Macros?

[Auhfel]

I think the ultimate question for macros is whether people that understand how to write macros, which takes just a slight comprehension of 'scripting' should have an advantage over kids that do not.

 

Hmm it is tempting lol

 

Luckily even un-knowledgeable can seach for pre-made macros on various forums for various programs. I didn't know how to use AHK (and I still barely do) but I researched it myself and took the time to become minimally versed in it so i could use it.

[caultonpos]

How is it a single key push?

 

Lemme think about how many keys you'd need at least:

 

Offensive, attack key : for doing DPS

 

Heal key : for rotating various heals you have

 

Mitigation key: casting various damage mitigation you have

 

Utility key : for when you need various utilities ex: force charge, speed.

 

CC Keys: self explanatory

 

You still have to play with targeting, you still need to know the best time to use which skills (it kills me to see a warrior use saber ward when he's at 10% hp... rather than using it before getting bursted) You still need to know about positioning, lots of stuff.

 

PvP has much more to do than just pushing keys...

 

A single key is exaggerating - well not really though for a DPS class. In Rift you could throw everything onto the same key - so your stuns, shields, break stun, attacks are all on the same key - it would just go through the list and skip over any not applicable (break stun) or on cool down. Then really you only need a few more keys for heal and miscellaneous.

 

It certainly reduces the hand/eye coordination which people would complain about - classes that just pressed a single key to win.

 

I guess one plus for it is that it evens the playing field between a simple class like the Bounty Hunter versus a Sorc.

[Bearu]

I think the ultimate question for macros is whether people that understand how to write macros, which takes just a slight comprehension of 'scripting' should have an advantage over kids that do not.

 

Hmm it is tempting lol

 

As soon as they implement macros in game i guarentee you'll be able to find any/all of the good ones you need on the internet with a quick google search.

 

Like you said, it takes just a "slight comprehension of 'scripting'" so if somebody is really feeling held back by not being able to write them it's their own fault for not learning it. I have not learned any scripting ever, and (in WoW) i can write some decent macros.

[Elazul]

OBVIOUSLY a RIFT style macro system would not be implemented. give me a break. Lets instead look at the game alot of THIS game is based on. So because one game has a terrible macro system this game should not use them?

 

WoW's macro system worked fine. I could macro a Trinket to fire when i used a specific move, as the use of a trinket is off the GCD. big deal.

 

Most complex Macro i had... "X" key with no pet out summoned my pet, "X" key WITH pet out would cast his freeze ability.

 

Any Healer worth anything was mousing over unit frames and hitting keybinds, either via Macros (/cast target=mouseover flash heal; flash heal) or with addons that did it for them.

 

Macros are a convienience. not a tool or exploit. someone using macro's isnt doing anything less then anyone with more keybinds. you COULDNT key bind strings of abilities together so whats the problem?

 

I use a buff and want to use my trinket at the same time, its suddenly an exploit? you can do the exact same thing! or hell YOU could also write a macro! omigod! imagine the possibilites

 

And finally I can already achieve this with software my mouse came with.. in reality you're the ones at a disadvantage WITHOUT macro's officially in game.

[Bearu]

I want a tracer missile macro for my newb BH.

[Xenthum]

I think the ultimate question for macros is whether people that understand how to write macros, which takes just a slight comprehension of 'scripting' should have an advantage over kids that do not.

 

Hmm it is tempting lol

 

Google is hard. Class forums are harder. 15 seconds fiddling with them yourself to figure them out is impossible.

 

Writing macros is really so easy a cave man can do it. For those who aren't smart enough or CBA to bother, there are hundreds of websites that would instantly have a list of macro possibilities as soon as it was implemented.

[McDaniels]

MAJOR PROBLEM:

 

Whether or not you like macros or think they're fair, the reality is that a lot of players, especially competitive ones, have keyboards like a G15 that can create macros for them.

 

So equally competitive players like myself who don't have the money or for whatever reason can't use gaming keyboards (I play on a laptop so I can't) then we're getting even more shafted.

 

So the question ends up being:

 

Is it more fair for people with gaming keyboards to have macros and dominate or to allow everyone to use macros?

 

The average player is at a big enough disadvantage without the better design of those keyboards or mice like nagas, we don't need to be further gimped by not having access to a function that is available to users with G15's that hugely simplifies their gameplay.

[getdownsb]

Autohotkey.com

[rikkilambo]

It is quite obvious that those who oppose macros don't quite understand what macros do for players. Macros make our lives easier but it doesn't take away any skill at all. On the other hand, writing the macro that suits you takes skills.

