Truth be told, addons are already shady by default.
I mean, they do decrypt the game’s files, inject code to them, then encrypt them back up to make it run.
How’s that NOT in the “grey area”? I mean, if IMC wanted people messing with the game’s files then they wouldn’t have encrypted them in the first place.
In my opinion IMC is already being pretty nice by saying “you can use them, but at your own risk”. Heck, if it was my own game I’d probably get everyone banned just for trying to read my game client… If I wanted addons in my game I’d provide official support for them.
But all that being said, I do appreciate a lot the addons that were created for this game. Unfortunately, I doubt IMC will be willing to approve them individually.
Therefore, the best idea I can come up with is to make some sort of “community group management” of the addons.
The idea is simple, instead of IMC approving addons individually, IMC only approves the addon manager and delegates the function of allowing individual addons to a group of addon developers (community group) willing to collaborate with the process. Individual addons only get added to the addon manager if the community group approves it.
Theorically, the addons are still in the “grey area” because IMC didn’t allow them individually (only allowed the addon manager). So if the whole group of addon developers makes a mistake and lets pass a malicious addon, then it’s still the addon’s user fault for using it.
But at the same time, addon users get a lot more guarantee their addons will be safe since they are going through the approval of a few people and not just one (the addon author).
And if the idea works out, IMC could eventually prohibit all addons outside the mod manager so that private addons or those not going through the ‘community review’ do not provide advantages to a few selected group of malicious exploiters.
I guess its a win-win situation for both IMC and the addon users. The biggest problem with this idea is finding people skilled in making addons and also willing to work reviewing other people’s codes for the sake of making a better game.