Mod users in FFXIV are getting out of control

[Tridus]

Nonsense. You joined a multiplayer game, with terms of service among other things prohibits third party tools, data mining, and harassment. You are not entitled to ignore the rules while others abide by them.

I used the G keys on my Logitech keyboard to automate opening lockboxes in Eureka, and the keyboard driver is a third party tool. I await my ban.

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What's that? SE doesn't actually enforce that when it's not being used against another player? Huh. Maybe the actual enforced rules aren't quite what you think they are...

[KisaiTenshi]

I used the G keys on my Logitech keyboard to automate opening lockboxes in Eureka, and the keyboard driver is a third party tool. I await my ban.

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What's that? SE doesn't actually enforce that when it's not being used against another player? Huh. Maybe the actual enforced rules aren't quite what you think they are...

ACT automates an activity without user interaction, but by data present in the game client's memory or network buffer, just like a bot does. A Keyboard/Mouse macro is initiated by the user without any data from the game being used to trigger it.

People doing texture swaps aren't exactly being under the radar when they post screenshots of their characters with them in the screenshot threads. Your keyboard macro is not different from ReShade either. ReShade changes the shaders loaded on the GPU, not the game.

The rules are written so they can be enforced against people who are ruining the game experience. The people who say they're using mods or ACT on the forum are the ones mocking SE, on their own site. The way the rules are written, any macro software, regardless if it comes with the keyboard and mouse, or AH/AI which is what all the crappy spam bots are made with are considered the same, but you're not using your keyboard macro to spam "buy gil" are you? You don't go fishing and catch all the fish in the lake. Did you not see the large uptick in account bans recently? Consider that GM's seem to hand out temporary bans for swearing in the game according to people on Reddit.

The point I've been making throughout this thread is that people being careless is what causes a crackdown, and there are a LOT of people being careless on the forum right now. Don't cry victim if one day management at FFXIV decides they've had enough, I've seen it happen in other games. In the same comment that Yoshi-P said he knows about these tools, he also said to not put a spotlight on it. Que Sera, Sera.

[Sebazy]

ACT automates an activity without user interaction

For the last time, no it does not. If you can't stay on topic then at least try to stay honest.

This is neither an intended use of ACT, nor is it an efficient use of it either. If you think gil sellers and fate grinders are running around using bots built around ACT, you are very sorely mistaken. Whilst yes, simple push a button when xyz appears in the chatlog style stuff is possible with an additional plugin, Regex gets very slow rather quickly making anything beyond that frankly pointless.

My Triumph has enough torque to pull a caravan, but I wouldn't do it because it's stupid and just not suited for the task. The same goes for ACT and the use cases you seem to insist it's designed for.

[HyoMinPark]

People doing texture swaps aren't exactly being under the radar when they post screenshots of their characters with them in the screenshot threads. Your keyboard macro is not different from ReShade either. ReShade changes the shaders loaded on the GPU, not the game.

I can achieve the same effects as ReShade or certain mods by booting up Photoshop and editing screens of my character. A male character can download a custom brush to paint chest hair onto their character. I can put mine through filters to achieve the same results of ReShade. So how do you tell the difference? You cannot. Hence why SE does nothing. Unless I come out and say my current signature is modified, you cannot prove it. Because I can just as easily enhance effects in a computer program.

That's one reason SE won't even accept screenshots as any sort of proof when you report actual harassment that affects people: because the screens can be easily manipulated. You talk about SE taking actions against these screenshots, but to do so would violate their own restrictions on acceptable evidence.

The rules are written so they can be enforced against people who are ruining the game experience

Are ACT or mods or ReShade ruining your gaming experience? Versus someone cussing you out in chat or using a slur, mods and ACT and ReShade are inconsequential (unless they accompany said curses or slurs...in which case you are still banning based on the harassment premise, not ACT usage or Modding usage).

large uptick in account bans recently?

Any proof that 5,000+ number includes modders or parser users or ReShade users? No? Then don't throw them around. The number has no specificity to it; stop trying to give it some when you cannot. Unless you are privy to SE's account actions paperwork.

