Why Macros belong in TOR.

[Superpasta]

Macro is always there, just get a programmable gaming mouse & keyboard. Cheap one Logitech G300, if more budget get a Razer. Problem solved.

 

Some people against macro and like the hard way? Well, their choice, none of my problem. I play the game for fun, not for work.

 

 

Now if Bioware just give an option to disable the annoying red error flytext which floods my screen...

[shark_megabyte]

I'm not sure I'd be opposed to the kind of macro described in the original post, however, an observation:

 

I've been playing since early access, and never seen a healer say:

 

• "Man, I could be doing so much better if we had macros in this game"
  

 

OR

 

• "This is so frustrating, I can't heal this encounter effectively without macros"
  

 

[wolfmith]

I don't see any reason not to apply macros if just for changing target focus. PvPers know how hell it is the clicking or tabing targeting system... Sometimes with only ONE enemy in front of you, you need to tab 3 or 4 times to select him....

[AshlaBoga]

No macros!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not in pvp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! L2p!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

THIS.

 

But I think macros detract from PvE as well. Seriously, you can do HM EC piss drunk if you have macros:cool:

[Xinika]

Great post.

Agreed entirely.

[Riiquiem]

Everything you can do with macros you can do with your own hands.

If not simply L2P. Macros shouldn't be a part of PVP.. ever!

I don't care about the PVE kids, since there is no challenge without macros it can't get any easier anyway.

 

Imo they can add macros but it should get deactivated as soon as joining a wz.

[Kontraz]

I just want a macro that allows me to yell SHORYUKEN!!! everytime my BH uses rocket punch. It gets annoying trying to type that fast enough to sync it with the animation in a warzone >_<

[Orangerascal]

holy necro'd thread batman.

[FourTwent]

This issue is really two pronged in my opinion.

 

First is the quest of whether SWTOR should have combat macros. Same thing with Addons in my opinion. Having these healbots do everything for the player so they literally dont have to do anything but move out of the fire. This is a HORRIBLE game design and should NOT be allowed in SWTOR EVER. Same thing with offensive combat rotation macros. Instead of actually training yourself to learn a rotation you just look up the 'max dps rotation' decided by the math and then just plug it into the game. Again this is a horrible game design and shouldn't be allowed in the game.

 

Then you have the out of combat macros like hitting your defensive cooldown(like a shield) and then mounting your speeder. Or hitting one button to activate an adrenal and a relic at the same time. This is something I could see the developers doing but being really strict about when and where you can do something like this.

 

Now, on top of both of those issues, you also end up creating a HUGE barrier of entry into the game. Whether it's PvE or PvP. Think of yourself as a BRAND new WoW player(not a hardcore one, but a casual one). They will never look up anything about a macro yet because they dont have them setup, not only is PvP incredibly harder(they have to press 10 keys what you only have to press 1 to do), but also for PvE(if the devs dont balance the raids to efficient macro use, then the content is too easy for the people who use them. . .and if they do, then it's too hard for the people who dont use macros).

 

The idea is GREAT for hardcore players of the game, assuming the devs balance everything around them. Else the hardcore player will just think the game is too boring and will move on.

[snaplemouton]

Can we stop bumping this 2011 thread up please?

Macros are good blablabla. Macros are bad blablabla.

[Calpin]

Please no nested loops bandwidth lag-generating marcoes.

 

It will not do anyone any good.....or maybe it will benefit the first

person who gets to use it for a very limited period of time.

 

In PVP it's really a no! no!

[ThorgrimLutgen]

I love the fact that casuals still come here and hate on macros.

 

Obviously never used them.

 

In lineage 2 it was impossible past certain levels not to have macros since most skills bounce into others and vice versa. Especially for buffers who would haveto cast 53 buffs in order to buff someone... and then again for the other 8 people in the group. tedious... long and very unnecessary.

 

 

The macro system makes life alot easier.. the longer the macros the harder it can fail however if you have a 1 macro attack string of all your attacks in sequence... 1 interrupt and you start all over again. So.

 

To sum up. Macro's can only help you. They cannot win for you. An interrupt, a stun, a cancel will break the flow anyway.

 

I shall support the adding of macro's and let all nay-sayers get their casual asses back to newbie forums!

 

EDIT: To be fair i've been using my mouse and keyboard macros to essentially already do all of that but a global system should only make it easier(alt+tabbing to change add and fix macros? yea i'll prefer to do without )

 

You can tart it up however you want, put people down for not wanting macros etc, but the bottom line is, you want macros to make your life easier.

 

This game is already too easy. I don't want to heal warzones at the same time as making a cup of tea, I want to play the game, win or lose, I want to do it myself, not have a bandaid helping me along.

[Kontraz]

Lets compare macros to sex, shall we? Playing this game is fun and rewarding when you do it well. Having sex is fun and rewarding if you do it well. Letting everyone use macros is like tossing your girlfriend a vibrator and considering it good sex.

[LenrocNewDawn]

Lets compare macros to sex, shall we? Playing this game is fun and rewarding when you do it well. Having sex is fun and rewarding if you do it well. Letting everyone use macros is like tossing your girlfriend a vibrator and considering it good sex. No it doesn't counts you are holding it

 

Had to add that, hope you don't mind .

[karnyboy]

Nah, learn to play man. Macros aren't a quality of life issue in the game. You can do all that stuff by targeting and ...you know...pressing the required key for the skill.

 

Macros basically make a players sense of awareness drop over time. You should be agile with your fingers on the keyboard, know your layout, and use your mouse hand for the things you need to do. Macros make for lazy players.

