Breakfast Topic: Are you using Blizzard's addon replacers?
by Daniel Whitcomb 
May 24th 2009 at 8:00AM
One thing Blizzard likes to slip in every few patches is a new UI function that "replaces" a popular add-on or set off addons. They've done it with Scrolling Combat Text, Threat Meters, and most recently, with Equipment Managers. The New Equipment Manager is nice, but it's also pretty basic. You choose to save a set, choose a name and icon for the set, and there you go. You can drag the new icon onto your toolbar for quick changes, at least, but there's not much else. You can't synchronize it with a talent change. You can't set events to automatically change sets. Because of this, or even because of straight up familiarity and the issue of remaking all your sets in the new system, I'm sure a lot of people will stick to addons like ClosetGnome and Itemrack (if it ever updates).
Equipment Manager certainly isn't the only example of this. I still use Parrot over Blizzard's default Scrolling Combat Text because I like the ability to segregate information and adjust the scroll fields. I don't think I've heard of one guild abandoning their Ventrilo server for Blizzard's in-game voice chat. The in-game threat meter still doesn't hold a candle to Omen -- not that it's as crucial to monitor threat these days, especially in the pre-raid game.
Still, there are advantages to using the in-game systems as well. It's nice to know, for example, that on patch day, as long as the game is stable, you'll be able to boot up, log in, and get that functionality immediately instead of hoping the addon author has managed to get their addon compatible to with the newest game version.
So anyway, I'm wondering. For those of you who have used addons for scrolling combat text, equipment management, and the like, have you switched over to Blizzard's versions, or are you plugging along with your existing addons? Why?
Filed under: Items, Analysis / Opinion, Add-Ons, Breakfast Topics
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Treeston May 24th 2009 8:12AM
I actually have never used any of blizzard's ripped add-on functions.
Arcaria May 24th 2009 8:27AM
The entire game is a big jumble of ideas ripped off from every other game. I don't think anything in WoW is an actual original idea so yeah, you do...
Treeston May 24th 2009 8:34AM
[quote]ripped [b]add-on[b] functions.[/quote]
As you might notice, I specified add-on functions.
theRaptor May 24th 2009 8:44AM
So you have never used more than one default action bar? Because at release they had only one action bar. One of the first addons was so that you could have more than one. I guess you have never used the default raid frames either? Or the default combat log.
The main problem with the item manager isn't that you can't tie it into the talent system without a macro, it is that you can't just change a piece of gear and click on the set icon and go "save". You have to go through the rigmarole of doing the name again, finding the icon you want etc.
If it doesn't get made better next patch I am downloading closetgnome.
Vincent May 24th 2009 11:45AM
This is to theRaptor.
You click the ICON in the EQUIPMENT MANAGER tab.
Replace what you want to replace, then click save.
Stormscape May 24th 2009 2:50PM
@Vincent. Um. No. He means that when you want to ALTER a saved gear set, you have to delete it and re-save a new set, which is correct.
I actually like the simplicity. The gear manager isn't meant to completely take over your management of gear, automatically swapping pieces and what not. Its just there so you can save a "macro-like" button that puts you into the gear you currently have equiped if you find yourself wearing that gear a lot but not all the time.
Outfitter's made every lazy. I tried outfitter once and had uninstalled it within a few weeks because essentially took gear management out of my hands.
Personally the only mod I've used for any length of time is MyRolePlay. I've become something of a purest though, and since WotLK went live I've made a point to not use any addons what-so-ever. So far everything's been smooth sailing.
bouillestfu May 24th 2009 7:17PM
Outfitter nuff said!
QQinsider May 25th 2009 3:10PM
@Stormscape. You do know that you can turn off all the advanced features of Outfitter, like automatic gear swapping? It doesn't take anything out of your hands except what you let it, it can be setup to work the same as Blizzard's equipment manager, without the retarded process when you want to update a set.
Elmo May 24th 2009 8:12AM
I never used an itemrack addon, but this seemed pretty usefull after all so I'll probably stick with the Blizz one, don't know what more I could want of this function.
same as Blizz's version of scrolling combat text
other ones like Threatmeter and VOIP I still use addons for because they are much better.
main reasons to use some Blizz options to be are.
1- no need to update after each patch, it's always up to date and supported
2- it keeps my game lighter, less loading=smoother playing.
