PadChat

PadChat 0.2.2 Preview 8

Forever 1.60.1 build 70374 (Interface 16001), checked 16 October 2026. Complete Windows installer and downloads | Matching CurseForge Beta addon | Installation guide and PDF tutorial. Enable Beta files in your addon manager, or use the direct file link; release-only settings do not automatically select previews.

CurseForge uploads need processing/approval before their file pages appear. If this preview is not visible yet, get the same addon ZIP and complete Windows installer from GitHub above.

Voice users: update BOTH parts. Close WoW and run the matching GitHub installer. It includes the addon and Windows companion and preserves saved preferences. A CurseForge addon-only update cannot update the companion. Keyboard, mouse and controller voice typing are supported with the same free offline speech model; no paid account or API key is needed.

Preview 8 fixes all eleven reproduced audit issues: cancelled handoffs blocking later messages, opening/PTT conflicts, malformed saved values, disabled voice lifecycle/configuration requests, empty clipboard cleanup, stale microphone replies, hung device discovery, failed-settings rollback, and dictation appearing on the wrong monitor. Recovery detects stalled input and adds controller-selectable and Windows-tray Restart voice controls. Uncertain sends are never retried automatically. Existing controller-only opening, guided setup, saved PTT names, direct sending while moving, and installer folder/text fixes remain.

15 addon/audit regression suites and 12 matching package checks pass, including real disposable-child shutdown, locked-file rollback, installer staging preservation and cross-process exclusion. These tests do not prove every live setup works. Physical controller recovery/combat, mixed-DPI/exclusive-fullscreen overlays and a second clean PC still need acceptance. The reporter's controller/Sonar result remains unconfirmed. This is an unsigned Beta preview.

Options with a controller

Click PadChat’s controller/chat-bubble minimap icon for Options and Voice settings. For controllers without automatic opening, a first-use setup panel lets you choose an opening button and optional held trigger.

Select the Options key on the keyboard bottom row using the D-pad or stick, then press X/A. Inside Options: D-pad up/down chooses a setting, left/right changes it, X/A activates, and Circle/B closes without saving. You can also click the header Options button or type /padchat options.

Choose a keyboard opening shortcut, controller opening button and an optional held shoulder/trigger modifier, then save for the current player. Hold the modifier first, then press the opening button. Conflict notices explain existing bindings. Opening settings do not rebind voice shortcuts or combat actions.

A controller-friendly chat keyboard for WoW Forever 1.60.1, with word suggestions, chat-channel selection, whisper replies and friend invitations.

This is an early preview. The CurseForge addon download installs the in-game keyboard. It does not install the optional Windows voice companion or enable microphone capture by itself.

Chat without putting down your controller

• Open with the PlayStation touchpad click or your saved controller opening button outside combat. Controllers without automatic opening have a controller-operated first-use setup panel. F9 and /padchat are optional keyboard shortcuts. Touchpad finger sliding is not supported.
• Select letters with the D-pad or left stick. Selection is held during confirmation until the stick is recentered, helping prevent accidental movement off a letter.
• Choose suggested words and keep a draft when closing the keyboard.
• Switch between Say, Yell, General, Party, Raid, Guild and available whisper-reply targets.
• Prepare invitations from friends, Battle.net friends or recent whisper contacts. Offline and ambiguous recipients are guarded.
• The keyboard closes and releases its temporary bindings in combat.

Keyboard controls

PlayStation / Xbox equivalents:

• D-pad or left stick: navigate.
• X / A: select a key.
• Square / X: backspace.
• Triangle / Y: space.
• Circle / B: close and keep draft.
• L1 / LB: change channel.
• R1 / RB: choose a word suggestion.
• L2 / LT: uppercase the next letter.
• R2 / RT: switch letters and symbols.
• Options / Start: send and close.

Native controller input must already work in WoW. PadChat does not replace your combat bindings or configure controller hardware or drivers.

Install and compatibility

Install the addon for Forever 1.60.1 (Interface 16001), then restart WoW. For a manual install, place the single PadChat folder in Interface/AddOns. Enable PadChat in the character-selection AddOns list.

Disable ControllerKeyboard and ControllerKeyboardTouchpad if installed; PadChat detects these older keyboard addons and pauses its controller bindings to avoid conflicts. Do not run an older voice helper alongside PadChat Voice.

Retail and older Classic versions are not supported by this preview. The preview has automated addon checks and Windows package tests, but has not been certified across every controller, client patch or a second physical PC.

