If YOU Could Be A Developer For The Next Year...

You. I like you.

EDIT: Paged D:

I find it somewhat funny that everyone skips the part where I mention overhauling the macro command API (and all the other golden nuggets) to make Gearswap completely unnecessary. I wonder how many other people are going to go from zero to "kill yourself" in this thread because I think automating equipment changes in a way that's physically impossible in-game is almost akin to equipping crafting torques on your hands and feet?

While we're at it, let's completely rework Geomancers to be actual Geomancers.

We could also quarantine the people with 10,000 shitposts and counting here into a server where they could all have one big ol' fashioned RP Behemoth circlejerk in Uleguerand. Or at least restrict them to their own little safe-space on these forums where they can cry about summoners so everyone else can have discussions like grown *** adults.

Well SE provided us with all this situational gear and 12~13 slots of equipable gear, they also provided us with a clunky system to change it all.

So if I were a dev I'd create a more streamlined system to switch gear so there would be no use for third party programs and we could all live happily together for the rest of the lifespan of this 15 year old game.

(Also, people who use windower or ashita are not persé better players then those who dont use it)
(Some use basic lua's to make it so you dont have to press 3 macro's to switch out all your gear before you can use a ws/ja/w/e)
(not everyone has the mindset of being a cheater)

Is there any reason why I picture Mr. Popo saying that to me? Serious question.

Not everyone knows how to do just that with the in-game console (which you can), which is part of the point I'm making. Most of the people running the luas are too stupid/lazy to figure out how the game itself works and turn to cut-and-paste third party scripts that go above and beyond the in-game function, to the point of excessive automation. When you select and cast Cure; the game console itself does not automatically equip a fast cast set, detect day/weather conditions and decide whether or not to equip your obi, switch to mid-cast, and then back to your refresh/idle set.

This is something that you physically need to do on your own time or not at all. It is a matter of laziness, and it is what SE has always described as botting because you're taking away necessary input commands and automating those features through a third-party script.

An example of quality of life add-ons that don't impact gameplay beyond its virtual capabilities would be Distance and DelayMeNot. Distance provides information readily available to you through the minimap hash-marks and doesn't automate a feature beyond your skill level or comprehension of the game. It simply displays what's already there accurately. DelayMeNot removes the delay from displaying macro bars because it's pointless and unnecessary. It's an improvement on the interface that's already there and does absolutely nothing beyond that.

It doesn't change 50 pieces of gear in a second and decide what pieces you should be wearing for different abilities.
That's some lazy *** and you know it. It's simply an abuse of the game's internal mechanics.

If SE wanted you to be able to entirely automate your equipment changes, they would have added an interface to do so.




Oh wait, they did.
But you have to be able to press at least one button to do so and write the code yourself within the capabilities of the internal command console.




For the record: "Good intentions" lead to people flying through walls, dropping out of the sky on Simurgh's head, spawning infinite bosses for Alexandrite, and equipping crafting torques in twelve slots because the developers no longer adhere to the level of integrity that they once did. Your accounts would have been trashed long ago, and all they would have had to do was scan your client for gear being equipped at rates faster than /wait was capable of.

My point on Gearswap is that you're lazy, untalented hacks that can't play games without cheat engine and everything you touch turns to ***because of it. The only counter-point I've seen being made is that there isn't a problem as long as you're benefiting from it without living in fear of losing your accounts. That or you don't actually know how to use the in-game console, so you copied the Asian kid's homework in the Intro to Coding class when the teacher wasn't looking.

I played XI for 9 years without lua scripts. A friend took the time to explain gearswap to me and i've used it for a year now. I dont feel it made me a better player, it just took away a lot of frustration.

If the game is too frustrating for you, maybe you should play one that you don't have to hack through a third party to enjoy.

I think I know one that sounds right for you:



But why stop at gearswapping? Why not create a script that automatically runs your character through CoP missions and constantly warps you back to Cid? It's too frustrating to do all of that nonsense on your own time. Why, think of how many new players the game might have if they could just run a script that did all of that for them? After all, each and every one of you are the coding experts that wrote the script functions yourselves. It shouldn't be a problem and think of how much of an improvement it would be compared to actually doing CoP missions yourself!

