Macros - ETA?

[lemur_cro]

Seriously guys, if you don't use macros you're a bad and just want everyone else to be held back and brought down to your level of badness. Go back to Everquest.

 

signed

[Twixted]

 

The best way Bw can implement this is to create a topic/sticky and reach out to the macro crowd and get talking before the system is introduced and get feedback going. Perhaps a whole forum section going.

 

I totally agree, but then i read the sticky on upcoming forum changes and realized they dont have plans for that much community interaction.

 

We will be [TAG] our forums threads with server name instead of individual server forums.

 

A UI / macro forums would be great.

[Bald_Haliaeetus]

The amount of ignorance plaguing this discussion is nothing short of amazing. I'll post a thread summary as well as some basic definitions into the op once I get access to a computer (posting on a cell phone at the moment, which is awkward and cumbersome, like healing without macros ). Hopefully this discussion will be a bit more productive once people actually know what they're talking about.

[frozenwings]

Seriously guys, if you don't use macros you're a bad and just want everyone else to be held back and brought down to your level of badness. Go back to Everquest.

 

This is a pretty accurate statement. I don't know where this mentality of needing macros because you suck came from. I think people who take the time to figure them out and implement them are the ones who really care about performing as well as you can.

 

In my few months of PVP in WoW i noticed that players were doing sequences of spells that would otherwise be impossible to do by hand especially with the warrior class and mage class. Warriors were (before major macros changes) doing amazing stance/stun dances that would have been almost impossible to do with key presses unless they were the closest buttons to their controlling hands leaving many other major spells to far to reach to be as swift as they were. Another time was with frost mages and i too eventually used the ability was to have frost-bolt tacked onto the frost elemental pet freeze spell which gave a tricky finger press combo the awesome power of one press of a button giving an already difficult to kill frost mage a very good edge. Ice block on/off with a button was another example giving human like responsiveness to many different spells that are all over a players cast bar in pvp is what i hated the most, but io always knew that many other macros were being used for the greater good.

 

Some of this is just simply not true. While it is possible to activate and deactivate certain abilities like Ice Block with a single button press, you can not use macros to pull off sequences of spells that would be "otherwise impossible." You can only activate one spell per macro unless it is off of the GCD. This status was normally reserved for short buffs, so essentially all it did was save you from having to keybind four separate buffs so you only had 40 keybinds instead of 43. There are a couple attacks off the GCD that people did macro in with their normal special attacks, but they are hardly what I would call "impossible to use otherwise." Either way, assuming Bioware follows WoWs example, there aren't many abilities in SWTOR that are off of the GCD.

 

In all seriousness,

 

Tank A is > than Tank B because he is capable of using his character better.

 

With macros,

 

Tank A is > Tank B because Tank A is tech Savvy and wrote better macros.

 

I realize this will seem extreme, but Macros in MMORPG games are honestly just as bad as Aimbots/Wallhacks in FPS. When you take away the BARE MINIMUM user input, then the game isnt skill based anymore.

 

Someone mentioned a macro targetting his groupmates so he can heal them. At that point Healing because pushing the heal button and your macro button, equal user input to a Facebook game, or one of the older zelda games for Nintendo.

 

Zelda swings his sword and finds the best gear around the world of Hyrule, then defeats Ganon, unplugs Nintendo, and plugs in the next game.

 

Assuming equal skill and situational awareness, I will take someone who can use macros every time. People who refuse to use a method which is most efficient are people who don't care about winning, which is fine in a normal setting. However, if you don't really care about performing the best you can, then you don't belong in a competitive raiding or PvP environment.

 

Comparing targeting macros to aimbots in an FPS game is just idiotic. FPS games require skill to target enemies quickly and accurately, MMOs require no aiming whatsoever. It does involve wasting time clicking someones name on a clunky raiding frame, hitting the keybind for heal, then tab targeting back to the enemy. This whole process, aside from the casting of the actual heal/dispel/buff, takes at least a .5 to 1 second to pull off. Over the course of a fight that last several minutes, that's a lot of wasted time switching targets. Unless you're just leaving your mouse hovered over other peoples frames, waiting for them to get hurt to click on them. Which means you aren't even watching the fight or even trying to help DPS when you have some free time. I'd rather bring along the person who is willing to go above and beyond and contribute the most they can to a fight, over the person who chooses to remain ignorant to the fact that there is a way that he could be contributing more.

