Should HUD Add-Ons Be Allowed By Square Enix?

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Originally Posted by DynnDiablos

It would create a PC vs PS4 player war in my opinion. You can't give one set of players more advantages than console players. Some would say they already do being on PC, but I find I hold my own quite well on my PS4 Pro.

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That's a legitimate concern, but I believe there are other games on the PS4 specifically that allow player-made mods. How did they do it?

There'd probably have to be come kind of official repository for mods so they could be offered to both platforms. This would require some manpower from SE to manage, but still much less manpower than having to make all the mods themselves.

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Originally Posted by Kacho_Nacho

What do you think? Also, what non-damage add-ons do you wish the developers would allow?

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None

/10char

The whole problem with this request is that SE does not provide APIs and a method for writing to those APIs from within the game. I do not expect them to change that.

Unless S-E can find a way to make it work for PS4 players, then no, there should not be add-ons. It's bad enough that only PC and Steam players can have access to damage metres, but PS4 players cannot.


To me, it's like an old story from childhood: if you open up a bag of chips, you better be prepared to share with everyone.


Everyone or no one, S-E.

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Originally Posted by DPZ2

The whole problem with this request is that SE does not provide APIs and a method for writing to those APIs from within the game. I do not expect them to change that.

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I believe that's the point of the thread.

In favor:
I'd say, yes, sure, let HUD addons come into play. Sure, it might make things easier for some players (better visual cues, etc.)...but that's no different than me using a specially shaped keyboard makes it easier for me or somebody with a mouse with 15 buttons might have an easier time...or, depending on playstyle, how PC might have an advantage over PS4 due to M+K or vice versa. Hell, if you really wanna get technical, it's not that different about how I might have an advantage over other players due to a better graphics card and/or a second monitor. It's important to note that this is largely a cooperative game, and outside of PvP (which is a joke here anyhow), addons can only make things better, IMO.

In fact, even allow direct in-game parsing addons, why not? First off, anybody who's going to parse will do so now anyhow. Second, anybody who's harassing somebody over parses deserves to be punished regardless of whether or not they're using an addon or third-party tool to see such. Harassment is harassment, period.

Now, the slight against:
Sometimes addons cause developers to be lazy and not develop UIs fully (look at WoW, for example). Further, patch changes can break addons that people might become dependent on, which is a whole other issue.

I'm all in favour of this. Still waiting for them to give me the option to zoom out even more.

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Originally Posted by Callinon

I believe that's the point of the thread.

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Retrofitting a set of APIs for player-developers is neither simple nor inexpensive.

With a large PS4 base that will never be able to take advantage of those APIs, what inducement will you provide to SE to convince them they absolutely have to create and support APIs for those player-developers?

"I'd be happier" won't make the cut.

WoW has no console-based gaming population, and pretty much built those APIs into the game during their 1.0 days. TESO built those APIs into the original game, and what's left of their console-based gaming population still complains they can't utilize the add-ons.

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Originally Posted by Shurrikhan

That's fair. I'd have to ask though -- and this is an honest question -- which API do we give access to in order to allow the best means of UI improvements to modders without also allowing for the effectively auto-play mods available on, say, World of Warcraft, where a mod-swapped dynamic action key and an auto-clicker can reduce the gameplay required of a player to purely player movement and facing?

How do we forgo mods like DBM or Big Wigs or their equivalents, if the developers want players to have to be aware of mechanics for themselves?

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As they say, the devil is in the details.

I don't know how add-ons work. My last computer science class was a programing with Fortran in the mid-80's. Things have moved along since then. /laugh

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Originally Posted by Callinon

I believe that's the point of the thread.

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Yeppers.

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Originally Posted by Kacho_Nacho

Having a list of approved add-ons would free up S.E. to focus more on the game while the modders focus on improving the HUDs, dot timers, glamour, etc...

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Policing the add-ons would be no better than making the add-ons themselves. It'd just put them in far more conflict with the community for no real decrease in workload nor increase in development efficiency.

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Originally Posted by Fhaerron

In regards to WoW, Auto clicker is actually seen as botting and can result in a ban.

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If it's done via hardware triggers, it is indistinguishable from individual clicks. And add-ons can emulate their button registers as such, so there would be no (and in WoW's case, is no) risk.