Can UI elements be added over over player/monsters heads?

[Lodur]

Is it possible with the API to replace the health bar over enemy player/monster heads with a custom UI element?

I'm thinking about an addon to mark Healers, Vamps, Weres, Low Max HP, etc... players with icons over there heads...

I known every I need for this except if I can display it over the enemy's head on screen.

Thanks

[Ark]

The problems is that you will be able to see the marks...but nobody else, if they dont have the addon too.

If its only for you to see, it could be ok to know if someone is "healing" by detecting healing spells or the h-staff, and then mark him on your game...but I think that is a little lame. Really, sorry, but some of the fun of this game is to be able to chose the target yourself.
Healers tend to stay away, they have flash golden spells and golden staffs...its easy to see them.
Maybe werepires could be ok...but...


And, btw, "low healths"? You can already see low healths...they have a low health bar on the face XD

[Lodur]

Well you can look at Unit health stats - both current and max...

So look at everyones max health as they show up.
Keep the average and standard dev.
Then mark anyone with a negative z-score over some z-score threshold.

Low max HP might be targets of opportunity.

[Lodur]

Originally Posted by Ark If its only for you to see, it could be ok to know if someone is "healing" by detecting healing spells or the h-staff, and then mark him on your game...but I think that is a little lame. Really, sorry, but some of the fun of this game is to be able to chose the target yourself.

I agree. This is really an exercise in finding the maximum lameness I can. But If people don't give feedback on the API... Then things like this will become a reality if possible.

[jokooie]

I'd like to piggy-back on this thread as this is a question I'm interested in as well. My interests are in a RP-centric mod with one feature being identifying people at a glance that have the mod installed. This could be adding a very small icon above their character (with an option to disable this, of course). If anyone has an idea of how this works, I bet OP and I would both benefit from the answer.

Thanks!

[Vuelhering]

Originally Posted by Ark If its only for you to see, it could be ok to know if someone is "healing" by detecting healing spells or the h-staff, and then mark him on your game...but I think that is a little lame. Really, sorry, but some of the fun of this game is to be able to chose the target yourself.

I don't think it makes any sense to be making some sort of evaluation on what is fun for someone else.

This is a dev forum, and we're going to be playing and developing tools which is completely different than traditional Elder Scrolls stuff.

With all respect, I honestly never want to see statements like "you're not playing the game right" again. I believe that's against the spirit of discussion on any dev forum.

[Lodur]

Originally Posted by Vuelhering I don't think it makes any sense to be making some sort of evaluation on what is fun for someone else. This is a dev forum, and we're going to be playing and developing tools which is completely different than traditional Elder Scrolls stuff. With all respect, I honestly never want to see statements like "you're not playing the game right" again. I believe that's against the spirit of discussion on any dev forum.

If an addon has the potential to destroy, exploit, ruin, etc.. the game then it is our responsibility to bring it forward and inform Zenimax. Even more so while the game is in Beta. I am all for Addons, as I have about 3 in the works right now... Anything the Addon API and terms of service allow us to build is fair game. But helping makes sure the API is a good API via feedback is just as important.

I want to play a fun and competitive game. And in PvP I want to play player vs player, not addon vs addon.

It is fine to make addons that are "completely different than traditional Elder Scrolls stuff."

And "you're not playing the game right" is really not a valid argument. Agreed.

But "your addon is going to break the game for me" is a very valid argument.

No one here is anti-addon... Or your in the wrong forum. But concerns about what is possible in the API are real and it is the details of the API that matter.


I really don't think that Ark said anything against the spirit of this forum. Granted I read what he said in more of the "your addon is going to break the game for me" meaning then the "you're not playing the game right" meaning. But I can see it been interpreted either way.


On a completely different note: as the OP of this thread I have had my original question answer by Atropos in his twitch stream. Currently is not possible to do custom name plates over enemies' heads on the screen.