It's not like there's a thread where you can just copy someone else's work and edit variables for the specific pieces of equipment that you're using or anything.

The solution to everything, when someone doesnt agree with you, tell them to quit.

If I were a dev for one day I'd permaban everyone who didnt agree with me.

I suggested an alternative to alleviate your frustrations, I never said quit. There's a difference.
It's also not a matter of agree or disagree: It's a matter of what's defined in SE's terms of service concerning FFXI and third party programs.

I would have just upgraded FFXI instead of making FFXIV. But that makes too much sense...

Buy windower -

Make lua optional - or a gear gambit system

Create craft Fatigue

Implement a friend trust system - Allow a PC to give them a cipher of themselves - Make a Q/A on what abilities can be used to create it/Gear etc

Revamp Dyna/Salvage/Assualts/WKR/Escha-dragons into community content

Community time spawned NMs

Wow, Stiltz, the chip on your shoulder must be really heavy. Most of us are here talking about how we could move the game forward if we were a developer for a year. And here you are, offering to reinvent the wheel, so that people can do what they are doing now but not in a way you consider cheating because that bothers you.
Close your eyes. Pretend a year has passed. Open your eyes. See everything is how you described - just pretend we are playing the way you want us to. Find happiness.

There is the letter of the law, and there is the law which is enforced. And the latter is what is actually defacto law. Every state has old laws on the books which while still on the books, aren't really law anymore. SE's actions speak much more loudly than all of the TOS you can copy/paste.

GearSwap isn't a problem that effects anyone's enjoyment of the game in a negative way. And given that it works and is free and accessible, it'd be a horrible waste of SOE resources to fix their game so as to alleviate the need for what we are already using, when they could be adding so much more content tot he game with those efforts.

Some of you might hate me for this but I can't please everyone...

Would be nice to see a graphics overhaul to make it more attractive to pc players (especially since 360 and ps2 are gone now). Along with that, keep low graphic settings so that those with low end pcs can still play it. Not only would this benefit us current players with the pretty sights, but it would attract new players if they get tired of whatever other MMO they are playing. This MMO is different than a lot of the popular ones (At least from what I've experienced) so those players would have something new to explore and conquer.


My goal from this would be to get a higher subscriber count.
(My apologies to those who prefer low population on a server heh.) Of course things would have to happen to keep things stable and balanced (Server splits and whatever else is necessary), but if SE is getting a fat wallet from this game then my guess is that they would focus on it more.


TLDR: Use nice graphics as bait, then use awesome game to trap the prey.

Just something I'd like to see happen.

Yes I agree bro.

There is no reason why such a graphically great looking Samurai coming in FFXIV has to suffer in such a shitty cheap WoW knock off system that also continuosly fails to keep subscribers locked in..

Het, Stilitz, I was just curious what your thoughts in regards to Windower/3rd party programs/tools were? Seems like you've touched base here and there throughout this post, but I wasn't able to infer where you stand on the use of them exactly. Thanks in advance.

FIX Monk H2H DMG to its former glory or at least to some Descent DMG

anywhere from 10 K +

Were the other posts not detailed enough? lol

I'm pretty sure that no one, SE included, ultimately gives two shits if you're using Windower to alt tab and bump draw distances/resolutions. While the original devs were clearly going for complete immersion, it doesn't look like they've made any effort to update those kind of features at a basic level and it doesn't look like they will any time soon.

Windower itself doesn't alter gameplay. It doesn't inject packets before/after they would normally be sent to the server and it doesn't automate any feature drastically beyond standard operation. But at the same time, everything involving Windower/addons/etc. is currently in a gray-area concerning their ToS as it applies to FFXI. The issue with Windower and friends that their devs were worried about is that it allows for other scripts to be executed in ways that impact gameplay and server stability beyond what would be considered normal. Seeing as the game is fifteen years old, coders with too much time on their hands have essentially cracked their source and server and have been using it to write all sorts of scripts that affect the game beyond normal means.

So, what is okay and what isn't and where does it need to stop?
Or does the almighty dollar supercede their own Terms of Service?