 

Some people click abilities instead of using keybinds, those of us who use keybinds would consider that horribly inefficient. Those of us who use keybinds have an advantage over those who do not, how about we take away keybinds so it's fair for everyone?

Edited January 15, 2012 by frozenwings

[keyoto]

The eta is March 21, 2012 at exactly 9:42 A.M. and 25 seconds. Why do people ask forum questions that no one could possibly know.

 

On a side note I hope they never add macros, meters, mouse over or any thing else that makes the game any easier than it already is. Except maybe fix the UI and make it work right and be a little more customizable. If you have 20 key binds and can use them then you are a good player. If you have 4 key binds that do all 20 things then you are just pretending to be good.

[Bald_Haliaeetus]

OP Heavily edited to hopefully reduce the ignorance that people are bringing to the table.

[Bald_Haliaeetus]

Why do people ask forum questions that no one could possibly know.

 

It should be obvious to most readers that the question presented in this thread was not directed at the players... I suppose you don't fall into the 'most' category.

 

The rest of your post is addressed in the 'myth' section of the op - that section had not been added at the time of your post, so I encourage you to read the revised section of the op and reevaluate your opinion on the matter once you learn what you're talking about.

[frozenwings]

The eta is March 21, 2012 at exactly 9:42 A.M. and 25 seconds. Why do people ask forum questions that no one could possibly know.

 

On a side note I hope they never add macros, meters, mouse over or any thing else that makes the game any easier than it already is. Except maybe fix the UI and make it work right and be a little more customizable. If you have 20 key binds and can use them then you are a good player. If you have 4 key binds that do all 20 things then you are just pretending to be good.

 

Right now I have around 25 keybinds. After macros I expect this number to increase, not decrease.

[Bald_Haliaeetus]

... Wait, why did this get moved to the healing forum? Healing is my personal motivation for wanting macros, but the thread and discussion are about macros.

 

Mods, could you mo ve this back to the general forum? ... Or better yet, bring back the SUGGESTIONS forum and put it there?

[frozenwings]

I was wondering the same thing.

 

It pretty much got banished to the healing forum, which is pretty slow in traffic compared to the General forum. They must not be in a hurry to get macros put into the game

[Jahoota]

The eta is March 21, 2012 at exactly 9:42 A.M. and 25 seconds. Why do people ask forum questions that no one could possibly know.

 

On a side note I hope they never add macros, meters, mouse over or any thing else that makes the game any easier than it already is. Except maybe fix the UI and make it work right and be a little more customizable. If you have 20 key binds and can use them then you are a good player. If you have 4 key binds that do all 20 things then you are just pretending to be good.

 

Difficulty in the game shouldn't come from a poor UI. It should come from content. The job of a UI is the transfer the command of the user as easily and as unobtrusive as possible. As a healer at least, the game should be about making quick decisions based upon the situation. That's what is fun about playing a healer, not muddling through an archaic UI.

[Bald_Haliaeetus]

... Wait, why did this get moved to the healing forum? Healing is my personal motivation for wanting macros, but the thread and discussion are about macros.

 

Mods, could you mo ve this back to the general forum? ... Or better yet, bring back the SUGGESTIONS forum and put it there?

 

Woot, they moved it back! Thanks mods ^_^

[Jamesski]

Wall of text

 

To all those people insulting each other, its a game, I play my way you play yours we all play together, lets be nice and not like those other fools playing less cool games.

 

And FTR a crutch is " A staff or support used by the physically injured or disabled as an aid in walking, usually designed to fit under the armpit and often used in pairs."

 

Source http://www.thefreedictionary.com/crutch

 

So a piece of simplified code cannot be a crutch, please find a new word.

