UI Mods/Add ons… Josh Drescher Speaks!
February 5, 2008 – 6:10 pm
Keen, a vocal advocate against [unfair and exploitative] UI mods, recently asked Josh Drescher to clarify the term “utility” in relation to Warhammer Online’s future UI customization plans.
Keen: UI mods for not only appearance but utility… Why Josh? Why?
Josh: There really ISN’T anything we can say that WON’T trigger panic from someone. There’s nothing functionally that you can add via a mod that isn’t available in the standard, out of the box UI.
This likely means that addons such as Decursive will be off the table in WAR, which I am happy about, but since we don’t actually know what will be available in the “standard, out of the box UI,” we’ll have to wait and see for sure. One would assume EA Mythic has put a lot of thought into “unfair” addons and mods considering the majority of their combat is focused on player vs. player.
A common argument for pro-modders is that addons and mods are available to anyone, and while they give a distinct advantage to someone using them vs. someone who does not, it can be balanced if the other person simply installs the same addons and mods. I think I’ve even used this argument before… Well, the rebuttal here is that a player should not be forced to download and install 3rd party software in order to remain competitive.
This is a hot topic with heated debate on both sides and I doubt you can ever find a happy medium. Even with a compromise, neither side will be completely happy.
2 Responses to “UI Mods/Add ons… Josh Drescher Speaks!”
“A common argument for pro-modders is that addons and mods are available to anyone, and while they give a distinct advantage to someone using them vs. someone who does not, it can be balanced if the other person simply installs the same addons and mods.”
There are just too many things wrong with that excuse masked as an argument to list. *shakes head*
To clarify my position though since I’ve been mentioned…
I’m FOR Ui Mods that allow users to customize the appearance of their Ui. I’m just like everyone else out there who wants their Ui to look just right.
I’m AGAINST Ui mods that change the functionality of the basic UI so much so that they create an imbalance in gameplay.
You’ve heard this quote before. “Your rights end where mine begin”.
Apply it here. Everyone playing has the right not to use anything but what they purchased out of the box. As soon as your UI mods encroach upon the rights of others to remain UI mod free then the UI mod has crossed the line.
By Keen on Feb 5, 2008
The biggest problem I see is where to draw the line between utility and functionality.
I think Mythic would do well to allow UI customization on the scale of Bongos or XPearl. Just keep in mind that you won’t NEED as many bars because you can’t have all your skills available at the same time like you can in WoW. WAR will be more like Guild Wars in this respect: you’ll be using something like 9 skills + 4 morale so one bar at the bottom should suffice.
I think macros are the root cause of more problems than UI changes. Anything that will detect status, select targets, or use multiple skills with one button press is going to unbalance the game.
Decursive wasn’t a problem because of the big flashing “this guy is cursed” arrow. It was a problem because with one button press you made the problem go away.
By Koroh on Feb 11, 2008