Console Players don't need Addons

[HyoMinPark]

To define what we could potentially call cheating or for a less grievous term, artificially lowering content difficulty. One of the simplest ways to define it would be anything that does something for you instead of doing it yourself. There's no ambiguity nor doubt about it I believe?

Parsers, ACT, whatever DPS meter you like to use. A tool that serves to analyse someone's efficiency. In my humble opinion, I believe you don't actually need any of that to just clear. As far as I've observed so far, content works in a way that, as long as you regularly make use of your CDs, keep your GCD rolling as much as you're able to and prevent mechanics from killing or lowering your damage, then you can clear. The whole parser, ACT and so on only serves so you can do it faster, which is arguably trivial.

It is a bit more nuanced than “just keep your GCD rolling and use CDs properly”. There are rotational nuances that give distinct damage increases over other variations, and these sorts of things were figured out with a parser because the game does not tell you.

A parser by itself is just a calculator that takes the combat log data and streamlines it into a far easier to read format. Any “advantage” it has purely boils down to consoles are unable to make use of it. In my opinion, it in no way trivializes content the way some people in this thread would lead you to believe; and I’ve never been one to say using a calculator over a paper-and-pencil method is “cheating”. To me, it’s simply streamlining a long and arduous process into something far more bearable.

You can not die but still not be doing the amount of damage you should be doing due to rotational issues that you are not aware of simply because this game does not make you aware of them. It honestly gives very little direction in terms of formulating a rotation, and you are basically expected to just figure it out independent from the game. People do this using parsers, if we want to talk about the optimal rotation versus a more “this feels good/bad” feelycraft rotation.

Personally, the lack of feedback is something I have always criticized about this game. Even before I became a raider. I think it could do better in terms of instructing players on adequate ways to play their jobs—but that would also require the developers to accept that we play said jobs quite differently from what I think they intend. This sort of clash in intended playstyle and actual playstyle has existed in this game for years.

With regards to the “artificially lowering content difficulty” argument: there is nuance there as well. I haven’t seen anyone explain how some of the more popular tools such as NoClippy or cooldown timer mods on your UI “make content easier”. In all honestly, this game shouldn’t have artificial latency and animation lock attached to our characters, and we should be able to customize our UI to display buff timers in a better way—our own and our party members. How is using combo consolidation add-ons over in-game macros with built-in delays cheating as well? Or “making content easier”? People love to ask for the option to have combo consolidation, and there are plugins that do just that. And, it’s optional, so you don’t even have to use it if you don’t want to. You can even pick and choose what you want consolidated and what you don’t want consolidated. Again, how is this “making content easier” by making hotbars less bloated/cumbersome?

There’s a phrase people use to describe all these things I mentioned: it’s called “artificial difficulty”.

As far as I see it, some people are trading the fun in playing the game for over-efficiently clear content. Not saying there isn't any fun at all in being good but when you get a random thing telling you how to play...I don't know, to me it feels cheap, weak, bland, empty.

It is your opinion that being efficient or overly efficient sucks all the fun out of the content. And you are entitled to that—but others are allowed to contest it with their own opinions that efficiency equates to a more satisfying gaming experience. Not every add-on tells you what to do or plays the game for you. Even triggers that shot-call mechanics rely on you knowing the mechanic, how to react to/handle it, and executing it properly. They do not do it for you.



I think the main issue here is a combination of people trying to place themselves on a moral high ground and say they are better than others because they don’t use third-party tools, and ignorance when it comes to what each add-on/tool does. Not every third-party tool hacks the game to make invisible AOE indicators visible or move markers around automatically a la Paisley Park or Triggernometry. But people insist on lumping them all together anyways.

There is also the issue with disingenuous arguments and ad hominem attacks where the anti-side wants to imply that raiders who use these tools are simply bad at the game and couldn’t actually clear Ultimate-level content otherwise when evidence points to the exact opposite—and, honestly, some really have no business trying to belittle the skill of others when their own leaves much to be desired. Some glory in wielding and weaponizing their own ignorance. And that’s just a general statement; not one targeted to any specific person.