I’ve probably waited too long to post this, but with the recent new that ElvUi is pausing development for Midnight I finally decided I needed to respond.
When I started playing WoW in BC, the friend that got me into playing also suggested an alternate addon to play the game. Back then, it was X-perl and I started the game using it. From that day on, I’ve used UI addons exclusively. I’ve never played the game with the default UI. It garbage and didn’t have all the QoL needs that X-perl provided. Fast forward 8 years or so and I switched to ElvUi. It had more QoL support and was much more customizable and used other addons to further enrich the UI. I’ve literally never used the default UI. Even with the changes made a few expansions ago and the things being added in Midnight, I still don’t enjoy it. Now we’re being forced to use it. If I wanted to play Star Wars The Old Republic or Final Fantasy 14 where I have just basic customization, I would. WoW had always given me the chance to play the game how I want, with the addons I enjoy and now you’re taking away the very things that made the game more enjoyable.
I don’t want to use your damage meters or UI. I don’t want to stop using DBM. There are things about DBM that aren’t just combat helping. I like having a wilhelm scream when combat starts, or yogg-soran laugh when I died, the super Mario brothers level clear when I defeat a boss. There are so many things addons provide that don’t just help but make the game more enjoyable. By taking this away, you’ve sapped the fun out of the game. Don’t force us to use your UI or damage meters or rotation helpers. You’ve always given us the chance to choose, why are you taking it away now? If this is the way WoW is going to be going forward, maybe I’ll refund my collector’s edition and staring playing one of those games that forces you to use their default UI. You’ve taken away all the joy I had in Midnight and don’t honestly see a reason to continue playing.
It’s too late. The fact that you’re seeing this on Alpha now means that you’re gonna be seeing this on live and for at least one major content patch afterwards too.
The WoW team’s higher-ups are back to their pre-SL “we’re going to make you play the game how we want you to play the game and you’re going to like it” ways, and I don’t know if it’s because of incompetence or malice.
Maybe it’s both. I knew I waited too long but just read today the ElvUi developers were pausing development. Sucks they’re forcing us to play without the addons we love.
That’s where I am now. I’m going to cancel my physical collector’s edition. I’ll starting playing all the games I’ve put off because of wow. Maybe it’ll be nice to play something else for once.
Likely, it’s because Micro$oft wants WoW to be on console, probably both the home and handheld variety, so they’re gutting everything they can to make that happen. They keep talking about, “competitive edge,” like we all don’t have access to the same addons, but console won’t have access since they’re not allowed. And I don’t think they’ll limit the game to XBOX consoles. They’ll provide a port to Sony, Nintendo, Steam, and ASUS, or any combination of them all or more.
Even if they want it on console, take a game like Skyrim for example. It’s on both and you can mod the hell out of that game on PC and console, I think I have close to 3200 mods and it’s a completely different game. Yes it’s not a MMO but it’s do-able.
Then we go back to the design philosophy. They want new players to watch a stream of someone playing WoW, and buy the game. They want their UIs to mimic what they see. Without having addons, the new player doesn’t have to go hunting for the elements to make their UIs match. I’m not saying they’re right, but that seems to be the going theory.
It’s the boy band mentality in the 90s and 2000s all over again. We’ll build a “band” that uses simple lyrics and ear worm tunes that any fan can sing, and when they start getting big and trying to expand their horizons, they’ll break up and we’ll start a new “band”.
I think it will end up backfiring on them, personally. They’ll lose subscriptions and back track after Midnight. By then, it’ll be too late for some of our addons to be brought back.
You’re not gonna die if quest windows no longer have a black background and all actionbars are shown so you can see all the buttons you’re failing to press when they were hidden.
Well at least it be a lot more quieter with all the unsubs and less complaining. It was bound to happen, and heaven forbid anyone deals with any changes. Wonders how some of you get through life this way. See you in a few months when you all resub.. again.
Dependence on automatic transmissions is silly, but they open up driving to people who aren’t physically capable of pressing a clutch pedal and the brake at the same time, or people without a right arm.
It’s not dependence on ElvUi. It’s enjoying the game the way I want. Blizzard is notoriously bad at implementing UI changes. I don’t have faith in their damage meters or UI.
Again, nothing of substance to say. WoW has always giving players the choice to play with or without addons. If you don’t like them don’t use them, I on the other hand like playing with addons. It has nothing to with change, they’re just making the game more like Swtor or FF14, which I also won’t play.
Again, that’s your opinion. I don’t play with healbots but others enjoy it, why take that away? We’ve always had the choice to add to the game as we see fit. I don’t care about combat helpers in ElvUi, I just don’t like the default UI.
As opposed to not being able to see it at all with the default UI? Because out of the box, ElvUI shows everything the same way Blizzard’s UI does. We choose what we filter out so our screens aren’t as cluttered and unintelligible.