Patch 5.4 patch notes
Virtual Realms feature revealed
The Proving Grounds are coming
The latest patch 5.4 newsBlizzard to break the AVR mod in Patch 3.3.5
by Fox Van Allen 
May 20th 2010 at 5:00PM
Blizzard poster Bashiok broke the news of AVR's impending demise, citing its invasive nature and the fact that it takes away from the need for on-the-spot decision making:
Bashiok -- AVR Mod Broken in 3.3.5This is a notice that we're making changes in 3.3.5 in attempts to break the ability for the AVR (Augmented Virtual Reality) mod to continue functioning. For those unaware, this mod allows players to draw in the 3D space of the game world, which can then be shared with others who are also using the mod. In some cases this manifests itself through drawing/tagging/defa
The full announcement after the break.
Bashiok -- AVR Mod Broken in 3.3.5This is a notice that we're making changes in 3.3.5 in attempts to break the ability for the AVR (Augmented Virtual Reality) mod to continue functioning. For those unaware, this mod allows players to draw in the 3D space of the game world, which can then be shared with others who are also using the mod. In some cases this manifests itself through drawing/tagging/defa
We're making this change for two reasons. The invasive nature of a mod altering and/or interacting with the game world (virtually or directly) is not intended and not something we will allow. World of Warcraft UI addons are never intended to interact with the game world itself. This is mirrored in our stance and restriction of model and texture alterations. The second reason is that it removes too much player reaction and decision-making while facing dungeon and raid encounters. While some other mods also work to this end, we find that AVR and the act of visualizing strategy within the game world simply goes beyond what we're willing to allow.
The change we're making in attempts to break the functionality is light in its touch and approach. When blocking any functionality we run the risk of affecting other mods, but we've targeted the changes as carefully as possible. If we find that the AVR mod (or any mod attempting to replicate its functions) are usable after 3.3.5 we will take further, more drastic steps.
We're making this change for two reasons. The invasive nature of a mod altering and/or interacting with the game world (virtually or directly) is not intended and not something we will allow. World of Warcraft UI addons are never intended to interact with the game world itself. This is mirrored in our stance and restriction of model and texture alterations. The second reason is that it removes too much player reaction and decision-making while facing dungeon and raid encounters. While some other mods also work to this end, we find that AVR and the act of visualizing strategy within the game world simply goes beyond what we're willing to allow.
The change we're making in attempts to break the functionality is light in its touch and approach. When blocking any functionality we run the risk of affecting other mods, but we've targeted the changes as carefully as possible. If we find that the AVR mod (or any mod attempting to replicate its functions) are usable after 3.3.5 we will take further, more drastic steps.
Reaction to the news will surely be mixed -- there are plenty of purists who feel that AVR's very existence goes against what Warcraft is supposed to be about, and there are plenty of people who find AVR an invaluable tool that does little more than enhance their playing experience.
What's your reaction to the news? Did Blizzard go too far, or were they right in stamping out a blight on the World of Warcraft?
Filed under: Blizzard, News items, Add-Ons
Reader Comments (Page 3 of 14)
Eberron May 21st 2010 5:31AM
Allow me.
FUCK!
Doomstare May 20th 2010 5:05PM
I've never used AVR but been told by many to get it an use it. It has always sounded like it adds "bumper lanes" to WoW, making fights much to easy. I for one am glad to see such an addon blocked.
NecDW4 May 20th 2010 5:14PM
And things like DBM dont?
Personally, i think something like this is a bit more realistic of an addon. I havent seen it in action myself, but if all it does is allow you to draw on the floors/walls, that seems more like something you should be able to do anyway. It's not inconceivable that people trying to synchronize movement patterns would maybe carry a bit of chalk to draw on the ground with, especially when you know what youre trying to do is vastly impacted my positioning.
At the very least it seems more fair than having a psychic voice from beyond telegraph everything a boss is thinking about doing 30 seconds ahead of time.
I myself have done just fine without using ANY boss/encounter addons the entire time i've been playing. As long as you can read your default UI tells you everything you need to know.
(cutaia) May 20th 2010 5:40PM
"but if all it does is allow you to draw on the floors/walls, that seems more like something you should be able to do anyway."
As far as I know, this mod has the capability to interact with mods like DBM and do far more than simply allow people to draw on the ground. It has the ability to highly automate those drawings without the raid actually having to do anything.
It can, for example, automatically mark your raid members with raid icons, then automatically draw those raid icons on the ground, so people with blue squares over their heads go stand on the blue square on the ground, etc.
I agree we need more tools to draw in the game, though. Maybe some new fancy engineer items. BoE, not consumed when used, engineer items.
Ringo Flinthammer May 20th 2010 5:40PM
There's a pretty huge difference between people automatically yelling out that malleable goo is headed their way and having areas drawn onto the world to tell you where to move to during Sindragosa.
Scooter May 20th 2010 5:58PM
DBM - Basically turns any detail you can discern about the fight into words.
