Chat Categories Combat - or who are you talking too?

[zgrssd]

During recent work I stumbeled over the list of named chat channles. And especially the subgroup CHAT_CATEGORY_COMBAT seemed odd. I wonder if anyone ever played with what you get on those channels:
CHAT_CATEGORY_COMBAT_ALLIANCE_POINTS = 48
CHAT_CATEGORY_COMBAT_BATTLE_TOKENS = 46
CHAT_CATEGORY_COMBAT_BLOCK_ABSORBED_DEFEND = 58
CHAT_CATEGORY_COMBAT_DEATH = 61
CHAT_CATEGORY_COMBAT_DIRECT_DAMAGE = 51
CHAT_CATEGORY_COMBAT_DIRECT_HEAL = 53
CHAT_CATEGORY_COMBAT_DODGE_PARRY_MISS = 57
CHAT_CATEGORY_COMBAT_DOT = 52
CHAT_CATEGORY_COMBAT_DRAIN = 56
CHAT_CATEGORY_COMBAT_ENERGIZE = 55
CHAT_CATEGORY_COMBAT_EXPERIENCE = 45
CHAT_CATEGORY_COMBAT_GAINED_EFFECT = 49
CHAT_CATEGORY_COMBAT_HOT = 54
CHAT_CATEGORY_COMBAT_LOST_EFFECT = 50
CHAT_CATEGORY_COMBAT_OTHER = 60
CHAT_CATEGORY_COMBAT_RANK_POINTS = 47
CHAT_CATEGORY_COMBAT_RESIST = 59


(same list order by Chat Category Number):
CHAT_CATEGORY_COMBAT_EXPERIENCE = 45
CHAT_CATEGORY_COMBAT_BATTLE_TOKENS = 46
CHAT_CATEGORY_COMBAT_RANK_POINTS = 47
CHAT_CATEGORY_COMBAT_ALLIANCE_POINTS = 48
CHAT_CATEGORY_COMBAT_GAINED_EFFECT = 49
CHAT_CATEGORY_COMBAT_LOST_EFFECT = 50
CHAT_CATEGORY_COMBAT_DIRECT_DAMAGE = 51
CHAT_CATEGORY_COMBAT_DOT = 52
CHAT_CATEGORY_COMBAT_DIRECT_HEAL = 53
CHAT_CATEGORY_COMBAT_HOT = 54
CHAT_CATEGORY_COMBAT_ENERGIZE = 55
CHAT_CATEGORY_COMBAT_DRAIN = 56
CHAT_CATEGORY_COMBAT_DODGE_PARRY_MISS = 57
CHAT_CATEGORY_COMBAT_BLOCK_ABSORBED_DEFEND = 58
CHAT_CATEGORY_COMBAT_RESIST = 59
CHAT_CATEGORY_COMBAT_OTHER = 60
CHAT_CATEGORY_COMBAT_DEATH = 61
That is the entirety of Categories from 45 through 61

According to the saved Data of UTC, these channels are disabeled by default. And they are not part of the default UI to enable Channels.
Has anybody ever looked at what happens if you listen to them? Is this how part of the buff/healt tracking addons work, by listening to these Categories?

[mattmillus]

As far as I can tell these are not functioning at all.

I am currently writing a new combat logger to replace CLS, and in the process have been digging around the game files for various options. You can set a handler for EVENT_CHAT_MESSAGE_CHANNEL but the game will never issue combat events, you will only get general chat messages such as CHAT_CHANNEL_ZONE.

I believe these combat category definitions are for a non-functioning combat log system. The game files contain references to a combat log, but it is clearly not functional. For example, these functions exist but do not seem to be called:

CHAT_SYSTEM:AddCombatLog(name)
CHAT_SYSTEM:SetCombatLogObject(combatLogObject)

I tried calling AddCombatLog, but since there is no ComatLogObject set, it will not function. In theory we could create our own object and pass it to the SetCombatLogObject function, but I doubt this will work.

For the record, all combat addons access combat data via EVENT_COMBAT_EVENT. Sure would be nice if the built in combat log was functional though!

[Halja]

Not all of the deprecated events and functions have been removed from the API. ZOS purged a bunch with 100003 but some are still lingering.

[Seerah]

A combat log was something removed from the game just prior to launch.

[mattmillus]

any idea why they removed it? too glitchy to have ready in time for launch?

I am actually making great progress recreating it =)

[Halja]

Nope it because it was working. I would place a bet that they are still using it for in-house testing. They removed it from the published/visible API add-on developers can see and access. I doubt they just tossed it out. There was a massive backlash from some very talented add-on developers leveraging the in depth combat information that was available in the beta UI API. ZOS responded to the outcry by contracting the combat visibility details to just yourself for the most part.