[Aghar]

I am all for limitied macros in the game. However much of the stuff people are asking for in macros are eithera too powerfull (mouseover macros for heals being the prime example, why should a healer ever have to target someone if they have mouseover? ) Or B already implemented in the game, focus modifier is in the game, you set it up in prefs, when you hold your focus modifier any skills you use will attempt to be used on your focus (I do this all the time in huttball with my healer partner and intercede.)

 

Macros are a good thing, but they don't need the ability to use 2 skills, or go through a rotation, or allow you to mouseover something and use abilities without actually targeting it. They make the game too easy at that point.

[Happy-Killer]

Anyone who says macros shouldn't be implemented needs to play a Jedi Sentinel or Sith equivalent. At level 24, I have 19 skills that I need to use all the time. And in pvp, managing all of these skill plus, since its a melee class, trying to chase down a running target is almost impossible. I simply can't use some of my skills because the key is out of reach, or I would have to look away from the screen, press the key, and hope my target didnt run away. Macros wouldnt be needed if there weren't so many skills and other skills that depend on status changes, caused by other skills... yada yada its a big inconvenience.

[aceventura]

macro's should not be implamented into the game.

 

I approve of this.

[PwnFace]

The people that dont want macros are just gimping themselves. between my G15 keyboard and my gaming mouse I have all the macros I could ever use. So why not put them in game so everyone can take advantage of them, without having to buy different hardware

[Orthx]

macro's should not be implamented into the game. they are just to easy to exploit and abuse.

if you want to show players you can play the game then single clicking is the way forward.or bind keys to your mouse buttons.

 

 

Well game should work for you, not you work for a game. You already paid for game. You stare at hotbars all the time instead of a game? Be my guest. I rather enjoy the game and click stuff that does not require so much attention to it. This is virtual world - you have fun in it, not work like a horse, nuff said. Macros should and will be in the game. Your option to use it or not.

[xirinia]

the hell with macros.

they practically destroy rotations.

example:

your rotation is 1 4 3 2 5 7 1

without macros: you have to time your cd's and watch your stuff -> needs skill

WITH macros: you put everything in one button and mash it all the time -> needs no skill at all.

 

not having macros is good to separate high skill players from non skill players.

only thing that might be usefull are mouseover heals, which could be implemented by a simple keyboard modifier or something similar.

 

This is a perfect example of a bad macro system. This is also a pretty good example of a person with very little imagination.

 

Here's another example -- only allow one ability per button press. Allow macro to chose which one depending on state (combat, stealth, mounted), and target (none, friendly, hostile). Doesn't make your rotation any simpler, but does allow you do use only 3 hotbars instead of all 4.

[xirinia]

Macros do give people an advantage but everyone has access to them so it's not really unfair. The main thing I used them for was targeting in arenas and that definitely gave me an edge I liked. They aren't hard to set up and my guess is BW will implement them eventually. It makes healing a lot easier too, mouse-overs are very nice.

 

Exactly. Lack of macros creates a smaller group of people with a huge advantage -- the people that have keyboard/mice with macro capabilities or autohotkey.

 

Unline in-game macros, they do allow you to reduce your "rotation" to just a few buttons, and run them in close to perfect succession

[Kolbenito]

Some people don't know macros work.

 

I gather that people who aren't familiar with them think you turn multiple key presses into pressing the key once. A good macro system does not allow you to do this. If the action takes 2 or 3 "clicks" the macro does too, it is just more efficient.

 

Here is a well known example from another game.

 

#showtooltip Spell Reflection

/cast [stance:1/2,equipped:Shields] Spell Reflection; [stance:3] Defensive Stance

/stopmacro [equipped: Shields]

/stopcasting

/equip Vicious Gladiator's Slicer

/equip Vicious Gladiator's Shield Wall

 

What this does

- Stop casting other spells immediately

- Equip a shield and 1 hand weapon (required for this spell to work)

- Check your stance and either cast the spell or change your stance

 

I can do this almost as fast manually, the macro is just slightly faster and more efficient

- F1 Battle Stance, Middle Mouse weapon Swap, G for Spell Reflect

 

...........................

 

When people hear "macro" I think they are under the impression that i hit a key like "5" and it does action A then action B then action C then action D ... action F

 

I realize this is how macros work in some other games. Typically when I see people asking for them on these forums they are talking something like the first half of my post.

