wow Addons & Friendly Nameplates in Patch 7.2

[Stan 5,041]

Blizzard is disabling the ability of addons to modify friendly nameplates in raids and dungeons. They think some addons trivialize elements of gameplay that are supposed to be challenging.

The community doesn't agree with proposed changes and suggests Blizzard to update their UI, which is outdated and could definitely use a complete overhaul. The changes may also discourage a lot of healers. The addon that likely triggered the change is WeekAuras for Star Augur Etraeus' Grand Conjunction.

Lore (Source)

With Patch 7.2, we’re disabling the ability for addons to modify the appearance of friendly nameplates while inside dungeon and raid instances.

While, for the most part, we’re impressed with -- and encourage -- the creativity that addon authors bring to the game using the addon API, occasionally an addon goes too far in terms of automating or trivializing elements of gameplay that are meant to be highly challenging. Recently, we’ve become aware of a couple addons that were using visual adjustments to friendly nameplates as a method to automatically coordinate complex positioning requirements. This caused what was intended to be a difficult test of a group’s ability to identify positioning requirements on the fly to instead become a simple matter of following a visual marker.

In order to prevent this from continuing, we’ve had to disable the ability for addons to modify how friendly nameplates appear while inside of dungeon and raid instances. Nothing has changed outside of dungeons and raids – addons will still be able to customize the appearance of friendly nameplates everywhere else (most notably in PvP, where they’re most commonly used in ways we don’t consider problematic). 

We also don’t anticipate that addon authors will need to update their code to accommodate this change; customizations should simply stop working once a player zones into a raid, and start working again once they’ve left. However, if you’d like to double-check, this change should now be active in the current 7.2 PTR environment.

Just to reiterate since I'm seeing some confusion:

• Nothing whatsoever is changed while you are outside of a raid or dungeon
• When you zone into a raid or dungeon, only your friendly nameplates (if enabled) will be forced to use the standard Blizzard appearance
• Enemy nameplates can still be modified and customized by addons while in a raid or dungeon
• Once you zone out of the raid or dungeon, any changes made by an addon will once again apply

Do you use friendly nameplates? How do the changes affect you?

[Murky 4]

That means "goodbye healbot", right? Great.

[Dantalian 20]

As Long as RaidFrame addons (VuhDo, HealBot, etc) are nor removed I am totally find with the change. Ability to react and memorize some thing  is one of many that makes raiding great. Not because it brings difficulty to raiders but it gives opportunity to build cool mechanics.

When this part is automated and Addon tells you what to do, the work of developers and encounters becomes  meaningless. This leads to the boring content and outcry that no one is doing work at blizzard.

[Dantalian 20]

3 minutes ago, Cursian said:

That means "goodbye healbot", right? Great.

No its not. HealBot modifies Raidframes, not nameplates. For those who do not know what Nameplates are. This is Name and health that are shown over the head of friendly characters. So everything is fine with HealBot

[Akiel 0]

This is about WeakAuras

[Munky 5]

The same reasons they blocked addons to obtain people's coordinates.

Good move blizzard

[RoseZ12 6]

if you once saw the mythic attemp of a russian top guild you know why they did that.. those players dont need to think  1second what to do.. they let the addon play the game for them.. back to the roots blizz to give the people brain and selfesteem!

 

though its again blizzard logic to fix those things after the mythic race.. like banning bots after a year when they already made all their money..

Edited March 2, 2017 by RoseZ12

[Murky 4]

5 hours ago, Dantalian said:

No its not. HealBot modifies Raidframes, not nameplates. For those who do not know what Nameplates are. This is Name and health that are shown over the head of friendly characters. So everything is fine with HealBot

Well, if you are right, then I have nothing against it. I really can't imagine healing with original frames ;)

[hDszzT 103]

7 hours ago, Dantalian said:

No its not. HealBot modifies Raidframes, not nameplates. For those who do not know what Nameplates are. This is Name and health that are shown over the head of friendly characters. So everything is fine with HealBot

Unfortunate that a lot of the backlash is coming from people who don't even know what nameplates are.

Not pointing this at Murky, that was just a genuine question, but I've seen so many people complain about this change citing completely irrelevant things and it's just ugh.

[PatrickHenry 293]

"Following a visual marker"

You mean like the glyphs on Odyn?

[dsc 18]

Guess who got unintentionally screwed by this?

Holy Priests.   As crappy as they've made our Prayer of Healing (once again) I would turn on friendly nameplates in tidyplates on some fights.  You know why? Because I could see who was the target I would logically cast onto based on the status of those around them

Thats IT. Just trying to play the frigging game normally, the proplem is the Blizz friendly bars are unusable, I cannot see or read the names in raid.

 

I'm ticked, thank God I'm years retired from hardcore progression raiding or I'd be throwing stuff. 

[Bagster 0]

Ergh, i've spent about 3 hours over the last couple of wekks trying to fix why my TidyPlates wasn't showing class colours in dungeons/raids thinking the addon was stuffed. Kinda sucks but glad they didnt take it out of pvp too , that would have sucked.

Tidy Plates is the only thing affected by this right? I see people complaining about healbot but as mentioned above, they are raid frames not name plates??

Anyway, wishing I'd seen this a few weeks ago hahaha ah well...
 

[Valks 2,373]

On 3/3/2017 at 6:04 PM, dsc said:

I'm ticked, thank God I'm years retired from hardcore progression raiding or I'd be throwing stuff. 

Better start throwing those Prayers of Healing :D

[Valks 2,373]

On 5/3/2017 at 5:14 AM, Bagster said:

Tidy Plates is the only thing affected by this right? I see people complaining about healbot but as mentioned above, they are raid frames not name plates??

Yeah, this won't affect HB.