Any chance of an official data parser so we can test our character builds?

[Peregrine]

I think the old stigma of "third party program" is not a good excuse to dismiss a very enriching MMO feature, and as it would be a first party program, or not even a unique program at all, they could put it entirely within-house so no there aren't any security holes.

I don't see any down sides that are legit. One could be that knowing this data takes the voodoo out of stats and exposes the real effects of abilities instead of the magical allure of them that often drives their aquisition. If players realize half the abilities don't actually do anything and half the stats don't matter, then the proficiency of the balance gets called into question. However, you can't base stats on a lie forever if they truly aren't worth it. Not having a parser only buys you time before people realize the effect is a herring.

As for the security concern, we're nowhere close to modding the market ward system, so in-house systems aren't threats. If we make it, which we will if they don't, that's more of a security threat than if they made it themselves so we didn't have to.

When they make a parser-equivalent, it can be clean and perfect and more powerful than we make it.

When we make a parser program, we'll tend to tack things like agro distance, spell distance, and a bunch of questionable borderline material to it that don't just give you data you could have calculated, but actually enhance gameplay.

Right now the parser is run along with narcotics by suspect players when Square could be regulating parser gameplay and taking credit for the great idea.

[Rydin]

I think the old stigma of "third party program" is not a good excuse to dismiss a very enriching MMO feature, and as it would be a first party program, or not even a unique program at all, they could put it entirely within-house so no there aren't any security holes.

I don't see any down sides that are legit. One could be that knowing this data takes the voodoo out of stats and exposes the real effects of abilities instead of the magical allure of them that often drives their aquisition. If players realize half the abilities don't actually do anything and half the stats don't matter, then the proficiency of the balance gets called into question. However, you can't base stats on a lie forever if they truly aren't worth it. Not having a parser only buys you time before people realize the effect is a herring.

As for the security concern, we're nowhere close to modding the market ward system, so in-house systems aren't threats. If we make it, which we will if they don't, that's more of a security threat than if they made it themselves so we didn't have to.

When they make a parser-equivalent, it can be clean and perfect and more powerful than we make it.

When we make a parser program, we'll tend to tack things like agro distance, spell distance, and a bunch of questionable borderline material to it that don't just give you data you could have calculated, but actually enhance gameplay.

Right now the parser is run along with narcotics by suspect players when Square could be regulating parser gameplay and taking credit for the great idea.

There is a parser out there.... a certain thaumaturge in a certain forum has used it extensively

[BlaiseLallaise]

In regards to the OP, one downside I see is that it will give fodder to the elitist mentality of "You must have X or you will be gimp," or "Dungeon party. PST for invite. XYZ minimum parsers only." Such attitudes must be considered before deciding to put this in.

[Peregrine]

In regards to the OP, one downside I see is that it will give fodder to the elitist mentality of "You must have X or you will be gimp," or "Dungeon party. PST for invite. XYZ minimum parsers only." Such attitudes must be considered before deciding to put this in.

When elitism bears its ugly head, that's a desperate consequence of the stat system iteslf being unforgiving. Nothing inherent about a parser drives elitism, it only shows the stat system for what it is and that can't be changed. The parster only provides information that would otherwise be driven by either ignorance and biased placebo effect (My gear makes me better because I paid a lot for it compared to you) or just straight gearscoring for no reason (your gear scores 3500 okay but how much better is it than a score of 1500?).

XI's system went elitist well before parsers proved there were big differences in gear setups, because XI's system is inherently brutal to players who don't get in line. I think if you run a XIV parser, it would actually make you feel more comfortable in choosing your own path. I've stopped min-maxing altogether until the new battle engine. I have 90 STR DEX PIE and INT to cover meleeing and nuking. I don't spec to over 150 any more because I know for a fact it doesn't matter.

It's actually liberating and makes me less elitist to know, as opposed to not knowing. And it's not like you can't inherently tell the stat system in XIV is much more forgiving, to a fault almost.

But really when you look at a belt like penance...what is it *actually* doing for you? It's not actually doing anything. 2 str is nothing. It may be something after the stat system is repaired, but I think it's better for the players to go into the unknown with tools to figure things out intelligently and rationally instead of believing in the heart of the cards.

Basically the heart of the cards--placebo-- can also be used to support elitism, when a parser could remove that voodoo. If we don't know how much str affects damage, I can hold the penance over your head as much as I can get away with. If we DO know how much str affects damage, then everyone knows I'm no better than you are for having it. At all.