The Final Fantasy XIV raid scene has been rocked by controversy (again) following the revelation that the Japanese raid team that was World's First to clear The Omega Protocol (Ultimate) did so with the aid of third-party mods. The Omega Protocol is a super-challenging raid encounter added in patch 6.31. The use of third-party mods or tools is strictly prohibited in the hyper-competitive raid scene of XIV and explicitly so in the game's terms of service.
Naoki Yoshida, the producer of XIV and the upcoming Final Fantasy XVI, wrote in a blog post that "it is extremely disappointing for me personally to see this commotion surrounding third-party tools once again in the wake of what happened with Dragonsong's Reprise (Ultimate)". Dragonsong's Reprise was a raid added in 6.11, and a similar situation occurred, in which the team first to clear it was found to have used unauthorised tools.
The group in question are known as UNNAMED_. Video was posted on Twitter of the encounter, which shows the group using what are known as zoom hacks, a modification that lets the player pull the camera out further than normal, allowing for a better view of the battlefield.
The concept of World First is an unofficial one, really just for bragging rights within a community. Still, Yoshida indicated that it could become a feature in the future, stating that "we hear the community voice that an official raid race should be supported, and regulations should be decided upon - this is a topic which needs to be discussed internally, so please allow me to keep this as an item for future consideration."
Third-party mods and tools can be a contentious subject in the MMO space. Not all of them give explicit advantages, for example, some are used to optimise skill rotations to allow for a higher level of play or measure the DPS a character is capable of dealing. Obviously, things high-level competitive players would be very interested in knowing.
Such players argue that these tools should be included in the game for everyone to use. Still, the sentiment of platform holders is often that such tools could be used to bully players that are not performing "optimally", which makes the entire situation rather tricky.
What do you make of this whole affair? Are the third-party mods in question the video game equivalent of doping, or are they tools which should be included in the first place? Race to be the first to the comments section below.
[source na.finalfantasyxiv.com]
Comments 15
cheaters seem to infect every online game imaginable. Its why I haven't played an online MP focused game in a long, long time.
@KundaliniRising333 100% agree. These little gremlins really ruin what should be a fun past time. Cheaters should be named,shamed and banned as there is no need for it and it just shows you up for what you really are..a crap gamer with a dubious character..
Use mods offline. I mod watchdogs mass effect with visual mods. I use the console codes in mass effect to let the shepard be a demi god. Once I clear a game I mod like mad lol. I just got knights of the old republic mmo just to try out I understand free versions run like a demo stops either end of level or money needed to advanced na I'll try it but no interested in paying for nothing. I see myself deleting it in 5 mins lol
In my opinion any mod that gives you an advantage no matter how slight against other players is terrible, and yes even the mod allowing you to see your DPS is bad as one team that has it can optimise faster than the team that doesn’t.
Fishing in the Central Shroud is about as hard-core as I get.
I remember wow getting extremely toxic when DPS counters started becoming a thing, every group you joined would start arguing because at least one player was more interested in the DPS counter than the game.
Zoom hacks sound like something that isn't a big deal but it really gives an advantage in this game. The way the fights flow having a birdseye view of the whole arena makes a huge difference.
Honestly hope they ban the people who is confirmed to be using third party tools. If you need ANY mod to tell you what to do or whats about to happen, you don't deserve the clear.
Idiots. Well deserved to name em and strip em of rewards.
@Toypop As someone that has played these games for about two decades (including FFXIV since the Beta launch of 1.0) and been on the receiving end of said bullying (almost always from users with rotation and damage output mods) nearly every time I group up for anything more serious than a daily roulette; I disagree with your opinion that bullying isn't a MAJOR factor in the disallowment of mods.
Strip them of their achievements??? I say they should be entirely banned!
@Toypop Again, disagree. I have had situations where I (and others I know and play with) get bullied within a couple mins in a dungeon or raid (within the first few mindless mob fights) when its obvious that they are not doing the exact perfect rotation with perfect timing and maximum DPS.
This happens regularly enough that it sucks the enjoyment out of the game. It doesn't matter if they play well and and know the mechanics (and have a great item level). Maybe you don't see it as much, not being on the receiving end; but its so bad that even playing normal difficulty main story dungeons, my wife refuses to play with a group that doesnt consist of friends/family. We have had people drop the party (after waiting 30-60 mins for it to form) when they see a skill or rotation in use that isnt the current meta, or vote to kick, or just be incredibly toxic.
None of these are cases of a player going AFK, having poor gear, or causing wipes because of the inability to follow the mechanics. And none of these are on high end/extreme/ultimate fights.
It doesn't happen as often; but I have even had people be incredibly toxic after the fight is already won; in fights where we had no trouble (an no wipes); if my damage output didnt match some min/max value.
@Toypop Its not "me specifically" though I do have those experiences, I have seen it with friends, family, and even been witness to it often enough when its a complete stranger thats the target of the vitriol. I have seen it enough to know that a lot of those complaining about this online are legitimate complaints (though not all of them). Its great that you haven't encountered the issue; but that doesn't mean that its not a legitimate problem for others.
@Toypop Please do not misrepresent what I wrote. It does happen to me (as I have a stated multiple times), it has also happened to my immediate family and to friends (which I have seen, first hand). Additionally I have seen it happen to many individuals that are not associated with me at all. There is no friend of a friend or indirection.
I like to assume positive intent, and prefer to think that you have honestly never encountered the issue, and that's great, maybe it's a difference in game (I didn't play WoW long enough to get into the raids and dungeons) but I have played many MMOs where I have seen and personally experienced this (FFXIV being a prime example) so it does exist and it ruins an otherwise enjoyable experience in a game.
To be clear, my experience (and my frame of reference) is with normal dungeons (main story) and with (normal) side dungeons/raids. I get the impression that you might be playing in the challenge/extreme/ultimate raids. I can't speak to those, and wonder if the type of player that enjoys that type of challenge has a more mature approach to dealing with under performing teammates.
@Toypop what you’ve described and the way you’re acting on here shows exactly the kind of toxic practices that are the issue. You’re an awesome player, you do all the things, you don't get bullied so it isn’t an issue, right?
Oh those people who aren't good, who may be new, who don't follow the meta, it’s ok to call them names and boot them, thats not bullying cos you only did it once and never did that to them again, but continue to do the same to other new or less skilled players? Thats fine right?
No, not at all, cos if the whole community is all treating newer or less skilled players like that then that is bullying from the community itself, bullying doesn't have to be solely from person to another, and you’ve shown you are part of the problem with those replies.
Tap here to load 15 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...