SE's most difinitive statement yet on parsers

[Exstal]

third-party tools that modify or parse game data

The rest of your post was irrelevant.

Parsing can be done by hand.
Parsing is *not* cheating.

There really isn't any counter argument to this.

The only argument you have is that, "using third party tools is cheating". That would be correct. There is no refutation of that. But since you're saying "parsing is cheating", you're dead wrong and it's rather impressive that you've either brilliantly ignored it or simply chose not to understand this simple fact.

[Mcshiggs]

The only argument you have is that, "using third party tools is cheating". That would be correct. There is no refutation of that. But since you're saying "parsing is cheating", you're dead wrong and it's rather impressive that you've either brilliantly ignored it or simply chose not to understand this simple fact.

Since everything I have posted has been about the use of third party programs, and that fact is what makes them cheating you can use context clues that I was never talking about pen and paper parsing. This entire thread was about SE stating that using parsers was against the User Agreement, again nothing about pen and paper parsing, the only reason pen and paper parsing was brought up was someone said that parsers were ok because they didn't allow you to do something you couldn't do already, but the link in the original post says specifically parsers are a violation. I'm not sure if I ever said outright "parsing is cheating," like you claim I have, I know you might be able to cherry pick something out of a post, but they are all about third party tools, I have said many many times that the fact that third party tools is what makes them cheating, so if you are using those to parse, then yes you are cheating. If you want to say it's not cheating by definition because they don't provide an advantage you couldn't come to yourself, then why use them, because you gain the advantage of time saved and not having to do the work yourself, still an advantage, so still cheating if you use the programs to do it.

[Exstal]

If you want to say it's not cheating by definition because they don't provide an advantage you couldn't come to yourself, then why use them, because you gain the advantage of time saved and not having to do the work yourself, still an advantage, so still cheating if you use the programs to do it.

As such, you've been arguing semantics for the past 12 pages with the other people. Parsing as a blanket statement, going through data and looking at damage and checking, is not cheating. Using a third-party program to do so, is. However, the community usually couldn't care less about that because the benefit of it (the parser) is high and fight club rules pretty much protect you from being banned.

[Mcshiggs]

the community usually couldn't care less about that because the benefit of it (the parser) is high and fight club rules pretty much protect you from being banned.

Some people choose to follow the rules, some choose to cheat because they are pretty sure nothing will happen to them, that's a personal thing there, I choose not to use parsers, because at this point using one is cheating. I'm guessing you couldn't find anything I said about a blanket statement of parsing being cheating, because everything I said was about third party programs, so you try to slyly slip into another post implying I think the act of parsing is cheating, when anyone could read my posts and see I believe the act of using a program to parse is cheating. Good try though.

[Exstal]

Some people choose to follow the rules, some choose to cheat because they are pretty sure nothing will happen to them, that's a personal thing there, I choose not to use parsers, because at this point using one is cheating. I'm guessing you couldn't find anything I said about a blanket statement of parsing being cheating, because everything I said was about third party programs, so you try to slyly slip into another post implying I think the act of parsing is cheating, when anyone could read my posts and see I believe the act of using a program to parse is cheating. Good try though.

So you knew the other guy was saying, "the act of parsing" yet you kept going on about "third party programs". So you're both at fault for not stopping.

Arguing for the sake of argument? Sounds like it, eh?

[Mcshiggs]

So you knew the other guy was saying, "the act of parsing" yet you kept going on about "third party programs". So you're both at fault for not stopping.

Arguing for the sake of argument? Sounds like it, eh?

There were more than me and one other person in the exchanges, one was saying the act of parsing, another was saying that the tools were ok, because they believe that parsers themselves are ok, and the fact that they are a parser outweighs the fact that they are third party programs. Also this whole thread is about parsing via third party programs, not the act of parsing all together.

[Tashigi]

There were more than me and one other person in the exchanges, one was saying the act of parsing, the other was saying that the tools were ok, because they believe that parsers themselves are ok, and the fact that they are a parser outweighs the fact that they are third party programs. Also this whole thread is about parsing via third party programs, not the act of parsing all together.

It is significant to differentiate them.
The act of parsing alone could never be any sort of cheating; only a fool would believe otherwise.
Even the tools/third party software isn't cheating; it's against the TOS, but SE chose to call it cheating (when under use as a third party software), even though realistically, it isn't. It's just what they and a few others here, chose to call it, to label it a negative thing.

It's very obvious that those calling it a cheat have no idea what they're babbling about.
Look at those responses, saying how parsing doesn't really give you an advantage, then followed by labeling it as cheating. If cheating is the act of gaining the upper hand or bypassing some sort of mechanic, and parsing is being labeled as cheating, then they should also admit that parsing provives an advantage. (Even though realistically, this is not true).
Yet, that's not what's happening. So many hypocrits.

Parsing doesn't give you an advantage per say. It does make it a lot easier than grabbing a calculator/pen/paper and adding it up yourself.
So basically, it just saves you time in one sense.
Another is identifying problems with your party members and aiding them. Particularly those in statics; where everyone has to hold their own weight. (Obviously Gorgomon is now going to throw a fit about how this is only used to harrass people or something stupid).

Now, if we were talking about teleport bots, that'd be a different story.