Keyboard voice-to-text and optional voice companion

Keyboard players can use voice-to-text too; no controller is required. Use your saved keyboard/mouse PTT (F8 by default): tap to change channels, hold to speak, and release to send when the companion is installed.

Local English speech recognition is implemented in a separate Windows 10/11 x64 companion. The in-game addon alone cannot access a microphone. Voice is optional; the controller keyboard works without it.

With the companion installed and a host-PC microphone selected, tap your saved keyboard/mouse PTT (F8 by default) or Create/Share (Xbox Back/View) to cycle channels; hold to dictate; release to send. Options + Triangle (Xbox Start + Y) held briefly can open the keyboard. These companion shortcuts are not activated by an addon-only CurseForge install.

Speech uses local models without an API key or paid speech account. Recognition can mishear words and player names; try a short message in Say first and use the invitation list when a spoken name is ambiguous. Release-to-send sends immediately.

Set up and test voice inside WoW

1. Close WoW and install the matching PadChat-Setup.exe from GitHub, keeping voice enabled. Choose the Forever client folder containing WowB.exe, usually World of Warcraft/classic_beta. Shared Data may be in the parent folder; do not move or copy it.
2. Start WoW. Click PadChat’s minimap icon → Voice settings, or type /padchat voice.
3. Choose Guided setup for the four-step flow, or click Bind push-to-talk, then press your preferred key or middle/side mouse button. Select a Windows microphone; controller button/modifier choices are separate.
4. Review any PTT conflict warning and explicitly accept the conflict or choose another shortcut. Choose startup and voice preferences, then Save & reload UI somewhere safe. Pending edits apply after saving/reloading, and guided setup resumes.
5. Click Test saved PTT / microphone (nothing sent) and hold a control named in Saved in WoW while the in-game Voice panel remains open. Close the companion’s Windows microphone/binding windows and return focus to WoW before testing; speak and release. Release to see recognised words/level. This test sends no chat or invitations.

Saved in WoW names saved choices; pending button labels do not prove the companion has applied them. Status reflects the last acknowledged check. Mic level is available during a connected recording test; it is not a continuous pre-test meter. If nothing responds, start PadChat Voice from Windows Start and check the active shortcut and Windows microphone permissions. Microphones must be detected by Windows on the gaming PC. Game sound is independent.

Optional review, then press PTT again waits for a second press before sending; Escape or B/Circle cancels. Automatic release-to-send remains the default.

The companion is installed separately from the CurseForge addon. Open this project's Source link to the PadChat GitHub project, choose Releases → v0.2.2-preview.8, and download PadChat-Windows-Voice-0.2.2-preview.8.zip. Extract it, close WoW and run PadChat-Setup.exe. Choose your Forever game folder and Windows host microphone. The installer includes both PadChat and the voice companion, with bundled English models; no Python installation or model download is needed.

Source and Windows companion setup

If voice stops responding

If PadChat Voice is not running, open PadChat Voice from Windows Start. Enable Windows startup in setup if you want it to launch at sign-in. The addon cannot launch a stopped Windows program by itself.

If it is running but PTT is stuck, release PTT and use Voice settings > Restart voice + reload UI, confirm when safe, then wait for readiness and press again. This control is reachable with the controller. It discards unfinished dictation, keeps saved choices and reloads the UI. The Windows tray also has Restart voice without closing WoW. Never repeat a message automatically after an uncertain send; check chat first.

Word hints and reconnect recovery

WoW words / names in Voice settings accepts optional comma-separated recognition hints. Put the most important names first; the decoder uses a short bounded list. Save & reload applies them. Hints do not force substitutions or invite targets, and names can still be misheard.

Interrupted microphone audio and controller identity changes cancel affected speech. The helper refreshes microphone enumeration but keeps the saved input; reconnect the same device, release PTT and press again. Missing/ambiguous inputs never silently switch microphones. Keyboard PTT remains independent of controller reconnection.

A separate fresh-PC test was unavailable. Physical devices/reconnects, protected chat, visuals and actual Windows startup still need live acceptance.

Privacy and feedback

The addon keeps its draft and learned words in WoW's PadChatDB SavedVariables. Optional voice recognition keeps speech buffers and transcripts in memory; it does not upload recordings or use OpenAI tokens. The companion briefly uses and restores the clipboard for verified chat input.

Please report issues in the project comments with your WoW version, controller type, connection method and whether the optional companion is running. Do not post account credentials or private conversations.

Original PadChat code is MIT licensed. Blizzard UI assets are referenced from the installed game and are not bundled. PadChat is not affiliated with Blizzard, Sony or Microsoft.