5 reasons why PS4 players need a parser in game

[SpookyGhost]

[...]

It doesn't need to be either/or. Also most people check their parse at the end of an encounter or after a wipe, sometimes they'll glance over to see where they're at but no one's eyes are glued to their parser. Everyone that wants their number to go higher knows that you do 0 damage when you're dead, I think you're being a bit hyperbolic here.

Also you don't NEED a parser to do better - there are many aspects you can improve on that a parser won't help you with. However, if you want to improve your DPS contribution then a parser is a very useful tool for doing so as it lets you know where you are and (after adjustments) how much you've improved.

[Zojha]

A parser simply gives you a number, and from that number you can tell if you're on the low or the high side.

And interpretation of that number requires context. Gear plays a role - Someone with an i230 weapon might play slightly better than someone with an i250 weapon, but parse lower. Synergy plays a role - The BRD with a DRG in the group is gonna perform better than the one with a MNK instead given equal skill. Similar goes for AST buffs. Since every fight has individual mechanics, every parse is only valid for that one fight. Job balance can also play a role, even though it's relatively close together right now.

That said: Any parser that's worth its salt needs to account at least for gear and synergy effects and calculate those out before spitting out a number. Plain ole DPS is fairly misleading - You can see that in the top percentiles on FFlogs where you have dedicated parser runs with comps catered to one player and double AST feeding that person in particular balance cards. Don't compare yourself to that as average joe. That's not your standard.

[SpookyGhost]

[...]

I mean, yeah. I was trying to keep things simple, but realistically if they add a parser in this game it should track more than just damage - misses, crits, % mitigation, raid buffs, etc. There should also be a timeline like on FFLogs that shows you when and where everyone used what. There is a lot of valuable information missing from this game, only one of those being actual DPS numbers.

I'm sure this comment will be met with "but that would take a lot of resources!" by someone. And yeah, it kinda would (not as much as most imagine, but still), but considering this isn't Gaia Online I think that allocating resources to improving the actual data given to people on battle content is a worthwhile investment.

[Nyxn607]

Snip.

I can see your points for why you think a parser is needed. However, if PC players communicate with other PC players and PS4 players, then I don't see a problem with the current parser system.

Not sure if it is a valid comparison or not, but when I played WoW I did enjoy having a parser for a friendly competition between guildmates/friends in who can put out the most dps. The downside to that is, there are always those few players that use them and turn them into a "I have a bigger dick fest." But then again, what would WoW be without that? So if suppose that if would stay a friendly system and only be used to help people out, then I would be less opposed to it. However there is no way to guarantee a parser would be used only for those reasons.

[Lambdafish]

And interpretation of that number requires context.

And a parser would give a lot more context to a players shortcomings than SSS ever will. Like SpookyGhost said, an ingame parser should be designed around aiding in contextual information.

I can see your points for why you think a parser is needed. However, if PC players communicate with other PC players and PS4 players, then I don't see a problem with the current parser system.

Two reasons why this isn't a good system:

- It proves OPs point that PS4 players need to rely on PC players

- Parsers are technically against the ToS, making them like the worst fight club ever. Though the conversation about asking for parser numbers from strangers is still difficult to have.

[Ailith-D]

So if suppose that if would stay a friendly system and only be used to help people out, then I would be less opposed to it. However there is no way to guarantee a parser would be used only for those reasons.

It's SE job to make sure no one use it in a bad way like they did with vote kick system, from time to time you hear stories about players abusing it but that doesn't make it bad, same thing should happen with parsers.

[Xeros_cl]

The only thing I could say is as a PS4 healer I really did get good data with the parsers posted on FFlogs, for a tactical standpoint is not just a number.

Since I´m a healer I really don't care that much about parsing but is really a pain for people who wants to improve their DPS and I can testify that SSS is useless since I know people who says "I did fine on SSS" but fails miserably on the real encounter.

Now the real problem IMO is this people who fails and really wants to improve deserve the tools to do it, that been said is very difficult to these people to gain experience and improve in a Raid enviroment where FFlogs is used as a resume for recruitment

In all fairness I think a "Savage raid Parser Only" is a good option, since is just there where these "numbers" matters. And I think if you raid you need to be thick-skinned enough when people with "arguments" AKA "parses" tells you you suck

[Ailith-D]

In all fairness I think a "Savage raid Parser Only" is a good option, since is just there where these "numbers" matters. And I think if you raid you need to be thick-skinned enough when people with "arguments" AKA "parses" tells you you suck

I totally agree with you, if they add a real time parser for savage content casual players won't have to worry about harassment. This is a good idea I wish SE would listen to us for once and look for real solutions.

[Astral145]

All I want is a parser meter for me. Meaning it only shows my Damage out, my Healing, my support buffs and my Mitigation percentages. I could care less about a group parser as that will lead to harassment but you cannot harass other players with a parser that calculates only your character..

The devs could also add in the top players w/out names so we can see where we can improve. Those who like to theory craft would thoroughly enjoy this type of application. I would love to see over all dps average numbers for a duration of an encounter for each job. This kind of application should have graphs and percentages for each skill and when used during the encounter. If anyone seen FFLOGs then you know what I am talking about. Unfortunately I can't use that type of application on a PS4 but would love to have it.

Basically the application will work as followed: after you run a raid or dungeon..ect you can pull up the application to see where you can improve. you can also use that application to compare notes with other players who are using the same job with or without names for each chart. This will allow us to fine tune our skill rotations so the next time we enter the encounter we have a better over all experience.

Anyway the game already records this information why not provide this to the players so we can improve as a player base. Good player base = a better experience in the DF

[KokoChibata]

@OP isnt this why they added Earth Sea and Sky? So you can determine if youre up to snuff for your dps?