Should HUD Add-Ons Be Allowed By Square Enix?

[DPZ2]

I believe that's the point of the thread.

Retrofitting a set of APIs for player-developers is neither simple nor inexpensive.

With a large PS4 base that will never be able to take advantage of those APIs, what inducement will you provide to SE to convince them they absolutely have to create and support APIs for those player-developers?

"I'd be happier" won't make the cut.

WoW has no console-based gaming population, and pretty much built those APIs into the game during their 1.0 days. TESO built those APIs into the original game, and what's left of their console-based gaming population still complains they can't utilize the add-ons.

[Kacho_Nacho]

That's fair. I'd have to ask though -- and this is an honest question -- which API do we give access to in order to allow the best means of UI improvements to modders without also allowing for the effectively auto-play mods available on, say, World of Warcraft, where a mod-swapped dynamic action key and an auto-clicker can reduce the gameplay required of a player to purely player movement and facing?

How do we forgo mods like DBM or Big Wigs or their equivalents, if the developers want players to have to be aware of mechanics for themselves?

As they say, the devil is in the details.

I don't know how add-ons work. My last computer science class was a programing with Fortran in the mid-80's. Things have moved along since then. /laugh

I believe that's the point of the thread.

Yeppers.

[NekoNova]

As they say, the devil is in the details.

I don't know how add-ons work. My last computer science class was a programing with Fortran in the mid-80's. Things have moved along since then. /laugh

Most games do it by binding Lua to the game through the Lua.dll
Then they need to expose the functions they want Addons to be able to use through their API as classes/objects.
Addons then can simply call these functions and interact with the game.


That's basically the gist of it

[Eli85]

Unless S-E can find a way to make it work for PS4 players, then no, there should not be add-ons. It's bad enough that only PC and Steam players can have access to damage metres, but PS4 players cannot.


To me, it's like an old story from childhood: if you open up a bag of chips, you better be prepared to share with everyone.


Everyone or no one, S-E.

[galbsadi]

In favor:
I'd say, yes, sure, let HUD addons come into play. Sure, it might make things easier for some players (better visual cues, etc.)...but that's no different than me using a specially shaped keyboard makes it easier for me or somebody with a mouse with 15 buttons might have an easier time...or, depending on playstyle, how PC might have an advantage over PS4 due to M+K or vice versa. Hell, if you really wanna get technical, it's not that different about how I might have an advantage over other players due to a better graphics card and/or a second monitor. It's important to note that this is largely a cooperative game, and outside of PvP (which is a joke here anyhow), addons can only make things better, IMO.

In fact, even allow direct in-game parsing addons, why not? First off, anybody who's going to parse will do so now anyhow. Second, anybody who's harassing somebody over parses deserves to be punished regardless of whether or not they're using an addon or third-party tool to see such. Harassment is harassment, period.

Now, the slight against:
Sometimes addons cause developers to be lazy and not develop UIs fully (look at WoW, for example). Further, patch changes can break addons that people might become dependent on, which is a whole other issue.

[Gwenorai]

I'm all in favour of this. Still waiting for them to give me the option to zoom out even more.

[Raikai]

While the in-game options are quite good

I get to disagree with that... While functional, FFXIV UI struggle when all you want is a clean design. The worst of it is the target health bar... It's too long and thin, I'd love to make it thicker without making it even longer (upscaling it).

Also, while I don't miss Recount from WoW, the challenge thing to test your dps potential is far from a good meter. What I'd love to have was a personal dps/healing meter only visible for you... this way I can measure my performance by numbers without having to resource to the "illegal" method.

[Kacho_Nacho]

I get to disagree with that... While functional, FFXIV UI struggle when all you want is a clean design. The worst of it is the target health bar... It's too long and thin, I'd love to make it thicker without making it even longer (upscaling it).

Also, while I don't miss Recount from WoW, the challenge thing to test your dps potential is far from a good meter. What I'd love to have was a personal dps/healing meter only visible for you... this way I can measure my performance by numbers without having to resource to the "illegal" method.

I didn't say it was perfect, just quite good. *grins*

Anywho, what you are talking about is exactly the kind of changes I'd like to see. Addons like Move Anything was good for these kind of changes.

See everyone? This what I was talking about. Nothing game changing and certainly not anything to create this kind of have and have not situations.

If S.E. can do this in-house as new game features so much the better!

A personal dps meter would be great! Healing meters I'm less sold on. That's because your healing numbers depend more on the expertise of the other members than your own performance.

Whilst many other games out there may well have add-ons which have become essential I like the fact that FFXIV does not have any and hope that will continue.

Just because some other games have certain add-ons and people miss those from those games does not mean that they are needed (or indeed wanted) in this game.

Wrong train of thought. I'm talking about the convenience of those add-ons. I certainly don't miss WoW.

Again, I'm specifically talking about re-skins, HuD Changers, ets... Any add-on which threaten to be mandatory should never be allowed in FFXIV. n

[Gurney]

I would love to see a type of Windower that we had back in 11. Spellcast would be nice also but I don't see something like working in 14. Now things that would break the game would be things like "All Seeing Eye", AP Radar. All Seeing Eye might not really work. Now AP Radar could be a different story espicially with hunts. Alerts when Hunts pop with map location and the ability to warp to that spot from anywhere.

[Bearded]

Whilst many other games out there may well have add-ons which have become essential I like the fact that FFXIV does not have any and hope that will continue.

Just because some other games have certain add-ons and people miss those from those games does not mean that they are needed (or indeed wanted) in this game.