Mod users in FFXIV are getting out of control

[HyoMinPark]

Idk, I mean, people seem to be handwaving this away too much.

Problem is that it's not official nor requires consent from both people, in addition you can also use it to take screenshots of said people. That's not a good feeling, especially for people who might have dealt with rl or virtual harassment in the past.

I'm on ps4, so I don't do it, and it doesn't bother me too much, but the OP shouldn't be shouted down over it, just because people like their mods in general. It's something that is really troublesome, and I don't think there's any real solution to it. Like I mean, I don't think it' unreasonable to respect people's wishes and not view them in the buff.

If the OP isn’t actually being targeted by this harassment via mods, why are they raising hub-bub about it? Their first few posts in this thread was talking about being targeted for harassment via nude screenshots posted on social media and the like, but there is no proof that this actually happened to them, nor anyone they know. So why be concerned about it? Why start telling people to “be careful” and start spreading this fear that all modders are perverts that want to look at your character naked? This is aside from the fact that they are conflating the idea that they and their character are the same—that it’s even remotely comparable to talk about someone posting screens/seeing your avatar naked like you would talk about someone doing that to your person. Contrary to what the OP seems to think, modders don’t mod to see your character naked. The vast majority could not care less about other people’s characters.

[DreadRabbit]

Why would they waste their time and bother to find a way to patch this type of stuff out potentially ruining dozens of other perfectly fine mods that improve the game visuals a little or whatever because some people can't get over the fact that it's just pixels?

You kind of contradicted yourself here. If it's just pixels and they don't matter, then why would it matter to you if mods improving visuals get affected? After all, the visuals of this game are just pixels. Therefore they shouldn't matter or be worth defending. But we all know that's not the case.

I do agree that it would be a shame to blanket ban all mods, and I would rather that not happen. However if they did/do, then going after people like OP is just plain wrong. In that event you blame the people that abused the mod.

Sims and NSFW industry

Agreed completely. There's nothing wrong with wanting NSFW content or creating it, and I don't think that people using the mod in general should be condemned or anything like that.

Nobody is commissioning art or modding their game because they care about what you, the OP, myself, or anyone else looks like.

Then the mod(s) in question needs to be restricted to the player's own avatar and people on their friends list. If that were the case then I'd agree: no reason whatsoever to complain about what consenting people are doing on their own time with their own game.

[RiyahArp]

I think a lot of the pushback you see is coming at the idea that they're seeing you nude...

Um...why is this weird? The player has control over whether they want to wear a swimsuit or not, and who to wear it for. You don't have control over someone seeing you, apart from hoping the mod only works with specific pieces of clothing. As for the people modding...um no bloody offense, but if you ever have been part of or know any erp scene, you know its a very mixed bag of people who do it for various reasons and are of VERY varying mental stability. People thinking its all kittens and rainbows really surprise me. I'm not talking mods in general, just this specific one. And yes, some people use it because they want to see people's characters like that. Some do it respectfully, but it wouldn't surprise me otherwise.

I mean, you lost me at the commission thing because if you draw, yeah some people try and get work done nonconsensually with other people's characters. Not many, but enough where you better make sure both people are ok with the drawing. It's not everyone, but you're not pearl clutching if you require people to be on the up and up either.

I don't think it's a widespread or solvable problem, but it doesn't take everyone to really screw someone up, just a handful of people. I don't think people should really pooh pooh this, but its a very thorny issue that has no real answers to it.

If the OP isn’t actually being targeted by this harassment via mods, why are they raising hub-bub about it? Their first few posts in this thread was talking about being targeted for harassment via nude screenshots posted on social media and the like, but there is no proof that this actually happened to them, nor anyone they know. So why be concerned about it? Why start telling people to “be careful” and start spreading this fear that all modders are perverts that want to look at your character naked? This is aside from the fact that they are conflating the idea that they and their character are the same—that it’s even remotely comparable to talk about someone posting screens/seeing your avatar naked like you would talk about someone doing that to your person. Contrary to what the OP seems to think, modders don’t mod to see your character naked. The vast majority could not care less about other people’s characters.

I don't know about proof, but I'm not sure how you know she has none. Keep in mind there are a lot of sites for that kind of content.

As for modders in general, no they don't. I thought this was specifically about one type of mod, but it seems you are thinking it is a false flag to get all mods out?

As for "you are not your character," I don't think it's that easy. If someone creeps on you online, it doesn't always make it better that it's just pixels. It also depends on the person, I mean, some people may honestly have dealt with harassment both sexual or not in their lives, and loss of control can be very bad. You're kind of handwaving it away some, in order to defend modding as a whole from being curtailed. I don't think it should be, but this specific issue is unique and can be dealt without judging all modders

[HyoMinPark]

you know its a very mixed bag of people who do it for various reasons and are of VERY varying mental stability.

What? Are you for real saying that people who write erotic fiction or erotic roleplays are mentally unstable? Actually mentally unstable?

[Vhailor]

Such a tolerant community, never mind it is modifying game files which is against the ToS, because you benefit from it or it doesn't directly affect you, its okay.

And to think you people think its okay to have child-like Lalafell running around without their kit on, disgusting.

The OP has every right to be deeply concerned and worried about this matter, now even more so after reading some of these reply's.

It's not a question of whether or not it's OK. That determination is made on an individual level; for some it's a problem, for others it isn't.

The point is that there is absolutely nothing whatsoever that can be done about it. So why throw a fit? It sucks that some people have to go through life with disabilities, too, but there's nothing we can do to control that - we just have to make the best we can of the situation.

