SE's most difinitive statement yet on parsers

[Amberyl]

Also, I find it amusing that people are arguing with each other how this is or isn't fair/cheating as if any one of us has any say on the matter.

This.

I've been in development for over a decade, and a not insignificant part of that time has been spent attempting to address the disruption caused by idiots like this, who believe that their ability to alter something to their own liking is justification enough for doing so. It's pure short-sightedness and self-entitlement, and can have a direct, very damaging result on the financial viability of a product under the right conditions. Sadly, once you lax up in one area, you open the door to everything else, legally.

Every time someone uses a parser as an excuse for illegitimately kick-voting another player from an instance, the chances of that tool being allowed to exist diminish greatly. The first rule of fightclub, after all, is the most important.

[raelgun]

This.

I've been in development for over a decade, and a not insignificant part of that time has been spent attempting to address the disruption caused by idiots like this, who believe that their ability to alter something to their own liking is justification enough for doing so. It's pure short-sightedness and self-entitlement, and can have a direct, very damaging result on the financial viability of a product under the right conditions. Sadly, once you lax up in one area, you open the door to everything else, legally.

Every time someone uses a parser as an excuse for illegitimately kick-voting another player from an instance, the chances of that tool being allowed to exist diminish greatly.

Strange that the most successful mmo and other mmos that are doing fine have parsers, surely someone whos worked in development for over a decade should know this, and yet those games are still running, care to explain that ?

[Amberyl]

Strange that the most successful mmo and other mmos that are doing fine have parsers, surely someone whos worked in development for over a decade should know this, and yet those games are still running, care to explain that ?

I wasn't aware that you were privy to Square's design document? If, in contrast to every other MMO company on the market, Square make a decision and run with it, who are you or I to question it. See the earlier post about Valve.

You are not Square. Stop presuming you can overrule their policy statements at will.