 

Do they help, without a doubt, but are they needed? No.

[FourTwent]

purchae a naga you cheap bastards

 

whenever they make a finger trackball version, i might

[Veniras]

Ok what is the standard equipment for this game?

 

Razer Naga, one gamepad and keyboard with inbuilt macros?

 

Or a 105-keyboard and a 3-button mouse?

 

Or a third?

[Haystak]

Macros dont belong in MMOs, they trivialize abilities, and essentially play the game for you. Im against anything that involves removing the human player from the equation, and replaces him/her with a program, machine, or computer. If I wanted to play a game against a million other computers I would of swallowed the red pill and went back to my happy life in the matrix.

 

I played WoW, and saw how macros could make life easier. I also saw that most people would not even learn there class and instead would copy and paste the optomized spec, macro'd rotation, and faceroll there way to max dps. You were removing the human factor from the game. It would be like watching Profootball with cyborgs.

 

I fought the system for a while, I learned how to keybind eveything and pushed "MY" abilities to the max, but the occurence of me getting completly destroyed by a mirrored class was happening more and more. I made it a point to find out how they beat me, i dont know why its the competetive side of me.I usually asked the guys who were beating me consistantly how they got to that level, and the answer almost always involved using complex macros, or addons(which are really just macros with a gui interface.)

 

I eventually made the switch. Guild was trying to be first downing the Lich King on our server, our numbers werent cutting it, and a rival guild was close on our heels to beating us to the finish line. I didnt want to be the guilds dead weight and made it a point to get whatever I needed to streamline my game play.

Things changed instantly. I could hit a button and 3 things would happen in quick succession. Managing my rotation required no thought. I was able to focus only positioning, was always in the right place at the right time. We downed the Lich King by the end of the week, and everyone was happy.

I however felt left out, like it wasnt me playing, I was simply a small piece in my toons ability, and no longer the whole factor. My toons name would top charts, and it wasnt me who was doing it, it was the machine.

 

I stopped using the macros soon after, call me a purist, stubborn, or just plain stupid.

 

I did however do it knowing that my numbers wouldnt be at there absolute best, and that the people I played with who were using them were doing it just a tad better, but I like trying to be John Henry vs the Steam engine.

 

Steam engine may always win in the end, but John Henry's story is much more impressives than the steam engines.

 

Quick Edit: my toons name is based on a character from the Author Raymond Feist, and has nothing to do with computer commands.

Edited June 15, 2012 by Haystak

[Khoraji]

whenever they make a finger trackball version, i might

 

ew, trackball for gaming?

 

whatever floats your boat i guess.

[Livelyhound]

2: If there's one thing Khem has taught me it's that the hit boxes are wonky so a mouse over macro for healers would help

QUOTE]

 

Is it just me or does nobody in this thread who is pro-macro know about F# keys? I mean Khem is F1 F1.

F1 : target yourself

F1 : target companion, if already on self.

F2 : target group member 2

F2 : target group member 2's companion, if already on group member 2.

...

 

Not to mention Alt-T, keybind any target marker to any key and probably many more I can't think of as it's bedtime.

 

Focus Macros are totally not needed.

and given the aforementioned "wonky hit boxes" i can't exactly see how mouseover macros would help in the slightest.

 

In other words: NO to MACROS

and Learn to Target.

[Livelyhound]

There is nothing automated about focus macros. .

 

Also this made me laugh.

 

I hate to cite wikipedia but what the hell:

"Keyboard macros and mouse macros allow short sequences of keystrokes and mouse actions to be transformed into other, usually more time-consuming, sequences of keystrokes and mouse actions. In this way, frequently used or repetitive sequences of keystrokes and mouse movements can be automated."

 

Bolded the funny bit. Macros a nothing but automation...

[TwitchWINs]

Essentially what you want is this:

 

One button that does all the work for you.

 

Get some skill and you won't need macros. GG

 

The funny thing is people like this are the ones who would actually use a cast sequence macro. wtb /tar party1,2,3,4[dispel] clicking PLAYER FRAMES is so horrid but i am reduced to DOING IT IN THIS GAME!

Cheers on the amazing post i support this, We need macros its just that simple.

[Vibby]

I have NO problem healing without using some mouseover ease of use feature. I either click or keybind to a player, and heal them.

 

I have NO problem spiking a target, I pay attention to who's being attacked or who needs to be and I do that.

 

It's not that hard once you learn to do it. Learning the opposite way first may be difficult to change from.

 

also thread necro FTL

Edited June 17, 2012 by Vibby
derp

[Blagaah]

Here's the only thing I'd use macros for: Button paging. It simply saves screen space. Example from how I have my WoW macros set; I use One 12 button bar, but I write the macro so that when I hold, say, SHIFT, the two buttons under my thumb switch from single target to AoE moves. I know I can simply bind all four bars to base, then 3 bars with ctrl, alt, and shift (one each) but that takes up a HUGE amount of screen space.

 

I totally get the arguments of having several abilities tied to one macro, and cast sequence macros can also be a bit unbalancing if they aren't implemented correctly. However, there is a qualitiy of life compromise between 100% NO and anything goes.

[UGLYMRJ]

Yeah... the original post was way too long to keep my attention past "/m"... mostly because I hate macros and people who want them want an easy mode. The more complicated the better IMO and simplifying the game is just bad.... very bad. The last thing this game or any game needs is something to make bad players better.

 

I'm sure you'd love to have a 20 attack macro set up so you could click auto follow, get up and make a sammich come back and auto follow macro kill someone else but that's not fun nor competitive. It's just bad.... let me repeat...

 

BAD!