[Tsunenori]

Then the mod(s) in question needs to be restricted to the player's own avatar and people on their friends list. If that were the case then I'd agree: no reason whatsoever to complain about what consenting people are doing on their own time with their own game.

If there was a way to actually do this I don't think you'd see much complaining about it. This is one of those "sure it'd be nice" ideas that doesn't actually have a way to exist because that's just not how it works, and the only way to actually try to change something like that would be for Square-Enix to officially sanction it and that's something they definitely won't do. I'm with you there though.

Um...why is this weird? The player has control over whether they want to wear a swimsuit or not, and who to wear it for. You don't have control over someone seeing you, apart from hoping the mod only works with specific pieces of clothing.

The weird, for me, is that nobody is seeing *you* but rather your character. The attachment to the concept of it being you is what's strange. I can't stress enough that this is my own personal opinion here though. You don't agree with that, and it's okay that you don't (and aren't the only person who doesn't), but that's my opinion on where some of the pushback is coming from. You can see the amount of likes on posts with similar statements kind of backs that up.

Most people don't really see themselves as or put much of themselves into their characters. Maybe I should have chosen a different word than weird, or made it more clear that the weird part was my own personal opinion and not a statement of fact.

[AxlStream]

Have we really gotten to this point? Complaining about mods you're not even sure people have? Welp with this community's hatred for an unofficial parser, it had to be expected.

[RiyahArp]

What? Are you for real saying that people who write erotic fiction or erotic roleplays are mentally unstable? Actually mentally unstable?

Hyo...um I've known people like this. Not all of them, but there are people with serious mental issues as well as well adjusted people in the scenes. There are people who often are suffering fairly severe depression, or bipolar, or borderline, as well as healthy people too. I'm surprised this shocks you, if you are in one of those scenes you quickly find out who these people are if just to avoid them because they can ruin your life.

The weird, for me, is that nobody is seeing *you* but rather your character. The attachment to the concept of it being you is what's strange.

Idk...i mean, if someone yells at you in game, they only see your character too, it still hurts. If someone is perving on me, it's not just the character, its the player who animates them to a point. Othewise they'd just perv on npcs I think.

[HyoMinPark]

Hyo...um I've known people like this. Not all of them, but there are people with serious mental issues as well as well adjusted people in the scenes. There are people who often are suffering fairly severe depression, or bipolar, or borderline, as well as healthy people too. I'm surprised this shocks you, if you are in one of those scenes you quickly find out who these people are if just to avoid them because they can ruin your life.

I am sure that there are people like that that suffer from a variety of mental illnesses...but plenty of people in a variety of other scenes suffer from them just as much. There are people that do not write erotic fiction that may very well be as “mentally unstable” as those whom you claim do are. Your insinuation comes off to me as a blanket generalization that everyone or the majority who write erotic fiction or erotic roleplays are mentally unstable.

What shocked me was your blanket generalization. Because to me it sounded like you were saying that mental instability was directly correlated with writing erotic fiction and/or erotic roleplays. That’s what baffled me, because it sounded so incredibly prejudiced and ignorant.

I don't know about proof, but I'm not sure how you know she has none. Keep in mind there are a lot of sites for that kind of content.

I am probably not the only one in this thread that asked OP if they have ever had this specifically happen to them. Outside of the one /tell they posted (that actually occurred after this thread was created, so it was very obviously just a troll trying to bait them after reading this), they have provided no proof that this has directly affected them, that they have been directly targeted, or that it’s this widespread problem like they are attempting to make it sound like.

As for modders in general, no they don't. I thought this was specifically about one type of mod, but it seems you are thinking it is a false flag to get all mods out?

The opening post itself posts to caution players to “be careful” about the types of outfits they wear, as some of them have been modified to be more skimpy or lewd. It is not just about the nude mod, which is also not some brand new thing.

As for "you are not your character," I don't think it's that easy. If someone creeps on you online, it doesn't always make it better that it's just pixels. It also depends on the person, I mean, some people may honestly have dealt with harassment both sexual or not in their lives, and loss of control can be very bad. You're kind of handwaving it away some, in order to defend modding as a whole from being curtailed. I don't think it should be, but this specific issue is unique and can be dealt without judging all modders

I am not handwaving actual harassment; if you had read any of my previous posts in this thread, you would have seen that I advocate for them to deal with it as appropriate: report the individual, blacklist the individual, and then move on. The GMs are very good about dealing with harassment in the game, even if they cannot do anything about things like botting. What I said not to do, is paint all modders with the same brush just because one or two are being twats or acting like five-year-olds.

[Bourne_Endeavor]

Like I mean, I don't think it' unreasonable to respect people's wishes and not view them in the buff.

Except they aren't seeing you naked, they're seeing a fictional character naked. No matter your investment or personal attachment, the avatar you play is not real. It's this distinction some people seem to forget. If I run a dungeon nude, that has no bearing on my actual self.

You kind of contradicted yourself here. If it's just pixels and they don't matter, then why would it matter to you if mods improving visuals get affected? After all, the visuals of this game are just pixels. Therefore they shouldn't matter or be worth defending. But we all know that's not the case.

You are omitting the context in which that statement was made. People have said it's only pixel in response to those attempting to draw a correlation between their character and their real world selves. Hence the replies of people mortified they are being seen naked when it's "pixels on a screen." There is a distinction here which we need to make.