 

Now onto mouse over macros, I like them, you may not, I like to PVP, I run with my mouse (A nage epic ftr) and heal with one through = I use Shift commands for CC and damage, and Type commands to the team with the keyboard.

 

So tell me how is the game suppose to be played? How do you play?

 

It is not our job to state who plays right and wrong, we all have different styles, and we should be open minded to to how other people play as it opens a who new game,

 

 

Do you need it? No. The game can be played with the default UI and no changes, I can run with wads and click on portraits all day long, but that's not fun to me. Noone will force you to play, with macros, and if Bioware implements macros like Rift then they will soon be on the "EVERY WEEKEND IS A FREE PLAY WEEKEND" like rift is, and bioware wants cash, they made a great game so I dont see many chances of them throwing it out.

 

End rant

[Bald_Haliaeetus]

Wall of text

 

-snip-

 

And FTR a crutch is " A staff or support used by the physically injured or disabled as an aid in walking, usually designed to fit under the armpit and often used in pairs."

 

-snip-

 

I apologize for the wall of text; it is necessary though, as so many people have no understanding of this discussion's subject. If you are familiar with macros and how they differ from things like addons, just jump to the original text in the OP (the green text).

 

Also...

 

Crutch  [kruhch]

noun

...

3. anything that serves as a temporary and often inappropriate support, supplement, or substitute; prop: He uses liquor as a psychological crutch.

...

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/crutch

 

 

The word has multiple definitions; given the context, I do not believe it was used incorrectly.

 

 

Outside of that, well said!

[Bald_Haliaeetus]

Difficulty in the game shouldn't come from a poor UI. It should come from content. The job of a UI is the transfer the command of the user as easily and as unobtrusive as possible. As a healer at least, the game should be about making quick decisions based upon the situation. That's what is fun about playing a healer, not muddling through an archaic UI.

 

Also well said.

[Marcalo]

I was trying not to laugh hysterically at the myriad of terrible logic involving the use of macros. Macros don't play they game for you. Macros are a solution to a flawed UI. The difficultly of a game should't be decided by the limitations of the clunky and ineptly made UI. As much as I like TOR, the UI is mediocre at best. MMO companies have yet to learn their lesson in a well designed UI. So many mod makers for WOW have made awesomely intuitive UIs, but they never get hired to design for new MMOs.

 

This hits on a debate that me and a friend of mine have been arguing about for years now. What is skill? Seriously... What is skill in an MMO? Is it being a fast clicker? Avoiding fire and other easily avoided crap on the ground? Optimal healing/dps/tanking rotations? Adaptive use of abilities in unexpected situations? Killing the boss? Winning the PvP match?

 

Unless BW revamps the UI flawlessly, making it robust and customizable to your heart's desire... Macros need to be added, but not Rift style.

[Bald_Haliaeetus]

So many mod makers for WOW have made awesomely intuitive UIs, but they never get hired to design for new MMOs.

 

(hint hint, BW)

 

This hits on a debate that me and a friend of mine have been arguing about for years now. What is skill? Seriously... What is skill in an MMO? Is it being a fast clicker? Avoiding fire and other easily avoided crap on the ground? Optimal healing/dps/tanking rotations? Adaptive use of abilities in unexpected situations? Killing the boss? Winning the PvP match?

 

Underlined what the answer to that should be, imo. To a small extent, not standing in the fire (environmental awareness) is a factor, but as you mentioned, that stuff is easy (though definitely beyond some people ). Interesting discussion.

 

...Macros need to be added, but not Rift style.

 

^lots of emphasis here. A Rift style macro setup would kill this game.

[Bald_Haliaeetus]

Right now I have around 25 keybinds. After macros I expect this number to increase, not decrease.

 

Depends on which specific tools they make available to use... if we get commands like shift modifiers and button1,2,etc of the mouse so that we can put more than one ability on one hotkey, most peoples' action bars will probably be more concise as a result of macros.

