Stealth ability doesn’t feel stealthy because of Spy

[Whistlefoot-earthfury]

Spy wasn’t a vanilla addon it was created in 2009 during Wrath of the Lich King.

For what this addon scans and can see compared to what you can see even if you turned everything on in your combat log you still couldn’t see what this addon could. It will also show enemy players on that window that is outside your draw distance in game. As everyone knows it will also show class colors, try and show levels based on spells casted from combat log and show a clear warning for anyone who just recently stealthed.

In some instances you could consider this a unfair advantage if you was using this against someone who wasn’t cause you would know they was there about 80 yards away before you or your monitor could even see them.

[Mythox-aggramar (Mythox)]

@Whistlefoot-earthfury

Spy wasn’t a vanilla addon it was created in 2009 during Wrath of the Lich King.

There were others such as combat sentry gizmo that did the same thing in vanilla.
https://www.curseforge.com/wow/addons/project-775

[Yazzern-magtheridon]

I think it could be used nefariously to target stealth via people running 2 clients. Not very probable, but possible. If a person can load up 2 clients (owns two separate games) and parks them in an PvP area. Now he could be a double spy. I know it sounds conspiracy but hear me out. Say both clients are priests on opposite factions. Now if there was a stealth player around you use the friendly priest cast any AOE buff or any AOE heal. It would show up in the stealth combat log right? Then alt tab and spy would ping the details of stealth target. I know not really a big deal, but what other situations could be out there that could be exploited by the overachieving honor farmer.

[Fasciae-fairbanks]

For what this addon scans and can see compared to what you can see even if you turned everything on in your combat log you still couldn’t see what this addon could.

This is a complete lie. You can filter your Combat Log, right now, for precisely the things Spy sees, because Spy is only looking at your Combat Log.

As everyone knows it will also show class colors, try and show levels based on spells casted from combat log and show a clear warning for anyone who just recently stealthed.

Colors are based on spell cast, so if you’re angry light blue showed up because Frostbolt was detected, I’m not sure what to tell you.

Level is entirely guessed at because SpellID is protected right now in Classic, just like it was in Vanilla. The same Mage detected using Frostbolt won’t accurately show up as a level 60.

In some instances you could consider this a unfair advantage if you was using this against someone who wasn’t cause you would know they was there about 80 yards away before you or your monitor could even see them.

If and only if your Combat Log range has been extended to 80 yards. It can be extended out to 200 yards if you want the spam. This is also authentic to Vanilla and how people attempted to ensure accurate logs on fights with huge rooms like C’thun or just about any World Boss.

It would show up in the stealth combat log right?

If you heal someone who is stealthed, the heal would register for the Priest, but not for the Rogue, as far as someone who is opposite faction is concerned. If you were going to do this, you have far more mundane options to reveal locations of folks and these sorts of things get you banned pretty quick since they tend to be obvious.

[Harmondale-whitemane]

How do you explain Spy going off when someone simply flies over you on a gryphon?

[Fasciae-fairbanks]

You mean someone who becomes visible to you?

[Harmondale-whitemane]

Spy addon goes off when somebody simply flies above you on a flight path.

[Fasciae-fairbanks]

Yes, because they’re registered in the event log as being on a “taxi” and the client can “see” people with an API check out to 100 yards, even if they haven’t loaded in yet on your screen.

https://wow.gamepedia.com/API_UnitIsVisible

Here are all the events you can find using the UI for Classic.

https://wow.gamepedia.com/Events/Classic

Notice that the Combat Log is entirely contained in a SINGULAR API call here:

https://wow.gamepedia.com/COMBAT_LOG_EVENT_UNFILTERED

If it can be found here, any addon can see it.

[Shieldmaster-myzrael]

We’re wasting our breath trying to explain it to them.

They’re wasting their breath trying to convince everyone.

I hope we don’t run out of air…

[Fasciae-fairbanks]

I just find it amusing that the same questions get asked over and over. It’d be one thing if they bothered to engage, but they just disappear for a bit and then incredulously repost the same “oh my goodness!” declaration that was wrong the first 15 times they said it.

Nevertheless, posting the authorities and proof each time should help those that just drive by and read, but never comment. I have no hopes for the rest, they’re pretty much stuck.

[Shieldmaster-myzrael]

Right. At this point I think they’re just building up the number of posts, thinking a large number somehow validates their argument.

