Mod users in FFXIV are getting out of control

[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?