 

 

For those of you who don't understand what I mean by the above modifiers, here's an example:

 

/use [button1] Ability1; [button2] Ability2; [button3] Ability3

 

^That would use Ability1 if you left click on the hotkey, Ability2 if you right click, and Ability3 if you use middle-mouse to click it

 

/use [mod:shift] Ability1; [mod:ctrl] Ability2; Ability3

 

^If your holding shift while you hit the keybind for that macro, you will use Ability1; if Ctrl, Ability2; if you aren't holding down shift or Ctrl, you'll use Ability3

[Korizan]

Pandora's box, once you go down that path there is no going back.

 

I am not disagreeing with the OP I am just saying there are 2 sides here.

And once SWTOR opens up macro's they might be opening up Pandora's box at the same time.

 

And I don't blame Bio for not running in head first to introduce macro's to the game.

At the end of the day they tend to do more damage then good.

[GalacticKegger]

#show Fervent Strike

suppressmacrofailures

petattack

petcast Enraged Assault

petcast Satyr Sweep

cast Combined Effort

cast Lightning Hammer

cast Eruption of Life

cast Bombard

cast Sanction Heretic

cast Massive Blow

cast Fervent Strike

cast Vex

cast Jolt

cast Fae Hammer

cast Fated Blow

cast Glory of the Chosen

I'm not a big fan of hammering the snot out of a single key as rapidly as I can so the game can play itself for me. I'm more hands on with my ability selections, preferring to attack and move about freely in a fluid fashion. I won't even go as far as having one macro for single target attacks and one for AoE attacks. Hearing a tank spamming their keyboard through vent during a fight is not only annoying, but doesn't give the party much confidence that they'll be quick enough to adapt when something goes wrong out of fear they'll be too zoned in on drum rolling one thing. Macros serve well however as target assist and role playing tools imho.

 

Having said that, adding the ability to map a L/M/R mouse click in combination with a keystroke would rock. Healers could then fashion their own HealBot table.

Edited January 20, 2012 by GalacticKegger

[Rasstavad]

OP Heavily edited to hopefully reduce the ignorance that people are bringing to the table.

 

GREAT edit and I agree with all your points. However, I don't think it's going to help. From what I've seen TOR has attracted a very large first time MMO population combined with a significant super casual crowd from other MMO's (and I mean super bads here) that are under the impression that this game is a safe haven from all the persecution that they felt they received in other games. They want to keep this game super friendly casual nirvana #1 and macros, along with other features we have been asking for, somehow threaten them.

 

Anyhow, great job laying out how macros work and defining the kind of macros we want.

[Crohadan]

[EDIT]

 

Much confusion, there is. This edit, you must comprehend; or look like an idiot, you will. Apologize for the wall-o-text, I do.

 

 

Myth - "Macros will allow for 'i-win-buttons' or perfect execution of a rotation by mashing a single button."

Debunker - Macros will allow for whatever Bioware decides they should allow. I'm about... idk... 100% certain that BW doesn't want us condensing our entire spellbook into one button to be mashed that will cause our characters to perform perfectly... and if BW doesn't want it, it will not happen. first, there is no such thing as a spell book in tor, second you don't know that bw wont allow you to put say three abilities on 1 macro. if it was me, as a dpser those would be my three heavyiest hitters. which would take about 4k life away. if one ability gets interrupted big deal, i still have at a minimum of one ability in the que ready to go. you speculation is laughable.

 

Myth - "Macros make the game too easy; if you need macros, you are bad."

Debunker - Macros do not have an impact on the difficulty of the game. They allow players to customize how the game reacts to they're pressing of a button. You could argue that players who need to use action bars are bad; players with real skill should just click them straight out of the spallbook. It can even be argued that if you don't want macros in game, YOU are bad, because all you want is for more skilled players to stoop to your level by taking away their tools of the trade.... but that's a bit harsh, IMO. It comes down to the preference of the individual - if you like using macros, use them! if you don't like using macros, don't use them! Play according to your own preference, and don't try to enforce your preference on other players.

again, no spell book in tor. second it absolutly does impact game difficulty by eliminating the inherent inefficiency of the ability style of game play. by lowering the dead space between abilities to a fraction of a second you are making the game easier.

