[Addon Release] SlamPlates 1.0 – Modern Nameplates + GUID-Aware Debuff Tracking for OctoWoW
Posted: Fri Sep 04, 2026 11:08 am
Hey everyone!
I wanted to share a project I’ve been working on called SlamPlates.
SlamPlates is a nameplate enhancement built specifically with OctoWoW / Vanilla WoW in mind. It uses ShaguPlates as its underlying nameplate engine, while adding a more modern visual style and a number of features made possible through SuperWoW.
The project originally started because I wanted something closer to the clean, information-heavy nameplates available in modern WoW. The visual direction was inspired by Luxthos / Platynator, but getting that type of functionality working properly in the Vanilla client ended up requiring quite a bit more than a visual reskin.
One of the biggest changes: reliable debuff tracking
A major issue I ran into is that traditional Vanilla nameplate debuff tracking can have trouble distinguishing between multiple mobs with the same name and level.
For example, if you're fighting three identical wolves, the addon can effectively see something like:
Mangy Wolf - Level 6
Mangy Wolf - Level 6
Mangy Wolf - Level 6
This can cause debuff information to get mixed between the nameplates — timers can refresh on the wrong mob, remain stale, or otherwise become unreliable.
SlamPlates uses SuperWoW GUID information to give those mobs separate identities:
Mangy Wolf → GUID A → Rend: 12s
Mangy Wolf → GUID B → Rend: 5s
Mangy Wolf → GUID C → No Rend
I built a GUID-aware debuff layer that supplements ShaguPlates' normal aura system. Targeted debuff applications can be associated with the correct enemy, AoE effects such as Thunder Clap can be tracked independently across the enemies actually affected, periodic damage doesn't incorrectly restart timers, and debuff information is cleaned up as effects fade or enemies die.
The end result is debuff tracking that behaves much more like you would expect from a modern nameplate addon while still running in the OctoWoW environment.
Other SlamPlates features
Core :
- Modernized, compact nameplate appearance
- GUID-aware player debuff tracking through SuperWoW
- Independent debuff timers for identical enemies
- Friendly-player class-colored healthbars
- Clean target highlighting
- Configurable hostile-target enlargement
- Improved target castbar presentation
SlamPlates Advanced :
- Quest-objective mob health coloring
- Boss, Elite, Rare Elite and Rare coloring
- Intelligent castbar colors
- Important-cast highlighting
- Crowd-control indicators
- NPC subtitles/subnames
- Learned NPC service information such as [Vendor / Repair], [Trainer], [Banker], etc.
- Optional interruptible-cast highlighting
- Configurable target enlargement from 100–200%
- In-game settings through a minimap button
The Advanced portion is completely optional, so if you just want the nameplate styling and core functionality, you don't have to use all of the additional features.
Requirements :
ShaguPlates is required.
SlamPlates does not bundle or replace ShaguPlates. It builds on top of it.
SuperWoW is strongly recommended, particularly for the GUID-aware functionality that makes the improved debuff system possible.
Installation should look like:
Interface\AddOns\ShaguPlates
Interface\AddOns\SlamPlates
Interface\AddOns\SlamPlates-Advanced
This is the first official public release. I went through quite a few internal builds while figuring out what Vanilla, ShaguPlates and SuperWoW would actually let me do, so I decided to reset the version history and make the tested build v1.0.0.
There are bound to be edge cases I haven't encountered yet, especially considering how much of the advanced functionality is working around limitations of the original Vanilla client.
If you try it and find something that behaves incorrectly, please report it. In particular, examples involving debuffs, multiple identical mobs, castbars, NPC classification, or unusual nameplate behavior are extremely useful.
Screenshots and reproducible examples are even better.
I’d also be interested in hearing what other OctoWoW players would like to see added, as long as it can be implemented reliably without sacrificing the stability of the core addon.
Credits :
Huge credit to Shagu for ShaguPlates, which provides the underlying nameplate engine SlamPlates is built around.
The visual direction was inspired by the modern nameplate style used by Luxthos / Platynator, adapted for the Vanilla/OctoWoW environment.
And of course, SuperWoW is what allowed me to overcome several of the limitations of the original Vanilla API, particularly when it came to identifying individual units.
SlamPlates is free and open source under the MIT license.
Download / Source:
https://github.com/Slamrish/SlamPlates
Direct Download:
https://github.com/Slamrish/SlamPlates/ ... tag/v1.0.0
If anyone gives it a try, feedback is very welcome. This started as something I wanted for my own OctoWoW setup, but it reached a point where I thought other people might get some use out of it too.
P.S. - Customization features coming after I test this further. It is also intended to currently work fully with both enemy and friendly name plates turned on. I also enjoy the target enlargement to be set at 130% personally, which can be done from the mini map icon. If you're in town and see a barrage of nameplates, simply turn off friendly name plates for a while and enjoy an empty screen.
