in order to have a shot against the top players it not only required the practice/knowledge of making combos and uber sets/combinations but also the use of "macros", "auto pots", "antilag systems", etc. I feel like I have managed to get first couple of things down properly however when it comes to the last things, given that they involve the use of third party programs and that's something i've never asociated to gaming before up to this point (except maybe using the booster gaming mode of razer), it just feels alienating to me, so after this many months, even thou i do have the programs (they've been given to me) I just haven't been bothered to learn to use them and just rather choose to stay away from PvP
This. While vast majority chooses to just use all these things, I have used vpn and macro exactly once to just give it a go, have not done it since. What I understood is that best players optimise everything to the bone, to the last millisecond in macro delays, to the last pixel in antilag. It's so unappealing to play skinned down game where you see some black shadows fighting, when this game, despite being this old, has considerably beautiful graphics and items. Plus, all this tryharding is just breaking the spirit of what gaming is, it should be fun, enjoyable, you should be able to enjoy your time with friends, but this has become so competitive that there is barely any room for friends, making many players sworn enemies. Sad imo.
But I personally think that buying into the "everyone uses it, and it's hard to detect, so it should be allowed and made into the norm" narrative to me seems too cheap and conformist.
I will have to disagree with you here. You are speaking from your perspective, and while it is your perspective and your truth, it is your truth, not the objective picture here. I have been in staff team long enough to know what has been done to battle macros and how the battle went. Back in the day macros were underdeveloped compared to today, it was easy to detect people using them, at least most of them, plus way back when it wasn't even a necessity, as all class combo was introduced in about 2018 or 2019, can't really remember and I am lazy to search. Players here, I am sorry if I offend anyone with this, are very selfish and competitive, they will cut every corner they can, often even resorting to breaking the rules to do so. All these things combined with technology available today, even if we forbid use of macros, how will we battle it? You might think that if there is a will, there is a way, but not in this case. Another option is to disable combos for all classes. While doable, I imagine this would result in a massive waves of people leaving the game.
I am sure I am amongst the group of people that hate macros the most, I am against it with all my limbs, ligaments and bones, BUT, sometimes there is just nothing you can do, sometimes you just have to accept something for what it is. I love this server and have never played anywhere else since 2015, and despite ups and downs I have faced here, this is the best season 3 server out there, macros or not, and I will never change it for something else. In essence, we just have to accept that there are tools we must master to play this game to its fullest. While counter intuitive, that is the reality we have here.