They’ve been shown it’s legal. Been shown step by step how it’s implemented. Been corrected over and over about what it does and doesn’t do.

Blizzard has sole discretion on what it allows and what it doesn’t. Since SPY or similar addons have been around for years, they’ve obviously made their decision.

Like babies crying for something they want in a store, they keep crying long after they know they aren’t going to get it.

[Harmondale-whitemane]

You are the one crying to keep it haha

[Shieldmaster-myzrael]

No, I’m patiently ( godlike ) trying to explain to you why it’s not going anywhere. You know, like a grownup would.

[Venthos-pagle]

How many times do people have to tell you, IT DOESN’T GIVE YOU ANYONE’S COORDINATES, IT GIVES YOU YOUR COORDINATES.

It does show enemy coordinates. Prove to me it doesn’t.

to people who say “spy only pick date from combat logs” how is that it alert me if any horde is just passing nearby? and that enemy did nothing but running on mount?

I’ve typed up a 1,900 word audit of Spy’s code that proves/disproves what it does, precisely how it does it (with specific code lines and API documentation referenced), including its limitations.

It’s a massive post, so I abandoned posting it on the assumption nobody would care or read it.

If people here are interested, I’ll post the thread.

[Whistlefoot-earthfury]

Yeah, that is surely a old one. But that one did not have stealth detection and required you to enable options for your combat log in order to work (probably filters?) no clue really. But I doubt the range for the detection back then would be outside your character’s vision range and this one seem to mostly show attacker’s and enemies who was buffing or healing more so then anything.

[Whistlefoot-earthfury]

I actually have my Combat Log filtered, I even one day turned all the options on in game Put simply your not going to see anything other then what you would already see other then making the combat log look a little prettier. You see alot more useful information with the Floating Combat Text from the in-game menu then the actual combat log but guess what? Yep, need to be in combat.

[Fasciae-fairbanks]

But I doubt the range for the detection back then would be outside your character’s vision range

Combat Log can extend up to 200 yards with a simple /console command.

You see alot more useful information with the Floating Combat Text from the in-game menu then the actual combat log but guess what? Yep, need to be in combat.

You don’t need to be in combat to get that info to show up.

https://wow.gamepedia.com/COMBAT_TEXT_UPDATE

You merely need an entity to observe and you’re limited on how many (just one). Blizzard’s default UI uses this call, among others, to give every update imaginable associated with that entity to make the Scrolling Combat Text work. You could just as easily set the target entity to your pet, a buddy, or an enemy player or NPC.

Further, the info that COMBAT_TEXT_UPDATE pulls are events that COMBAT_LOG_EVENT_UNFILTERED sees with every event. The default Combat Log we see in our UI is set to filter.

It is all there, and accessible with /console commands.

Nevertheless, if you just wanted Hostile Enemy Player Auras as the only thing tracked, and made all the text a bright noticeable color, and set your Combat Log for the same (not every type of event) to 200 yards, you’d have your own “Spy” without a single addon downloaded, at least as far as Stealth/Prowl detection is concerned.

[Blindfaith-bigglesworth]

There were others such as combat sentry gizmo that did the same thing in vanilla.

That addon was nothing compared to Spy, and it was used by next to no one. We’ve discussed this addon several times already.

and these sorts of things get you banned pretty quick since they tend to be obvious.

I’ve watched botters go unstopped for a week solid of grinding, we only know how much damage even one does. Then you come back 2 months later to see them doing it in the same spot. Then we’ve got tons every day going, and Blizz can’t even take action against those that are actively effecting the economy we are all subject to deal with? You think they’d ban faster for that than these?

[Gythriel-windseeker]

I actually have my Combat Log filtered, I even one day turned all the options on in game Put simply your not going to see anything other then what you would already see other then making the combat log look a little prettier. You see alot more useful information with the Floating Combat Text from the in-game menu then the actual combat log but guess what? Yep, need to be in combat.

