Would you like an in-game parser?

[Thoro39]

Not sure why some people hate ps4 people so much that they want to deny them of any opportunity of testing themselves, saying it's a waste of ressources. SSS is hardly any real measure, outside of any rotation testing, real battle data is much more meaningful. If anything, I'd say SSS was a much bigger waste of ressources than a personal parser would ever have been.
I know plenty of ps4 players who would love to be able to parse themselves to the extent that they are simply too scared to join PF for ex-primals without a friend because they are terrified of the idea of having no idea whether they are carried or not as a dps. An introduction of a personal or group parser might do wonders in giving them more confidence in themselves, more confidence in getting to know whether they are up for some EXPrimal Content or not, it's simply vexing.
It's getting to the point where one of them even started building a pc, just for the sake of it, but I dont think it's a good idea to force ps4 users to go for such drastic measures. More Money for SE at least, I guess?

[Voltyblast]

SSS is hardly any real measure, outside of any rotation testing, real battle data is much more meaningful. If anything, I'd say SSS was a much bigger waste of ressources than a personal parser would ever have been.

Honestly, I think SSS could be saved if they added a feedback from your performance, or at least tell your current dps/total damage after you beat or fail to beat the dummy, but anything would work really.

Plus it can solve this whole "oh em gee parser people are toxic because yadda yadda": it's done solo, you get a rough estimate of your damage, and if we get a proof of our performance (a sort of personal card in your inventory that would show them that your dps is rank A-D) it could potentially help out without requiring a parser. Of course parsers will still be needed, but this could be a very easy way to give a rough estimate!

I mean, when I beat a dummy under the time limit of 3:00, I wish it could tell me my performance somehow (and not by going to an EXTERNAL SITE to calculate it). I was hoping it would give a rank, like from F to S, so that at least it tells you how you went in case you failed to beat the dummy. But nope, it just vanishes and that's it. You're automatically ready for the real fight!

But yes as of now, SSS is just a waste of resources and I do hope they add more valuable feedback in the future (I doubt it)

[Reynhart]

I mean, when I beat a dummy under the time limit of 3:00, I wish it could tell me my performance somehow (and not by going to an EXTERNAL SITE to calculate it). I was hoping it would give a rank, like from F to S, so that at least it tells you how you went in case you failed to beat the dummy. But nope, it just vanishes and that's it. You're automatically ready for the real fight!

If you beat the dummy, you're good enough, that's technically the only feedback you need. And when you fail, it's easy to look at the remaining health to "judge" how close you failed.
For several days, I failed A5S SSS at 1%...and yes, it's frustrating
But I did it with a new weapon, yeah !

[Reinha]

I mean, when I beat a dummy under the time limit of 3:00, I wish it could tell me my performance somehow (and not by going to an EXTERNAL SITE to calculate it). I was hoping it would give a rank, like from F to S, so that at least it tells you how you went in case you failed to beat the dummy. But nope, it just vanishes and that's it. You're automatically ready for the real fight!

But yes as of now, SSS is just a waste of resources and I do hope they add more valuable feedback in the future (I doubt it)

If you beat the dummy, you can calculate your performance compared to the requirement by dividing 3 minutes by your completion time. For example if you beat it in 2 minutes 30 seconds (150 s), you did 180 s / 150 s = 1.20 = 120% as much dps as you needed. So 20% higher than the requirement.

If you don't beat the dummy, you can see your performance by looking at the remaining HP % on the dummy as the time expires. If it's at 20%, then you only did 80% of the requirement.

Do don't need actual damage numbers to see your progress.

[Voltyblast]

If you beat the dummy, you can calculate your performance compared to the requirement by dividing 3 minutes by your completion time. For example if you beat it in 2 minutes 30 seconds (150 s), you did 180 s / 150 s = 1.20 = 120% as much dps as you needed. So 20% higher than the requirement.

If you don't beat the dummy, you can see your performance by looking at the remaining HP % on the dummy as the time expires. If it's at 20%, then you only did 80% of the requirement.

Do don't need actual damage numbers to see your progress.

That's helpful....how about give that information in-game, instead of forcing us to make our own calculations? It's not that the game is so underpowered that it can't handle basic calculations to show us (PvP shows us damage and healing done at the end, just to name one)

On the other hand I have a parser, so my take on SSS was just one to help boost its utility, because I find literally no use on it: with my own dummy at my place I can time myself an have the same results as in SSS, except it won't forcibly destroy itself. Talk about glorified target dummies.

If you beat the dummy, you're good enough, that's technically the only feedback you need. And when you fail, it's easy to look at the remaining health to "judge" how close you failed.
For several days, I failed A5S SSS at 1%...and yes, it's frustrating
But I did it with a new weapon, yeah !

So I suppose I can go most of Midas Savage with 220, as I was able to beat most of them dummies with only 1500 dps. Supposedly, of course.

I don't raid so even if my dps is enough for that, it really isn't: I probably have to cut at least 20 or 30% of my current dps to make it look more reasonable. We don't need rocket science to see that I'm far too undergeared and underpowered for even attempting a single floor. But thankfully I don't care anymore about raiding.

