Teargrants wrote: »

So the previous thread about macros has been deleted suddenly. I would simply like to ask for official confirmation since the previous dev answer was that macros were allowed.

Are macros still allowed or has ZOS changed their stance?

Or are macros allowed but we are not permitted to discuss it on the forums?

Would like to know also, has that thread was getting interesting .

If you have no policy then you can do whatever you want on a case by case basis.

I'd just like to say thank goodness this company is only running something as unimportant as a video game.

Imagine them in charge of something that actually mattered in your life like a bank or a insurance company. *shudders*

Normally, a thread will get locked. Maybe moved. Maybe a post removed.

But the whole thread is gone? It's as if we started discussing the Kennedy Assassination or what's really in Area 51. lmao

olemanwinter wrote: »

If you have no policy then you can do whatever you want on a case by case basis.

I'd just like to say thank goodness this company is only running something as unimportant as a video game.

Imagine them in charge of something that actually mattered in your life like a bank or a insurance company. *shudders*

Normally, a thread will get locked. Maybe moved. Maybe a post removed.

But the whole thread is gone? It's as if we started discussing the Kennedy Assassination. lmao

They would likely require quarterly bailouts.

Kennedy? Only in coded messages, perfectly harmless ..

Lettigall wrote: »

I contacted some time ago(if precise January) support regarding this question:

Thank you for contacting the Elder Scrolls Online. The use of macro's is perfectly legal. There is nothing wrong with using Macros, if you have a mouse or keyboard that can be set up with macro's and you wish to use them feel free. If you have any other questions or concerns please feel free to reply to this email.

Warm Regards, Jon
The Elder Scrolls Support Team.

Well off i go to shop then i guess. Its just that with macros pvp will really become fantasy call of duty.

Emma_Eunjung wrote: »

Griping about macros is pointless because:

1) There's nothing ZoS could do to stop it without rootkitting your PC or something just as outrageous.

2) Their legal department would tell them to back off of macros because of potential lawsuits from disabled players.

3) Their marketing/PR guys would tell them to back off because they don't won't to ruin any relationships with retailers who also happen to sell "MMO" keyboards and mice.

...and last but not least:

4) The real reason you're griefing about macros is because you got killed in PvP, which is an understandably humiliating experience because deep down you know your death caused another human being to scream with joy. If you can't handle getting killed in PvP, maybe you should come play PvE with the rest of us chillaxing carebears!

Well number four is likely why the thread got removed, we did sort of get off topic, and started to talk about how easy it is for everyone to have marco programs So sort of got away from the whining....which wasn't that much to start with more questions

Only thing I've ever heard them say in regards to macros is that macroing your animation cancelling is considered "exploiting", while doing it manually is not.

I'm interested in hearing what ZOS' official stance on macros in general is.

Varicite wrote: »

Only thing I've ever heard them say in regards to macros is that macroing your animation cancelling is considered "exploiting", while doing it manually is not.

I'm interested in hearing what ZOS' official stance on macros in general is.

Most likely will be one of those case by case things they do or something, cause could you picture them releasing a full statement on what type of marcos are and aren't allowed, and then picture them trying to track which ones people are using.

Kinda sad they don't seem to have a full stance on the topic, but eh such is the world of gaming now a-days

Edit: Cause sorta is having me wonder, so long has you have the ability to answer a random whisper has a way of checking to make sure your still at your keyboard while still doing things, any type of marcoing is allowed, so would really like things cleared up for that reason. So clearing this up on a whole would be nice.

BTW, I hope if they lock this thread, they at least give some sort of explanation so that we know what NOT to discuss. Just deleting the thread out of thin air solves nothing because no one learns from their supposed mistake.

I think it's really strange how ZoS is so cagey about clarifying or even discussing controversial issues like this. It would be nice to at least hear their thoughts on the matter, even if they decline to give a stark "yea or nay".

sadownik wrote: »

Lettigall wrote: »

I contacted some time ago(if precise January) support regarding this question:

Thank you for contacting the Elder Scrolls Online. The use of macro's is perfectly legal. There is nothing wrong with using Macros, if you have a mouse or keyboard that can be set up with macro's and you wish to use them feel free. If you have any other questions or concerns please feel free to reply to this email.

Warm Regards, Jon
The Elder Scrolls Support Team.

Well off i go to shop then i guess. Its just that with macros pvp will really become fantasy call of duty.

as opposed to what it is now? i think that horse has already bolted.

by the way i think this thread is being sunk , it doesnt seem to be rising to the top when a post is added

Erock25 wrote: »

sadownik wrote: »

allow you to execute knockdown skill and then 3-5 other melee skills that i see as instant death after knockdown (without noticeable lag mind you) then not using macros would be stupidity.

