Addons- Introduction

=Introduction= I've authored this page as an attempt to educate people on Earthen Ring as to the use and availability of extensions to the WoW in-game interface known as Addons. I've seen that there's a lack of knowledge out there concerning Addons, as well as a number of misunderstandings and outright misconceptions concerning them. And of course some of these Addons are also authored with the interests of Roleplayers in mind. It occurs to me that the Wiki here might benefit from a list of such things, and of course in particular, those Addons dedicated to Roleplay.

First, lets start with a little vocabulary...

=About Addons=

Addons- Vocabulary and Terminology

 * Addons
 * Mods
 * Modules
 * UIs

These are the common sorts of terms you will hear used to describe portions of code used to expand the capabilities of the WoW Graphical User Interface (often abbreviated as GUI or just as UI). For the purposes of this Page however (and in no small way an attempt to keep things clear) I want to try to keep the language consistent.

In fact, sometimes Addons are also referred to by some players as UIs. Personally I don't find this terribly accurate since any given Addon is only a portion of the total User Interface, and not the whole thing. Another time you may hear the term UI used to describe an Addon is when the Addon takes the form of a Compilation of other Addons- usually complete with saved settings to make a single, harmonious interface. This latter use of the term is probably the more accurate of the two.

Among WoW modding enthusiasts, you may often hear the terms "Addon" and "Mod" (Module) used interchangeably. And although this is fine in common parlance, I want to avoid doing so in this page. You'll see why as I explain.

While technically anything that "plugs in" to the WoW UI is an Addon (which is the official, Blizzard-sanctioned term for them, by the way), some Addons have grown so vast in their functions that the Addons themselves, have Addons.

Have I confused you totally yet? Ok, well, this is why we need to get the language clear...

So we have Addons that plug into WoW directly, and then Addons that plug into other Addons, and thus into WoW, albeit indirectly. An excellent example of this Addons-plugging-into-other-Addons scenario is a mod like FuBar or TitanPanel. Both of these Addons are, by themselves, simply bars that can be positioned at the top or bottom of the screen. They do nothing else save provide a framework by which other Addons can be displayed and accessed within those bars. So to keep this all clear, I'm going to call those that plug into WoW directly, "Addons", and those that plug into WoW indirectly via other Addons, "Modules".

And I'm going to try very, very hard here not to use the term "Mod" at all.

Addons
An "Addon" is a small piece of code made to "plug into" the larger WoW game. These Addons aren't programs by themselves generally, and therefore tend to pose a low risk factor for downloading and installing as long as normal procedures for virus/malware scanning archive files are observed.

These small bits of code are aimed at expanding the capabilities of the WoW interface in various ways. Some of them do very small things like remove or hide bits of the interface, others can add information and features to the interface. Now as I said, anything that plugs into the WoW interface, either directly or via another Addon (a Module), is still technically an Addon. Addons come in many different Types however, and I'm going to attempt to explain some of those various categories.

Modules
Somewhat arbitrarily (but with some precedence) this is the term I will use for Addons that are meant to "plug into" other Addons. Modules generally won't function without the "parent" Addons they are meant to function with. This is also referred to as a "Dependency", which can actually be witnessed at work in the Addons control panel in the Character Select screen. If a Module with a Dependency has it's Parent Addon disabled, you will see a message in the control panel stating "Dependency Disabled".

Examples of such Modules include things like FuBar or TitanPanel modules which plug into the info bars/panels that the parent Addons provide. Other examples may include plug-in Modules that add functionality to a given Addon, the Chatbox Addon "Prat" has a number of Modules attached to it for functionality that can be turned on or off to reduce the memory overhead produced by using it. This allows you to use only the functions of Prat that you find useful, while not wasting system memory on functions you don't use. Such Addons are "modular" which makes the term "Module" rather apt.

