Guild Wars 2

Hey, so a couple of my guild wars 2 buddies were talking about this mod thing for the game and how it was so cool. They gave me a link to a youtube video, which I am unable to posy right now but I will get it in a later post, and in the video it was like this full action combat mod. I was also told that arena net had given the green light on this mod to be used with the game. I was hoping a person from a net could possibly answer my question, is it okay? It sounds fun but I don’t want to be blocked from playing the game !!

Are you talking about Immersive Combat Mode?

Mods are not allowed. Full stop. Some overlays are and for some reason macros to play musical instruments (and nothing else), but that’s it.

At best, the mod is against the rules because it’s a mod. If it gives any form of advantage, no matter how slight, then it’s really against the rules. Not that it matters, if you’re caught using anything that alters the game – say goodbye.

“Here’s the Anet respond from Gaile Gray (Support Liaison)
http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/10a0qk/official_response_clarifying_the_stance_on_mods/

Combat Mode(Verson 1.1) does not give you an advantage over other players and does not automate your game play, more over, it is an overlay program that does not alter the games files in any way, so technically it is not bannable. Combat Mode Ver 2.0 however, alters the game’s UI files, making it a bannable mod."

They will not answer you here and tell you that something is allowed.

For one thing, you saying, or putting a video of, a mod can’t possibly give them enough information to see how it’s interacting with the client. For a second thing, if s/he say it’s ok but it’s actually not and you get banned, will you accept, “oops, my bad” as compensation?

Chameleon Dude.1564:

Mods are not allowed. Full stop. Some overlays are and for some reason macros to play musical instruments (and nothing else), but that’s it.

Incorrect, that was the policy at launch, and it was changed over a year and a half ago. Currently the policy is that no mods are permitted which alter the game code or give an unfair advantage over the base game. This mod overlays a targetting reticule (overlays are premitted) and changes your mouse configuration to hold down your right mouse button for you, however it still relies on the games existing targeting without modification, so it in no way provides an advantage or alters the game code. I know hundred of players that use it, I use it, and no one has ever been banned for it.

It’s fine to use, it make the game way more fun and to be honest it makes no sense that it isn’t a feature. I have been reported for using it literally hundreds of time at this point and I have never even been warned, let alone banned. They do not just ban anyone who is accused of using a mod without investigation. If your account shows no signs of having unfair advantage or code modification, then you are not going to get in trouble.

EDIT: Okay, it is true there is a version which alters the game code by removing UI elements, however you can shut this option off, it even tells you how to do so. And without the removed UI elements it in no way affects the game code and breaks no rules.

As it’s been stated, the older version was an overlay – I never said those weren’t allowed. A mod by definition (and even its name) modifies the game. An overlay is, well, an overlay (again, the name says it all). They’re different.

Chameleon Dude.1564:

As it’s been stated, the older version was an overlay – I never said those weren’t allowed. A mod by definition (and even its name) modifies the game. An overlay is, well, an overlay (again, the name says it all). They’re different.

It still is an overlay, the UI removal is different code that just comes in the same package, it doesn’t affect ICM if removed, and the program even tells you how to remove it.

Gaile Gray.6029:

Caedmon.6798:

“Here’s the Anet respond from Gaile Gray (Support Liaison)
http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/10a0qk/official_response_clarifying_the_stance_on_mods/

Combat Mode(Verson 1.1) does not give you an advantage over other players and does not automate your game play, more over, it is an overlay program that does not alter the games files in any way, so technically it is not bannable. Combat Mode Ver 2.0 however, alters the game’s UI files, making it a bannable mod."

http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/10a0qk/official_response_clarifying_the_stance_on_mods/

Where did I make the bolded statement? I see where I was quoted, but the final sentence? Please clarify and edit, as appropriate.

I didn’t say that you made that statement,it was from another thread about this mod and anything interacting with game files being bannable.

If you’re talking about immersive combat mode, I know plenty of people that have used it without issue for a longgg time. It gives you no advantages or anything, even woodenpotatoes has used it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Yb2f3Wu88c

Then don’t put it in the quote…

Gaile Gray.6029:

And yes, we do not review, vet, or approve third-party programs. Each person who wants to know whether something is acceptable needs to read the messaging that is provided and make a decision based on those comments.

Thanks for that clarification, I don’t always know how you guys do things per say and all and I was just wondering exactly. I just kinda figured that since it had been brought up before there might be some sort of statement from it. So what I’m getting is layovers is okay, as long as it’s not giving you an unfair advantage but to always be cautious as we don’t know always what is actually going on. Again thanks!

If it’s something like the immersive combat mod, you’ll probably be fine. If they banned you for it, then they would also have to ban someone like WoodenPotatoes, which I don’t think they would even want to do. Unless of course they want to unfairly discriminate against their users, which I doubt they would also be unwilling to do.

But do always understand that you have to accept the risks and responsibilities of using such a thing.

Gnat.9405:

Then don’t put it in the quote…

The Entire quote is Not her saying it,it was from another thread…The last line was included in the quote i merely highlighted it.

Caedmon.6798:

Gnat.9405:

Then don’t put it in the quote…

The Entire quote is Not her saying it,it was from another thread…The last line was included in the quote i merely highlighted it.

That’s what’s you’re being asked to clarify. If gaile didnt make that comment, then you need to be explicit on that fact, as well as properly link to the supposed thread the quote came from.

As a whole, if it modifies the game client files, uninstall it. That includes the “ICM” program. Programs like ventrilo, teamspeak, overwolf, fraps, etc, arent as frowned upon because they dont give an advantage at all. Some people, like me, only use some of them (overwolf) for the apps provided by it, as I like listening to music, and I dont have a hard drive big enough to have room for all the music I listen to.