AVR - Draws a Map which is used for your strategy
The problem here is that AVR adds a full fledged feature to the game. Which is something that Blizzard does not want.
Felix_NZ May 20th 2010 8:30PM
@Nec - TBH in the wrath game where a tank can die in a GCD if you don't know what's coming, DBM is almost mandatory - for instance (disclaimer: I'm a very casual raiding Holy Pally) Koralon's meteor fists or similar abilities when you're at 2% and one of the tanks has died - knowing that that's dropping in a few seconds is a raid saver when you can pop your cooldowns and wind up some big heals.
Aedilhild May 20th 2010 6:56PM
"And things like DBM don't?"
Not really. If a player isn't familiar with mechanics, he won't necessarily know what to do — but AVR visually spells them out, simplifying encounters into a matter of colored zones and robbing players of the enjoyable challenge in learning how and why they work.
PeeWee May 20th 2010 5:05PM
This was expected. Anyone caught off-guard by this is a fool.
jdduenas May 20th 2010 5:21PM
I'm not really a fool--I just used the shaman totem addon that used this and had nooo idea it was being abused or whatever. Sad to see it go.
PeeWee May 20th 2010 5:26PM
The addon wasn't really abusing anything, it just trivialized pretty much every boss encounter in ICC by removing the need to actually think for yourself. As for your totems, there is an addon called TotemRadius that draws yours and other shamans' totems' radiuses on your minimap instead. Man, I think I made typo boo-boos there. =)
busuan May 20th 2010 6:38PM
To 'Trivialize' or simplify things is exactly how people solve problems in real world, not the opposite.
AVR was such an excellent example of people solving communication and coordination problems with simplified methods, albeit later being decreed as a foul.
They are much smarter.
Audelyn May 20th 2010 8:06PM
busuan, you are correct in many ways. People do solve problems by coming up with ingenious simpler methods for overcoming obstacles. The problem is that this is a game. One definition of a game is a system where we humans create "artificial" obstacles via rules and restrictions and then try to over come them. It's these created obstacles that create the fun when we overcome them. Soccer wouldn't be soccer if the obstacle of not using your hands was removed, and a player that found a way to creatively over come that, while ingenious, would be in a way not playing soccer anymore. AVR is similar (and DBM too in my mind though the community has seemed to accept it) in that the obstacles that are specifically created are either reduced or removed completely. I mean, taking the raid assistance mods further, (ignoring the agreements we made with Blizzard) why not have them move the character to where they should be.
Of course, like many things in life, there is a whole scale of what sort of assistance goes against the spirit of the game (created obsticles) and what sort is just a missing UI element. Thinking about DBM, I don't run it, and the Blizzard default UI tells you everything you need to know. With name plates, cast bars, boss emotes, and other visual indicators we have everything we need to succeed. For example, I used to die to void zones on KT a lot until I disabled my scrolling combat text completely (it didn't really provide any critical information) and could clearly see the zone under me. That made me realize the more I pay attention to the game and the less I play attention to ten other things that supposedly make things easier, the better I do.
Ata May 20th 2010 8:42PM
@Audelyn
I think perhaps this should be a message to Blizzard that despite having all of the in game warnings that they provided, some of these encounters have gone beyond a 'challenge' into 'RNG and latency issue hell' by having so many fights be -so- dependent upon moving at just the right times or you die. A guild full of very competent people smashing up against a single mechanic, on a fight that might not even be a wing boss, despite knowing and understanding the mechanic and yet still not being able to get that last bit of last second warning or what have you because of how timing dependent so many fights are, is making it a whole lot less challenging and more aggravating and a risk of driving away players. I think the fact that so few raids have managed to down the LK is a pretty good example of this....Blizzard is treading on having things be 'too' hard thanks to their mechanics and removing that accessibility they've been trying so hard to insert into the game.
AVR was alleviating that problem that Blizzard seems to be trying to take care of not with making the fights just a touch less timing dependent or more latency friendly, instead Blizzard throws a power buff at it. Ramping up your players so that their dps becomes so big that it makes the mechanics not a factor is a bandaid on a potentially huge problem. If the fights weren't so complex in the half a dozen or a dozen things you need to be aware of at any given time, ICC wouldn't have needed the damage buff at all.
kozom May 20th 2010 5:05PM
Goodnight, sweet prince. I shall miss you when i actually have to pay attention to where i stand and can no longer just stand in the pretty blue circle and avoid the mean red one.
Wilder May 20th 2010 5:11PM
My guild had wanted me to download this add-on to help in Raid battles but after seeing this I won't bother.
I never got to experience the add-on so I'm not sure how this effects me.
Aj May 20th 2010 5:06PM
I knew they would try to break it after running icc 1 time with it, it's just too ezmode
(cutaia) May 20th 2010 5:16PM
I saw a video of Sindragosa with this thing on. It was definitely neat, but I could certainly see it being incredibly too easy.
baronsoosdon May 20th 2010 5:06PM
Why aren't they doing this to GearScore too?
Kaphik May 20th 2010 5:07PM
How does Gearscore break the game?