Forever Layer Hop v0.1.5

World of Warcraft: Forever Patch 1.60.1.70450 | FLH By Phantom Xization

Version 0.1.5 is a major update to how Forever Layer Hop discovers players, identifies shared world layers, displays population activity, and presents the layer network. This release was developed and tested following the Forever patch 1.60.1.70450 changes, including testing with players from ClassicBetaPvP and ClassicBetaPvP2.

Most importantly, FLH can now build connections between participating users on different home realms automatically, without requiring them to exchange manual commands or join a group just to discover one another. The interface also has more accurate layer information, better filters, improved host selection, and substantially expanded diagnostics.

The changes below are new or improved since v0.1.4 Hotfix. Existing features such as Party Layer Sync, Party Anchor, Party Protection, pinned layers, Guild Network, hosting requests, and the original Blizzard style interface are retained, not being presented as brand new features.

1. Automatic cross realm FLH network discovery

• Direct cross realm discovery: Compatible FLH users on different home realms can detect one another using quiet addon presence checks and direct addon whispers, even though the ForeverLayerHopNet chat channel itself remains realm local.
• Automatic network bridging: When a cross realm connection is verified, FLH can request a directory of participating peers from the other player's local network and relay introductions back to its own realm network. This helps separate realm networks discover one another without manual setup.
• Full, paced directory exchanges: Peer directories are exchanged in bounded batches, with support for larger networks rather than only a handful of recently visible contacts. Directory transfers are paced, rate limited, and deduplicated to avoid flooding addon channels.
• Two way discovery: Contacts learned through a local relay can also be checked directly. Already verified remote contacts are shared with other local FLH clients, helping different characters gradually converge on a similar network view.
• Automatic recovery: Quiet background checks can restore a previously working bridge after a reload, interrupted connection, expired live report, or temporary network silence.
• Persistent known contacts: Previously verified peers and earlier layer sightings are retained in a bounded local history for up to seven days. Losing a recent live report does not erase everything FLH learned about that player.
• Verified availability only: Introductions and historical contacts are not automatically counted as online players or available hosts. A host must provide fresh, direct confirmation before FLH can recommend them for a hop.
• Safer, quieter traffic: Global and per contact limits, retry cooldowns, deduplication, and prioritization of previously confirmed nearby peers keep discovery from repeatedly messaging the same players. Automatic discovery does not send ordinary chat whispers or unsolicited group invitations.

For troubleshooting, /flh bridge, /flh peerrealms, /flh peers, and /flh netdebug provide visibility into discovered realms, known contacts, and live network information.

2. Verified shared layers across different home realms

Forever players from different home realms can sometimes stand together on the same physical world layer without grouping. We confirmed this during testing with ClassicBetaPvP and ClassicBetaPvP2. After the Forever patch 1.60.1.70450 changes, characters sharing the visible world can sometimes even report different raw layer IDs.

• FLH now uses directly verified nearby peer evidence to recognize these shared layer situations rather than assuming a matching raw ID is sufficient.
• Current Zone and Network Layers show combined Peer Realm(s) for verified shared layers.
• When verified players share a layer but report different raw IDs, their reported IDs can appear together in one linked display row. The original IDs are preserved internally.
• Live host counts are combined only when the participating hosts are independently verified as available.
• Population observations and Olympus sightings are merged conservatively to avoid duplicate counts from overlapping player sightings.
• Unverified layers are not merged merely because their reported ID numbers match. This prevents misleading layer listings and unsafe host suggestions.
• Host details better explain which realm a player reports, whether they are available, and why Same ID may prevent an unnecessary request.

Important: A reported peer realm means the character's home realm. It is not proof of the backend server hosting a world layer. A verified shared layer is based on current evidence, not a permanent link between all layers with the same ID.

