughing at you, not giving you props >_>

[Ladon]

I'm under the opinion that add-on customization needs to be restricted to aesthetics only. If they need to open up an entire scripting API to allow for user add-ons then they aren't doing their job correctly. These games should be providing the information feedback players need to play the game through the graphic engine, not through the UI overlay.

[TimonLoon]

Who the fuck uses a parser/damage meter for PvP??

[Melisenna]

when you think WoW is so great with stuffs like these.. then go play it... and seriously do you want that kind of community that you have in WoW?!

I also fail to see what you see wrong with the WoW community.
There is a gigantic playerbase, which is a great thing since the company has revenue to continually release new content. Also it makes the game incredibly social and easy to find like-minded people.
Are you afraid of colourful graphics? Because aside from the graphic style, there is many things about ffxiv and WoW that are alike.

[Wolfie]

I'm under the opinion that add-on customization needs to be restricted to aesthetics only. If they need to open up an entire scripting API to allow for user add-ons then they aren't doing their job correctly. These games should be providing the information feedback players need to play the game through the graphic engine, not through the UI overlay.

That's a noble goal, but I quite frankly don't think it's feasible to provide that kind of instant feedback to someone without the use of numbers and other UI elements.

[Reiterpallasch]

im going to kick your WoW ass in PVP without a parser, trust me. ^^
skill -> tools

[Ladon]

That's a noble goal, but I quite frankly don't think it's feasible to provide that kind of instant feedback to someone without the use of numbers and other UI elements.

There will be some obvious need for some UI overlay because of the genre but we shouldn't need things like RaidUI or stuff like auto-healing scripting mods. Content needs to be crafted with the capabilities of the default UI in mind. This also in turn sets the requirement that a UI be standardized. If they want to do something that the current UI can't handle well then a UI update needs to be part of the content release.

The high customization abilities of the WoW UI really needs to be looked at as model of failure, not success to be emulated. Opening your UI to allow scripted mods just opens up way too much possibility of abuse and many MMOs that have come along after WoW have realized this and have elected to lock down their UI while maintaining a reasonable amount of customization of the UI within the game to satisfy most players.

[Wolfie]

There will be some obvious need for some UI overlay because of the genre but we shouldn't need things like RaidUI or stuff like auto-healing scripting mods. Content needs to be crafted with the capabilities of the default UI in mind. This also in turn sets the requirement that a UI be standardized. If they want to do something that the current UI can't handle well then a UI update needs to be part of the content release.

The high customization abilities of the WoW UI really needs to be looked at as model of failure, not success to be emulated. Opening your UI to allow scripted mods just opens up way too much possibility of abuse and many MMOs that have come along after WoW have realized this and have elected to lock down their UI while maintaining a reasonable amount of customization of the UI within the game to satisfy most players.

I understand and agree with your sentiment that addon automation can be dangerous, but you are wrong in your assertion that WOW is an example of failure. In fact, WOW is the shining example of customization gone right.

The WOW developers have constantly kept an eye on addons. Addons that provided automation that was not replicable through the default UI were quickly stamped out; or they were integrated into the default UI in short order and TOSes were updated. The same for popular UI addons that didn't provide automation, like threat meters, floating combat text, raid warnings, or quest help.

WOW's default UI has steadily evolved over the years and "kept up" with addons, precisely for the reason that the developers didn't want let addons feel required. For all it's problems, UI development is the one thing that you cannot fault WOW on, because it's been getting it right since day one.

[fusional]

The high customization abilities of the WoW UI really needs to be looked at as model of failure, not success to be emulated. Opening your UI to allow scripted mods just opens up way too much possibility of abuse...

first: you're crazy if you think it was a failure. that's the direct opposite of reality. 9-12 million people using thousands and thousands of addons successfully- some of which being so popular that blizzard eventually adopts their functionality into its default UI... is a failure?

second: seriously out of the 9-12 million subs WoW has had over the last few years, can you show me some documented cases of people "abusing" addons in ways that violate ToS? or are you just pulling this completely out of your ass and making wild assumptions? because i'm leaning toward that.

third: those "many" mmos that have come along after WoW and elected to lock down their UIs- how have they fared, exactly? oh, right. they failed, or are failing. mmodata.net, bud. read it and weep.

i seriously don't know what the hell you're smoking, but you are clearly high.

[Wolfie]

UI for an MMO is an incredibly important thing. The fact that one of the top five complaints about this game was it's horrid UI, and the fact that FFXI purists always complain about this game's UI becoming more "WOW"-like, should be enough of an indication of its importance.

UI design is one of those things that developers can easily and safely crowdsource by letting people develop addons, and then reacting to and integrating things from the UI development community. This is something that the WOW devs realized and have done from day one, and it's why WOW's UI is still the standard/baseline UI for pretty much every MMO. If they hadn't let people develop addons, its UI would have been horribly outdated by now and would be one of the game's biggest weaknesses.