Why Macros belong in TOR.

Not arguing for anything more complex then say button paging or /chat commands, mate.

You are correct that nothing exists in a perfect vacuum. The comments weren't even meant to say that if macros were enabled and you chose not to use them that they would have no impact on your game. They would, b/c the person you're competing against would have at least a perceived advantage. My main point is that 1) there is a middle ground between OMG PROGRAMMERS WIN! and 'Wow, all these bars and buttons all over the place sure do look ugly, I'd love to be able to collapse them down to save some space."

You're still talking theoretical though. Tell me some time you had your butt handed to you by someone using macros that you chose not to use? Give me a real world example of the things you're afraid of or concerned would ruin the game. Don't keep telling me that macros mask a lack of skill (in which case it really doesn't, it's just a different path to get to the same point) or that they offend you because you rely on pure finger agility to maximize your toon. Remove your emotional response and use logic and fact to dispute me. As for the ToS violations, well, anyone that does that should get banned. ToS violation is ToS violation, regardless of if you think you SHOULD be able to do something.

I support the idea of chat macros. They come in handy when calling out incomings in warzones, and also when advertising guild recruitment. Other than that, I see no need for macros.

The macros you're talking about and the macros the OP is calling for are 2 very different things. Macros used for text I can get behind... the original purpose of this thread I can not.

Macros aren't implemented directly in the game, easily available to all players, so of course any discussion about what would happen if they were is purely theoretical. I cannot tell you about some time I got my butt handed to me by someone using macros, because it's impossible for me to know whether my opponent is using them. I never said they mask a lack of skill, I said they make little skill go further. Finger agility and the ability to press the right combination of your 103 buttons at the right time is part of the skill of playing an MMO or any other game. There are other factors involved, such as situational awareness and the ability to develop complex strategies on-the-fly, but just because dexterity isn't the only factor doesn't mean it isn't/shouldn't be a factor. When you reduce the number of buttons required to achieve the same result, you are removing some of the dexterity and agility factors. If you don't understand how this affects the skill requirement of gameplay then nothing I say will help you understand. Also quit calling any argument that disagrees with you an "emotional response." Everything listed above is a fact, no emotion involved.

If all you're calling for are button-paging or chat macros, good for you, those are very simple quality of life features that don't alter combat mechanics, but the same cannot be said for most of the people advocating for macros in this thread.

@matslarson Use another game then. Tell me about the horrors of WoW or the overly complex timing required my FFXI, or the system used in EQ1/2....come on man, you don't have to limit yourself to SWTOR.

The only "macros" is used in eq were chat
No issue with chat macros

Macros in wow or rift well that is just a joke and should never appear in any game again ever

I played WoW for a year or three... and the only macros, that i ever really consistantly needed/used were ones that popped trinkets/relics/or other equipment with a /use functions such as engineering glove/belt mods; or any spell that was instant and off the GCD with a special requirement. (like a hunters kill-shot pre-nerf).

Macro support would be great, especially since i don't have enough UI slots available to put my 2 relics in.... right now to use them i have to open the character sheet and click on them.

Why should he use another game? We are playing TOR not wow or FFXI or eq.

As a Sith warrior i cant wait for macros, i really need to remove intervine from my keybindings and consolidate it with charge with a mouseover that changes depending if the target is friendly or hostile. and of course i want to add a retaliation after some of my attacks without the need to smash it all the time but more importantly i want to be able to macro to target an oponent and guard HES current target while taunting him at the same time

Because the conversation is about macros and whether they ruin the game or not. It /is/ possible to draw on previous experience in order to draw conclusions about what you're dealing with now.