Except for the fact that macros alone will not let you do this^^^ . I'm not saying there is no way for people to be cheating where they can have multiple skills firing at once, but it would take a lot more than a macro to do that.

Well thats what i wanted to know thanks! I am far from accusing people of cheating and frankly spekaing i dont care much i just wanted to know if you can full that. Honestly i was thinking that it is doable because what i decribed ealier happens a lot to me in cyrondill from different players.

hamon wrote: »

sadownik wrote: »

Lettigall wrote: »

I contacted some time ago(if precise January) support regarding this question:

Thank you for contacting the Elder Scrolls Online. The use of macro's is perfectly legal. There is nothing wrong with using Macros, if you have a mouse or keyboard that can be set up with macro's and you wish to use them feel free. If you have any other questions or concerns please feel free to reply to this email.

Warm Regards, Jon
The Elder Scrolls Support Team.

Well off i go to shop then i guess. Its just that with macros pvp will really become fantasy call of duty.

as opposed to what it is now? i think that horse has already bolted.

Time to kill or rather for me its time to die is really too short on many occasions, its true.

hamon wrote: »

i,m not sure. ive read lots of explanations about animation cancelling, i even sometimes do it myself by firing skills while pressing attack. if animation cancelling doesn't allow you to weave more attacks and skills into a shorter time how would it be benefitial and allow increases in dps?.

The first thing you need to know is that light/medium/heavy attacks have a global cool down and abilities have a separate global cool down. You can smash left click 1,000,000 clicks a second and no matter what you will only fire off a single light/medium/heavy attack about once every second. You can spam 1 (or whatver key you bind your abilities to) likewise and always end up with around one ability use every second. You can however, overlap these two cooldown so you can get a light/medium and an ability attack in every second (full heavy attacks take to long to properly weave).

Animation canceling can refer to a few different things. The version people talk about the most in my opinion is a medium attack (partial heavy ... literally holding left mouse for a fraction of a second) canceled with an instant ability and then canceling that instant ability with a block and/or bash. The block/bash part is basically optional (unless you are actually intending to block something) but it does allow you to end your instant abilities animation faster which can result in a quicker ability activation. For instance, say I have a proc'd crystal frag... pressing block immediately after activating crystal frag will fire off the crystal faster than letting the crystal frag animation fully play out. BUT, and this is a big BUT... the delay until your next crystal frag or whatever ability fires off is exactly the same as if you didn't cancel the animation.

hamon wrote: »

now if it does allow more skills/attacks in a shorter time , then surely it follows that a macro could be set up to maximise that efficiency gain to flawless timing ?

Flawless timing is super easy to achieve without a macro as flawless medium attack weaving only takes about 2 inputs every 1 second (more if you are block canceling but that doesn't increase your overall speed), which is really nothing. A macro will do nothing for you and in fact even be a hindrance as the global cool downs get wonky sometimes (lag maybe?) and you have to rely on animation cues to adjust your timing. A macro can't do that.

I'm sure there are people out there using macros. I easily picture a NB macroing a Lethal Arrow -> Ambush attack that lets them press one button to fire off their from stealth opener, but there is little point because it is super easy to do it without a macro at maximum efficiency.

sKorcheD wrote: »

(Blizzard clearly states 1 keypress must do 1 action, anymore and you will be banned.)

And a standard macro does exactly that. Zos can't tell if someone's finger does it or a program does it.

Key pressed....key lifted....skill activated....key pressed....key lifted....skill activated.

It matters not if your finger or a program does it. It's the same thing.

Macros are not cheating for this reason. There are other forms of real cheating that I won't get into, but they aren't macros.

I hope this doesn't get the thread locked, but I'll just tell you one of the most common used macro in PvP is a potion macro. It simply pops the potion every X number of seconds, so the player doesn't have to worry about it.

Fight begins, player activates macro, fight lasts 2 minutes, and it results in him drinking a potion 4 times across the length of the fight.

But Zos says this is not cheating because it's not doing anything your fingers can't do. It's not a "keypress" issue. It's a "input" issue. You can't tell if it originated from a keypress or not. And don't try to sell me on "it's too regular".

I don't use a macro, but I do use addons that flash the word "potion ready" across my screen and I bet my actions are pretty regular and repetitive.

Anyway, my point is that THAT example is the only useful macro I can even think of, because it wouldn't get in the way of your dynamic combat decisions. Trying to script out an attack sequence is a "no go".