Guild Wars 2

I’ve been wondering if one day, soon or late, addons would be usable in GW2 ?
I know it had been discussed during and before the different BWE but now that the game is released ?
Please note that I’m only asking about the general idea. I know that allowing a full liberty of addons would disrupt the game (some addons like Big Wigs/DBM in WoW for instance).
However, as players would like more and more features to see added to the game that aren’t considered as there are “more important” things to focus on, I think it could be a good idea.
Just one example : players are craving for option to save build/stuff/skills but no option to do this is planned, it could be done with some addons.
Other options to be able to see (as I’ve seen in a topic) the number of dungeon tokens we have on our account by pressing H key.
It could also be used to personalise UI (woot I need fancy windows lol).

All that to say : I think it should be taken into consideration and could be very good to the experience of gaming.
Note that, the more you can personalise your game, the more you like it and the more you play it.

Hoping we’ll have an answer from Anet staff here

They said “no” very early on to addons, especially UI addons.

There have been a few mentions somewhat recently by one or two staff members that they want to eventually be able to work with third party developers to create “apps”. They haven’t said anything more than that, from what I’ve seen.

No.

Add ons, such as wows, functions like hacks and cheats. They are nice in the begining, but sooner or later they will force players to use them.

Who raids in wow without a dps meter? Who can heal effevtively wirhout healing Addon in wow? How about powaaura that shows when your abilities are ready?

Addon changed the way blizzard design wow. They built their game around those addons because everyone is using them. Allow addons in gw2, and anet will be force to follow blizzards footstep.

I agree with your points, that’s why I said

Please note that I’m only asking about the general idea. I know that allowing a full liberty of addons would disrupt the game (some addons like Big Wigs/DBM in WoW for instance).

But, as usual, players don’t read the whole post and only a few lines.
I defintely agree that full liberty should not be allowed.

I like the idea of “apps” as you said TimeBomb, it’s a shame we don’t have more information about this.

While I definitely agree that addons such as DPS meter/DBM/Big Wigs like would not be welcome here (and I’m firmly against it myself) I don’t see why UI addons would not be allowed O_o.

I mean, what’s the change ? It’s all about aesthetics. What’s wrong in the will to have a pretty UI ? Gameplay is not changed at all.
Furthermore, it contradicts the idea of wanting to be different from other MMOs, as it forces you to have all the same UI … Difference in having all the same ?
Not that I find it absolutely necessary, I don’t find the current UI to be that ugly, but it’s not that pretty either.

Finally, I defintely insiste on those ideas of option to save/load builds/skills/stuff or small features like seeing how many dungeon tokens you have on your account.

carson yuen.6739:

No.

Add ons, such as wows, functions like hacks and cheats. They are nice in the begining, but sooner or later they will force players to use them.

Who raids in wow without a dps meter? Who can heal effevtively wirhout healing Addon in wow? How about powaaura that shows when your abilities are ready?

Addon changed the way blizzard design wow. They built their game around those addons because everyone is using them. Allow addons in gw2, and anet will be force to follow blizzards footstep.

Hell, who raids without DBM these days. A mod literally telling you what to do / when to do it, what the boss is doing and when etc. just terrible, and you would be laughed at or kicked out of the group if you didn’t have it because learning a fight on your own is taboo in that game. There are also mods that even do your rotation for you, you just hit what it tells you. We would be getting addons that tells us when to dodge, etc.

Yeah, I think we could do without addons. Forever.

I very vaguely remember something being said about the UI being made more customizable at some point post-release. It’s nothing more than a vague memory I have, and I’m not even sure if a staff member ever said it. Hell, I may be thinking about a different game even. If anyone else has any memory of or evidence/log of a staff member saying something about a more customizable UI, please do speak up.

50% of how you win in PVP for wow consists of
-who has better and smarter macros (executing 3 skills in 1 button? why not?)
-who has better add-ons

For raiding, you must have DBM and a threat meter. For healers you need a healing add-on as well.

I think purely UI is okay, as long as there isnt any unfair advantage over someone without add-ons. But the ones that show you the direction of where the damage you’re taking is coming from, the cooldowns of the skills that thee other player has…no. It isnt good.

I want to point out that addon support is not an ‘all-or-nothing’ thing. Addons can only do what the API set up by ArenaNet actually allows. For example, if ArenaNet doesn’t want addons like damage meters or DBM, all they have to do is not make combat log events available to addon writers.

There’s still plenty of non-combat addons that I’d very much like to have in Guild Wars 2 that I don’t think anyone would have any objection to. Things like inventory addons (like being able to see the inventory of any of your characters and your bank at any time), roleplaying addons (like being able to write a physical description of your character that can be viewed by others with the same addon), item libraries (like being able to browse a items in-game that can be linked to chat), and yes UI addons of just changing the unit frames or moving the buttons around.

I agree with purely UI additions. There is so much information that the game currently collects that we can’t readily see (at least I haven’t found a way yet).

For example, more character stats. Do we really have to track every piece separately to know how much MF we have, or condition damage….things like that?

And a huge +1 for saving the different builds. I have no clue how something so important could be left out.

In WoW, you don’t play WoW, you play addons, which is why I HATE them. Also the entire reason Rift died for me…I began playing addons, instead of the game.

Not fun, in any way shape or form.

Just read what Prima Zed said :

I want to point out that addon support is not an ‘all-or-nothing’ thing. Addons can only do what the API set up by ArenaNet actually allows. For example, if ArenaNet doesn’t want addons like damage meters or DBM, all they have to do is not make combat log events available to addon writers.

We’re talking about the idea of introducing some but with limits, one EVER talked about granting unlimited possibilities of addons, which would be very crap for the game.

If you have a great idea regarding additional UI functionality or something else you’ve seen in an add on, I would post it in the suggestions forums on this site. The developers have a track record of listening to their players.

The issue with add ons is how much control do you give non-developers when it comes to indirect-gameplay related features (such as combat log parsing). Too much and you risk giving those people who choose to download addons a significant advantage – to the point where some addons become mandatory (which is what has happened in other games).

I would rather leave these decisions in the hands of the developers – and, as I noted above, they do listen to their players. If you have something you want to see that isnt currently available, definitely make a suggestion on the forums.

While I can see both sides of the argument I would like to point out that I cant think of a single person who I know who runs dungeons who would not like an add-on that would pop up and tell you which paths in the dungeon are bugged before you went it.

addon makers actually making the game better for the company… WoW is a piece of CRAP without the addons!!! i never liked that healbot kind of addons.. but i did liked dmg meters/agroo meters and some ui changings.. if API like this existet there would be another major Road of posibilities. but i doubt Anet would ever allow addons anyhow.. bad for them if you ask me..but i dont rly care nevertherless..