Why Macros belong in TOR.

As a matter of fact, it does separate the good players from bad.

I have no problems with tab targetting and mouse-click targetting. I use both of them at the same time moving around in all directions with my left hand, and have no problems whatsoever in switching around the targets I want.

Obviously, this comes from training/practice and experience. If you have a lazy or slow-poke hand, and stumble all over in trying to target the enemy you want, then that simply means "you lack in skill than compared to those who can use tab targetting with maximum efficiency."


Your "responsiveness" is something to be dealt with yourself, not with automated help.



Then just think the current state as a "limitation to the max, to the point that everything needs to be done manually."

Your own, trained response/reaction time is your own macro.

We don't need macros.
We don't need the ability to activate multiple moves with the press of ONE BUTTON.

Managing human error is part of skill. If your physical response is not as accurate and precise as the other person, and therefore you make mistakes in input, then that's your skill level, and the results on your screen should correspond to it.


Likewise, managing the speed of targetting, target switching is also a part of human PvP skill. Honestly I have no problems whatsoever in the enemy I wish to target, and rarely make input errors.

Looking it from a different perspective, when you are a Sniper or a Gunslinger shooting an enemy target that is in the midst of a chaotic fight, you would expect him to take some time in figuring out where the pewpew shots are coming from. The speed and reaction time it takes for that target to figure out who is attacking him, varies upon the players and their individual skill level. That, is part of player skill.

If it is simply a matter of some stupid macro function like "target recent attacker", then that is a massive crutch, nothing more.


Streamlining, is a different way of saying "giving crutches to sucky people that don't deserve it."

If anything, PvP is a world of competition, and a very fierce one.

The speed of your fingers and the delicacy of your mouse movement, is a part of what determines PvP skill.

If I can manage my targetting better, and make less mistakes than other people, then I expect that to be my advantage over other people.

I would not want some ham-fisted one-click function just negating that difference.

If Bioware add macros to the game, especially if it impacts on PvP, I will stop playing the game.

That's all I have to say on the matter. It's one of the few things I'm pretty resolved to in that regard. That and poorly implemented cross-realm PvP.

The only macros I really want are mouseover macros for healing, the ability to use modifier (shift+1, alt+1, etc) macros to save space on my bars, and a target last target function of some kind. Everything else I don't really care about.

Bioware, PLEASE KEEP WAY FROM MACRO'S. They will just ruin your game because players are too lazy to push numbers.

Then we will have idol players spamming buffs around the Fleet.

Modifiers would be nice, but they're not really macros.

They are when you put a condition into the macro saying "If I press X, I want to cast Y...If I press shift+X, I want to cast Z." The same thing can be done by placing Z onto the bar and assigning shift+X to the keybind, but it's nice to cut down on some of the clutter.

I'm all for a tidy interface, which is why I squealed with joy when I saw that most elements of the UI will be moveable in the 1.2 patch.

Sure, can't argue there but that's hardly a problem I suffer from until lag becomes a factor. I've had plenty of times where I will click on an enemy (cursor over them while they are running along solo, no other units to cause confusion) and the game simply refuses to target them until the 2nd or 3rd click. This game is definitely not the snappiest when it comes to inputs of any kind, and being an avid and seasoned FPS player (particularly fond of sniping classes) I'd like to think my click accuracy is pretty spot on.

Maybe the word "streamlining" is throwing people off because that is in no way my intention when using that word. I simply mean that the combat experience as a whole could use some nips and tucks here and there. It feels sloppy, imprecise, and just poorly designed at times...almost like a rushed, semi-polished draft. I'm hoping that as time passes the feel of this game will tighten up. I come from several years of playing a particular game (you know the one) that felt tight, responsive, and polished when compared to this one.

It seems we can just agree to disagree on the matter? Although I would like to thank you for posting a well versed response that exists outside of the typical realm of "macros are for n00bz."

Macros are for skill less players imo. In pvp im hitting 20+ buttons during a fight and if I slip up on my cooldowns/sequences, that is my fault and I should be killed for it. By cutting that down to 10 and making sure that the computer macro does the sequence exactly for me is stupid and cheap. It's called human error and human control.