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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria 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 9 of 14)
glenn.winstead May 20th 2010 6:32PM
I think the issue that most folks seem to be missing is the difference (as has been stated) between AVR and AVRE.
AVR = drawing your football play in the dirt, then going out and doing it
AVRE = Madden 2010
Phelps May 20th 2010 6:36PM
And by "most folks" you mean Blizzard?
uncaringbear May 20th 2010 7:41PM
I don't regret my decision to resist installing this addon. I was against it from the very start, and I applaud Blizzard for doing the right thing. Now how about going further and shutting down Gearscore? I would love to see the idiots who abuse this tool no longer have access to it. If there's an addon that has diminished the fun of WoW, Gearscore is it.
Hoggersbud May 20th 2010 8:58PM
Ok....how would you suggest they do that?
Disable our ability to inspect other players? Inspect ourselves?
But really, GS isn't doing anything wrong. Just other people.
Phelps May 20th 2010 6:34PM
"I think that the difference is fairly explicit. The questhelper arrow isn't being drawn on the landscape. If it literally painted a yellow brick road to your target then Blizz would likely ban it."
THAT is the problem, expressed in one line. Blizz would "likely" ban it. You don't KNOW if they would ban it, because you don't know what they hell they really mean by what they have said.
g_eidsvig May 20th 2010 8:10PM
I'm pretty sure that the circles drawn on screen are not linked at all to the default WoW rendering engine. It's entirely a UI/HUD overlayed onto the screen. Hence why you see circles cut into/through objects such as walls. The circles appear to float over the ground at a height, but it, as far as I can tell, is rendered based on the camera angle and distance to target in view. The WoW API for Lua script doesn't allow actual environment graphics.
http://www.wowwiki.com/World_of_Warcraft_API
dodgeballer2005 May 20th 2010 6:35PM
Back to the flare droppers...
Xtofer May 20th 2010 6:36PM
I'm okay with this decision. Sure, the mod made things easier, but in the short time that it has been out, people have become overly dependent on it to the point where fights were micromanaged by the use of this addon. It has been really annoying to me. I feel like I don't need lines drawn to show me where I need to go. Most encounters already have visual cues in the game on the floor (circles, diamonds, etc) that we can use. I mean, the floor looks like a huge clown face every time somebody sends these pictures to the raid.
I'm glad they're going to break AVR and AVRe (and I'm sure they're breaking both, as AVR makes AVRe possible and they'll want to break the source of it). Why am I glad? Because regardless of what the people are crying about, WE DON'T ACTUALLY NEED THESE MODS. I suppose one can argue that we don't need DBM or BigWigs, but no, it's not the same as AVR. That argument is tired.
And no, getting rid of flares in the game does not equate to getting rid of AVR. Flares are something that are already in the game. They were made BY blizzard. They're not invasive on the 3D world if they're a part of it.
Neirin May 20th 2010 6:41PM
I've never used AVR because, like the blue post mentioned, I think it messes up the visual feel of WoW. Sure, malleable goo can be annoying to try and figure out the range on and the totem rings are awesome (actually, if blizz found a way to keep totem rings I would be a very happy person), but when I down LK I want to see the art so many graphic designers poured hours of time into designing, not spots of color.
I don't begrudge anyone who uses AVR, btw - I use waaaay to many addons to help me raid to be able to call out someone for using this. It's just simply not for me.
glenn.winstead May 20th 2010 6:41PM
Generally speaking, I meant the commenters, and by most I mean those who seem to be responding in the negative about the addon as a whole.
Stooch May 20th 2010 6:47PM
So, when's Gearscore getting the same treatment? :D
Wolftech May 20th 2010 9:37PM
This.
Hoggersbud May 20th 2010 10:12PM
Never? Because it's not the same thing.
Numb May 20th 2010 10:57PM
For the last time, gearscore existed long before the gearscore mod. Right now people say "DPS 5.5k gearscore LFG," but if gs didn't exist, they'd simply say "DPS w/average 251 ilvl gear LFG."
It's all the same. Stop complaining about gearscore just because it's en vogue to do so.
