Modders did it to themselves

[RedLolly]

It keeps coming up again and again how modders didn't understand that Mare was using the same type of ID tracking that the maligned stalker plug-ins were using.

Just because you consent to openly sharing your IDs doesn't make it magically safe. It's still a cyber security nightmare whether it was Mare or the the actual freaks that made the stalker mod using it.

And players made it abundantly clear that a mod that tracks player IDs was an absolute no. SE agreed! Now they're cracking down on mods, plug-ins, and other tools that track account and player IDs.

[DivineP]

I'm sorry, but you're being deliberately obtuse here. 18+ conent and outfits showing skin aren't the same thing. The laws referred to in the statement are explicitly going for the former and not the latter. As I've stated before, unless you want Square to start restricting access to FF14 in certain states, countries, etc they have to crack down if it's becoming "known" that their game is being used to distribute 18+ material without age checks being implemented, even if it's exclusively on the side of modders.

Sorry but look at the one with the hat. The labs shows through the trousers aswell as the sides. PERLEASE

[Mouriveha]

Greetings, everyone!

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback and experiences. As this topic appears to have been fully discussed, we will be closing this thread at this time.

If you would like to view more about our approach to mod usage, you may do so here:
https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodes...5eb456d2183251

Thank you for your understanding and I wish you all the best in your adventures!

aLGM Mouriveha

[ratlicker54]

I think it being perfect is impossible but, If modding were part of an official channel, it would be moderated. That means clear rules, limited access, and tools designed to prevent abuse and bring in revenue. Yes, there would still be underground mods, just like in every game, but they wouldn't be front and center. They'd be kept in the shadows, not shaping the public experience.

Plenty of other games have thriving modding communities with boundaries that are respected because the developers chose to engage instead of ignore. Saying it's "utopian" to expect structure and moderation is just dismissive. It's not about giving players total liberty, it's about giving them a safe, creative space with limits that actually work.

Square Enix could choose to support modding in a way that protects the game and its players. They just haven't. That’s the real issue.

[Zackneifein]

I think it being perfect is impossible but, If modding were part of an official channel, it would be moderated. That means clear rules, limited access, and tools designed to prevent abuse and bring in revenue. Yes, there would still be underground mods, just like in every game, but they wouldn't be front and center. They'd be kept in the shadows, not shaping the public experience.

Plenty of other games have thriving modding communities with boundaries that are respected because the developers chose to engage instead of ignore. Saying it's "utopian" to expect structure and moderation is just dismissive. It's not about giving players total liberty, it's about giving them a safe, creative space with limits that actually work.

Square Enix could choose to support modding in a way that protects the game and its players. They just haven't. That’s the real issue.

We don't know why Square Enix acted now, or even if it's them. We don't know the reason - if you have to ask me, I'm convinced that it has nothing to do with "going against mod beasts" or anything like that (more like security risk, about the personnal data shared or things like that).

But one thing is sure, is that CBU3 stance is that they want total control over the art of the game. Which is... understandable, not the only stance to have, yes, but understandable ? There is game where modding is allowed that don't have (or lost) any visual identity and became an absolute mess of chaos.
I mean not everyone is like that, but there are authors or directors that hate fanfiction or re-edits of their movie and its their right. The fact is that here, for an online game, there is TOS and legal way to prevent it to happen as much as possible.

I'm not one saying that "you should unsub" because I always found it stupid, but fact is, if you are looking for a game with developers open to the modding community, FFXIV isn't for you. They were quite lenient for years and will continue to be outside of Mare, but never will be open about it. Like you said, modding is allowed in the Japanese Law if the developers allowed it, but it's not for nothing if it became a law, it's not their culture, it's also why the Japanese side of the playerbase isn't nearly as revolted as the occidental one is.

[BlisteringFrost]

We don't know why Square Enix acted now, or even if it's them. We don't know the reason - if you have to ask me, I'm convinced that it has nothing to do with "going against mod beasts" or anything like that (more like security risk, about the personnal data shared or things like that).

But one thing is sure, is that CBU3 stance is that they want total control over the art of the game. Which is... understandable, not the only stance to have, yes, but understandable ? There is game where modding is allowed that don't have (or lost) any visual identity and became an absolute mess of chaos.
I mean not everyone is like that, but there are authors or directors that hate fanfiction or re-edits of their movie and its their right. The fact is that here, for an online game, there is TOS and legal way to prevent it to happen as much as possible.

I'm not one saying that "you should unsub" because I always found it stupid, but fact is, if you are looking for a game with developers open to the modding community, FFXIV isn't for you. They were quite lenient for years and will continue to be outside of Mare, but never will be open about it. Like you said, modding is allowed in the Japanese Law if the developers allowed it, but it's not for nothing if it became a law, it's not their culture, it's also why the Japanese side of the playerbase isn't nearly as revolted as the occidental one is.

Now this isn't exactly hard proof to be fair, but....

[Zackneifein]

Now this isn't exactly hard proof to be fair, but....

It's also entirely possible. He don't say it's Square Enix so it's protecting him from potential action from them against him and he could have made enough money to be okay until his old age and chose to escape before going to far and being targeted.

But it's like speculating on who made the C&D or why if it's Square Enix : just blow hot air.

[ZXN]

I don't know much about the RP Scene / Modder Scene, but even I know the golden rule has ALWAYS been "Don't talk about it." Yet...

People were constantly talking about Mare in shout chats.
People were literally putting Mare codes in their adventurer plates for all to see.
People were, allegedly, getting excluded from RP for not using Mare themselves.
People were, also allegedly, putting some things behind paywalls like Patreon.

I'm not gonna go and blame every single Mare user for this happening to em since it isn't really fair to do so given the amount that did know to keep things hush-hush, but if people are going to be mad about this then don't blame Square for taking action: Blame your fellow Mare users who willingly and blatantly flaunted this stuff around and practically screamed "Fuck the TOS!" with their actions while also constantly taunting the devs with "If you do anything to Mare then your subscriber numbers will plummet, so you cannot ever do anything to us!" was a fucking wonderful idea.

To me this entire Mare "Situation" literally just reads like a textbook "FAFO" moment to add to the record books.