Macro stagnation, insight, and suggestion.

2004: For a long time, FFXI's macro system baffled me. The execution of six-lines of gear-swaps instantly, to me, was amazing. Yeah, I always knew that the game was text based, and for a lot of my commands, I do use text, but I was simply amazed at the efficiency of it – how despite it being six-lines of text, none of it showed in the user chat-log upon execution, and it's always correct unless there was a lag spike. It stream-lined gear-swapping when that idea started to take root, and increased the efficiency of damage-dealers, supports, and tanks alike.

Fast forward a few years and someone else made use of that efficiency, implementing what's known to the player base as "windower macros," which take FFXI's macro system to a whole new, and complex level... but it's against the ToS, and I don't use it for that very reason. The majority of all PC players do, however. The difference in efficiency doesn't totally undermine the difference of skill between players, but it does increase the efficiency of those that use it by a large margin. Being able to exchange all 12 slots instead of only 6 slots is much more efficient at maximizing output numbers, but also increasing efficiency in other areas, an example being damage-taken down sets, evasion sets, conditional sets such as factoring Apocalypse's haste aftermath, among others. These are large benefits when considering all the possibilities that these enhanced macros give.

Fast forward a little more and now we have what's called Spellcast. Again, I don't use it because it's against the ToS, but others do. Many others. I don't know that I can say that the majority of PC players do, but most anyone in end-game content does, and for many end-game linkshells, it's a requirement. Spellcast increases the complexity of macros and gear swapping in a way that windower macros do compared to before people gear-swapped at all. The amount of conditional changes implemented are up to the user, but if put into the right hands, can phenomenally increase a user's efficiency in all areas. WHMs that can maximize fast-cast and cure-cast speed, as well as cure potency, all in one cast because they swap gear so ridiculously fast (Because it's not reliant on user input beyond "Cast Cure."), or a BLU that can hit evasion cap while they have shadows up, and maximize PDT (Physical damage taken down) when they don't, without touching anything.

The reason I bring these things up, and within a light of FFXI's history, is not because I find it unfair that other people have these things (Because I don't. Power to the players for increasing their efficiencies, really.), but to underline the stagnant nature of macros. Macros have not majorly been modified since the beginning of FF; meaning the lines and commands themselves have stayed largely the same. Yes, the interface itself was modified, but in aesthetics only. The last actual improvement to macros was simply giving us more books, because it was painfully needed... but I'm pretty sure that was Aht Urghan. That was a long time ago, and I don't think macros have been truly addressed since then.

The player base has evolved, the game has evolved, our gear has evolved into a conditional mess, but macros have stayed the same – severely limiting the players that choose not to break the ToS, whether by principal or by fear of being banned. This can be remedied in a multitude of ways... but the words "PS2 limitations" come to mind. What would make me happiest would be a full-restructure of the macro system, giving more lines, more commands, conditionals, and perhaps the ability to enable and disable a character blinking when they swap gear (It's painfully hard on older PCs. Mine has a heart-attack in zerg-situations like Voidwatch), but that may not be possible. At the least, I think we should get more complex commands; things like swapping to a new palette and executing a specific macro on that palette in one line (ie. /macro execute book 3 Control-1), or conditionals like /equip hands "Ravager's Mufflers +2" <if_Restraint> and /equip hands "Brego Gloves" <if_Restraint_down> (Don't hate. I'm not good at coming up with commands.).

Please, for the love of all that is good, don't take this as: these people have an unfair advantage, because that's not what it is. Take it as: the player base has gone beyond the developers because an innate system is lacking, and I'd like the base system to be raised to meet player needs. Incredibly complex macros make for incredibly complex players, and it's already in the game anyway, so let's get everyone up to speed.

I full heartedly agree with this. I hope SE does something about this.

I really do agree with this also, With more and more situational gear coming out there is just not enough macro space to utilize the gear efficiently with the current macro system. I would love to see a restructure of the system to better accommodate the current gear situation. This would be a vast improvement to the quality of play...I approve of this message! Go go SE!

Heh, that's the thing with SE. They know they have issues in several areas (inventory limitations, macro limitations), yet they keep releasing so much situational gear that one has to ask oneself, do they even consider people playing without those tools? It's already impossible to gear perfectly for some jobs, because there's simply not enough inventory space. Yet for some reason, they're so afraid of imbalance that they won't give us gear upgrades, instead they keep on giving us incredibly situational gear (Utsusemi cast time, Stoneskin cast time, Stoneskin effect, Cure potency, Cure effect received, Protect/Shell effect received, fucking Aquaveil effect, Haste+8% when paralyzed, what the fuck? The list is nearly endless and gets weirder the further you go). And it has an effect on macros as well. They keep ignoring or shooting down any user suggestions for macro improvements (of which there are a ton, some quite excellent), yet they keep shoving gear up our butts that's completely impossible to manage like this. Current macros wouldn't even be that bad, if they simply reduced the horribly situational pieces that are currently available, and especially seperated by different effects (cast time, recast time, interruption rate, accuracy/duration, damage/effect, seriously?) and instead dared to give us some pieces that are actual, full upgrades. By now even I have given up hope that this will ever happen, the development team seems to live in their own little world where everything makes sense somehow, but I guess I can dream.

All you can do is rally around ideas you support and get them as much interest as possible. Either they'll ignore it or consider it, either way we probably will never know whether it made a difference in of itself, or a cumulative impact. SE's considered many things the official forum has proposed, and many of them were silly. Having to wade through some of the suggestions here is a trial in the difference of satire and reality, so it doesn't surprise me if many of those same people feel ignored. SE has their ideas and their motives, they will pick and choose what aligns with them and what they think will benefit the game, but don't count on it. That's how FF has been, and that's how it will be. It's not about to change after almost a decade. So I reiterate, rally around the ideas you truly support, but don't expect confirmation, because chances are you'll never get it.

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Originally Posted by Tikal

Macro stagnation, insight, and suggestion.

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Add more /p and /em to your macros and enjoy the results.