I’ll keep it short and sweet. It bothers me how one addon, Spy, is deliberately nerfed to the ground via API changes, but another is allowed to shine to its full potential.
The problems with Spy and TSM (Trade Skill Master) are very similar. They both feel like a requirement to have, in order to stay at an even footing against others.
Spy warned you whenever anybody from the opposing faction was nearby or stealthed. It was so strong, it felt like not having it was a massive handicap.
The same applies to TSM. As I’m writing this, my TSM addon is constantly tugging the API for new AH updates, searching for valuable “snipes” to give me free gold for zero effort. The addon is so extremely good at what it does, it’s essentially a requirement if you want to take the AH game even somewhat seriously.
Then there are addons like HonorSpy, which give us a ghetto version of a service that Blizzard provided back in Vanilla. For whatever reason, Blizzard decides to demolish an addon that only provides the original functionalities of Vanilla, that they are unwilling to provide themselves, yet addons with paid functions such as TSM, that constantly bombard the API and bulldoze the real vanilla players without the addon, are allowed to stay.
To add, the addon requires an external application to be downloaded, logged in to, set up and for it to be running in the background. Isn’t that a bit much? Since when did “addons” become a whole new application of their own? I feel like we’re really deep in a gray zone regarding addon automation and communication.
ClassicAuraDurations is more of a requirement than either of those two, which utilizes UNIT_AURA to show friendly buffs on targets, which clearly goes against the game design when there is a spell specifically for that purpose: Detect Magic. This addon makes mages obsolete, similar to how a keyring makes rogues obsolete.
Yet so far they don’t seem to care for whatever reason, which really is a shame.
Spy has been around forever, yet it hasn’t been cracked down upon until just very recently. If a toxic addon like Spy can be nerfed via API/Combat Log changes, I’m sure there’s a way to get rid of the requirement of the AH destroying addon as well.
It was as a direct comparison, not a misquote in the slightest. Feel free to share with us all what fishy schemes I could possibly have regarding this. I understand if this is a beloved addon to you. It’s extremely handy, to the point that it becomes a problem.
And no, there won’t be any “crusade” nor manipulation. Get off your high horse.