Edited February 3, 2012 by Kolbenito

[ugig]

Arent some of you wanting macro's so you can tie several abilities to one button the same ppl yelling for merc nerfs because they can be effective with one button?

 

All joking aside, they do need to hurry up and implement things like macro's, especially mouseover targetting macro's for healers, and moveable UI elements.

[theMornox]

Some people don't know macros work.

 

I gather that people who aren't familiar with them think you turn multiple key presses into pressing the key once. A good macro system does not allow you to do this. If the action takes 2 or 3 "clicks" the macro does too, it is just more efficient.

 

 

you mean people have a tendency to compare macros with botting, which are indeed completely different things.

 

btw hello fellow pvp warrior

 

 

i call for macros simply because they can save me a few hotkeys and thus making it more enjoyable to focus on pvp gameplay rather than being occupied with korean finger acrobatics to get the right hotkeys (including having to use combinations like Shift+3 or similar as it is simply neccessary to have all your skills accessible)

[xirinia]

you mean people have a tendency to compare macros with botting, which are indeed completely different things.

 

btw hello fellow pvp warrior

 

 

i call for macros simply because they can save me a few hotkeys and thus making it more enjoyable to focus on pvp gameplay rather than being occupied with korean finger acrobatics to get the right hotkeys (including having to use combinations like Shift+3 or similar as it is simply neccessary to have all your skills accessible)

 

My problem is that with lack of macros, the only way to avoid finger acrobatics is to use something relatively close to botting, i.e. autohotkey and hardware macros

[Fonitrus]

we need at the very least a way to include a /stopcast option on an ability.

spell interrupts that queue after casting/channeled spells are a fken joke. and if you are in cover you cant just move to stop the cast especially if you have entrcnch on, it will be a wasted entrench CD..so need a way to stop a cast and imediatelly drop a interrupt against them pebble storms coming my wayy while i try to get off an ambush..

[CaptainStraydog]

I would just use them for social purposes. (Like make a one-click button to perform /cheer, while also saying "YES! YES!" at the same time) lol I did that a lot in WoW; it made it bit more fun sometimes xD

[molokaii]

I think there is some confusion about how macros would work, if Bioware decides to add them in a future patch. For simplicity, I think the anti-macro crowd relies on the assumption that Bioware would use the Rift macro system.

 

In Rift, you can macro multiple GCD abilities together and the game will go down the list and fire the first ability that is off cooldown - in effect, making the decision for the player. For example, with the Rift system this macro would work:

 

/cast Vicious Slash

/cast Battering Assault

/cast Assault

 

It would attempt to cast Vicious Slash and if you had 3 rage, it would cast it. If not, it would move down the list to the rage generating abilities. If Battering Assault was on cooldown, it would cast Assault.

 

This is the type of macro system that most players despise, since the macro is making decisions for the player and allowing them to bypass an important part of the game - managing their class resource system.

 

The other macro system Bioware could add would be similar to what WoW uses. In WoW, a macro only allows you to use ONE GCD ability - the rest will not work. In the example above, the WoW system would only check for Vicious Slash and then it would stop, since that ability has a GCD.

 

I would really like to see a system like WoW, which allows you to do functions like @target, @focus, @mouseover, etc. It would be useful and unlike the Rift system, you still have to make decisions - it won't play the game for you.

 

Exactly

Edited January 5, 2013 by molokaii
Wrong qoute

[Kattla]

Adding macro capability to the game would only make it more fair for everyone. As of now, only ppl who use third party tools, software or hardware, can use macros. So i vote yes for simple macros.

[Gyronamics]

we need at the very least a way to include a /stopcast option on an ability.

spell interrupts that queue after casting/channeled spells are a fken joke. and if you are in cover you cant just move to stop the cast especially if you have entrcnch on, it will be a wasted entrench CD..so need a way to stop a cast and imediatelly drop a interrupt against them pebble storms coming my wayy while i try to get off an ambush..

 

Nah.

 

All casters play by the same rules and have to sacrifice their cast by moving to use their interrupt immediately.

 

All casters are vulnerable to interrupts except one. The one that lives in an anti-interrupt shield.

 

It's not even important in PVE but in PVP being immune to all interrupts means there is some kind of a logical penalty in having to be clumsier with interrupts against other ranged classes IF you refuse to leave your defensive bunker, if you do leave it then you can get that interrupt off and bunker again for whatever that might cost you.

 

Seems a reasonable enough option which gives other ranged classes more of a chance against what in anyones book is already rigged to be the best ranged class in the game.

Edited January 5, 2013 by Gyronamics