Myth - "SWTOR doesn't support macros."

Debunker - BW has already stated their intention to add in-game macro functionality at some point post-launch... but the fact is, macros can already be used with SWTOR; there are mouses and keyboards that can run macros, free software that can run macros... all of which can be used to play SWTOR. Thing is, these are the 'general' macros mentioned above... they can pretty much allow full automation for certain types of gameplay... Offering in-game macros, even with limitations, would only balance the playing fielf that has been skewed by 3rd party macros.so why are you asking for macros in game? to 'balance out the field'? so because some people dont have keyboards or mice that support macros you want to make sure everybody has access? I'll just call you robin hood from now on.

 

Myth - "Enabling macros will make the use of macros mandatory; players who refuse will be labeled as bad."

Debunker - Again, macros will be capable of whatever BW lets them. BW knows what they're doing; they're not going to come up with something like Rift's abomination that allows for perfect rotation execution, and if a player finds a loophole to make that happen, BW can break it. your 'debunker does nothing to debunk your myth here. nice try.

 

Myth - "Enabling macros will give a hefty advantage to the 'tech-savvy', and the player's actual skill will be less of a factor."

Debunker - Not at all. Computers have this nifty feature called "copy/paste" so when one of them tech-savvy folks comes up with something amazing, anyone can use it! You don't need to know how macros work to use the macro, you just need to know what's gonna happen when you use it... to say that only tech-savvy people can use macros is like saying that automotive engineers are the only people who can drive cars... constructing and operating are two different animals, amigo.the only debunker that actually worked as intended. good job.

 

I've always enjoyed healing in other MMOs, but I regret to say that it's rather cumbersome in SWTOR. The missing ingredient is mouseover functionality.

 

'course, mouseover healing may not be something that the SWTOR community as a whole cares about, but I'd be willing to bet that atleast a large portion of the healers out there would agree with me; and there's a plethora of other functions that macros serve... probably dont need to discuss the specifics, but there's no doubt that their inclusion into the game is going to be a very positive thing for most players.

 

I know it's been stated that macros would make it into the game at some point post-launch... any chance we could get some specifics of when that might be?

 

I'm nearing end-game with my 'main' and I'd like to heal with that character, but as it stands healing just isn't fun. I suppose I could put that char on hold for a while and just work on alts until mouseover functionality is provided, but that would be undesirable.

 

(and I hope this didn't come off as complaining - the game as a whole is outstanding, it just needs a bit of polish.)my main is a healer and i do just fine with out mouseover healing. mouseover healing is a throwback to when only certain classes had both interupts and as well as ToT, none of which apply to this game. every class has an interupt. selecting a guy from your raid frame, and starting your healer roatation from there really isnt all that hard or "cumbersome". it quite simply isnt needed here

 

see the quote, nearly each and every one of your 'myths' has been validated to some extent and your calls for mouseover healing are just absurd

[NuanceNW]

No to macros, ever.

 

Pressing One button to play isn't playing.

I don't see any bots farming and hope to see it that way.

[Rasstavad]

No to macros, ever.

 

Pressing One button to play isn't playing.

I don't see any bots farming and hope to see it that way.

 

If you can't read you shouldn't comment.

 

He isn't asking for one button macros, the exact opposite.

[Gomuningen]

[EDIT]

 

Much confusion, there is. This edit, you must comprehend; or look like an idiot, you will. Apologize for the wall-o-text, I do.

 

The discussion thus-far has been plagued with ignorance. There is a general lack of understanding of what a macro is, especially in the context of an MMO (and SWTOR specifically); and how it differs from an addon. Please take the time to understand the following - a lot of people are submitting posts that make them look like an imbecile because they have no understanding of what they're posting about... do not be one of those people.

 

First off, what is a macro? What is an addon? How are they different? Well, that depends on what game you're talking about, and since macros aren't currently in SWTOR, all we can do is compare it to other games.

