1. #1

    Does Blizzard's improved UI allow me to dump some addons?

    I use a myriad of addons for my five toons and would love to get rid of some. I realize that some addons such as Auctioneer, Skada/Recount and DBM will stay as I don't see Blizzard implementing such features.

    However, after the 4.0 patch I noticed some changes in the Blizzard stock UI. Among them was a Power Auras-like notification when cool downs are available and some raid frames. I would love to get rid of some of the more cumbersome addons like Grid, Quartz, Squack and Awe, Necrosis, PallyPower, Power Auras, etc.

    When Cataclysm comes out I plan on going back to druid healing. Presently I use Grid and Clique to heal my party and raid. Should I be able to get rid of Grid now since the stock UI now has some real frames? I'd imagine I would still keep Clique around.

    The part I liked about Grid, was with some extra addons and configuration I could get a countdown for my HoT's in the corners of the frame as well as a color code for the number of stacks of lifebloom applied. Does the stock frames UI allow that now?

    Am I being too optimistic about Blizzard's ability to incorporate useful features of other addons into their stock UI?

  2. #2
    High Overlord Etalia's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    158
    In my honest opinion, although Blizzard took a step in the right direction with the raid frames, they are still vastly inferior to Grid. They don't have the configurability (they are bulky and while can be resized, are still really ugly) or the intuitive potential (through the extra plugins) that Grid has. I'll still be using Grid and Clique myself.

    Quartz is still a must. Blizz haven't made any changes to the cast bar, and Quartz still provides the visual cue for latency and the "safe zone" for channeled spells.

    I continue to use an outside SCT simply because the ingame one doesn't break down the numbers into the abilities like say, MSCT does. I'm not sure, since you only mentioned the cooldowns part of Power Auras, if like me, you like to know exactly what it was that healed the tank for x amount. :P

    As for Pally Power - I don't have an 80 Pally myself, so perhaps a Pally who is raiding can confirm this - but since your buffs have been whittled down to two (Kings and Might), I don't see the need for such an addon anymore. It's probably something you can figure out in raid much more easily than you could have with four buffs. You'd probably be safe without it, yeah?

    I have no input for the new Power Auras because I haven't personally seen it put to good use yet. Perhaps someone who plays a class(s) with lots of procs can give you a review

  3. #3
    The problem with the new raid frames is that they take up too much space. It seems like they can only be scaled up, but not down, which is stupid. It's not by far as customizable as Grid, so if you want very specific indicator styles, stick with an addon.

    Same thing with the built in PowA. It's nice, but if you want customization go for the addon. PallyPower shouldn't be needed anymore, since there are only 2 blessings.

  4. #4
    The Patient Curoch's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    96.87% of the time, in my room. The other 3.13%? Pooping.
    Posts
    208
    Power Auras is a must keep, still one of my all time favorite addons in game. As far as I'm concerned, if I had to use only 5 addons right now, I'd take.. Recount, DBM, Power Auras, X-Perl, and AtlasLoot.
    Pally Power is useless now, I don't use Grid or Clique, since X-Perl does just as good for me. Although right now it's broken.

    EDIT:
    Lemme tell you why I still love Power Auras. I play as Holy and Prot, and both have a substantial amount of procs, so I like to keep it around so I don't find myself staring at the upper-right hand corner of my screen during any PvP or PvE encounter. I found myself staring at my tiny Holy Power thing waiting for 3 HP and someone in my raid died because I wasn't paying enough attention, and now Power Auras shows Holy Power, too. So I have it set up to show a nice little lightning bolt when I get 3 stacks so I know to Use WoG and get back to healing normally. This obviously helps as pretty much every spec as a Pally. Plus, as Holy, I have quite a few important procs, and the same for Prot, so that's why it's irreplaceable to me. Even if they have a built in UI now, it's not as good as Power Auras.
    Last edited by Curoch; 2010-10-20 at 09:31 PM.

  5. #5
    The only addon you really need now is recount to stroke your epeen. All the rest are just trivial, if you can think you can do better than most people just with blizzard's Default UI
    Gamdwelf the Mage

    Quote Originally Posted by Theodarzna View Post
    I'm calling it, Republicans will hold congress in 2018 and Trump will win again in 2020.

  6. #6
    High Overlord Pheno's Avatar
    15+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Indiana
    Posts
    131
    Quote Originally Posted by Gamdwelf View Post
    The only addon you really need now is recount to stroke your epeen. All the rest are just trivial, if you can think you can do better than most people just with blizzard's Default UI
    It's trivial in the same way that you pick what cereal you want for breakfast. Sure I could stick with Cheerios every day of my life and be fine... But I don't like Cheerios so I buy other brands. The preference of UI is the same principal. I could stick with Blizzard's UI if I wanted to and be fine, but I don't like it. I like to experiment with mods until I find some that I like. I even play better with certain mods and UI's.

  7. #7
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by Lugo Moll View Post
    The problem with the new raid frames is that they take up too much space. It seems like they can only be scaled up, but not down, which is stupid. It's not by far as customizable as Grid, so if you want very specific indicator styles, stick with an addon.