Servetus May 24th 2009 8:17AM
I use Mik Scrolling Battle Text still, because it is clearly superior to the Blizzard combat text. It tells me more, and I can position it wherever I like. It tracks cooldowns, blah blah blah. It's just plain better.
I dropped Omen and ClosetGnome, however. Yes, Omen tells me how much threat everyone else has on the mob also, but I don't care about that. I care about how much threat *I* have on the mob, and it's nice to reclaim the screen real estate. Omen is still nice for HEALERS, however, since it can track healer threat even without having the mob targeted. But for tanks and DPS classes, I don't think it's a must have any more.
Yes, the Gnome did more for me than Blizzard's equipment manager, but the Blizzard one works fine. I can click an icon to change clothes when I change talents. I'm not doing that on the fly anyway. The Blizzard one works smoother, with less clunking and banging, the Blizzard one works with items in the bank (if your bank window is open), and the Blizzard one does not require an addon.
General rule of thumb: Unless an addon does something Blizzard does NOT do, or does something FAR better than Blizzard, I will usually prefer to use the Blizzard UI for the job because the less I ask my computer to do all at once, the better it runs.
Taladan May 24th 2009 8:39AM
Omem is still good for tanks. While useless against bosses, it's incredible useful when you're facing a pack of mobs. So you know you have to hit that guy to get more aggro 'cause you're not doing enough damage to keep it just attacking you.
Amaxe-1 May 24th 2009 9:52AM
Used to use Omen, but it became redundant after I got Xperl so I dropped it
Karilyn May 24th 2009 10:06AM
"Omem is still good for tanks. While useless against bosses..."
I would disagree with that. On the boss fights where threat is more sensitive (IE fights like Malygos), it is helpful to be aware of how close someone else is to pulling off of you.
"it's incredible useful when you're facing a pack of mobs. So you know you have to hit that guy to get more aggro 'cause you're not doing enough damage to keep it just attacking you."
I've actually stopped using Omen for that purpose. I rely on the Blizzard Threat Meter on the Floating Health Bars (though technically I used Aloft instead of the Floating Health Bars, because it lets me invert the health bar glow)
Sinthar May 26th 2009 8:36AM
I completely disagree omen is still nesecary imho. Without it - a small text warning in the midst of massive AOE would be lost - with it i can see the aggro, and whether to MI til the tank taunts, IB, or try to lose threat entirely with invis.
As a mage i have little or no use for changing outfits (apart from PVP to PVE gear) so i dont use either. Extra bars - i have em all, and autobar.
erm more addons? I dont use too many tbh - i like a light footprint running, so i guess the rest are things like cartographer and dbm (essential)
ikser May 24th 2009 8:26AM
This new equipment manager just seems like a new macro
Dukah May 24th 2009 8:29AM
I'm still using Item Rack because I can't be bothered remaking all the sets, also, I don't have enough room on my bars to put the buttons for all the specs :|
Futue May 24th 2009 9:40AM
Exactly same as me.
uncaringbear May 24th 2009 5:21PM
I'm still using Itemrack at all. One of the things I like about it is the ability to create an event to detect when you switch specs. It will then automatically swap to the item set that your specify.
Greg May 24th 2009 8:34AM
I agree with the comments above, "Unless an addon does something Blizzard does NOT do, or does something FAR better than Blizzard, I will usually prefer to use the Blizzard UI for the job because the less I ask my computer to do all at once, the better it runs."
For instance, the Blizzard in-game chat is terrible. It's scratchy, slow, and has an awkward UI. I'll stick to ventrilo for my in-game VOIP needs.
The in-game Scrolling Combat Text feature, on the other hand, is fine for my purposes. I can see all kinds of damage and effects on a target. Haven't really felt the need for any additional information. So when it came time to update SCT for 3.0, I just let it go and enabled the Blizzard version.
As for the in-game equipment manager, it seems to be more of an odd duck. For instance, I know I need more functionality than icon clicking for my feral/balance druid. In contrast, my elemental/restoration shaman changes equipment about as often as the garbage man makes his rounds. So I see the blizzard version having great utility for classes that don't have a lot of flexibility within a given raid/instance, but for classes that must bring more than their base spec, third-party addons will still have their place.
Divodia May 24th 2009 8:34AM
The biggest benefit of the new equipment manager: sets are stored server-side instead of client-side.
For a dualboxer, this is heaven.