05-23-2005, 09:16 PM
World of Warcraft leaves plenty of room open for modification, spanning from UI changes to macros and quasi-programs that run ingame. Recently while raiding an instance there was a Paladin who announced anyone needing a particular Blessing should just whisper him and he'd take care of it. Fair enough, I thought. It's nice to see someone stepping out to be helpful, especially when you're trying to work together on something like that. A few minutes later he commented on how it was automatic; a mod that reacted to whispers and cast the appropriate spell on the person whispering.
Maybe I'm alone on this one, but that left a bad taste in my mouth. The more I look into the mods available, the less and less I see a need for actual gameplay. The "Decursive" mod seems to take things even further, where at the push of a button one can search his party, then raid, and dispell a status ailment he didn't even know was present.
With these sorts of text-triggered castings, I could see synergistic mods created where one person may whisper for a heal at a certain percent of his life, and the healer will automatically cast upon them. The possibilities go on and on, and in my view the result is less of a focus on actual gameplay skill and more a question of which mods have been downloaded and installed.
I do not like that notion.
The lesser use of macros to announce a spell or assist the MT... those I can not only live with but do use to great effect. It only makes sense to simplify things. But at what point are we destroying gameplay with automatic actions for the sake of greater power/efficacy? At one point does the realm of healers shift from praise of those on top of their game, to an expectance that they will be using these mods to supplement skill? What happens when "Heal Bots" truly become bots, joining their friend Pindle?
Personally, the distaste I've found has caused me to eschew any of these types of mods. I'd like to hear thoughts of other Lurkers on this one, especially given the general feel towards 3rd-party programs (to which I'd say these border dangerously close). Simply: How far is too far?
Maybe I'm alone on this one, but that left a bad taste in my mouth. The more I look into the mods available, the less and less I see a need for actual gameplay. The "Decursive" mod seems to take things even further, where at the push of a button one can search his party, then raid, and dispell a status ailment he didn't even know was present.
With these sorts of text-triggered castings, I could see synergistic mods created where one person may whisper for a heal at a certain percent of his life, and the healer will automatically cast upon them. The possibilities go on and on, and in my view the result is less of a focus on actual gameplay skill and more a question of which mods have been downloaded and installed.
I do not like that notion.
The lesser use of macros to announce a spell or assist the MT... those I can not only live with but do use to great effect. It only makes sense to simplify things. But at what point are we destroying gameplay with automatic actions for the sake of greater power/efficacy? At one point does the realm of healers shift from praise of those on top of their game, to an expectance that they will be using these mods to supplement skill? What happens when "Heal Bots" truly become bots, joining their friend Pindle?
Personally, the distaste I've found has caused me to eschew any of these types of mods. I'd like to hear thoughts of other Lurkers on this one, especially given the general feel towards 3rd-party programs (to which I'd say these border dangerously close). Simply: How far is too far?
See you in Town,
-Z
-Z