Patch 3.3: Blizzard previews new quest tracking UI
by Michael Sacco 
Nov 14th 2009 at 5:00PM
Looks like the newly-renamed Dungeon Finder isn't the only new UI feature we have to look forward to in Patch 3.3 -- Blizzard just released an official preview of its new Quest Tracking feature, and it looks great. It seems to have a number of the features that ZorbaTHut's great QuestHelper addon does, which follows Blizzard's pattern of poaching the best third-party UIs for use in the stock UI.
Our UI whiz Gregg Reece covered the feature briefly last week, based on what was active on the PTR. For those who haven't fiddled with it, new additions to the UI include:
- Enhanced World Map: The large world map is now separated into four active panes. Quests are automatically tracked on the map and listed to its side. The quest log entry for the selected quest is located below the map.
- Areas of Interest: Shows what area on the map your quest's points of interest can be found, represented with a blue polygon. If mobs populate a large area, the map will indicate it. If you need to find one specific doodad, that'll be on there too. If there are multiple spawn areas for a mob or doodad, the map will automatically locate the one closest to you.
- Pop-out Map: Players can utilize a smaller zone map outside of the normal full-screen map to track progress and get their bearings.
- Better Tracking: Tracked quests outside the map will now indicate your progress with a number for items found or mobs killed and will indicate whether you've already completed it.
Blizzard says that the new UI will work with nearly every quest in the game, regardless of type. You can check out the official preview here.
Patch 3.3 is the last major patch of Wrath of the Lich King. With the new Icecrown Citadel 5-man dungeons and 10/25-man raid arriving soon, patch 3.3 will deal the final blow to Arthas. WoW.com's Guide to Patch 3.3 will keep you updated with all the latest patch news.Filed under: Patches, News items
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
SithLlenniuq Nov 14th 2009 5:03PM
This may be the end of Quest Helper...
Snark Nov 14th 2009 6:03PM
Goodbyeeeeeee Carbonite. Good riddance. Just because of the memory it uses. Nothing personal.
Mr. Tastix Nov 14th 2009 9:39PM
Unfortunately, it may be. I love how Blizzard adds these to the default UI (the integration is nice) but it absolutely kills the third-party version of feature which sucks ass for the developer(s) who have actually put YEARS of work into them and may have gotten nothing for it.
AlexW573 Nov 15th 2009 12:49AM
I'm really liking all these additions to the default interface, maybe some day I'll be able to play WoW on two different computers without constantly maintaining addons on both to keep them matching my server-side keybindings :)
@Mr. Tastix: If you were an addon maker, would you rather have your addon slowly die out when you ran out of time, or have Blizzard think it's such a good idea that they make their own? Personally, if I had my own addon, I'd love to see Blizzard make their own version of it. It'd show how much people valued that feature, and let me use it without having to spend huge amounts of time maintaining my addon.
PeeWee Nov 15th 2009 7:16AM
Don't write off QH just yet. Just look at how good work Blizz did with SCT and Omen. Does _anyone_ use the in-game method of determining threat levels? That is, the yellow/orange/red glows of the frames/nameplates?
Nah, people are still using Omen, or other means to view threat. As for myself I use MyThreat.
And the ways they are implementing this looks much more like Warhammer/LOTRO/AOC than QH.
Fugazi Nov 15th 2009 7:31PM
I scraped SCT for in-game one as well as Omen for in game one (it shows % threat not only colors). I will also switch for in-game "QH" because I don't need any additional features it provides like "go there next" trails or NPC search - I just want to have quests marked on map.
Deadly. Off. Topic. Nov 16th 2009 11:09AM
Mr. Tastix Nov 14th 2009 9:39PM
Unfortunately, it may be. I love how Blizzard adds these to the default UI (the integration is nice) but it absolutely kills the third-party version of feature which sucks ass for the developer(s) who have actually put YEARS of work into them and may have gotten nothing for it.