3. Raw layer IDs and compatibility with Forever 1.60.1.70450

• Replaced FLH's temporary session numbering, such as Layer 1 (ID 40), with the observed raw ID, such as ID 40.
• Standardized raw ID labels in the main window, layer lists, minimap badge, chat layer labels, tooltips, host details, and Olympus summaries.
• Added local GUID inspection commands, including /flh layer sample, /flh layer audit, and /flh layerlinks, to investigate the current layer source and verified shared layer evidence.
• Expanded diagnostics with the game build, observed layer source, map information, and current pin state.
• Previously saved pins from an incompatible or unrecognized game build are archived instead of silently reused. You may need to pin your preferred layer again after a Forever update.
• Strengthened incoming layer ID validation and fixed legacy packet parsing cases that could misread player identity data as a layer ID.

Raw IDs come from observable game data and are not permanent, officially assigned Blizzard shard numbers. A future Forever update can change their meaning or availability.

4. Observed player population

One of the largest additions in v0.1.5 is Observed population tracking, which estimates a conservative lower bound of nearby players on a layer.

• Detects unique nearby players through available character nameplates, targets, mouseover, focus, and party or raid units.
• Includes players who do not have FLH installed, when WoW exposes their presence to the addon.
• Uses recent sightings from a rolling 90 second window rather than presenting all previously encountered players as currently nearby.
• Displays ≥ observed counts where available, including on layer rows and the minimap badge.
• Compatible FLH clients can exchange small aggregate population reports. Individual observed player GUID lists are not transmitted.
• Expires old population samples independently of peer connectivity, so a connected player does not keep an old population count artificially fresh.
• Combines overlapping reports conservatively instead of simply adding potentially duplicated observations together.
• Offers an Auto enable friendly nameplates setting for passive observation, with safeguards for existing display preferences.
• Keeps a layer's observed population separate from the number of available FLH hosts.

Observed is not the server's exact player population. It is a partial, recent sample of players visible to participating addon clients. No sample means there is no usable recent estimate; it does not mean zero players.

5. Nearby FLH player icons

• Compatible FLH users can display a small FLH icon beside the overhead names of nearby characters after addon presence is verified.
• Supports verified players from other home realms, not just members of your realm local discovery channel.
• Uses player identity and GUID information where available to reduce incorrect matches when nameplates appear, disappear, or are reused.
• Remembers previously verified addon identities so icons can reappear when those players are seen again.
• Adds controls and troubleshooting through /flh peericons on, /flh peericons off, and /flh peericons status.
• Reduces unnecessary checks against already verified nearby players and improves handling of offline system messages generated by the addon's own probes.

An icon indicates a previously confirmed FLH identity, not a guarantee that the player is currently online, reachable, or available to host.

6. Layer browser and sorting improvements

• Current Zone and Network Layers now display consistent verified shared realm information.
• Both tabs use a consistent Layer / Zone label order, with the raw layer ID displayed before the zone name.
• Layers default to alphabetical zone sorting, followed by numeric layer ID within each zone.
• Click the Observed column heading to sort from lowest to highest recent population. Click again to sort from highest to lowest.
• Click Layer / Zone to return to the alphabetical default. Entries with No sample appear after entries with known observations.
• Current Zone and Network Layers each remember their own sort preference.
• Both tabs now have an independent Show available hosts only option, saved separately. Turning it on hides rows without a confirmed available host but does not delete remembered layers or contacts.
• Your current layer stays visible even if its available host count is zero.
• Other Zones in Network follows the same consistent layer and zone presentation.
• Improved host picker descriptions and eligibility indicators make it easier to distinguish confirmed hosts from historical contacts.

7. Blizzard style interface and Settings improvements

Version 0.1.4 introduced the main visual redesign. Version 0.1.5 continues polishing it:

• Persistent active tab highlighting across Current Zone, Network Layers, Guild Network, and Pinned Layers, so you always know which view is selected.
• Improved spacing for rows, buttons, filters, column headings, status text, and tooltips.
• Fixed overlapping text around Show available hosts only, long labels, and other settings controls.
• Updated the host action wording to Request Hop when the helper is in the relevant zone and Request Invite when joining the helper would not immediately change your current zone's layer. The actual host still sends the invitation.
• Refined the host selection windows, disabled action tooltips, hover behavior, and row overflow.
• Improved frame stacking so the FLH main window, Settings, Diagnostics, Session Insights, host selection, dropdown menus, and tooltips display above ordinary Blizzard action bars and interface panels.
• Reorganized Settings into a wider, scrollable single column layout, with sections for Layer Requests, Display & Discovery, Party & Notifications, and Preferences.
• Refined the themed Party Layer Sync, Session Insights, and Diagnostics windows, including scrolling and footer control placement.
• Retained the existing interface themes, compact view, DND options, hosting preferences, and saved settings.