They need to update their ToS to reflect the game in its current state, or put their foot down and say, hey, writing a script that bypasses the console features entirely and automates equipment changes isn't something we want you to be doing with our game. Until that happens, essentially everyone using anything beyond the base game is violating their ToS and subject to having their accounts terminated for doing so.

And ten years ago, they would've aborted your account faster than Dr. Deleteus without a second thought.
It's kind of like federal law saying marijuana is an illegal substance and state law saying, "lol it isn't here".



Deleting script hacking scummers is progressive action and I personally find great joy in doing so.
Don't forget that integrity is dead and our generation killed it!


Gee, doc, sometimes I feel like I'm trying to explain legally binding documents to eight year olds raised by illiterate alcoholics.


Speaking of illiteracy, I think that fedora is choking the oxygen supply to your brain.

It gets really hard being right all the time.
No, wait! That's just my penis.

And Camate's stance was "Don't mention Windower and you're fine." He was the #2 on the NA side of the community team and actively used Windower and Gearswap during his 8 years working for SE. SE isn't going to do ***about it, or ban you for it. They are certainly aware it exists, but they're only banning for the most aggressive usages of it (ie. botting automated play).

Stiltz, I envision you as that slightly eldest child at the beach that kicks over all of the other children's sand castles because "They were making them wrong!"

You seem like a relatively bright individual, so I'm not sure how you can believe that fixing what isn't broken is a valid use of a year's time and resources. Sure, you *might* get it to be just as you like it, but you'd be the only kid left at the beach. This beach won't remain available and continue to receive investment for the enjoyment of just one kid with a bad attitude.

Gearswap isn't the reason we can't have nice things. I'm pretty sure the reason we've been generally given has been "PS2 Limitations" or, more recently staff limitations, for the lack of nice things. Those individuals that went out of their way to create Windower, Gearswap and even this website are precisely why we have nice things. They make this product more enjoyable.
You can accuse consumers of being lazy, but that in itself is a lazy argument to make. Consumers seek simple solutions. Especially if the product is a hobby, or something they use in what little spare time they may have.
If SE had any foresight, they wouldn't have built a MMO on a disposable game platform. They wouldn't have made PlayOnline. They would have allowed FFXI to be windowed or have created Windower and they would have designed a way to fully macro gear at conception. Instead they made a way that is arguably less intuitive than Gearswap and they did it... what? 10 years after Gearswap was created?
I feel it is despite SE's best efforts that FFXI has been so successful. As a company, they tend to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. This is because they absolutely fail at listening to their customer base.
Fortunately, in the case of FFXI, some in that base were empowered enough to create what SE was missing. And this is what this thread is all about. If you, as part of the customer base, were given the support for a year to create what SE is missing, what would we get?

Everyone banned who doesn't play exactly like him.

Himself included, because nobody's perfect, including him.

Thread sliding and illiterate alcoholics foaming at the mouth every time the word Gearswap is mentioned.
Refer to the actual post I made before this thread was turned into a hurricane of shitposters that failed first grade reading comprehension twenty years in a row.


Sir, please stop trying to force pennies in the quarter slots.

Well, at least you're not having outright schizophrenic one-liner conversations with yourself. Nobody's perfect, but everyone's entitled to their own stupid opinions, right? It seems like you have quite a few of them yourself, so let's hear some more - since I know you can't go five minutes without absolutely having to share them around here.

So, what are we at now?
Almost two pages of complete derail since my original suggestion?
I was hoping you kids would read between the lines on that, not just freeze and start shitting your pants the second I mention Gearswap.

I'm not talking about the GS/ToS trollfest this turned into, either. You kids asked for it; hell, you were begging me for it. Y'all apparently enjoy it so deeply and want more of it - who am I to deny you such simple pleasures in life? I'm more than happy to give you this sort of content to vent out all of that pent up frustration in your mundane lives. So put on your capes, great defenders of the forum world, and we can do this until our bodies rot or I teach some of you how to comprehend English above a third grade level.

Whichever comes first.

Let's hear some more of those brilliant ideas you have,
since everyone posting here is clearly a triple A lead developer.

You forgot to tell me to go kill myself again Stilz.

Gawd man, if you are going to act like an internet tough guy, step up your game son!


Shows how much you know - posts 6 minutes later