Are TSM and other Addons breaking the TOS?

Community General Discussion
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Just a question here, Lets be realistic if you go shopping you cannot scan 50 items in different aisles basically at the same time so why is this allowed to be automated via Auctionator, TSM and other AH addons?

I thought the whole point of the Auction House was for “real” people to go and browse items/materials to buy and possibly even snag themselves a bargain one time, but i feel the AH has become a battle of AH addons on who will snipe who first.

So based on this would being able to create a shopping list and use addons to instant buy underpriced items almost instantly breaking the TOS? I feel that there is a “grey” area here because people say “Well i have to click to buy the item” but you cannot be browsing 2 items at the same time in the shop being able to scan say “Ore,s and Herbs and other specific areas all at once” is a bit questionable due to the fact that if blizzard wanted you to scan Ores and Herbs they would have done that themselves.

I do understand that they have not banned TSM and various other addons so they must be doing something right but it still feels a bit like an “automated” system pressing 1 button to scan for XX amount of items every 30s or less which is not humanly possible.

I tested this theory to post numerous single units of Bismuth at a reduced rate at different times of the day and they were purchased almost before i even clicked the “Post” button which seems suspicious…

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Do have a hunch certain of these ToS breaking addons have direct links to some of the devs.

Seeing how they haven’t been struck down.

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Well this was my thinking too because of the fact that they are able to scan multiple categories basically at the same time which cannot be done via the standard Blizzard auction house UI, Which basically modifys the games UI and AH functionality.

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If they did, they’d be banned. As they don’t and are available to everyone then I don’t see the issue.

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I did state that they arent banned so they cant be doing anything illegal when it comes to blizzard but they do give people an “advantage” and add functionality that would not exist to the AH if you used the default blizzard UI which I thought broke terms as its ok to modify your UI as such (Weak Aura,s, DBM , Details etc) but to modify the functionality of the UI ie… Shopping Lists, Sniper Scans, Cheap Buyout, Browsing and filtering categories in a single screen is what I am asking this is all functionality which does not exist within the AH.

I know you can search manually for an item within 1 category and almost perform the same but good luck in getting
Shard Dust
WeaverCloth
Bismuth
Ironclaw
Amber Gems

Try displaying this in 1 screen without an addon and you cannot do it without an addon.

The fact that they are available to everyone is not the point as someone should not have to learn how to use an addon to get this functionality the addon is NOT a part of the game and should not be treated as so.

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The favorites tab lets you scan for specific times in multiple categories so it kinda is already in the game if you know what you’re looking for.

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TSM has been out for years and isn’t in violation of ToS. As someone said, if it was in violation, it would have been banned upon use by players.

One thing I’ve noticed it’s always addons that people do not use or don’t like, that they think they’re broken or in violation of something.

I don’t use TSM as I don’t want to learn how to use the whole addon and all its features.

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Restaurant and Supermarket apps say hello :astonished:

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Dev here.

Everything which is possible with the addon API is allowed.

The addon API is not a magical hack. This are functions which are provided by blizzard. Things you are not allowed to use cant be used. There are functions for casting spells for example but you get an error trying to call these.

Blizzard provides the functions. They know exactly what is possible with them. They restrict what should not be possible with them.

If at some point the clever combination of API functions creates an addon which blizz judge to be to powerfull they simply break the core interactions. Happened in the past.

What is cosindered to be to powerfull is another topic. As long as is it works now, its allowed. And if its not allowed your addon would receive an error message and wont work, thats it.

So no worries.

The grey zone are addons which are clerverly designed to bring the function framework but not the data. Like rested exp guide. The addon is free, as the tos tells it to be. But the data on which the addon operates is selled, this is fishy. But this is a concern for the authors not for you as a user.

Edit: The instant buy you experience is another thing, namely bots. Using TSM is absolutly fine. You could exctract the core interaction into a macro with a run command and do the same. But combining this tool with a program which uses a character 24/7 and operates this tool 24/7 is against TOS. Remember addons cant automate hardeware inputs. Even with addons you still have to click a confirm dialog (which can be confirmed with a macro but you have to press the macro at least). Some bots are operating such addons which results in your eperience. And bots are againat TOS because they automate hardware input. And because most of them manipulate the games executable.

About the thing with browsing and buying different items at once. This only appears strange to you because you are used to the UI view of the auction house. Here you see only one category of items at once. Bismuth ore for example. And you need to click the item you want and buy it.

From the codes perspective there is a simple buy function. It wants the item id and how many you want. You can call this function back to back with different item ids. The need for “inspecting an item before you buy it” is simply a UI thing.

Btw the default ui is using the same API. Thats why some functions are restricted. Addons seem to can do more because they provide a ui with extra buttons. Its not like things are impossible if the default ui does not provide them. The default ui just covers the stuff that blizz thinks is the right amount of features. Everything else comes with addons, thats the whole point of the addon API. Giving the community the ability to customize their experience withing the rules of the APIs framework. I am sure 99% of the players are satisfied with the default AH. And i am sure most of the playerbase doesnt even know about addons, the forum or wowhead.

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This is exactly what i meant that I used standard default blizz Ui which does not allow me to browse multiple categories at once so why can TSM modify this behaviour ?

I am fully aware that TSM is not breaking the TOS and are using the blizzard API to interact with the AH, But then why has blizzard not implemented such functionality direct into the AH ? Who knows to be sure.

The main question is “adding functionality which is not there by default against the TOS”. I would imagine the answer is no to this because TSM only modifys your view of the game and not others but the functionality is the point in question. If TSM had the exact same process as the default UI I wouldnt question it but the fact it has other functionality included is what I am asking.

Sure you can skin the AH to look however you please but to add functionality to it which isn’t there by default (Although it might be in the API) feels odd. (IE…Repeated Scanning, Shopping Lists, Sniper actions, and various other functions are automated which would normally need human interaction) , I,ve looked at TSM but never used it because I have no idea how to lol

I imagine the sniper functionality scans the AH for “specific” items which could be underpriced and offer a popup to buy the underpriced items, Now to do this with the offical UI you would have to type each item individually and then click the item and then click to “inspect” the item and then click to buy the item and this would needed to be done for EVERY item you wanted to check, You cant just check specific items all at once.

They are different as that is an app to allow you to do so and is implemented by the official store’s they are relevant to and you arent likely to snag a reduced item on an App any time soon if anything you will pay a premium because of its convenience. Again they have a shopping cart and if you type “Cheese” it will bring up Cheese’s not Cheeses
Good luck in trying to seatch for Ground Beef, Cheddar Cheese, Lettuce and Milk all at once without using an individual search for each item.

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Stop whining… “I posted one of the most highly sought after items on an market that spans a whole continent and it got bought instantly!” :open_mouth:

Like, really dude? Jesus, holymoly. Call me surprised buddy, call.me.surprised.

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??? what am i reading…
Maybe blizzard should do something about the BOTS BOTS BOTS BOTS BOTS in every aspect of the game.

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