Built-in Parsers

[Kacho_Nacho]

Parser is just an advanced calculator and there is no going around the fact that as an advanced calculator, one needs to have basic level of awareness as to how it works. A poorly used tool is the users fault, not the tools. Hence, the tool cannot be blamed for that.

I agree with you!

But, until the day comes when players stop looking for that magical one number which encapsulates a player's performance, parsers will remain a divisive topic amongst the FFXIV community.

Here's the thing. Not everyone is concerned with being as efficient as possible. A lot of players play FFXIV for fun.

Meanwhile, you have another group who desire to be the best they can be. They want to get through the content as fast as possible in order to play the game at its highest difficulty.

I like to call this the Casuals versus the Hardcore debate. Now, parsers are fine for players who are pushing difficult content. Players need to be in their top form in order to overcome the challenges placed in front of them by the developers.

However, what happens is when the hardcore players encounter casual players going through dungeons to complete quests, parsers become this weapon to use against the casuals and it ruins the casual's enjoyment of the game.

Boiled down, FFXIV was not designed to be a competitive game. It's a story driven MMORPG. Parsers don't comfortably fit the audience.

[Hruodig]

I agree with you!

But, until the day comes when players stop looking for that magical one number which encapsulates a player's performance, parsers will remain a divisive topic amongst the FFXIV community.

Here's the thing. Not everyone is concerned with being as efficient as possible. A lot of players play FFXIV for fun.

Meanwhile, you have another group who desire to be the best they can be. They want to get through the content as fast as possible in order to play the game at its highest difficulty.

I like to call this the Casuals versus the Hardcore debate. Now, parsers are fine for players who are pushing difficult content. Players need to be in their top form in order to overcome the challenges placed in front of them by the developers.

However, what happens is when the hardcore players encounter casual players going through dungeons to complete quests, parsers become this weapon to use against the casuals and it ruins the casual's enjoyment of the game.

Boiled down, FFXIV was not designed to be a competitive game. It's a story driven MMORPG. Parsers don't comfortably fit the audience.

It doesn't really matter what it was designed to be, me and lots of my friends play it as a competitive game because we like to be good and push each other to be better. For people like us, being as efficient as possible *is* fun. I'm so sick of seeing "lots of people don't care about their dps, they play for *fun*", as if people who do care about their performance don't have fun.

[Niwashi]

It doesn't really matter what it was designed to be, me and lots of my friends play it as a competitive game because we like to be good and push each other to be better. For people like us, being as efficient as possible *is* fun. I'm so sick of seeing "lots of people don't care about their dps, they play for *fun*", as if people who do care about their performance don't have fun.

It's not that people think *you* don't have fun that way. It's simply that a lot of people are sick and tired of others telling them that they *have* to play that way, whether they find it fun or not. Highly competitive top tier stuff is a niche. Some people like it and some people don't. With a personal parser, you and your friends could get all the fun out of it you want, but would simply have a harder time telling casuals you wind up in a leveling dungeon with that *THEY* have to meet standards that the game doesn't set, but only you yourself do.

You can go ahead and have fun that way. Just don't insist that other people do. If it's just about your own fun, then seeing your own stats should be all that you need. Seeing other people's stats is for taking over their game from them and insisting they play it your way.

[Hruodig]

It's not that people think *you* don't have fun that way. It's simply that a lot of people are sick and tired of others telling them that they *have* to play that way, whether they find it fun or not. Highly competitive top tier stuff is a niche. Some people like it and some people don't. With a personal parser, you and your friends could get all the fun out of it you want, but would simply have a harder time telling casuals you wind up in a leveling dungeon with that *THEY* have to meet standards that the game doesn't set, but only you yourself do.

You can go ahead and have fun that way. Just don't insist that other people do. If it's just about your own fun, then seeing your own stats should be all that you need. Seeing other people's stats is for taking over their game from them and insisting they play it your way.

I've literally never told anyone in a dungeon what their dps is, and neither have any of my friends. What's the point? Usually they don't listen anyway, when all you're doing is trying to get them to use aoe on dungeon packs, or use literally anything other than doton on a single target boss. If people wanted to improve, they'd already have been doing it by then.