Are parsers legal now?

[Eldaena]

The use of third party programs or tools in FINAL FANTASY XIV is strictly prohibited in that these devices permit players to enjoy benefits at the expense of others. The use of these tools or programs in FINAL FANTASY XIV, which have the function of automising certain actions continuously, is like playing the game absently in a robotic maner, that which is also against the rules of FINAL FANTASY XIV. Besides this and not limited to, players can, over the course of an investigation on their playing the game while absent, be arrested by a Game Master and should in such a case obey the Game Master's instructions. To act against the Game Master's instructions is considered a violation and can be followed by disciplinary mesures against the account of the player at fault.

The following activities are equally prohibited:
•The modification, analysis, integration and reverse engineering of game data - Posted by Youmukon

With this information, is it saying Anaylysis of data as well? Is that not what parsers do?

[Kinseykinz]

I don't have or use a parcer. However, I've been in fights/battles where others have used them. I don't see an issue against the TOA because as others have said, it doesn't directly change or affect gameplay. Actually, SE probably embraces us using them to some extent as they allow people to concretely see changes in data based on gear changes/skill adjustments/player ability etc. However this being said, I can't in good faith tell you 'sure using a parcer is totally inline with the TOA'. You have to make the decision yourself since it does belong in a 'grey area'.

Although if I were SE, I would just write/code the 'parser' for 2.0 party gameplay. If SE gave us an IN-GAME tool that ranked players after a difficult battle based on overall contribution (or at least gave raw damage totals/highest spike damage total and top healer/buffer), then it would negate the need for parcers. But then again /ls message seems to ellude them...

[Eldaena]

I don't have or use a parcer. However, I've been in fights/battles where others have used them. I don't see an issue against the TOA because as others have said, it doesn't directly change or affect gameplay. Actually, SE probably embraces us using them to some extent as they allow people to concretely see changes in data based on gear changes/skill adjustments/player ability etc. However this being said, I can't in good faith tell you 'sure using a parcer is totally inline with the TOA'. You have to make the decision yourself since it does belong in a 'grey area'.

Although if I were SE, I would just write/code the 'parser' for 2.0 party gameplay. If SE gave us an IN-GAME tool that ranked players after a difficult battle based on overall contribution (or at least gave raw damage totals/highest spike damage total and top healer/buffer), then it would negate the need for parcers. But then again /ls message seems to ellude them...

Yes, I'd really like to get a parser to know this information. But with the information so recently posted, it almost feels like they are enforcing my reasoning behind not getting one to begin with. I hope in 2.0 they have an integrated parser for after fights or something.

[Skies]

Uhn, actually that is a bit of legalese and that sort of stuff is always unclear if you're not a lawyer.
Regardless, to put that in simpler words it must mean something like "Don't screw with the client, and don't try to decompile the game either".
Suffice to say, it'd be the most bizarre thing in the world if SE had an issue with your parsing the log files that the game itself outputs. So essentially as long as the parser doesn't pokes itself inside the game client and workss off the natural output, it shouldn't ever be a problem.

[lackofwords]

http://support.na.square-enix.com/ru...seragreement_e

2. LICENSE LIMITATIONS

2.5 Data Mining. You may not intercept, mine or otherwise collect information from the Game using unauthorized third party software.

Is that clear enough?

Then again there is also this;

3. PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES

3.5 Naming Right. You may not use any name or other intellectual property belonging to SQUARE ENIX or any other third party in your use of the Game (for example, naming a character after a celebrity, company, product, or superhero).

But as you know there's a bunch of Chuck Norris running around.

Also there is this;
http://support.na.square-enix.com/ru...la=1&tag=authc
FINAL FANTASY® XIV Materials Usage License; Effective August 11, 2010

For purpose of clarification, your use of the Materials on a website may not display any of Square Enix’s trademarked and/or copyrighted materials other than Materials authorized by the most current version of this license, which currently excludes any FINAL FANTASY XIV in-game video, music or vocal tracks captured by you or any third party. You will not alter the Materials or produce derivative works based on the Materials. You will not alter, remove or conceal any trademark or copyright notice that may be included on the Materials. You must immediately comply with any request by Square Enix to remove any or all Materials, as specified in a notice from Square Enix.

This means SE still holds the rights to strip away any user created Material on a website, including but not limited to FRAPs video of your game play, any altered works using the Material, or any music tracks. Will they use this against their users? Probably not since they aren't that evil, but they still reserve the legal rights to.

[acpowell]

More than likely if you decided to use one, You would get a slap on the wrist for first time offence unless you are gaining a highly unfair advantage, but as lackofwords pointed out it is defiantly against the rules as far as SE sees it.

[Soukyuu]

http://support.na.square-enix.com/ru...seragreement_e

2. LICENSE LIMITATIONS

2.5 Data Mining. You may not intercept, mine or otherwise collect information from the Game using unauthorized third party software.

Is that clear enough?

Except the parser is getting it's data from the .txt files the game exports... for what purpose if not for analysis?

[Raldo]

Except the parser is getting it's data from the .txt files the game exports... for what purpose if not for analysis?

Yeah, I've always seen parsers as like... going through someone's trash and finding out what they ate by looking at the receipts they threw away. As always with legalese, it's up to interpretation, but I don't think they'll ever do anything about it. I don't see anything wrong with it, and I'm one of the ones that refused to use Windower for FFXI.

I am curious though... do they do anything to obfuscate their log files, or are they literally human-readable text files?

[Mychael]

Yeah, I've always seen parsers as like... going through someone's trash and finding out what they ate by looking at the receipts they threw away. As always with legalese, it's up to interpretation, but I don't think they'll ever do anything about it. I don't see anything wrong with it, and I'm one of the ones that refused to use Windower for FFXI.

I am curious though... do they do anything to obfuscate their log files, or are they literally human-readable text files?

Go to \My Games\FINAL FANTASY XIV\user\######\log and open one. You can read it for yourself in Notepad. It's hard to read as a human because lines don't wrap, but still. Definitely human-readable.