Letter to MR Yoshi: Why parses system is destroying the ffxiv world.

[PyurBlue]

A parser actually seems like it would be a distraction because the issue here is that your grasp of what goes into doing good DPS was so completely lacking that you couldn't even do basic quantitative reasoning on your own. You were new, so that's understandable, but a number utterly deprived of context is unlikely to yield any great insights, especially because whether it's higher or lower than last time doesn't strictly depend on whether you played better or worse. Even if you log whatever it is you intended use as a test, without a solid understanding of how the game works, it's just going to be rows upon rows of data and is more likely to overwhelm the rookie than anything. For instance, should you happen to crit a bunch the time you didn't use dots and end up doing more damage, what then? Are you just going to conclude that dots are a waste of time? You obviously shouldn't, but that relies on understanding that dots are higher damage per cast time than many of your other spells, in addition to whatever other higher damage opportunities they may open up. A parser really isn't a teaching tool until you have a solid grasp of the game in order to make sense of the information it provides you. Someone still at the level of wondering if dots are a good idea doesn't need a parser. They need an understanding of what potency is, what their stats do, and the fundamentals of DPS.

You're absolutely right in pointing out that parsers have their own limitations and issues, but I still think having the extra data would end up being a net gain in many situations. I learned fairly quickly that there was damage variance in the game, although I didn't really know how it worked. I definitely didn't know that there were two kinds of damage increasing hits (DH and Crit) and I think this information escaped me until I started looking at endgame guides. Simply by having a parser that recorded what kinds of hits were occurring I would have been made aware of them and perhaps looked them up to better understand them. As far as damage variance as a whole goes, recording that variance in numbers over a long period of time is better than trying to guesstimate what the variance is. You don't need to account for the variance if you can just do the theoretical average math like you suggest, but the game is lacking in this area too. Some of the damage increasing skills don't give you numbers but instead just describe the effect. For example PLD's Spirits Within doesn't tell you how much the damage drops with HP so the only way to figure it out would be through measurement. There is a similar issue with BLM's Astral Fire as I don't think the game ever explicitly tells you what the damage multipliers are.

A parser will not magically make a new player perform better, sometimes it will take work on their part to make use of the data. If these players are really looking to improve though, then I think having more data available rather than less will be beneficial for them. Also consider that having a parser available for all probably means that a good chunk of the player base would be familiar with it. Players could help each other understand how to use the tool, just as they do with the rest of the game.

[Nixxe]

You're absolutely right in pointing out that parsers have their own limitations and issues, but I still think having the extra data would end up being a net gain in many situations. I learned fairly quickly that there was damage variance in the game, although I didn't really know how it worked. I definitely didn't know that there were two kinds of damage increasing hits (DH and Crit) and I think this information escaped me until I started looking at endgame guides. Simply by having a parser that recorded what kinds of hits were occurring I would have been made aware of them and perhaps looked them up to better understand them. As far as damage variance as a whole goes, recording that variance in numbers over a long period of time is better than trying to guesstimate what the variance is. You don't need to account for the variance if you can just do the theoretical average math like you suggest, but the game is lacking in this area too. Some of the damage increasing skills don't give you numbers but instead just describe the effect. For example PLD's Spirits Within doesn't tell you how much the damage drops with HP so the only way to figure it out would be through measurement. There is a similar issue with BLM's Astral Fire as I don't think the game ever explicitly tells you what the damage multipliers are.

A parser will not magically make a new player perform better, sometimes it will take work on their part to make use of the data. If these players are really looking to improve though, then I think having more data available rather than less will be beneficial for them. Also consider that having a parser available for all probably means that a good chunk of the player base would be familiar with it. Players could help each other understand how to use the tool, just as they do with the rest of the game.

I'm not saying parsers are not helpful. I'm saying that in the situation you outlined it's putting the cart before the horse.