Compilations (UIs)
These are a fairly unique category as they are often "packages" of Addons. Sometimes these may all be authored by the same person, or they may be from many different authors and sources, redistributed by a third party as a package. Reasons users may create Compilations include creating/sharing a fully-integrated User Interface (or UI) for other players to use (NurfedUI would be a good example of this), and Guilds who require Addon use as a stipulation of membership (such as raiding guilds requiring Boss Warning and Threat Meter Addons) may also create a Compilation as an easy way to get members up to their standards.

There are also some Authors that distribute Addons in smaller compilations I like to call "Suites". A good example of an Addon Suite is the popular Auction Addon Auctioneer- which is actually a distribution of several smaller Addons meant to improve the Auction interface in a number of different ways.

These are of course, not a single Addon in and of themselves, but a collection of other Addons all packed into a single Archive file, meant to be installed directly to WoW. Advantages of Compilations of course include things such as not having to hunt and peck for specific Addons you want (as they are already chosen for you). Disadvantages include not really being aware of all of what you are installing (which may include things you don't want), and being stuck with specific Addons which don't suit your needs.

Distribution Websites
Addons and Modules are usually written by WoW users, for WoW users. But not every amateur coder has a place to put such things, and so a number of large archive sites have become available for users to upload and more commonly download user-created Addons. Some of the more popular sites for the distribution of Addons include:


 * Curse.com
 * WoWUI.net
 * WoWInterface.com

Some of these sites also feature site-based virus scanning and the like to ensure the safety of the files distributed (though this is by no means a substitute for personal caution) and automatic updating programs which you can customize only to download/update the Addons or Modules you possess.

RSP-Type ("Flagging") Addons
...for lack of a better name.

These sorts of Addons owe their heritage to an old mod called "Xtensiontooltip". Basically what this module did was augment the existing game tooltip to display extra information- such as last names (never included in the game), short appearance blurbs, histories and so on. The Addon would share this information over custom chat channels to whatever users requested it by mousing over someone. The result was a neat seamless little way to share with other players this extra information. In time this function grew somewhat into larger, more robust Addons with more features, the first of which was known as "FlagRSP". For Roleplayers that use Addons, these sorts of Addons are considered to be the cornerstone of one's repertoire, and are often an easy way to spot fellow Roleplayers.

Initially, only FlagRSP served this purpose, but more recently (and as FlagRSP fell into disrepair by its author) several competing Addons were developed to fill this role. The top three in this category currently include:


 * MyRoleplay (MRP)
 * FlagRSP2
 * ImmersionRP (IRP)
 * FlagRSP (The original, updated to WotLK!)

Each offers slightly different features, but for the most part, they are compatible with one another and capable of reading information from one another.

Language Addons
These Addons attempt to do their best to emulate the effects of speaking and/or learning different languages. Although Language Skills have been listed on the character pane since WoW was first released, Blizzard has never made them function as skills- you cannot learn more languages than the one or two you start with. Additionally Blizzard has been quite adamant about keeping the factions sperated from one another in language- and there are few ways- apart from rudimentary emotes- that a player on one faction can speak to another directly.

And while these Addons can't breach the faction language barrier, nor add real skills to a character's repetoire, they do use "garbling" algorithms very similar to what Blizzard uses in-game. The Effect is about as "real" as it gets.


 * Lore
 * Tongues

"Prop"-Creation Addons

 * Ephemeral
 * GryphonHeart Items

Miscellaneous

 * GryphonHeart Rep


 * Eloquence


 * Roleplay Helper 2- This addon allows a player to add a bit more "flavor" to their interactions in the world with NPCs (both hostile and otherwise) by automatically triggering speech and emotes (both custom and built-in) in response to in-world events- such as speaking to an NPC, being hit in combat, or even Trading with other players. These emotes and sayings can be custom written by the player via an in-game interface and have random triggers whose frequency may be set by the player.  Having this is not necessary of course, but it is a neat little mod I thought bears mentioning.


 * Emotomania - A lot of custom emotes with quick command shortcuts. May not be functional for 3.0.2.


 * Segui - Seems Similar in intent to RPhelper and Emotomania in intent.

Defunct Addons

 * MyQuests
 * MyStore

Strategy

 * Chess