Redielin May 20th 2010 6:50PM
@Chione
You could argue that the old addons and macros that would do your rotations for you really did the same thing as addons like CLCret does now. The old ones just went one step further and actually hit the buttons for you. Now, addons can't do that, but they can still show you what buttons to push. Blizzard wanted to draw a line in the sand: players have to do the actual button pushing for every ability on the GCD. They put the GCD in there for a reason, so that there still was a need for some skill and focus in using a rotation (or learning how to decurse) on the player's end.
So its the same with DBM/AVR. Sure, they basically do the same thing. AVR just goes one step further and actually lets you draw on the game world where you want people to stand. DBM will warn you that you are standing in fire, but it won't show you where to move. Blizzard decided that the "shows you where to move" part made movement encounters too easy. That's not silly, that's deciding what kind of game you want players to play, which is important when you allow players to do so much modding of your game, at least on the client end.
Greg May 20th 2010 6:53PM
I kind of wish Blizzard would incorporate some sort of native ability to do what this addon was trying to do- plan a raid encounter.
It would be nice to be able to position a target dummy, and draw lines on the ground, put up boxes representing adds, etc. in the military quarter of each town. Basically, a good old-fashined military sand table. It could be a feature included with the often-speculated guild housing.
Quin May 20th 2010 7:07PM
Yeah it basically helped in 4 fights in ICC.
Not sure what you mean by telling you were to stand in Sindy, the only use it had there was specifying the range of the chain ice block effect, which is a no brainer. The best thing it did was indicate the malleable goo range. Not hard to run around like chickens without heads and avoid, but with this you could sit on the edge and run straight back in afterwards.
Ah well, not such a big loss. Don't know what the big deal is about.
nonentity May 20th 2010 7:06PM
Well... it was fun while it lasted.
Michael May 20th 2010 7:08PM
Blizzard could take a cue from something that teachers around the world have known for a long time - some people are audio learners (tell them how to do something and they can figure it out), tactile learners (have them touch and feel something and they can take it apart, fix it, break it and make it better, etc), book learners (write it down and have the person read it and they can figure out what to do, and visual learners (show them how to do something, move the mouse for them with their hands on it, use an overlay video screen, show them how to dribble a ball and they will learn from watching you).
Most addons help those who are audio and book learners, throw in videos and things like wowwikki and you have made those same people happy.
Tactile learners are probably outside playing tennis or something right now and could care less about wow.
Visual learners are the ones left out of this equation. AVR and AVRE helps those people. They know what to do (or are screamed at by their raid leaders) but because they have to Visually see something to learn about it, it takes multiple attempts and tons of effort to figure it out.
As a teacher I find that more and more of my students are visual learners - show them and they can adapt and usually they can adjust what they learned to other similar things. Less and less are readers or audio learners and there will always be a segment of the population that are tactile but the visual learners are growing.
Blizzard should be taking this into consideration with their clients, who tend to be younger players - if they can't be successful with end-game content, why would they continue to pay for it. AVR and AVRE helps them.
I can see removing the ability to "draw" in the wow world, but a mod that places something on the ground (what is shouted and yelled by DBM, or similar things like omen) is just another way for a segment of the population to be better at the game. I don't see how a cast timer mod is any different, personally.
Remove any mod that "helps" raid encounters or let those that "help" stay.
zurkka May 21st 2010 1:40AM
show them a tankspot video, go there and try to kill the boss 2 or 3 times
they will see the fight, they will se how everything works
I'm fine with AVR, i use this to show my guild how to do things and i just hate AVRE
trust me, i got 5 members that use this, i just can see the caos in my raid just becoue this guys wont see goos or other things incoming, why? there is no more a big red circle in the ground
sure there are visual learners, but this guys they see a video, they give 2 or 3 trys on a boss and they learn it
DBM is vey different, they just tell you what and when is happpening, you still have to know what you will do, in fight with ranges and aoe damage (maleable goos, slimes exploding in rotface) AVRE just made the fight a GET AWAY FROM RED CIRCLE, DONT OVERLAP YOUR CIRCLE, the guy dont even have to know what the spell/skill you do to him, he just need to stay in or out draws
every forgets that when something becomes to easy, it becomes boring
I pray for a world with less faceroll =P