mod-watch

GM camera watching for AzerothCore 3.3.5a. Uses existing module hooks; no core patch, client addon, custom database table, or SQL installation is required.

Installation

Place this directory at modules/mod-watch, then configure and build AzerothCore with modules enabled using your normal deployment workflow. The loader is Addmod_watchScripts. The core discovers src/ and installs conf/mod_watch.conf.dist automatically. Copy the installed template to mod_watch.conf if you want to override its default:

Watch.Enable = 1

Reloading configuration with Watch.Enable = 0 stops all assignments and returns their observers. Existing transfers finish before cleanup.

The parent AzerothCore repository ignores external module directories by default. Keep this directory in a separate module repository or explicitly include it in your deployment source archive.

Commands

Command	Behavior
.watch <player name>	Start watching an existing character, including one currently offline.
.watch <another name>	Replace the target while retaining the original return location.
.unwatch	Stop, return, and restore the GM's previous settings. Safe to repeat.

Security level 2 (SEC_GAMEMASTER) or higher is required. Normal target security checks apply. A failed command does not replace an existing assignment. Multiple GMs may watch the same character; self-watching and assignment cycles are rejected.

Start alive, out of combat, ungrouped, and outside battlegrounds, queues, taxis, vehicles, transports, other remote views, and pending teleports/logouts. Finish any pending group invitation or crowd control first. The module temporarily enables GM mode, GM invisibility, and GM spectator protection, disables movement, and prevents falling. The camera follows the target; it does not control the target.

While watching, normal logout requests are rejected, even when the target is offline. Use .unwatch first. AFK requests are suppressed and the observer's session inactivity timer is refreshed. Closing the client, losing the connection, administrative kicks, and server shutdown still use normal logout cleanup.

Group/queue entry and gameplay actions are blocked during observation. Other GM commands require .unwatch first; .help remains available. Spell out .watch and .unwatch in full while an assignment is active.

Following and restoration

• Assignments use character GUIDs, so target logout/login and renaming do not lose the assignment. The GM's logout ends it; assignments are not stored in a database.
• The world thread reconciles assignments every 250 ms. Like .bindsight, a working camera leaves the hidden body in place, regardless of distance or the target boarding/leaving a transport. A visible target can be attached without moving. The body relocates only to enter the target's map/instance or to restore a lost camera when the target is no longer visible from the observer's position. Failed teleports or camera attachment retry after two seconds; loading screens are allowed to complete before another transfer. GM mode, invisibility, and movement/falling protection remain active even while the body stays behind.
• Continents, phases, dungeons, raids, battlegrounds, arenas, moving transports, target taxi flights, vehicles, death, and ghost release use the same follow loop. Battleground/arena entry does not enroll the GM as a participant. The core's battleground return point is set when watching starts, so match shutdowns can eject the observer normally.
• Target logout returns the GM to the starting location while retaining watch protection. A target in transit is allowed to finish transferring. The camera resumes automatically once the target is available.
• A conflicting pre-existing dungeon binding pauses observation. When no binding exists, the module borrows the target's instance through the core's normal binding API. These operations write normal character-instance records.
• Module-created bindings are removed after leaving. Existing temporary bindings upgraded by an encounter are restored; pre-existing permanent lockouts remain. Moving between two instances of the same dungeon may briefly return the GM home to release a watch-created binding first.
• .unwatch returns to the saved position and restores phase, difficulty, GM visibility/mode, spectator, mount, flight, gravity, control, and initial AFK status. If the starting instance/location is unavailable, it uses the homebind instead.
• Cleanup runs before character saving on disconnection and normal shutdown. Abrupt process crashes cannot restore the in-memory snapshot: temporary GM settings, positions, or bindings may have been saved by the core. Inspect the observer character before reusing it after a crash.

This is a server-side camera using the existing bind-sight effect. Map loading still produces loading screens; watching is not a recording or a reproduction of the target's UI. Disabled maps and restrictions imposed by other modules can pause the watch. No changes are made to the server-wide AFK logout configuration or to account flags. Command help is documented here; without command table help rows the core may log its standard missing-help notice for these two commands.

The module owns a private definition of spell 6277 for its camera auras, preserving the core's passive, hidden bind-sight behavior while allowing dead targets and preventing aura persistence. Watching does not add a visible buff/debuff icon to the target. The shared spell definition and ordinary .bindsight are unchanged.

Widget integration

The character, chat, map, and unit widgets support follow=watch with an observer selected by name or GUID: /widget?source=realm-1&character=Observer&follow=watch. They follow that observer's direct assignment and return to the observer on .unwatch, watch disablement, or observer logout. Target logout and camera pauses retain the assignment. Existing widget URLs remain fixed to their selected character.

src/WatchTarget.h is a header-only, optional integration API. Watch::GetTarget(player->CustomData) returns the assigned GUID or an empty GUID. Consumers must read it on the world thread and copy values before handing them to workers. No manager pointer or linked symbol is exposed. Watch::SetTarget is owned by this module's lifecycle; consumers should only read. The data is transient and cleared as soon as stopping begins, without waiting for the return teleport. Widgets built without the sibling header continue to work independently and can gain integration through their normal rebuild after installation.

Validation

mod-watch.cmake registers tests/WatchStateTest.cpp with the existing BUILD_TESTING Google Test target. Test sources stay outside src/, so normal module builds do not require Google Test. After explicitly configuring/building tests, run the unit-test executable with --gtest_filter='Watch*'.

The tests exercise the production assignment/transition policy, binding restoration decisions, and the camera aura's visibility/death behavior through core aura APIs. They do not replace client validation of camera packets, transport handling, or long sessions.

Before deploying, use two 3.3.5a clients and a dedicated GM character to verify:

1. Start against online/offline targets; reconnect and rename the target; switch targets; reject unknown names, self-watching, security violations, and cycles.
2. Cross continents, dungeon copies/difficulties, raids, phases, battlegrounds, arenas, boats/zeppelins, taxi routes, and vehicles. Kill/release/resurrect the target. Verify arrival in the correct instance and no battleground enrollment.
3. Start with no dungeon binding, an existing temporary binding, an existing permanent binding, and a conflicting binding. Kill a raid boss while watched, then verify only watch-induced binding changes are removed/restored.
4. Use multiple observers; stop one and confirm the others retain their cameras. Switch targets or stop during loading and rapidly reconnect the target.
5. Disconnect the GM, disable the module on config reload, and shut down normally. Verify saved location/settings and no remaining bind-sight references.
6. Leave a client idle for several hours, both watching and waiting offline. Cycle the target through logout/login and battlegrounds. Confirm no AFK logout/exit, then .unwatch and verify that normal movement and logout work again.
7. Verify that the target has no Bind Sight buff/debuff icon. Start within sight, then have the target travel beyond 40 yards and normal body visibility, and board/leave a transport on the same map. Confirm the camera follows while the GM's body stays put. Interrupt the camera both near and far from the target; verify that only the far case needs relocation to recover.

License

GPL-2.0-or-later. The implementation uses AzerothCore's existing public APIs and bind-sight mechanism.