How Addons Alter Game Design
 

Our friend lore at Tankspot talks about the history of AddOns and their effect on game play in World of Warcraft. If you have 15min to spend its a good video to watch.

*cough* Transcript please!

Very well said..

Far too many ups vs downs with adons.. no reason for us to all revert back to horse and buggy, but still good points made!

(hands you some white paint for your worn out 6 key)

Well, to summarize:

Addons were made that made the game too easy. Blizzard restricted the API system.

Addons were made that had a lot of good functionality. Blizzard took the ideas and implemented it into the default UI (albeit with a lot fewer options because Blizzard has optionophobia).

Addons were made that presented a lot of information in an easy to read manner. This made boss encounters too easy.

Blizzard has a limit to how much they want to restrict the API, so they:
A) Implemented a bit of their own information display into boss fights ("Rawr, I'm about to cast my big breath, I suggest you all hide!")
B) Started balancing encounters around addons

This made encounters challenging again. It also had the effect of making encounters more involved, because now players could react to strategies more difficult than "Don't stand in the fire!" (Wait, really? I think 75% of the population is still stuck on that one ;))

Thus began the great cycle of "Hey, I made a great addon to make the game easier!" "Uh oh, we better design boss encounters to be challenging even with that addon!" "Hey, I made AVR-E!" "Eek!"

:p

Does he use Soul Glo?

Wondered that too...

PS - I had a couple nice unexpected stress-relieving lols from Nerdscale Dorkin. :)