[Reynhart]

So I suppose I can go most of Midas Savage with 220, as I was able to beat most of them dummies with only 1500 dps. Supposedly, of course.

You can enter it, yes. Of course, your DPS will drop greatly on your first tries, but it's because you're still Learning the mechanics and how you can maximize your DPS while dealing with them

I don't raid so even if my dps is enough for that, it really isn't: I probably have to cut at least 20 or 30% of my current dps to make it look more reasonable.

SSS requires higher DPS than the corresponding content, because it's a static target. So the cut is also intended.

[tjw]

I speak only the following from my experiences with parsers, both good and bad. Key phrase being 'both good and bad'.

As a healer, parsers aren't as effective for my role, but even then, I can go through the logs afterwards and see where I'm overhealing/in which areas I can DPS just a bit longer. In the same regard, it also gives me greater feedback at which stage of the fight that I need to prep cooldowns or be prepared for some hard hitting raid damage. I can definitely see the benefits for our DPS; they are able to streamline their damage and be more consistent with it, as well as pushing themselves to do better in the raid. As I have never been parsed for my DPS, I can't comment much save that there is noticeable improvements within a static community. It also makes all of us accountable to one another and the static as whole, which is never a bad thing.

However, the reliance on parsers is an issue, because in the very end, parsers are just a tool. They don't teach you how to do mechanics. They don't teach you how to do your rotation properly. They aren't the teachers of the system; they are merely a tool. Over-reliance or dependence on the numbers a parser shows is very detrimental.

For example, our raid static was progressing through M2S. After our first week in there, where we barely managed to clear Brawler, our DRG, NIN and BRD start fine-tuning their DPS based on the parser, with a lot of small and useless things that ended worsening our progress. Things such as telling the tanks to wait for cooldowns of 3 minutes, odd pull macros of 18 seconds, telling the tank not to move too far from mines because 'positionals', frequently stacking mirages because 'positionals' or 'casting', getting hit or wrongly baiting mirages because 'positionals' or 'casting', pulling before the tanks do because 'Huton/BotD uptime', not moving for single drill because 'DPS uptime', frequently stunning other party members with double drill because 'positionals', getting clipped by Gamma orb because 'DPS uptime', not coming into range for AoE heals to prepare for Beta orbs because 'DPS uptime' or 'casting'. And then blaming the tanks and healer for blowing them up/not topping them off. Reason? To see their numbers on the parser get higher.

Of course, the tanks and the healers pretty much gave no shits after two days of this and told them off. Keep in mind that this was only the second week we were in there, barely any progress. Our end result was we were just wiping faster with little actual progress made. Our DRG tried to do the same thing with our second week in M3S, suggesting that the healer (me) take the caster jail so our SMN would have higher uptime on the boss. We all just gave him the lecture on what happened in M2S and he quickly relented.

Point is, I can see the benefits of the parser and it has done lots of good for the raiding community and our static as well. However, I am seeing some unhealthy obsession with the 'numbers' on these parsers that can make it detrimental rather than beneficial to the party. I think most people need to keep in mind that it is merely just a tool. It can't be used to carry anyone, or magically improve someone.

[randysquirrel]

Reason? To see their numbers on the parser get higher.

We had a bit of this in the early days too, I think it came from the mindset of being in Gordias where squeaking out every last bit of dps actually did matter. Glad to see Midas switch to being more mech-focussed, with overall dps being higher only if you respect the mechanics.

I've been guilty of it myself, waiting a little too long trying to get a cast off before moving, after you die to it a few times you soon realise hehe

[UnstablePersonality]

Nope. One existing already out of game is already bad enough (at times) as it stands.

[Ghishlain]

Random stat breakdown (take with a grain of salt as due sample size and limiting respondents to only the official forum community):

Total Votes as of May 23rd, 2016 - 1242 EST (thread approximately going for 17 days - can be skewed as posters can vote for multiple options)
Total Vote - 357 Votes (+51 respondents)
No Parser - 61 Votes (17.09%)
Yes, Group Parser - 180 Votes (50.42%)
Yes, Personal Parser - 116 Votes (32.49%)

Previous Tally from a week ago

Total Vote - 306 Votes
No Parser - 50 Votes (16.34%)
Yes, Group Parser - 156 Votes (50.98%)
Yes, Personal Parser - 100 Votes (32.68%)

No VS Yes, Group Parser
Total Vote - 241 Votes
No Parser - 61 Votes (25.31%)
Yes, Group Parser - 180 Votes (74.69%)


No VS Yes, Personal Parser
Total Vote - 177 Votes
No Parser - 61 Votes (34.46%)
Yes, Personal Parser - 116 Votes (65.54%)


Yes, Group Parser VS Yes, Personal Parser
Total Vote - 296 Votes
Yes, Group Parser - 180 Votes (60.81%)
Yes, Personal Parser - 116 Votes (39.19%)