magical or physical?

[aodhan_ofinnegain]

I don't need an annotated list mailed to me three business days before the raid drops, I'd just like it if the numbers were purple or something if it's magic. I'm not saying they will, or want to, they just choose not to. I just find it weird that the dev team that removed single-button DoTs because people didn't like pressing a button every thirty seconds still wants us to trial and error whether or not an instance of damage is magic or not. Or just cheat

I mean if you rather patch releases delayed a week or so for the back and forth between QA, UI and Combat teams due to last minute changes, because you're too lazy to check the battle log for casting = magical or readies = physical who are we to argue amirite.

[DaulBan]

I mean if you rather patch releases delayed a week or so for the back and forth between QA, UI and Combat teams due to last minute changes, because you're too lazy to check the battle log for casting = magical or readies = physical who are we to argue amirite.

I'm trying to think of a simple way of explaining this but I'm drawing a blank. Essentially either you're half-right in that the information in the combat log is correct, and there's some confusion on the server side about the damage being one type or another, or you're half-right in that the information is right but there's no problem using the information in our client to change the color name.

What I mean is this: If the combat and QA team cannot reliably decide on a damage type until right before deploying the update, then we might get the wrong information. When you get a packet from the server with an action then your client reads from a list what the action is. This includes damage type. In the first scenario, this table is wrong because the UI team can't use this table to just... check a variable in one of at least three columns? (check name versus a list, the action category, the, aspect, what have you) If they can't reliably use the information on the client to determine what damage type it is, then the client's information is indeed wrong, and looking at the combat log is useless. If the log contains the wrong information (because they're using something to display the 'readying' or 'casting' and it isn't writing it each and every time because that's the same problem lmao) then you can't use it to check damage type.

If the information in the log is correct, then the table is right, and any of those metrics could be used to determine the damage is magical. And if it is, it should be as simple as using that correct data to change the color of the information on the screen (if attack.casttype = 2) or whatever. I don't know what their UI code looks like, but if they can make a number green or purple they can do it for magic too. And if this information is correct, that means that the QA and Combat teams indeed agreed and pushed something to the clients that's correct, in which case the UI team can use it. The UI team doesn't need to change it every time the combat team changes something, they just need the info in their table to be right... which goes back to the previous paragraph.

What I'm saying is, I think that if they wanted to do this they probably could, given that as you pointed out there's a contradiction here. They probably either don't care or it really is the first point in which case it's the worst of all worlds.

[SaberMaxwell]

The funniest thing is I know of a third party tool that does exactly what OP is asking: recolors the number you based on whether the damage is magic or physical, based on reading the log as it's printed. I've seen my friend use it and it's neato as all get out, you can even customize the colors to your preference.

Mods do what SE don't :shrug:

[aodhan_ofinnegain]

I'm trying to think of a simple way of explaining this but I'm drawing a blank. Essentially either you're half-right in that the information in the combat log is correct, and there's some confusion on the server side about the damage being one type or another, or you're half-right in that the information is right but there's no problem using the information in our client to change the color name.

What I mean is this: If the combat and QA team cannot reliably decide on a damage type until right before deploying the update, then we might get the wrong information.

Think you're failing to comprehend what is said, there is no confusion on what type of damage is which as far as server side or otherwise, it just means combat devs don't need to go through two other departments if they, the Combat team decide they need to change the type of damage of a particular attack(s) for whatever reason just before a patch release. The only "confusion" is on the player, to check back logs afterwards to see if an attack is physical or magical or otherwise. For the most part, most attacks not all, are braindead obvious as to whether they are magical or physical. It can be a safe assumption every raidwide AoE in current content is magical, with the exception of darkness damage in E1 with Eden's Gravity, and J- Kick in TEA, and the birds in E7 are physical, but let's face it ofc getting smacked in the face by a bird is gonna be physical.

If you actually bother to read the LL Q&A with Yoshida in regards the UI changing colour depending on physical or magical, you would probably answer some of your own questions.
Link to Digest including Q&A, 4th Question: https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/threads/427354
Basically if it was as simple as you have made it out to be I'm sure the devs would have done it already and Yoshida would have given the go ahead but the fact that he hasn't and given his reasoning then you're pretty much wasting your breath trying to argue the point. Also worth noting, once a no has been given it has never been reversed on previous matters acknowledged by Yoshida.

[DaulBan]

snip

I think yoship wasn't entirely honest or accurate. That's it. I have faith the team that implemented mahjong in a seven year old MMORPG can figure out how to change the hue of some text based on incoming damage. I think that if they did that it'd be neat. I even think it wouldn't necessarily be that hard. I think that in a game that makes a specific distinction between magic and physical damage it probably isn't a bad idea. But man, if me saying that puts a downer on your day, I'm sorry.

[aodhan_ofinnegain]

I think yoship wasn't entirely honest or accurate. That's it. I have faith the team that implemented mahjong in a seven year old MMORPG can figure out how to change the hue of some text based on incoming damage. I think that if they did that it'd be neat. I even think it wouldn't necessarily be that hard. I think that in a game that makes a specific distinction between magic and physical damage it probably isn't a bad idea. But man, if me saying that puts a downer on your day, I'm sorry.

I mean if you're straight dismissing the statement out of hand from Yoshida himself along side the head of the UI team during the Q&A just because because you think you know better, then you're a waste of time to respond to any further, enjoy living in you're delusions where facts are pointless if contrary to your beliefs, have a nice day.