The Real Problem with Parsers

[Aiselia]

You've given no good reasons why parsers are bad.

That's probably because I've never said that parsers are bad.

This entire topic has turned into you saying they're bad

Please quote where I said they were bad. You can start from the post where I specifically agreed with Viridiana that we (me and Viridiana) were in agreement that parsers are fine if they don't come with jerks tagging alongside them, and work backwards from there.

I'll save you time. I've never said that parsers themselves are bad. I've said that other games have shown that there's plenty of elitism focused on them. I've said that SE's concern is that the same elitism will blossom from officially allowing or putting in parsers and that many of the pro-parser side simply prove that fear to be accurate, and that if they truly want parsers to be added, they should be trying to convince SE that they ARE mature enough to handle them, and not outright state that they'd totally kick people for not being up to their standards even if they're still capable of clearing just because it'll take them half an hour to clear an Expert Roulette instead of 20 minutes. I've said that if people want SE to reconsider their position on parsers, telling them simply that they're wrong isn't going to win them over. This isn't Family Guy, you can't just say "Come ooooon" and have them agree.

I've also said that I have zero problems with personal parsers to be allowed to see one's own output so they can improve if they care, and that that would be a safe middle ground for SE to implement because they can still maintain their current policy of not bringing up others' specific DPS because they shouldn't be able to see someone else's with a personal parser.

Do you know why I continued that debate with Viridiana for so long? Because unlike people like you, Viridiana actually understood my actual position, even if it's because I specifically stated it in another thread, and didn't operate under the misconception that "If you're not 100% with me, you're 100% against me."

So tell me again how I'm being an idiot for saying things I've never said. Because if you actually pay attention, if people bothered to take my advice and STOP outright stating that they'll completely be the elitists that SE doesn't want them to be, there MIGHT be a better chance at getting parsers added because they would stop proving SE right.

[Havenchild]

... if people bothered to take my advice and STOP outright stating that they'll completely be the elitists that SE doesn't want them to be, there MIGHT be a better chance at getting parsers added because they would stop proving SE right.

Or people like you could stop coming into these threads with fear-mongering nonsense, (by claiming suddenly more "good players" would become much more aggressive), to cause unneeded dispute over a tool that would be valuable in helping DPS players improve ten-fold. Then we could have a thread full of plenty of positive support for parsers. That would be much more effective at getting them in-game.

[SlyRoyale]

Or people like you could stop coming into these threads with fear-mongering nonsense, (by claiming suddenly more "good players" would become much more aggressive), to cause unneeded dispute over a tool that would be valuable in helping DPS players improve ten-fold. Then we could have a thread full of plenty of positive support for parsers. That would be much more effective at getting them in-game.

This.

Before I knew about the existence of parsers, I was unaware of how poorly I performed in the majority of content. After finding out what my numbers were, I asked others if they were good. They said they weren't and I needed to step my game up since I was doing raid content (SCoB when it was relevant, to be exact). After looking around for guides and tips, I saw a dramatic increase in my DPS and the parsers reflected that.

Having a detailed measurement of my DPS and asking for counsel from the community not only served to show me where I was, but offered the information and wake-up call I needed as a DPS. It pushed me to become a better player and I am thankful for it. Without being privy to this information, I probably would have continued to be ignorant of how shoddily I performed back in the day. Now that I have the information, all that remains is getting a parser so I don't have to ask my PC friends to open theirs up just to find out if I'm staying on track or not.

It's amazing how such information can be so beneficial to a player and offer incentive to become better, especially for those who constantly seek improvement or ways to not only increase their numbers but aim for faster clear times. If a parser can offer such benefits, especially when SE is making content that has DPS checks, it would be more of a boon for everyone instead of a bane being abused by jerks.

[ShanaShirayuki]

So tell me again how I'm being an idiot for saying things I've never said. Because if you actually pay attention, if people bothered to take my advice and STOP outright stating that they'll completely be the elitists that SE doesn't want them to be, there MIGHT be a better chance at getting parsers added because they would stop proving SE right.

Thing is these people you mention would be 'elitists' with or without one. Adding in an official parser would wake some up to how they're holding back the other 3 or 7 players also paying for a sub. Or this game can end up like WoW with that video someone posted of content being so watered down and easily accessed that apathy towards endgame communities and caring to do one's best was rampant.