 

The most refined, functional, and balanced macro setup I'm aware of is WoW's. A good contrast would be Rift's... so let's take a look at the differences between them.

 

WoW macros: Described in detail HERE. Check it out, familiarize yourself with the terminology and the functionality.

 

Some things to note about WoW macros:

One keystroke = one ability, barring abilities that are not on the GCD that are not reactive abilities (reactive abilities are ones like "can only be performed after blocking" - although these are usually off the GCD, they cannot be used in tandem with another ability via macro). These exceptions would be things like racial abilities, trinkets, and talented abilities - so, most of them you wouldn't want to macro into another ability, and those you do don't really offer a game changing difference; it's pretty minor.

WoW macros cannot make decisions for you. for example, if you have two abilities that are pretty much the same, except that one does more damage, but requires you be standing behind a target, and you try to make a macro that prioritizes the high damage ability, but uses the weaker one when the condition of being behind your target is not met, the macro will fail.

 

There are more limiting factors than just that, for the sake of reducing this wall-o-text I need not list them (check out the link above if you want the details). Point is, the macros are NOT overpowered. Blizzard won't let them be, which is one of the few things that company is doing right (what? gotta hate on woW just a little! ). When BW introduces macros to SWTOR, we expect similar limitations, and we expect BW not not let them be over powered.

 

So with such a solid system, why is there so much macro-hate going around? There appear to be three primary causes of the macro-hate: 1) Not understanding the context of the term 'macro' as it applies to MMOs, 2) thinking that the macros in one game will be similar to the macros of another, and 3) confusing macros with addons.

 

1) Not understanding the context of the term 'macro' as it applies to MMOs.

Generally speaking, macros are associated with automation... they can click for us, hit keystrokes for us, open or close programs... you name it. But that's 'generally' speaking. When you see the term macro pop up in an MMO board, it's probably referring to in-game macros, via which automation is not possible (or at the very least, so minimal that it doesn't offer any real advantage vs not using a macro). In game macros have limitations, as mentioned above, and that's the main difference between in-game macros and 'general' (3rd party) macros.

 

2) thinking that the macros in one game will be similar to the macros of another

Lets make this clear: macros are capable of whatever the devs let them be. The devs of some games have produced a macro setup that is, without a doubt, overpowered. Rift is the best example I'm familiar with. Here's a Rift macro:

 

#show Fervent Strike

suppressmacrofailures

petattack

petcast Enraged Assault

petcast Satyr Sweep

cast Combined Effort

cast Lightning Hammer

cast Eruption of Life

cast Bombard

cast Sanction Heretic

cast Massive Blow

cast Fervent Strike

cast Vex

cast Jolt

cast Fae Hammer

cast Fated Blow

cast Glory of the Chosen

 

When this macro is executed, the game attempts to use EVERY ability on the list, starting from the top and working it's way down... so if one ability is on its cooldown, it will just jump to the next. This allows players to use one button to execute as many abilities as they want in PERFECT rotation. THIS IS NOT WHAT WE WANT! It is unacceptable; players literally just mash one button for single target dps, one for aoe dps, a couple for tanking and a couple for healing. In Rift, the use of macros is mandatory; you simply cannot outperform a perfect rotation. Several posters have mentioned that macros are bad because they allow for "I-win-buttons" and I believe games like Rift are responsible for that mentality. We want a macro setup more akin to WoW's; one that offers players a degree of functionality, but with restrictions so things don't get out of hand. If the players find a way to use macros to come up with an "I-win-button" then it is BW's responsibility to break that macro and restore balance.

 

3) confusing macros with addons

The other thing that's generating a lot of unnecessary hate toward macros, are addons. A few examples of addons would be Healbot, recount, gearscore, DBM, gatherer... these are UI modifications much more complex than just a macro, and usually have to be downloaded, whereas macros can just be typed up or copy/pasted. Some addons are quite controversial... gearscore, for example, is the source of a lot of grief and stupidity; it's a tool that is seldom used correctly, and is therefore generally disliked. Whatever your opinion of addons, keep them to yourself. They are not a factor in this discussion. They are off-topic. This thread is littered with comments like "macros are bad because Healbot just plays the game for you!" Healbot is NOT a macro. This thread is about macros, NOT addons.

