I think we assume that those who are working on the extreme endgame PvE content are going to be doing anything they can in order to help increase their chances for success. By both embracing the UI mod community and their addons, as well as assuming that players are going to be using them to great effect versus our encounters, we have to design encounters that assume their use or the encounter is trivialized by those on vent, those with a countdown, those with a threat meter, etc. Once a lot of the guess work is removed with mods we have to raise the complexity beyond what a mod can purely assist with. I think at this point we're forced to assume everyone is using mods to great effect versus our design complexity, which in turn forces everyone to use those mods. It's probably somewhat debatable what mods are required and where, but it's certain that we have to take them into account, lest the game be trivialized.
UI Mods have become an integral part of the game for many players, and we've been extremely pleased with the amount of customization and information they're able to provide. We're continually working to assess and implement new UI features, many of which have come straight from the community, to help ensure that the default UI is as full featured as possible while remaining uncluttered, clean, attractive, and easily approached.
Well, as I said we're continually looking for little bits here and little bits there to throw into the default UI. I don't think we're going to be at a point, at least for a long time, where we think "Ok, that's about all we need, everything else they can get themselves."
The biggest ... "issue" we run into when implementing a new UI feature is ensuring it fits with the simplicity and approachability of a default UI. For larger and more intrusive features I think the best thing we can usually do is provide a solution that fits into our idea of what we want the default UI to offer, but at the same time give mod makers new options and more information to grab on to, parse out, and create better mods for those that want to customize their UI even further.
Those all sound like personal taste, and a reason why we fully support a user's ability to download and install a mod that helps to alter or modify their interface to their liking (as long as the mod falls in line with what is allowed according to our legal agreements of course). We have a specific idea of what the default UI should look like, and offer, and if you want to change that then we want you to be able to. Enjoy and embrace the fact that you can change it.
Coordinates, as well as some of the other mods that have been discussed or are actually in the process of being implemented, run into the ... again, issue of fitting into the default UI.
We want the default UI to be a part of the game, to blend into the idea of what the game is, what it represents, how you're interacting with it. There's a stark balance between game aesthetics, and function.
"Mignon rides to the top of the hill, his fur matted with the blood of those that fell before him. As he reaches the crest of the peak, he unrolls his map, wipes off the lens of his compass, and sees two sets of numbers hanging in the air - wildly fluctuating - as he moves his finger over the map."
The biggest challenge is making these types of features work in a way that we find acceptable within what we want the UI to portray. Sure, maybe eventually those weird numbers that magically change on your map is something we eventually just have to implement as an acceptable loss to the immersion of the game.
The continuity of the UI probably isn't something most of you really think about, but we're constantly attempting to maintain it with the features we do implement.
I've tried them all, I'm just done with all the crazy layout changing mods. I don't find they actually improve my ability to play the game, and I generally don't find anything I'm able to get out of them worth the immense time and effort I've spent trying to make something useful.
I'm all about the stand alone, simple, "designed to do one thing, and one thing well" type mods. Looking at my screen you'd definitely think there was a lot of extra stuff going on though.
I think what we're mainly talking about here are threat meters, and unless you're involved in end-game raiding situations you don't need one. And if you're involved in end-game raiding situations it's likely you would already be aware of those mods your guild uses and relies on. If not then ask them what they use or recommend you use, of if they feel it would even help to the overall progression for you to have them.
I never said we weren't looking into implementing a threat meter, in fact I think at BlizzCon it was specifically mentioned we were looking into implementing a threat meter.
However, our implementation of a threat meter wouldn't be nearly as robust as what everyone is using now, but what it could help do is provide more accurate information to those mods that could use it and parse it out for everyone that wants greater control over it.
"I know that UI mods are a huge part of raiding, and it's something that, you know, we're also talking about, in the future we're actually talking about putting a threat meter inside our game."
That's of course a statement simply saying that there are discussions happening, which is in no way a promise or indication that a threat meter will be implemented, but that it's something that's been in discussions for implementation.
