Excellent, parsers are now bannable

[KiraGoldmane]

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...96#post2003696

Although we will continue to monitor game data to ensure that similar illegitimate practices are not being used, we would like to remind players that using third-party programs, parsers, or other tools to conduct actions players would not normally be able to do in the game is a violation of the Terms of Service, and will be dealt with strict disciplinary action.

[Orophin]

Have you been living under a rock? They've always been a violation of the ToS.

[Sacred-Oblivion]

Meh, I don't see why they're so controversial here. Tanks are measured by how well they generate enmity / take damage, healers are measured by how well they keep people alive, so why shouldn't DPS be measured in some way? I understand that some people will use them to treat people negatively, but imo that's not reason enough to stop the people who want to use them constructively.

I wonder if SE is also worried about class balance issues becoming a persistent new problem should any one class dominate damage meters over the others. Seems like it could be another thing for the playerbase to stir an uproar over should it happen.

[Lillia]

Meh, I don't see why they're so controversial here. Tanks are measured by how well they generate enmity / take damage, healers are measured by how well they keep people alive, so why shouldn't DPS be measured in some way? I understand that some people will use them to treat people negatively, but imo that's not reason enough to stop the people who want to use them constructively.

I wonder if SE is also worried about class balance issues becoming a persistent new problem should any one class dominate damage meters over the others. Seems like it could be another thing for the playerbase to stir an uproar over should it happen.

We have an enmity bar for that.... If dps is low then it will be noticeable in a dps race and then the players can suggest changes non-aggressively with their team and find a way around it. :x

[Ruri]

They have always been bannable, just a matter of being caught/reported.

[Sacred-Oblivion]

We have an enmity bar for that.... If dps is low then it will be noticeable in a dps race and then the players can suggest changes non-aggressively with their team and find a way around it. :x

I'm coming from WoW so I'm not sure how different it is here, but many of the dps classes in WoW had skills that altered their threat output and so tps and dps weren't always a 1:1 correlation. If these types of mechanics are present in the classes here then I wouldn't consider the enmity bar a reliable indicator of dps (e.g., if a someone doesn't use their enmity lowering skills then it might give the impression that they are out-dpsing someone who is using them). But yeah, since it's all we have I suppose it can be used as a general guide especially if you know the people you're playing with.

I'm not saying that a parser should be used as a competition for top-dps, but as a performance measurement tool that signals if improvements could be made. Similar to how tanks and healers are measured for their roles as stated above.

[Rufalus]

They just didn't design the game to expose certain information. Using an additional program to reveal information the game doesn't want you to know is cheating in a way. I still remember a couple weeks after ARR launched when I was still learning, someone who was using a parser harassed me and one other person, saying we might as well not be there and we were not impressing him.

[Magnesium02]

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...legal-in-FFXIV

Already a thread on this

[Sacred-Oblivion]

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...legal-in-FFXIV

Already a thread on this

I'd love to post there but my level 0 GLA is not high enough

[Sacred-Oblivion]

They just didn't design the game to expose certain information. Using an additional program to reveal information the game doesn't want you to know is cheating in a way. I still remember a couple weeks after ARR launched when I was still learning, someone who was using a parser harassed me and one other person, saying we might as well not be there and we were not impressing him.

Even if that person had not been using a parser would you still want to play with him? My guess is he'd be unenjoyable to play with in many situations, not just in ones where he can see your dps. Unfortunately getting harassed is just part of learning the game, as unproductive as it is. I had to go through it as well when I was first learning how to tank in WoW. My advice in that situation would be to look for friendlier people who place more value in cooperation.

Ideally a parser should be used for experimenting with different rotations to see what works and what doesn't (so even one that reported your own dps to only you would be useful). Just because someone was being a dickface when using one doesn't make the parser itself bad. That person is going to be a dickface regardless of whether he's using a parser or not.