[Vuelhering]

Originally Posted by Ark I think that is a little lame. Really, sorry, but some of the fun of this game is to be able to chose the target yourself.

Originally Posted by Lodur If an addon has the potential to destroy, exploit, ruin, etc.. the game then it is our responsibility to bring it forward and inform Zenimax. ... But helping makes sure the API is a good API via feedback is just as important.

That's beside the point. As you can see, there's no exploit or destruction. Ark made a judgment call stating "I don't like that", not "That will ruin/exploit/destroy the game".

I intentionally left out a comment in my post about obvious stuff like not coding spamming modules and such, because I figured it wouldn't be necessary to differentiate between harmful addons and those that are just a judgment call. I don't happen to like addons that give scrolling combat text or numbers in the healthbars. It ruins my own immersion, but you don't see me complaining because I have no basis for claiming they ruin the game. Some people love it, and if I do raids, I'll probably install one.

I want to play a fun and competitive game. And in PvP I want to play player vs player, not addon vs addon.

That is largely a pipe dream, but even the most addon-intensive player will still get beaten by a better player. But it will give an edge to those around the same level, and it will give an edge to teams who use addons to coordinate. The only way that wouldn't happen is if addons were turned off by ZO while in pvp zones. What you want, and what you will get are different things, so get those complaints into ZO now because those addons will exist.

On a completely different note: as the OP of this thread I have had my original question answer by Atropos in his twitch stream. Currently is not possible to do custom name plates over enemies' heads on the screen.

Actually, that's a bummer. That means there are no hooks into the nameplates which would've been nice for all sorts of reasons unrelated to breaking the game, and that means someone would have to try to do it manually. And manually would be a pain. I haven't even checked if that's possible to get other player's positions and your own camera angle in order to fake nameplates over people.

[Lodur]

Originally Posted by Vuelhering I don't happen to like addons that give scrolling combat text or numbers in the healthbars. It ruins my own immersion, but you don't see me complaining because I have no basis for claiming they ruin the game. Some people love it, and if I do raids, I'll probably install one.

I agree with you there. I hope to see all kinds of addons that keep the clean immersive UI intact.

Originally Posted by Vuelhering That is largely a pipe dream, but even the most addon-intensive player will still get beaten by a better player. But it will give an edge to those around the same level, and it will give an edge to teams who use addons to coordinate. The only way that wouldn't happen is if addons were turned off by ZO while in pvp zones. What you want, and what you will get are different things, so get those complaints into ZO now because those addons will exist.

Ya more of a goal then dream, but I understand what you mean and agree to some extent. On "an edge to teams who use addons to coordinate." I have not seen anything in the API to allow Inter-player addon communications yet. Is it possible to do that?

Originally Posted by Vuelhering Actually, that's a bummer. That means there are no hooks into the nameplates which would've been nice for all sorts of reasons unrelated to breaking the game, and that means someone would have to try to do it manually. And manually would be a pain. I haven't even checked if that's possible to get other player's positions and your own camera angle in order to fake nameplates over people.

[/quote]

Yup - I agree. It is kind of a catch all limiter that gets most of my ideas to push the boundaries. I wish they allowed this, but limited in other ways.

[DuchessOfKvetch]

Originally Posted by jokooie I'd like to piggy-back on this thread as this is a question I'm interested in as well. My interests are in a RP-centric mod with one feature being identifying people at a glance that have the mod installed. This could be adding a very small icon above their character (with an option to disable this, of course). If anyone has an idea of how this works, I bet OP and I would both benefit from the answer.

I'd like to know this too. A lot of us are trying to come up with a simple way to identify rpers in the crowd, since they are no longer offering a server-side roleplayer identifying flag when logging on.

[Lodur]

Originally Posted by DuchessOfKvetch I'd like to know this too. A lot of us are trying to come up with a simple way to identify rpers in the crowd, since they are no longer offering a server-side roleplayer identifying flag when logging on.

Right now the answer is NO. The API does not support anything over the heads of players on screen.