 

 

 

 

Now that you know what you're reading/posting about, let's debunk some of the myths that have been posted prior to this edit being created:

 

Myth - "SWTOR does not need macros; I'm doing fine without them, and wouldn't use them if we had the option."

Debunker - This is a 'massively multiplayer' game. Any one person's opinion is moot, so to say that the game doesn't need them because they do not suite your personal preference is asinine. What this game needs is what appeals to large portions of the player-base; and regardless of your personal opinion on the matter, macros appeal to a large portion of the player-base.

 

Myth - "Macros will allow for 'i-win-buttons' or perfect execution of a rotation by mashing a single button."

Debunker - Macros will allow for whatever Bioware decides they should allow. I'm about... idk... 100% certain that BW doesn't want us condensing our entire spellbook into one button to be mashed that will cause our characters to perform perfectly... and if BW doesn't want it, it will not happen.

 

Myth - "Macros make the game too easy; if you need macros, you are bad."

Debunker - Macros do not have an impact on the difficulty of the game. They allow players to customize how the game reacts to they're pressing of a button. You could argue that players who need to use action bars are bad; players with real skill should just click them straight out of the spallbook. It can even be argued that if you don't want macros in game, YOU are bad, because all you want is for more skilled players to stoop to your level by taking away their tools of the trade.... but that's a bit harsh, IMO. It comes down to the preference of the individual - if you like using macros, use them! if you don't like using macros, don't use them! Play according to your own preference, and don't try to enforce your preference on other players.

 

Myth - "SWTOR doesn't support macros."

Debunker - BW has already stated their intention to add in-game macro functionality at some point post-launch... but the fact is, macros can already be used with SWTOR; there are mouses and keyboards that can run macros, free software that can run macros... all of which can be used to play SWTOR. Thing is, these are the 'general' macros mentioned above... they can pretty much allow full automation for certain types of gameplay... Offering in-game macros, even with limitations, would only balance the playing fielf that has been skewed by 3rd party macros.

 

Myth - "Enabling macros will make the use of macros mandatory; players who refuse will be labeled as bad."

Debunker - Again, macros will be capable of whatever BW lets them. BW knows what they're doing; they're not going to come up with something like Rift's abomination that allows for perfect rotation execution, and if a player finds a loophole to make that happen, BW can break it.

 

Myth - "Enabling macros will give a hefty advantage to the 'tech-savvy', and the player's actual skill will be less of a factor."

Debunker - Not at all. Computers have this nifty feature called "copy/paste" so when one of them tech-savvy folks comes up with something amazing, anyone can use it! You don't need to know how macros work to use the macro, you just need to know what's gonna happen when you use it... to say that only tech-savvy people can use macros is like saying that automotive engineers are the only people who can drive cars... constructing and operating are two different animals, amigo.

 

[/EDIT]

 

 

Original Text:

 

I've always enjoyed healing in other MMOs, but I regret to say that it's rather cumbersome in SWTOR. The missing ingredient is mouseover functionality.

 

'course, mouseover healing may not be something that the SWTOR community as a whole cares about, but I'd be willing to bet that atleast a large portion of the healers out there would agree with me; and there's a plethora of other functions that macros serve... probably dont need to discuss the specifics, but there's no doubt that their inclusion into the game is going to be a very positive thing for most players.

 

I know it's been stated that macros would make it into the game at some point post-launch... any chance we could get some specifics of when that might be?

 

I'm nearing end-game with my 'main' and I'd like to heal with that character, but as it stands healing just isn't fun. I suppose I could put that char on hold for a while and just work on alts until mouseover functionality is provided, but that would be undesirable.

 

(and I hope this didn't come off as complaining - the game as a whole is outstanding, it just needs a bit of polish.)

 

Such a long wall of text regarding macro's. I did not read your post, but I am against making the game EZ-MODE. Pandas are ------>

 

Thanks