True Test of PvP Skill

You can do key-modifier macros in the ingame keybindings. It's just a 'sloppy' way to do it. I'd much rather have 3 and alt-3 be on the same hotkey slot and have a #showtooltip for each rather than having them on two separate bars. This is one form of macro. Installing this form into the game would not change anything besides 'convenience'.

Cool story, bro.

Lies. PVP is not arena. It DOES NOT MATTER THAT SOME CLASSES BEAT OTHERS IN 1 VERSUS 1 SCENARIOS. I slaughter marauders all the time with my gunslinger, that doesn't make them underpowered.

Can a marauder beat a merc in a 1vs1? Usually yes. Does that mean that merc DPS is useless in PVP or will underperform? No.

If you define the role of a DPS as doing lots of damage per second to the enemy team, a merc DPS is quite arguably better at it than a marauder and can and do easily top the leaderboard when played by competent players. That doesn't mean they can go around soloing groups of 3 single handed but that's a matter of what your expectations are for what the class should be capable of as a DPS. When it comes to actually applying DPS mercs do just fine.

Bring your new recruit geared Operative against my Full War hero Scoundrel and I guarantee I will face roll you so fast it will make your head spin. This has nothing to do with my skill it has to do with my GEAR!

Your miserable 1000 expertise and 13K health can not compete with my 1300 Expertise 18K+ health.

In other words classes and performance in SWTOR PvP are not based on the skill of the player, it's in the level of gear. I don't care how skilled you think you are if you're in low tier PvP gear or like some no PvP gear and you face a player in top tier full War Hero gear you're gonna get rolled PERIOD! Against some classes you would be dead in 3 GCD's. Now as gear scales and you start to get expertise your performance does increase, but not until your facing a equally geared opponent can you claim skill in this game.

When both players are in full War Hero and have 1300+ Expertise and 17500+ health then yes it comes down to skill and knowing how to play your class because you are both equal.

I don't think of keybindings and macros as the same thing.

Keybindings are multiple keys to activate one ability, whereas macros are keybinds that have multiple effects.

At least, that is how I've always viewed it.

Sorry for the double post, but I've been trying to think of a way to explain this since my last post. Leave me alone, recovering from the weekend

Why does someone need to be a 'bad' player to be unaware of these differences? To me a macro is something you use which takes aspects of gameplay out of player control and automates it. That is my personal view of a macro, and therefore is the definition I use in my posts. Or perhaps you could explain to me, in a system where pressing '1' activates the ability on the number 1 position of your toolbar, how is pressing '1' to activate abilities 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, is not automating gameplay? You are sat at your PC, true, but you are not playing the game, you are repeatedly pressing a button, and watching the game play itself. So, as I said... automating gameplay, which is in the Ts&Cs as being against the TOS.
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For biggest proving effect, roll an Arsenal Merc / Gunnery Commando.

While you're at it, record some vids of you owning pvp with that.

Even better, do it in a ranked warzone.

No one uses multiple keys to activate one ability. That's just stupid.

Ok ok, mercs have TM bound to every key on their board.



Cast sequence macros (which are generally broken in game by the game's dev's) do what you described. Actual, helpful macros, do other things.

Cast Sequence macro: pressing one button, and the macro cycles through multiple abilities, each on a different gcd, with no thought from the player.

Other macros, for example, can turn on all 3 of my dps cool downs with the press of one button (they are all off the GCD and can be used the exact same time). That is much better than having to hit a different key for each one; this macro is not a cast sequence.

Another example is using a single key to do a couple different things, depending on the circumstances. For example, if you are in stealth, pressing "1" will have you open with your stealth opener. Once out of stealth though, pressing "1" again will use another ability that can't be used while out of stealth.

Another example: a single key can compose of different keys all in one. A macro can use the same key/ability slot for "1", "ctrl-1", "alt-1", "shift-1", ect. So you can fit 4 abilities/macros into one space.

These are all examples of smart, convenient game play; not automated gameplay having the computer (or macro) play for you.

In fact ANY class in the hands of someone who know's how to kite, interupt, gaurd, heal, move, los, etc... etc.. can be good.