8. Session Insights and expanded diagnostics

• Expanded Layer History into Session Insights, with current layer stability, recently observed layer changes, completed FLH hops, and population trends.
• Population trend snapshots are collected about every 30 seconds, with session peak information and bounded history.
• Added /flh insights and a session reset action.
• Improved tooltips with peer report ages, host readiness, population sample freshness, realm information, and the reasons an action may be unavailable.
• Expanded the Diagnostic Report with the current game build, raw layer key, map and zone, population lower bound, party and hosting state, network counters, peer discovery information, and saved pin status.
• Improved report scrolling, Refresh Report, Select All, and copying report text with Ctrl+C.
• Added additional visibility into nearby FLH checks, realm bridging, live versus remembered peers, and GUID layer verification.

9. Olympus tracking improvements

• Improved the Olympus observed count on layer rows, the minimap and the main status footer where applicable.
• Added clearer information about the most observed Olympus layer, including a TOP indicator.
• Kept Olympus observations independent from general player population and live FLH host counts.
• Olympus observations are available only on supported PvP and Hardcore rulesets.

Like general population estimates, Olympus counts represent observed players, not a complete server wide roster.

10. Hosting, party safety, and reliability

• Improved host discovery, host eligibility displays, and handling of fresh versus expired host status.
• Refined destination selection and cross zone request explanations so players know when an invite will not immediately transfer them.
• Preserved pending requester safeguards so a valid incoming request does not incorrectly make its host appear unavailable.
• Improved compatibility and feedback for Party Layer Sync, party state monitoring, and recovery after a World Refresh.
• Preserved existing combat restrictions, PvP post combat restrictions, instance scanning protections, Party Anchor, Party Protection, pinned return layers, request queue, and the opt in Auto Invite setting.
• Fixed several stale data and display issues, including repeated current layer entries, invalid realm information, outdated population counts, and unexpected window layering behind Blizzard UI.

FLH does not force a layer change. It helps request a normal group invitation from a confirmed helper, and the game decides whether a valid layer transition occurs.

11. Update notifications and older client compatibility

• Added optional notices when another compatible FLH client reports a strictly newer public version.
• Limited update notices to once every 45 minutes, with the cooldown retained across reloads.
• Fixed test build comparisons that could incorrectly report an update for the same public version.
• Public v0.1.5 now correctly reports v0.1.5, while retaining v0.1.3 compatible network packet support for basic discovery and layer hop communication.
• Older installations can continue participating in supported basic features, but cannot interpret every new shared layer, directory bridge, population, or overhead icon extension.

Useful commands

• /flh — Open Forever Layer Hop.
• /flh scan — Refresh reported layers.
• /flh insights — Open Session Insights.
• /flh bridge — Show cross realm bridge and directory information.
• /flh peerrealms — Show recently responding FLH clients by home realm.
• /flh peers — View network peer diagnostics.
• /flh netdebug — Show additional network details.
• /flh peericons status — Troubleshoot nearby FLH icons.
• /flh layerlinks — Inspect verified shared layer evidence.
• /flh layer sample — Inspect locally observed GUID layer samples.
• /flh report — Open the Diagnostic Report.

Important limitations

Forever does not provide addons with an official list of every physical world layer, a guaranteed way to switch layers instantly, or an exact player population count. FLH relies on reports from participating players and normal group invitation mechanics. Shared layer evidence, observed population, and saved contact history are best effort information and may change after game updates.

Version: 0.1.5
Game: World of Warcraft: Forever
Interface: 1.60.1.70450 Author: Phantom Xization
License: All Rights Reserved

Thank you to everyone using FLH and helping build a better shared layer network. The more participating users that can connect, the more useful the available layer information becomes.