Damage Meters

They will be in game, because to not have them would show how lacking this game really is. How watered down of a MMO this is.

They only provide data to players so that they can improve their own performance as well as the performance of guilds running content. Surely you have no problems with people trying to improve their performance, do you? Forget for a second that the game is so easy they aren't really needed right now. You wouldn't be one of those people that are afraid that their 'dirty laundry' will be aired for all to see, are you?

There's no need for a group damage meter in this, or any other game. If a damage meter was purely for personal improvement, then no one else needs to see it, ever.

There's no need for a group damage meter in this, or any other game.

I know, I know, I’m beating a dead horse, but the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

This game would benefit from a tool that can measure the effectiveness of the DPS classes.

To the OP,

I don't think the purpose for a damage meter should be to keep track of other players and their performance. The purpose for a damage meter should be for individual players to keep track of themselves. If you want to max out your hps or dps, more power to you. But keeping tabs on players with this kind of tool only breeds elitism. This is why:

You say there is nothing wrong with expecting a minimum level of competence and skill from any given player in your group. That's all well and good. But what if that "minimum level" is, in practice, the maximum performance any given player can achieve?

I'm not saying this maximum scenario has ever been or will ever be the case, but you can see how easily the community's expectations of individual dps players can become unreasonable.

Granted, a tool like this is quite useful to keep track of guild members. I will even admit that it is a necessary part of being a high-end, hardcore raider. But outside of that, the tool will be abused, and players who simply want to play the game without number-crunching will suffer for it.

Well, in a raid setting seeing the other people matters. If you gain gear and your dps goes up by 20%, without seeing other raiders you have no frame of reference. If you can see everybody else went up by 40%, well then you can tell something is wrong somewhere.

I think it's funny watching people try to play the "need" card.

There's no need for a game client to log into other games either. It's something you want; just like some people want a damage meter.

It's been stated before. The real reason some people are so against damage meters, or combat logs, or any kind of objective data is simple. They would be presented with proof they cannot play their class.