You have some great points… But every MMO I played had some sort of 3rd party addon download and usage/support. And I tried many other MMOs over the past few years.
If you use legit resources like Twitch is now, they should be stable addons.
But the idea of Blizzard implementing something like this via Launcher etc… I would be a fan of, just not sure if that would ever happen.
Blizzard put guidelines in place for addons and in theory they could sue an addon author for not following these rules, like obfuscating source code or soliciting for donations
Basically it was easier for them to just let third parties like Curse and WoWInterface review and distribute addons
Except that they are… Blizz gave you the EXACT SAME API as they did to the addon authors… you want that addon you get it from them or you make it yourself.
Blizz has nothing to do with Addons and never should because any idiot can spend 5 mins to make an addon that does something. the number of addons is uncountable especially since you can open up any addon and see and edit the code. If you cant it breaks the Addon Policy and its removed.
Also addon authors do not make money from addons, if they are they are breaking the ToS and are banned and possibly sued.
I’ve been 2500+ in nearly every season even getting arena master, gladiator, and hero of the alliance, and have never used an addon just isn’t needed and imo starts causing clutter.
This has been my biggest gripe since I’ve returned to WoW. Everything I need, and I mean everything, is through a third party website.
Even just recently I had an open ticket, spoke with the nicest GM in the world, and then they slapped me with the whole check out “wowhead.com” I was speechless.
Even if they do, why should someone have to go through all these third parties? Why not bring them all together and have them under one roof, so to speak. Makes sense to me.
Back in the day, they actually had a book. A book. I know it’s foreign to most of you on here. But in that book, read a Players Guide. And actual Players Guide. – Which there is none now.
And don’t give me this crap about how the game is too expansive and the vast amount of information wouldn’t fit into a single paperback project. It would. And they don’t.
They are lazy. And cheap. And only getting lazier and cheaper.