User Interface Updates in Classic

WoW Classic WoW Classic General Discussion
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Hello,

This week, we updated Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary from patch 2.5.5 to patch 2.5.6. Although this patch was almost entirely to support critical service systems, it also included changes to nameplates and raid frames. We’d like to tell you about these changes, highlight options you have to edit some of the user interface (UI), and look forward to patch 1.15.9 coming to WoW Classic soon.

UI Using Shared Code

All versions of WoW Classic share code with modern World of Warcraft. The games gain significant benefits from this, including the support of modern hardware, additional options for graphics and accessibility, widescreen support, and the ability to integrate with Battle.net services in the first place.

This shared code also allows the introduction of UI elements to fill gaps in the original World of Warcraft UI. For instance, the original Burning Crusade only supported the “drag out” raid group UI from the Raid Frame. With the release of WoW Classic in 2019, the game included an additional option to use raid frames from modern World of Warcraft. This means that WoW Classic launched in 2019 with Battle for Azeroth’s raid frames, and then with patch 2.5.5, Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary utilized frames from The War Within. With patch 2.5.6, the game’s raid frame option has aligned with updates to modern World of Warcraft, now matching the offering from Midnight.

Modifications Using Chat Commands

Since we released patch 2.5.6, we’ve been listening to community feedback, and we recognize that players are looking for ways to modify their nameplates and raid frames that were updated. In addition to the settings that exist in the Options menu, players can use the following chat commands for further customization:

  • Nameplate Class Color (Enemy Units):

/script C_CVar.SetCVar("nameplateShowClassColor", 1);

  • Nameplate Class Color (Friendly Units):

/script C_CVar.SetCVar("nameplateShowFriendlyClassColor", 1);

  • Disabling Raid Frame Dispel Highlights:

/script C_CVar.SetCVar("raidFramesDispelIndicatorOverlay", 0);

We’re currently working on surfacing these settings in the Options menu itself, so that players will have access to them there, in addition to the option to use chat commands. We expect to implement this next week.

Upcoming WoW Classic Patch 1.15.9 – Week of July 19

Similar to this week’s Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary patch, the WoW Classic games (Classic Era, Season of Discovery, Hardcore) will receive a similar patch with the start of weekly regional maintenance the week of July 19. As with the Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary patch, this patch will bring in Edit Mode and changes to players’ nameplates and raid frames to the WoW Classic games.

Some third-party addons may experience errors until they are updated by their authors. As all versions of World of Warcraft share most of their UI code, the addon API in 1.15.9 very closely matches the addon API from 2.5.6. For addon authors, we encourage you to use 2.5.6 as an environment for updating addons to be compatible with 1.15.9.

We will continue to refine our updates in the future, so that we’re providing additional options for players to modify settings wherever possible.

Thank you, as always, for your passion and feedback.

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Anybody Quitting TBC Anniversary due to the recent patch and
Blizzard changing the ui on classic has been the stupidest ideat
After last update... new changes?
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One thing that would make the nameplates perfect for me is if the color of nameplates were blue or some other color when being tanked by someone marked as tank. I think they change from red to red-orange, but that’s hard to keep up with in a raid setting with a lot of mobs. The “progressive” threat option doesn’t help too much either. If I’m on the aggro table and a tank has it besides me (also tank), its hard to differentiate between that and if a DPS has current threat.

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Why? It just bricks our existing addons and adds a ton of bugs and since the existing bugs have now persisted since late 1.14 can we get an ETA on existing broken things?

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This is terrible news for classic.

… but, why though?

“If it ain’t broke, break it” apparently? Like, just leave it well enough alone. If people want to change the things, they can use an addon for it. There is absolutely no reason to be doing this, it’s just degrading the game experience.

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If only there was some kind of testing server

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6

I can’t hover over buffs/debuffs to see what they are anymore. The old raid frames used to popup the tool tips, but the new ones do nothing.

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OK, how do you make someone marked as a tank show up as tanking mobs that you, as a tank, are not tanking? So I know someone that is a tank is tanking mobs and they are not loose, beating on the melee?

This is a critical function that other nameplate addons such as threat plates and plater do, but the blizzard default completely overlooked. I just need a quick glance and I see oh, those 2 mobs, that I am not tanking, are being tanked by the other tank. Currently I have to tab or click on every mob that I am not tanking to see if it is being tanked, by a tank, by looking at the mobs target.

Edit: I still do not know any status on that mobs treat for that tank, unless I look at that as well, it would be nice to know if my fellow tank is about to lose a mob, so I can pick it up via a taunt, because maybe his is on CD or he is unable to for whatever reason and I know I need to keep an eye on that mob.

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Can you explain what these critical service systems were, as it was the actual main focus for this patch?

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If this path eventually leads to the classic UI graphics being fully replaced with the retail UI graphics (I fear it will), that will be a perma-unsub from me.

Sometimes I look at the old Warcraft 3 UI just to feel something. Where did all the soul go…

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Please revert it all. Its awful. Leave retail things out of classic. No one asked for this.

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And how do I

  • make NPC nameplates not follow me when I leave them?
  • disable CD numbers on equipped items and in my bags?
  • Stop items going off CD to pop up on my action bars?

All this “visible noise” makes it hard for me to play.

If I furtnermore could have an option to hide carets in the mini-map, I’d be very happy.

Why just not give us the original BTC interface back? That’s one of the reasons I play Classic. I do not want or need new options, and most of all I do not want new “options” that are not optional, but forced upon me!

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There’s still classic style of nameplates if you want. Personally, I think the less “needed” addons are, the better. I know 0 people who use default nameplates or raid frames. Now I know several that are staying with the new ones.

It’s also not like they’re removing addons either. They even pointed to a patch to focus development around for further fixes.

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if anything, as an addon author myself, it’s more of a PITA to maintain vanilla and tbc classic support when they continue to fall further and further behind modern client changes. backwards compatibility often requires extra work. the more synced up code is the more maintainable addons are. same goes for blizzards UI team as well.

uniformity in backend but aesthetics that still fit the game design of classic flavor.

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I do not mind on which client the UI is runnning, but making “options” that are not optional, and not how they were in TBC originally. … I don not like this!

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I like Vanilla! I do not want Vanilla with sprinkles and jam!

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You know deep down people would crash out over the retail Ui addon rules, it is inevitable, they will introduce it in dribs and drabs, this is the thin end of the wedge.

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The UI isn’t a deal breaker for me, but I worry I’ll eventually be one the last few playing after blizzard intentionally runs everyone else off.

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As much as I love and use the update nameplates. There really needs to be a toggle option in options to swap back to the old non-edit mode frames and setting or some very specific people are going to melt down and lose their minds.

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19

While you are focusing on classic vanilla, consider opening the Era shop to allow paid character transfers and removing the honor thresholds for ranking.

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i love UI changes