An alternative to parsers...

[Erys]

I will also shamelessly repost something I replied to a parser suggestion in other thread that didn't get too much attention. Since this board is more active maybe it inspires someone (be it dev or player) to come up with a parsing/ranking system that doesn't devolve in insults from boths sides and helps everyone improve.

"I think a good approach to a dps meter would be a grading system, like Devil May Cry's Style Meter.
The more PPS you do the more it fills, the more it fills the higher the grade. You set up 1 meter per dungeon pull and boss. Why PPS? Because that way overgearing doesn't give you more rewards, you have to achieve the Potency per second dished, not the damage.
Like dungeons are right now, we have: 2 massive pulls, 1 boss, 2 massive pulls, 1 boss, 2 massive pulls and 1 boss. With some variations with smaller pulls before certain bosses but you get the idea. We would get 1 grading per massive pull and 1 grading per boss, ending the dungeon with 6 pull Ranks and 3 boss ranks. At the end we would get an average and that's our final Rank.

Make it an overlay like the Job Gauges so you can't copypaste your "dps" in the chat and there should be no harassment. Give extra tomestones and System Based Commendations as rewards based on on Rank Achieved; B rank gives you 10 extra tomes and a Silver Commendation, A gives you 25 extra tomes and a Gold Commendation, and S gives you 50 extra tomes and a Platinum Commendation.
Why tomestones? Rewarding efficient play with less grind. Why system commendations? Because most players if a dungeons goes quick will commend the "aoe dps class", meaning that maybe there was a melee that was destroying a smn in aoe situations and they go uncommended because the party assumed the smn was the one doing the awesome aoe damage. Or just tanks and healers, because they are the "most valuable" party members.

For extra flair you can have each Job Teacher or relevant character commend you via linkshell call after a pull is done. Say you are running dragoon and you hit a "bad" rank (C or less), Alberic would chime in to support you and cheer you to do better; something like "Come on [Character Name], I know you can do better, you are the Azure Dragoon after all!!". If you reach one of the rank with rewards, Estinien would condescendingly praise you, like he always does xP

Put a mount or something with the new commendation system and there's your incentive for people to get better. This way you've got a personal "DPS" meter, a Ranking towards other players that doesn't depend on other players commending you and extra rewards for doing good, both in the form of a mount/glam and extra tomestones per dungeon run."

[Sinrai]

-snip-

No, just...no. I'd like this game to stay without this kind of performance pressure, thank you very much. There already is something for people who want to do well in this game, it's called Savage and Extreme.

And a mount? Are you serious? Yeah, I can already hear people complain about that. Not happening.

I myself strive to always do my best and apologize when my performance on a certain day is subpar and hurts the group. But this system would sap the fun right out of the game for me and I daresay a lot of players.

[akaneakki]

No, just...no. I'd like this game to stay without this kind of performance pressure, thank you very much. There already is something for people who want to do well in this game, it's called Savage and Extreme.

Yeah sure, but this is in normal mode, can you please take a min to explain why this happened?

[Sinrai]

Yeah sure, but this is in normal mode, can you please take a min to explain why this happened?

Bad gear, no effort, first time. It happens, especially if that was a public group. But are you seriously complaining about normal mode? That's exactly what I don't want in this game, people being "encouraged" in normal content to play better. Yeah, right. The only thing you're encouraging is elitists feeling justified to push their views on everyone else.

These kinds of things have to be thought through from all angles, since it can have unintended consequences.

Limiting it to higher difficulty content is something I'd be willing to put up with, since you'll have to do well there anyway to succeed. Also, nothing that is mandatory for the main story quest.

-snip-

Too idealistic, there's no way it's only going to happen in high-end content.

[akaneakki]

..

Was no first timers and everyone was over 260. How is it elitist saying they can't beat a normal mode and they need to get better? I thought the whole point in a pve based game to beat the content? Or are you just going to sit there and pretend its fine?
I'm not ''complaining'' about the normal mode, you are just proving my point here. You say you don't need a a parser and only what you can come with is ''elitist''. So beating content is being elitist? lol Yet you see a group here wiping at 66% with massive overgear. Try come with a better arguement than elitist.

Fir

The word elitist is so over used. Most people who are bonuses doesn't make the effort. I've seen some who actually do but it's rare. But again, I'm there to farm as well and I don't wanna take the risk of a person who might be bad or good, because if hes bad the group will mostlikely just disband. It's how it works, because people wont be put up with it. There is abosluttely NOTHING wrong having no bonus in group, you simply just need to deal with it. Like he/she said, I'm there to farm not to take the risk of a person being bad or not and then give them a clear.

[DRHaymaker]

The word elitist is so over used. Most people who are bonuses doesn't make the effort. I've seen some who actually do but it's rare.

I agree, but that's a problem that honestly the community has fostered through it's intolerance of things like parses and the "necessity" of learning parties. As buzzwordy as "elitism" is, sometimes you need to use their own nebulous definition as the reason of why it's wrong.

I'm there to farm as well and I don't wanna take the risk of a person who might be bad or good, because if hes bad the group will mostlikely just disband.

The solution to that is to not do PUGs, or have the majority of the group be people that you know, because on top of skill, you're also running the risk that people will leave once they get what they wanted... or wipe once because of something that was an honest mistake or lag, etc. - i mean, they have no obligation to stick with your group really. Point being there is an intrinsic risk with PUGs period, and a substantial chunk of risk still remains if you remove bonuses.

[Erys]

Snip

Performance pressure? When everything you get is only extra?
Only you get to see it and only you get to pressure yourself if you want to get extra rewards xD
It's like saying you are pressured to do savage. It's an extra, you either do it or not. Will encourage people who want to take advantage of it, whoever doesn't give a fuck won't give a fuck xD