Not nothing, they got the satisfaction that they were helping others when Blizzard's own UI wasn't helpful at the time. They also now get the satisfaction that something they created is now going into the system to be used. If they never made the add on, and if people didn't recognize the need and download and use it, then maybe we would never have seen the feature now.
Mr. Tastix Nov 17th 2009 6:03AM
I suppose, but it'd be nice if said people were actually credited too. Blizzard never came up with these ideas, they just shamefully took them anyway.
As for Omen and SCT... hm, I see your point. But honestly, from the look of things, this new version will be everything I need. A simple "go there, do that". If I actually want something to actually help me level fast I'd use WoW-Pro.
Azbulldog Nov 14th 2009 5:07PM
Is the map now also in widescreen?
Cyanea Nov 14th 2009 5:09PM
How long until it's pulled from the patch this time? :3
Alanid Nov 14th 2009 5:11PM
Looking forward to this... go go loremaster
Sicadastra Nov 14th 2009 5:13PM
Quest Helper & Carbonite = Addons that help you complete quests in the best possible order using routing calculations.
Blizzards Quest Tracker = Shows you where stuff is.
Not the same. Stop declaring the deaths of these addons.
Cyanea Nov 14th 2009 5:17PM
It's really not all that hard to just look at the icons on the screen and guess at what the most efficient route would be. I use QH because of the map marking features. Getting rid of it in the next patch is gonna be great.
Nick Nov 14th 2009 5:27PM
Questhelper is a huge drag on system resources, I get 20ish FPS in Dalaran with it on, I get about 50 fps in Dalaran with it off, so I can't wait to get rid of it.
It's ridiculous.
Personally, I think that the author of Questhelper had this coming. I still can't stand the guy after he said he was discontinuing it after Blizzard put the rule in place that you couldn't ask for donations in-game anymore.
He acted like a 3 year old throwing a temper tantrum because he couldn't get a candy bar.
Bonksy Nov 14th 2009 5:49PM
Nick, don't throw a temper tantrum at the guys who put a lot of time and effort into developing he addons you take for granted.
Nick Nov 14th 2009 6:30PM
Even if they put a lot of time so far, they obviously don't put enough.
Carbonite has more features, yet less system usage, whereas Questhelper has one remedial task, and seems to chug on any memory I have spared.
Hence why Cabonite gets my donations.
Sicadastra Nov 14th 2009 6:39PM
I agree they are huge resource hogs, that's why I don't use them unless I'm doing heavy questing (i.e. loremaster). My point is that they do more than Blizz is adding. The argument "you can tell the most efficient way to do quests by just looking" is pointless... I can also tell where to go to complete a quest by just reading the text, and yet here we are including a feature which removed my need to do so. The addons add features which makes it easier for all us lazy slobs, so as long as they include something that Blizz doesn't, they will have a reason to exist.
Personally I find it a bit irritating when developers of any software (or OS) do this, incorporating features from popular addons/hacks/mods/plugins/etc and therefore killing the 3rd party developer's product. This especially sucks for these wow addon developers since they are doing it profit-free.
Cyanea Nov 14th 2009 10:26PM
As others have said, Blizz putting in a threat meter didn't kill Omen. It just made it lighter and more accurate. QuestHelper and the like are still going to be around, but the authors won't have to attach massive databases to the addon (which is sometimes based on guesswork and not always accurate) and farm for data. They can just read the data that Blizz is providing for it's tracking and interpret it, mapping out efficient routes and putting in an arrow on the minimap and all that happy stuff. The authors have less work to do to maintain the addon, and the users use less memory to run the addon.
I think it's a win-win, personally.
Zac Munoz Nov 14th 2009 5:15PM
It's about time Blizz implemented something like this.
IMO, this should have been there from day 1
Cyanea Nov 14th 2009 5:14PM
People who are going to complain about how "easy" this is gonna make WoW and how you never use addons to quest because you're so wonderful: Read the caption for picture twelve. Read it again. Read it a third time to make sure. Then hush.