Additionally, I haven't tested this at all with PFUI.
I wanted to share a project I’ve been working on called SlamPlates.
SlamPlates is a nameplate enhancement built specifically with OctoWoW / Vanilla WoW in mind. It uses ShaguPlates as its underlying nameplate engine, while adding a more modern visual style and a number of features made possible through SuperWoW.
The project originally started because I wanted something closer to the clean, information-heavy nameplates available in modern WoW. The visual direction was inspired by Luxthos / Platynator, but getting that type of functionality working properly in the Vanilla client ended up requiring quite a bit more than a visual reskin.
One of the biggest changes: reliable debuff tracking
A major issue I ran into is that traditional Vanilla nameplate debuff tracking can have trouble distinguishing between multiple mobs with the same name and level.
For example, if you're fighting three identical wolves, the addon can effectively see something like:
Mangy Wolf - Level 6
Mangy Wolf - Level 6
Mangy Wolf - Level 6
This can cause debuff information to get mixed between the nameplates — timers can refresh on the wrong mob, remain stale, or otherwise become unreliable.
SlamPlates uses SuperWoW GUID information to give those mobs separate identities:
Mangy Wolf → GUID A → Rend: 12s
Mangy Wolf → GUID B → Rend: 5s
Mangy Wolf → GUID C → No Rend
I built a GUID-aware debuff layer that supplements ShaguPlates' normal aura system. Targeted debuff applications can be associated with the correct enemy, AoE effects such as Thunder Clap can be tracked independently across the enemies actually affected, periodic damage doesn't incorrectly restart timers, and debuff information is cleaned up as effects fade or enemies die.
The end result is debuff tracking that behaves much more like you would expect from a modern nameplate addon while still running in the OctoWoW environment.
Other SlamPlates features
Core :
- Modernized, compact nameplate appearance
- GUID-aware player debuff tracking through SuperWoW
- Independent debuff timers for identical enemies
- Friendly-player class-colored healthbars
- Clean target highlighting
- Configurable hostile-target enlargement
- Improved target castbar presentation
SlamPlates Advanced :
- Quest-objective mob health coloring
- Boss, Elite, Rare Elite and Rare coloring
- Intelligent castbar colors
- Important-cast highlighting
- Crowd-control indicators
- NPC subtitles/subnames
- Learned NPC service information such as [Vendor / Repair], [Trainer], [Banker], etc.
- Optional interruptible-cast highlighting
- Configurable target enlargement from 100–200%
- In-game settings through a minimap button
The Advanced portion is completely optional, so if you just want the nameplate styling and core functionality, you don't have to use all of the additional features.
Requirements :
ShaguPlates is required.
SlamPlates does not bundle or replace ShaguPlates. It builds on top of it.
SuperWoW is strongly recommended, particularly for the GUID-aware functionality that makes the improved debuff system possible.
Installation should look like:
Interface\AddOns\ShaguPlates
Interface\AddOns\SlamPlates
Interface\AddOns\SlamPlates-Advanced
This is the first official public release. I went through quite a few internal builds while figuring out what Vanilla, ShaguPlates and SuperWoW would actually let me do, so I decided to reset the version history and make the tested build v1.0.0.
There are bound to be edge cases I haven't encountered yet, especially considering how much of the advanced functionality is working around limitations of the original Vanilla client.
If you try it and find something that behaves incorrectly, please report it. In particular, examples involving debuffs, multiple identical mobs, castbars, NPC classification, or unusual nameplate behavior are extremely useful.
Screenshots and reproducible examples are even better.
I’d also be interested in hearing what other OctoWoW players would like to see added, as long as it can be implemented reliably without sacrificing the stability of the core addon.
Credits :
Huge credit to Shagu for ShaguPlates, which provides the underlying nameplate engine SlamPlates is built around.
The visual direction was inspired by the modern nameplate style used by Luxthos / Platynator, adapted for the Vanilla/OctoWoW environment.
And of course, SuperWoW is what allowed me to overcome several of the limitations of the original Vanilla API, particularly when it came to identifying individual units.
SlamPlates is free and open source under the MIT license.
Download / Source:
https://github.com/Slamrish/SlamPlates
Direct Download:
https://github.com/Slamrish/SlamPlates/ ... tag/v1.0.0
If anyone gives it a try, feedback is very welcome. This started as something I wanted for my own OctoWoW setup, but it reached a point where I thought other people might get some use out of it too.
P.S. - Customization features coming after I test this further. It is also intended to currently work fully with both enemy and friendly name plates turned on. I also enjoy the target enlargement to be set at 130% personally, which can be done from the mini map icon. If you're in town and see a barrage of nameplates, simply turn off friendly name plates for a while and enjoy an empty screen.
Additionally, I haven't tested this at all with PFUI.