Artisan Archive
Thread: The *official* Please nerf macroing instead of other stuff thread
Oops, I meant *unofficial*
It's been said elsewhere in many threads, so I thought it would be good to see how many people support this idea. Even back in beta some were suggesting this, but they didn't listen. Let's see if more people like it now or not. I'm actually curious.
I say that there's no "legitimate" reason to allow a macro to pause for more than 10 seconds.
Of course when you're designing software, good design dictates that you don't try to anticipate what you think the user should do with your product and limit tham to those things. This stifles innovation.
But the macro "language" in SWG isn't a product in itself, so it's not subject to this rule. The overall health of the system is more important. So, again I say that the only activities I've seen that require a macro to pause for more than 10 seconds or so is AFK entertaining (works great) and macro sampling.
I suspect the devs don't like either of these. So the first part of my suggested fix is:
-limit /pause to 10 seconds.
Of course people could just string them together to get longer pauses. Here's where the second part comes in:
- limit the length of macros to 80 characters.
This is pretty short actually, but it's plenty long to macro useful stuff, like an opening attack string (/kneel;/aim;/overcharge1) or a standard greeting (Hello there, %NT)
I'm sure there are other uses for macros I haven't thought of that benefit from long pauses and long macros. But unless someone can show us one that is more important to keep than it is to nerf macro sampling and AFK entertainment grinding, then this seems a good solution.
Am I missing anything?
My problem with macroingis that it defeats the purpose of having harvesters. People were not ment to spend 24/7 in game while they were not playing. Granted, in EQ you can have someone logged in to sell items, but they're not increasing their skills/resources in doing so.. just ditching items that they have. \
Harvesters are expensive to run now. It's not really fair if someone can script actions and mine resources all night at a higher rate than a harvester without the cost pentalty.
MM
Ninachuu wrote:
i fail to see the problem with macro'ing.
I agree. Nerf whining just causes nerfs. In this "suggestion" you've now coupled one with another.
You've heard the old saying "two wrongs don't make a right" I belive? who says that they will change back after implementing this nerf to everyone? completely unecessary suggestion, limiting of the game, and really carebear whining.
btw, I don't macro. I'm just not a carebear.
Unfortunately, I have to agree - harvesters are next to worthless now. It's easier and cheaper just to write a macro and sample your heart out. Why have harvesters at all? I like the idea of the 80 character limit on a macro. I also like the idea of coupling this with an increase in the HAM costs to sample to make it more profitable to run harvesters.
If nerfing sampling is not the answer, then make harvesters less expensive to operate.
Normally I wouldn't care, but in this case I think the system is making a crafted item useless and hurting the inter-dependency of the professions.
If reducing macroing is what the devs were hoping for, I think it is promoting the opposite.
I don't have a problem with macro-ing either. The game kicks you out if you're inactive for a period of time. (I think it might be about 30 mins.) So, nobody is really locking someone out of the server. Sampling for a single resource is so much less efficient than running a harvester, plus you run the risk of being attacked by aspawn.
The XP question is whereI could see it being an issue. Someone can advance past you without actually playing. Crafting can't be macro'd with the SWG system, so that isn't a problem. Sampling can, but that's not really an issue because any crafter maxes out survey way before anything else regardless of macros. Survey XPdoesn't lead to an advanced profession either.
Then there is the macro gotten resource. Having that resource in game is a plus for everyone - that crafter can make and sell things, or the resource itself, and everyone else has availability on that item or resource. Worst thing is that you might not be able to sell your competing product for as much because there is competition.
Entertainer AFK? Theentertainers heal you whether they are at the keyboard or not. It only hurts them to go AFK due to lost tips because they aren't interacting with people. It benefits non-entertainers because you don't have to worry about the empty cantina when you're loaded up on BF. Dancer and musician XP is the only place I really see it as an issue. They can advance their profession without being there. But then again, you get kicked out of the game after a while anyway, so it can't really be exploited too badly.
In the end, everyone pays their $12-15 dollars a month. I say let them play how they want to. Just my opinion... What you should worry about is third party macro programs that would let you automate the non-macroable systems (i.e. crafting), or in some other way circumvent the log off due to inactivity.
Running Harvester IS REALLY boring AND expensive: ok is it really fun to run and run and run to each harvester in order to pay maintenance, supply power and retrieve ressources? It Could Be but it isn't cause it's too difficult to have 4 harvester at the four corner of the map and so on... :-(
And now we learn that sample is nerfed? Okkk!
SO Dev's i ask you: are you making your game, and particulary the crafting-side, only (or especially) for Hardocre Gamers/ Power Gamers? I mean, off course it's easy for a guy who is in a POwa-Gamer guild to maintain 10 harvesters and grind grind grind.
I dont want to become a power gamer. I dont want to grind all the time.
I dont want to spend 3hours a day to run to an harvester at another just for having ressources (and spend 3hours more making missions to pay maintenance.....of course).
So just lighten the cost of maintenance, and make it more "flexible" (possiblity to retrieve ressources and pay maintenance with a Terminal in Town would be great!) and no one will macro again ;-(.
People who macro are:
- power gamers
- people who NEED ressources but lack the funds or time to have harvesters, so they NEED to macro in order ton advance in elite professions. But they dislike macroting. If they could do differently they WOUld!
Let them a chance to do differently!
I agree that macroing is the problem. But shortening the /pause command isn't the right answer. I have a better one, though: limit macro execution time to 5 minutes. At 5 minutes, if the macro is still running, it stops.
This fixes both the AFK macroing entertainers and the AFK macroing surveyers.
SympathicJerk wrote:
... People who macro are ... people who NEED ressources but lack the funds or time to have harvesters, so they NEED to macro in order ton advance in elite professions. ...
In other words, grinders. People who don't intend to sell their items, just crank and crank and crank worthless items so they can complete a part of the game that's supposed to take months in a matter of days.
My sympathy is muted.
Yes, harvesters as they now stand are a pain in the neck, and that even halfway-valuable resources are vanishing every two days makes it even worse. But no, you're not supposed to be able to long-term gather resources by hand faster than an automated harvester can. And if you're deriving any benefit from what your character is doing while you're AFK, you're exploiting.
Nerf macros. Soon.