    Same thing with the built in PowA. It's nice, but if you want customization go for the addon. PallyPower shouldn't be needed anymore, since there are only 2 blessings.

    You can scale them down.

  8. #8
    I don't have a healer, so Grid to me is just an expanded version, and somewhat easier to click on, of the new WoW Party/Raid frames.

    For Pallypower, no, it's not really needed anymore. If you happen to have multiple Pall(y/ie)s, I'm pretty sure you can come up with a solution as to whats getting dropped (Devo/Elem/Conc/Ret), given that Shamans have 3 of those in totem form.

    I still use Power Auras, mostly to remind me when I need to rebuff things (Flasks, Blessings, etc.)

    I also still use Shock and Awe, as (mainly) it's sounds for shields or weapon buffs dropping off are the main reason I keep it around, as ForteXorcist gives me the timer bars. It's also helpful for Maelstrom procs . And I've been playing long enough to know what the hell I'm supposed to be doing, so the priority system implemented in it is okay, but unnecessary.

    Hell I even dropped recount (it had been the only addon keeping me from being able to log in, so oh darn), Omen I still have, since it's a helpful one when tanking (TukUI keep track of my threat on my target, so I only need to have it active on my tank toons).

    It's also very possible that some tradeskill filter addons may not be needed now that there's Blizz's filter (though it's kinda lacking; "has materials" will stay checked, and I'm guessing "has skill-up" will, but others reset).

  9. #9
    I still use grid over the blizzard raid frames on my healer due to the fact that the default still doesn't track hots and debuffs clearly enough for my taste. On all my other characters though, the default is just fine and MUCH improved over the old default.

  10. #10
    i don't think you need pallypower, last I checked what that was used for was giving the right people the right buffs. you pretty much have kings and might, and if there's a druid you use might, if there isn't you use kings. simple.
    Quote Originally Posted by Aucald View Post
    Having the authority to do a thing doesn't make it just, moral, or even correct.

  11. #11
    High Overlord
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Grim mountains of Norway
    Posts
    119
    Quote Originally Posted by Naiomie View Post
    You can scale them down.
    Not enough.
    Edit: The new raidframes from blizz works fine in 10 man raids but it takes too much space in 25 man. And on the decursive view it's really bad, it's only a tiny tiny tiny tiny little icon you have to look for. I use xperl which colors the whole players health bar in purple for curse, green poison and such which is really easy to detect and dispell quickly.

    Also I find the party frames in dungeons is too small and needs a scaling option aswell, I made these suggestion through beta to Blizzard but doubt they'll listen.
    Last edited by Rownbear; 2010-10-21 at 12:24 AM.

  12. #12
    The customisation of the raid frames may be insufficient for many, and that is really where the issue lies.
    While I feel they are a step in the right direction, like most of the "features" introduced from addons, they are subpar versions which if anything instead of acting as a realistic alternative prove more to be a stepping stone for the less experienced towards 3rd party addons, a stopgap as such.
    The exception I found to be the equipment manager, at least for my limited needs in that regard.
    I have no reason to automatically equip a pvp set upon entering a bg, - I equip it beforehand etc, though I will admit to using a databroker now to access it more readily.

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by LonestarHero View Post
    However, after the 4.0 patch I noticed some changes in the Blizzard stock UI. Among them was a Power Auras-like notification when cool downs are available and some raid frames. I would love to get rid of some of the more cumbersome addons like Grid, Quartz, Squack and Awe, Necrosis, PallyPower, Power Auras, etc.

    When Cataclysm comes out I plan on going back to druid healing. Presently I use Grid and Clique to heal my party and raid. Should I be able to get rid of Grid now since the stock UI now has some real frames? I'd imagine I would still keep Clique around.

    The part I liked about Grid, was with some extra addons and configuration I could get a countdown for my HoT's in the corners of the frame as well as a color code for the number of stacks of lifebloom applied. Does the stock frames UI allow that now?

    Am I being too optimistic about Blizzard's ability to incorporate useful features of other addons into their stock UI?
    It's not so much that they're incapable of adding those features, but rather that they are purposely leaving room for addons to be useful. The Blizzard power auras, for instance, are basic, whereas Power Auras Classic is almost infinitely more customizable. The Blizzard raid frames took on a Grid-like appearance, but they probably won't have the additional options and configurations that Grid currently allows you.

    Necrosis and PallyPower, however, you can get rid of. PallyPower is absolutely unnecessary, for certain, and Necrosis has been mostly replaced with spell flyouts for demon summoning, general removal of SS as spell fuel, and a more powerfully condensed curse/bane system.

    I'd keep Grid, Clique, Power Auras, and DBM - plus whatever others you feel you need to have.
    Originally Posted by Daxxarri (Blue Tracker)
    What you're experiencing is world PvP on a PvP realm. I realize that it's not for everyone, but it's not something that we plan to adjust. The harsh reality is that life on a PvP realm can be difficult, and if you aren't prepared for the rigors of playing on such a realm, then it's probably in your best interest to transfer to a normal realm, or, if you cannot afford that, then consider creating a new character on a normal realm.
    Grim Campfire

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •