5 reasons why PS4 players need a parser in game

[SpookyGhost]

[...]

Might be wrong, but I don't think anyone's claiming that having a parser means that you no longer need to learn mechanics, a rotation, or how to coordinate with your group. A parser simply gives you a number, and from that number you can tell if you're on the low or the high side. If you're on the low side, you can then go "well, I must be on the low side for a reason, let me examine what I did in the fight and where I can improve". Then you test your theory on how you can do better and if the number goes higher then you've improved. Without knowing that the number was low in the first place you might never have realized it was an issue and continued on doing what you were doing before.

[akaneakki]

Might be wrong, but I don't think anyone's claiming that having a parser means that you no longer need to learn mechanics, a rotation, or how to coordinate with your group. A parser simply gives you a number, and from that number you can tell if you're on the low or the high side. If you're on the low side, you can then go "well, I must be on the low side for a reason, let me examine what I did in the fight and where I can improve". Then you test your theory on how you can do better and if the number goes higher then you've improved. Without knowing that the number was low in the first place you might never have realized it was an issue and continued on doing what you were doing before.

^ This very much.

[ThirdChild_ZKI]

Might be wrong, but I don't think anyone's claiming that having a parser means that you no longer need to learn mechanics, a rotation, or how to coordinate with your group. A parser simply gives you a number, and from that number you can tell if you're on the low or the high side. If you're on the low side, you can then go "well, I must be on the low side for a reason, let me examine what I did in the fight and where I can improve". Then you test your theory on how you can do better and if the number goes higher then you've improved. Without knowing that the number was low in the first place you might never have realized it was an issue and continued on doing what you were doing before.

No one said that, but the general idea has been "You NEED a parser to be able to do better!" when that's far from true. Otherwise every PS4 player is subpar by default, right?

Honestly, I'll take the guy that puts up decent (as in good, but not absolute best) numbers and performs mechanics properly, maintains some grace under pressure (I really can't stand when people are quick to panic, but in fairness, I know I'm simply less prone to panic), and is more concerned with strong teamwork over the guy with one eye on his parser, asking about his parse during the fight, and taking unnecessary risks all in the name of his bloody parse. Like seriously, a super high parse means nothing if you don't clear or complicate things for the rest of the team.

[akaneakki]

Like seriously, a super high parse means nothing if you don't clear or complicate things for the rest of the team.

I just hope you realized everything you said so far, actually is againt's what you just said.

[SpookyGhost]

[...]

It doesn't need to be either/or. Also most people check their parse at the end of an encounter or after a wipe, sometimes they'll glance over to see where they're at but no one's eyes are glued to their parser. Everyone that wants their number to go higher knows that you do 0 damage when you're dead, I think you're being a bit hyperbolic here.

Also you don't NEED a parser to do better - there are many aspects you can improve on that a parser won't help you with. However, if you want to improve your DPS contribution then a parser is a very useful tool for doing so as it lets you know where you are and (after adjustments) how much you've improved.

[Zojha]

A parser simply gives you a number, and from that number you can tell if you're on the low or the high side.

And interpretation of that number requires context. Gear plays a role - Someone with an i230 weapon might play slightly better than someone with an i250 weapon, but parse lower. Synergy plays a role - The BRD with a DRG in the group is gonna perform better than the one with a MNK instead given equal skill. Similar goes for AST buffs. Since every fight has individual mechanics, every parse is only valid for that one fight. Job balance can also play a role, even though it's relatively close together right now.

That said: Any parser that's worth its salt needs to account at least for gear and synergy effects and calculate those out before spitting out a number. Plain ole DPS is fairly misleading - You can see that in the top percentiles on FFlogs where you have dedicated parser runs with comps catered to one player and double AST feeding that person in particular balance cards. Don't compare yourself to that as average joe. That's not your standard.

[SpookyGhost]

[...]

I mean, yeah. I was trying to keep things simple, but realistically if they add a parser in this game it should track more than just damage - misses, crits, % mitigation, raid buffs, etc. There should also be a timeline like on FFLogs that shows you when and where everyone used what. There is a lot of valuable information missing from this game, only one of those being actual DPS numbers.

I'm sure this comment will be met with "but that would take a lot of resources!" by someone. And yeah, it kinda would (not as much as most imagine, but still), but considering this isn't Gaia Online I think that allocating resources to improving the actual data given to people on battle content is a worthwhile investment.