The point I've been making throughout this thread is that people being careless is what causes a crackdown, and there are a LOT of people being careless on the forum right now. Don't cry victim if one day management at FFXIV decides they've had enough, I've seen it happen in other games. In the same comment that Yoshi-P said he knows about these tools, he also said to not put a spotlight on it. Que Sera, Sera.

SE won't do anything about mods or parser users because it will hurt their bottom line, or people will just find workarounds. Ban ACT > raiders quit or find alternatives. Ban mods > modders quit or find alternatives. Crackdown so much to install detection software that immediately destroys any sort of connection to third-party tools > people quit or find workarounds.

You talk about ceasing the spotlight, but you continue to shine it plenty yourself, so much so you brought parsers into a thread that had nothing to do with them. Perhaps take your own advice?

[KisaiTenshi]

SE won't do anything about mods or parser users because it will hurt their bottom line, or people will just find workarounds. Ban ACT > raiders quit or find alternatives. Ban mods > modders quit or find alternatives. Crackdown so much to install detection software that immediately destroys any sort of connection to third-party tools > people quit or find workarounds.

You talk about ceasing the spotlight, but you continue to shine it plenty yourself, so much so you brought parsers into a thread that had nothing to do with them. Perhaps take your own advice?

I'm not the one that created the thread. But everyone who jumped in to defend one violation, doesn't want their personal mod, tool, hack, bot, etc to get banned by someone putting the spotlight on what SE is letting slide. I'm just saying why.

You keep thinking that "SE won't do anything", because that is exactly what kind attitude makes people think they will never be punished for modding or using third party tools. I don't use any of these things, but I'm fully aware of what exists, and it takes no effort to find. Don't want to see ACT get banned, then quit bringing it up on the forums. Don't want your modified textures to earn a ban, then don't post screenshots with them. And your comparisons to photoshop are ridiculous, that's like trying to say every somehow every screenshot with X texture has been photoshoped with exactly the same textures from the 3D system. No, nobody would buy that. The fact that some people throw some ugly ReShade filters over top doesn't hide it either, and only throws cold water on "photoshop". Really, someone can photoshop freckles onto a Miqo'te but can't do a depth of field effect to save their life? Please. Those are texture swaps and a reshade filter by someone who doesn't know what they're doing. Do I care about mods like that? No. But then some fool will come along and post a screen shot of that texture as part of or packed with a lewd mod and now it's assumed both are part of the same mod.

If SE wants to, they can break all this stuff, I've explained exactly how they could a few pages back. Any other MMO game, a thread like this would be locked or deleted before the weekend. 5 Days have passed, so clearly SE hasn't done anything, so you're going to now try and tell me that this is SE endorsing modding because threads about it aren't speedily deleted.

[HyoMinPark]

You know, I was going to respond to your ignorance on the power of photo manipulation software, since it's clear you've never played with any of them, as well as further explain my previous post since, once more, you're completely missing what I'm saying, AND how you are shining spotlight by dragging parsers into a conversation not even about them, but then you said this little gem:

5 Days have passed, so clearly SE hasn't done anything, so you're going to now try and tell me that this is SE endorsing modding because threads about it aren't speedily deleted.

Are you serious right now. Where on earth did I make any inclination towards SE endorsing modding? Come off it. The absolutely closest I've ever said about SE's stance on this is they won't do anything about it because it would hurt their bottom line, aside from it being a pointless endeavor since people will just find workarounds (and someone else said that before me). That doesn't equate to saying they endorse modding.

Why don't you stop putting words in people's mouths? Every time we debate you do this, or you go off on tangents irrelevant to the conversation. You truly are ridiculous with a statement like that. I think I'm done with you, because it is clear we cannot have any sort of civilized discussion. Have a great evening.

[Skeltal-Bons]

Your keyboard macro is not different from ReShade either. ReShade changes the shaders loaded on the GPU, not the game

Now, here's a hunch, but doesn't /gpose function in a very similar manner?