Harassing Healers - or: Please allow Parsers

[Kosmos992k]

Parsing is not a ban-able offence in of itself - Yoshida has specifically gone on record on how they approach this issue (with guides off official forums with open names that they'll never do anything about), and adding a parser into the game doesn't mean you get a free pass to harass people. Adding parser does not require a new GM stipulation "players can say whatever they want if its about parsing", griefing is still griefing.

I said;

using parser data against another player is highly reportable, and GMs will take action

There is a "don't ask don't tell" policy on the use of parsers. However, parser users who brag about it in chat or use it against other players can be and have been banned. Strictly speaking, use of third party tools is explicitly against the rules.

So it doesn't legitimize something that is ban-able. Just to reiterate, adding parsers does not legitimize harassment. Harassment is still ban-able.

Adding a parser that goes beyond a personal use private parsing tool is handing a weapon to the community and hoping they all use it appropriately - which of course they will not. By handing that weapon to the community, use of it is automatically legitimized, while at the moment use of parsers is technically against the rules, and abuse of them is actively enforced.

You can still report it and GMs can still do something about it. "Hey, Mog2 - I noticed your damage is a bit low because you're not using your DoT, watch your damage as you weave it in" vs "OMG HEALER NOOB CANT DAMAGE, WHAT AN IDIOT!!!" clearly one is still going to cause issues. Technically both can be done already but its so much easier to have a conversation/learn/and teach when you actually have information to reference rather than waving at a semi-tangible sort of there block of information. Also people could say "yeah they didn't damage a lot but look they have very little over heal and incredibly high healing, how about you stop standing in all of the AoEs so they can actually do damage".

Why should anyone have to report it? It shouldn't be happening in the first place. Look, this player community has shown time and again that it will abuse whatever features are implemented in the game for personal gain. A parser would be no different.

Everything becomes more fact based, and we already have the damage of parsers as I said its already a thing because SE has already allowed it to be a thing. People will just give you crap without actually saying "parse" or using direct numbers.

Adding actual numbers will do nothing to help that situation. Confrontation-ally arguing that someone is playing poorly will never go well, with or without parser numbers. But, providing an official parser that enables such confrontation could encourage that very behavior.

All SE has managed to do with their stance is fog our information.

And parsing isn't ban-able. All it does is allow everyone to better learn and teach, if they want, increasing the average player ability. Also would allow for better balancing discussions, "Hey SE, look this job is factually worse" rather than "I feel I do less AoE damage" and SE says "it's great, trust us".

No, actually parsing *is* banable. People have been banned for using parsers, it all comes down to context and whether someone reports it. Technically it's against the conditions you agree to when you sign up. If someone complains about it, it's very possible that you could be banned simply for using a parser and talking about it in-game.

I used to argue completely against parsers, and still feel they are of very limited use and are potentially dangerous. But I think it's interesting that parser debates are always all or nothing affairs where pro-parser debaters will accept nothing less than full group, public parsing for all. I've changed my position before now to say that *if* parsers were officially implemented, a private, personal parsing tool could be useful to some, and would be hard to abuse, and so would be acceptable to me. But such a suggestion is always shot down because it will not let people (Edit : like you )people who support a broad public parser in-game, use parser data against other players. That reveals the true motive here.

It always comes back to wanting to use the numbers from a parser as a stick to beat others with. I don't find that to be a very positive thing.