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Macroing, botting and an open API in ESO
cjtign
Member UncommonPosts: 61
Well this is a major concern that is now surfacing about the game and has been causing an exodus from the game. As most of you are aware this game will have an open API. A concern with this is that it easily allows addons to track spells that enemies are casting, evaluating if the skill is interrupting and in the case that it is or if it is on a predifined list of interruptable skills that you have set up it then uses a second addon or third party software to auto-cast whatever interrupt skill you set up in this case (a common one is venom shot).
There is outrage on multiple forums since this negates the skill of PvP and botting has been looked down upon in MMO culture. The biggest problem though lies in the fact that ESO openly allows such actions and does not deem this as illegal. There are also a multitude of PvP videos by players in the 24/7 beta showing them using these addons/features.
I'm interested to hear what the MMO community here which I have been a member of since 2003 thinks about this. I am personally against such actions and think that ESO should remove features from its API that allows this activity, unfortunately at this juncture it does not appear they will do so thus forcing us to macro to remain viable in PvP. I guess setting up these macros next beta is going to be the majority of peoples focus just seems like a shame.
Here are some links referencing in further detail what I am referring to:
http://www.pcgamesn.com/elderscrolls/pvp-macro-abuse-upsets-elder-scrolls-online-beta-players
http://www.reddit.com/r/elderscrollsonline/comments/1zgifa/tamriel_foundry_the_new_elitist_jerks/
http://facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=1372159
http://www.product-reviews.net/2014/03/05/elder-scrolls-online-modding-api-ruining-pvp/
Comments
Botting isn't looked down upon in the mmo sub culture i belong to.
We love botting. It is great fun, you should try it.
Unfortunately whilst I agree with you that it is unfortunate that people may be able to produce certain macros and use addons as you suggest, in no way does this make people non viable in pvp. It just means that some players will use these sorts of add ons and you'll want to avoid to find ways to beat them.
You talk about people being forced to macro. They are not. They may choose to do so because they want to counter other players that are but thats really just tough. They are plenty of other aspects of the game design that "force" people to play in certain ways and this is arguably just another one of those.
Well as long as we all use it then we'll be balanced. Problem solved lol.
-Mongoose
Yeah I mean I'll be doing the same I guess just lame no?
I wouldn't worry much about it, Zenimax is going to address things.
Read the front page article response:
http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/821/feature/8282/ESOs-Addon-Conundrum.html/page/1
It seems like their plan was to allow this much access to the API only during the beta period, to sort of gauge what's acceptable and what's not.
I had to laugh when I read "Causing a mass exodus from the game".
It's amazing you can have a mass exodus from a game which hasn't launched yet! Yes some of these could be game breaking, but as the game hasn't launched yet I will give the Dev team time to address these POTENTIAL issues.
lol..mass exodus..
We reached out to Zenimax Online Studios for comment on this issue and this is what they had to say:
As we get closer to launch, our beta events have continued to grow in player-size, and that growth has resulted in even more and more of you taking the time to experiment with our UI modding tools. Its exciting to see the amazing add-ons you have come up with and for us, as developers, its also a very important part of the beta process. Seeing what the community wants to add or change is helpful as we continue to tweak and balance the game what are people looking for? what works? what doesnt? Finding the right answers to these questions often means leaving the API very open during this beta phase. It helps us see where limits may or may not be and helps us determine what makes the best possible ESO experience for everyone.
We welcome creativity and have built ESO on player-choice, but as a game played with thousands of others, we also must be mindful of any mods that give clear mechanical advantages in competitive situations. Maintaining a level playing field will always be our first priority. Our intent with add-ons is to encourage you to modify your UI in a way that is more fitting for your personal play-style, but not ones that could allow you to make choices for others. We do not want those who arent interested in using an add-on to feel compelled to do so because they cannot remain competitive without them. As we continue beta testing, well continue to evaluate add-ons and the implications they have on other players, but you can expect changes to the API before launch and will share that information as it becomes available. Thank you to all of you that have created add-ons during this time we appreciate your help in making ESO the best it can be.
That was my impression too. How are people leaving a game that isn't even released yet?
If you want to have a conversation about mods, that's cool, but the hyperbole makes it hard to take seriously.