Can SQ-EN draw a line in the sand w/ 3rd Parties?

[LittleImp]

It's illegal to have a program that scans for hacks? Don't many other games do this....?

In certain regions, certain styles of anti-cheat are indeed illegal. SE isn't going to suspend service in those regions just to chase down a (mostly) harmless piece of software.

Do you actively participate in the kind of content where this kind of software is frequently applied? I can agree that Cactbot is essentially cheating, but I'm curious about the source of your interest.

[LittleImp]

Yeah. I do higher end stuff on occasion, less so now due to no new content coming out til EW, and I've experienced people reacting to things or calling out things before they exist. Things that come to mind are Titan Savages multiple punches or Diamond weapons different attacks. For Diamond, I stopped playing it after a couple clears because of how egregious and obvious it was that people were doing it. It just feels dirty to be in these parties and scenarios. I've also been in a few different Ucob parties and people don't bother to read naels quotes, look at their debuffs, etc., instead opting for a text to speech like program to do all the work for them.

Yeah, it's gotten pretty out of hand but it's really a losing battle these days. Cactbot is more widespread than ever before, and I've even seen Ultimate groups that outright require its usage. I've cleared multiple without ever personally using it, but its essentially impossible and usually more trouble than it's worth to try to convince people in your group not to use it. I've had to just learn and let live when it comes to cactbot, though I still try to steer newer players away from it and explain that they will ultimately become a better player if they avoid using it.

There's also the elephant in the room of parsing and triggers being inherently tied together, with parsing being (like it or not) responsible for a significant portion of this games content longevity in the raid scene. I think the devs, being players of their own game, are aware of this relationship and it plays into the don't-ask-don't-tell policy they've developed around it.

[KageTokage]

It's illegal to have a program that scans for hacks? Don't many other games do this....?

They do, but said programs tend to stop only the most rudimentary third party apps and can be easily worked around if they have a semi-competent developer.

Gameguard is the one I see most frequently but all of the games I've played that used it still had issues with hackers/bots ranging from minor to extreme.

[SamSmoot]

This sounds like the DBM addon in WoW, which gives countdown bar graphs to mechanics, but no positioning suggestions that I know of. Didn't know this was possible in FF.

So, if we're going for no hints of upcoming mechanics, we may as well get rid of the orange telegraph markers on the floor. No advance warning at all, other than cast bars, boss movements, and sounds to tell you where to be at any time.

[Packetdancer]

So, if we're going for no hints of upcoming mechanics, we may as well get rid of the orange telegraph markers on the floor. No advance warning at all, other than cast bars, boss movements, and sounds to tell you where to be at any time.

Honestly, in savage et al, a great many of the mechanics do lack the orange telegraphs; you're expected to watch other things—boss attack animations, sounds, cast bars, etc. (And if there's a mechanic that does have the orange telegraph, it comes well after other tells; by the time the telegraph is up, it's probably too late to dodge it.)

So... everything else aside, while I stand by my earlier statements about how I don't care that much if other folks use Cactbot (provided it doesn't hinder my own experience of content), that "no orange telegraph markers" is kind of where a lot of higher-end content is at.

[yajnaji]

I know it.
You know it.
They know it.
EVERYBODY knows it.

This new "thing" will ruin the game (already started) the way it ruined the other mmo.

But for some god awful reason no one admits it... why? Is everyone in league with the trend of turning FFXIV into a e-sport game?! I called it many times, the new influx of players will ruin the game. It was better when it was a niche game and popularity WILL RUIN IT! Just log in, just do roulettes and you will see what I mean, the disease is in.

[Saraide]

I know it.
You know it.
They know it.
EVERYBODY knows it.

This new "thing" will ruin the game (already started) the way it ruined the other mmo.

But for some god awful reason no one admits it... why? Is everyone in league with the trend of turning FFXIV into a e-sport game?! I called it many times, the new influx of players will ruin the game. It was better when it was a niche game and popularity WILL RUIN IT! Just log in, just do roulettes and you will see what I mean, the disease is in.

Ruin has found you at last. I'm sure this time the doomsayers are right, like they were right every time before.

[yajnaji]

Ruin has found you at last. I'm sure this time the doomsayers are right, like they were right every time before.

Elaborate? Or are you just spouting nonsense to pretend to be smart?
Also try to detail what those "times before" were. One by one.