Excerpt from combat Notice not in combat

11/18 03:22:43.456 SPELL_AURA_APPLIED,Player-4727-01673218,“Gythriel-Windseeker”,0x511,0x0,Player-4727-01673218,“Gythriel-Windseeker”,0x511,0x0,768,“Cat Form”,0x1,BUFF
11/18 03:22:43.462 SPELL_CAST_SUCCESS,Player-4727-01673218,“Gythriel-Windseeker”,0x511,0x0,0000000000000000,nil,0x80000000,0x80000000,768,“Cat Form”,0x1,0000000000000000,0000000000000000,0,0,0,0,0,-1,0,0,0,0.00,0.00,1433,0.0000,0
11/18 03:22:44.525 SPELL_AURA_APPLIED,Player-4727-01673218,“Gythriel-Windseeker”,0x511,0x0,Player-4727-01673218,“Gythriel-Windseeker”,0x511,0x0,5215,“Prowl”,0x1,BUFF
11/18 03:22:44.525 SPELL_CAST_SUCCESS,Player-4727-01673218,“Gythriel-Windseeker”,0x511,0x0,0000000000000000,nil,0x80000000,0x80000000,5215,“Prowl”,0x1,0000000000000000,0000000000000000,0,0,0,0,0,-1,0,0,0,0.00,0.00,1433,0.0000,0
11/18 03:22:50.162 SPELL_AURA_REMOVED,Player-4727-01673218,“Gythriel-Windseeker”,0x511,0x0,Player-4727-01673218,“Gythriel-Windseeker”,0x511,0x0,768,“Cat Form”,0x1,BUFF
11/18 03:22:50.329 SPELL_AURA_REMOVED,Player-4727-01673218,“Gythriel-Windseeker”,0x511,0x0,Player-4727-01673218,“Gythriel-Windseeker”,0x511,0x0,5215,“Prowl”,0x1,BUFF
11/18 03:23:22.709 SPELL_AURA_APPLIED,Player-4727-01842934,“Vaxtor-Windseeker”,0x518,0x0,Player-4727-01842934,“Vaxtor-Windseeker”,0x518,0x0,2457,“Battle Stance”,0x1,BUFF
11/18 03:23:22.709 SPELL_AURA_APPLIED,Player-4727-01842934,“Vaxtor-Windseeker”,0x518,0x0,Player-4727-01842934,“Vaxtor-Windseeker”,0x518,0x0,5242,“Battle Shout”,0x1,BUFF
11/18 03:23:22.709 SPELL_AURA_APPLIED,Player-4727-01842934,“Vaxtor-Windseeker”,0x518,0x0,Player-4727-01842934,“Vaxtor-Windseeker”,0x518,0x0,11196,“Recently Bandaged”,0x1,DEBUFF
11/18 03:23:25.784 SPELL_AURA_REMOVED,Player-4727-01842934,“Vaxtor-Windseeker”,0x518,0x0,Player-4727-01842934,“Vaxtor-Windseeker”,0x518,0x0,11196,“Recently Bandaged”,0x1,DEBUFF
11/18 03:23:29.766 SPELL_CAST_SUCCESS,Player-4727-01842934,“Vaxtor-Windseeker”,0x518,0x0,Creature-0-4411-0-276-441-00005254E5,“Black Dragon Whelp”,0xa48,0x0,100,“Charge”,0x1,0000000000000000,0000000000000000,0,0,0,0,0,-1,0,0,0,0.00,0.00,1433,0.0000,0
11/18 03:23:29.945 SPELL_ENERGIZE,Player-4727-01842934,“Vaxtor-Windseeker”,0x518,0x0,Player-4727-01842934,“Vaxtor-Windseeker”,0x518,0x0,100,“Charge”,0x1,0000000000000000,0000000000000000,0,0,0,0,0,-1,0,0,0,0.00,0.00,1433,0.0000,0,9.0000,0.0000,1,0
11/18 03:23:29.945 SPELL_AURA_APPLIED,Player-4727-01842934,“Vaxtor-Windseeker”,0x518,0x0,Creature-0-4411-0-276-441-00005254E5,“Black Dragon Whelp”,0xa48,0x0,7922,“Charge Stun”,0x1,DEBUFF
11/18 03:23:30.871 SWING_DAMAGE,Player-4727-01842934,“Vaxtor-Windseeker”,0x518,0x0,Creature-0-4411-0-276-441-00005254E5,“Black Dragon Whelp”,0xa48,0x0,0000000000000000,0000000000000000,0,0,0,0,0,-1,0,0,0,0.00,0.00,1433,0.0000,0,55,68,-1,1,0,0,0,nil,1,nil

Also notice, you see a random guy’s bandage debuff drop off
All you have to do is go near anything, and it is a never ending scroll
of info

[Griefsmcgee-faerlina]

I think we’ve proven that if we whine enough we can get some changes in classic