Gaile Gray.6029:

And yes, we do not review, vet, or approve third-party programs. Each person who wants to know whether something is acceptable needs to read the messaging that is provided and make a decision based on those comments.

It’s a widely used mod though. It would be incredibly helpful if you would just state once and for all whether people can use it or not. This is a question that crops up constantly and instead of sending each person off to try and figure out whether or not they’re going to be banned wouldn’t it be easier for you to just tell us? it would save you having to constantly comment in these threads telling people to read things for themsevles.

FlamingFoxx.1305:

Gaile Gray.6029:

And yes, we do not review, vet, or approve third-party programs. Each person who wants to know whether something is acceptable needs to read the messaging that is provided and make a decision based on those comments.

It’s a widely used mod though. It would be incredibly helpful if you would just state once and for all whether people can use it or not. This is a question that crops up constantly and instead of sending each person off to try and figure out whether or not they’re going to be banned wouldn’t it be easier for you to just tell us? it would save you having to constantly comment in these threads telling people to read things for themsevles.

Its part of their policy not to approve any third party programs. Asking them to do so is in conflict with their policy. Its just not going to happen. If anyone has questions they can certainly ask, or read the ToS and find out for themselves.

I personally believe that any approval of any third party programs, is similar to an endorsement, and can potentially create a whole bunch of legal matters, royalties, advertisment issues and the like. Thats why they will never come right and and say that “X” program is ok to use, but not “Y” program.

I also want to mention the Overwolf app contest that happened not to long ago. Overwolf themselves will either sponser such events, or host them. But such events are not usually seen as an endorsement, but rather PR and exposure of game to others who use Overwolf. (Advertising ) Which is very different then saying we approve brand X software to use with our game.

Also, there’s that Combat Mode situation, where it changed from simple overlay (which is not expressly forbidden) to interacting with game files (which is). Let’s suppose, that at some time Anet had indeed okayed earlier versions of Combat Mod (they didn’t, but let’s say they did, fo the sake of argument). Someone unaware of the change to the mod might end up installing the newer (forbidden) version thinking it is allowed, and then getting banned as a result.

Even if Anet devs were to keep tabs on the mod, checking every new version (which would require allocating effort and manhours to it), and revoke the “okay” status for later versions, not everyone would notice. Nothing really gets lost on internet, so the old information that you are safe using the mod would remain out there, misleading people.

This is a hassle Anet is not willing to put up with (which i can understand – they have too much problems with their own game to worry about third party software as well). So, if you find a mod offering you features that you find useful, you have three options. You can either use the mod as it is, risking getting banned, you can try to make sure on your own that the mod is not doing anything Anet might consider bannable offense (hint: if you are not sure, err on the side of caution, because if you’re not sure, then it most likely is a bannable offense), or you can ask Anet to make those features part of the game. What you shouldn’t do is to ask Anet to okay the mod, because they won’t do that.

Aidan Savage.2078:

Caedmon.6798:

Gnat.9405:

Then don’t put it in the quote…

The Entire quote is Not her saying it,it was from another thread…The last line was included in the quote i merely highlighted it.

That’s what’s you’re being asked to clarify. If gaile didnt make that comment, then you need to be explicit on that fact, as well as properly link to the supposed thread the quote came from.

As a whole, if it modifies the game client files, uninstall it. That includes the “ICM” program. Programs like ventrilo, teamspeak, overwolf, fraps, etc, arent as frowned upon because they dont give an advantage at all. Some people, like me, only use some of them (overwolf) for the apps provided by it, as I like listening to music, and I dont have a hard drive big enough to have room for all the music I listen to.

There was no need to link to the thread it came from,since it was not from a dev and not from a mod.The quote where gaile made a statement about mods is In the Link I Provided..I merely put my comment up too fast without double checking it,so it seemed it was Her quote,Which..Again,isn’t.

Gaile Gray.6029:

And yes, we do not review, vet, or approve third-party programs. Each person who wants to know whether something is acceptable needs to read the messaging that is provided and make a decision based on those comments.

Or, you can approve

Nihilus.3015:

Gaile Gray.6029:

And yes, we do not review, vet, or approve third-party programs. Each person who wants to know whether something is acceptable needs to read the messaging that is provided and make a decision based on those comments.

Or, you can approve

Why would she do that? What thought process are you using to assume a community manager and liaison, redefines a companies user agreement and customers code of conduct?

coglin.1867:

Nihilus.3015:

Gaile Gray.6029:

And yes, we do not review, vet, or approve third-party programs. Each person who wants to know whether something is acceptable needs to read the messaging that is provided and make a decision based on those comments.

Or, you can approve

Why would she do that? What thought process are you using to assume a community manager and liaison, redefines a companies user agreement and customers code of conduct?

It’s a yes or no question

coglin.1867:

Nihilus.3015:

Gaile Gray.6029:

And yes, we do not review, vet, or approve third-party programs. Each person who wants to know whether something is acceptable needs to read the messaging that is provided and make a decision based on those comments.

Or, you can approve

Why would she do that? What thought process are you using to assume a community manager and liaison, redefines a companies user agreement and customers code of conduct?

They’re not. Thinking that is.

Nihilus.3015:

coglin.1867:

Nihilus.3015:

Gaile Gray.6029:

And yes, we do not review, vet, or approve third-party programs. Each person who wants to know whether something is acceptable needs to read the messaging that is provided and make a decision based on those comments.

Or, you can approve

Why would she do that? What thought process are you using to assume a community manager and liaison, redefines a companies user agreement and customers code of conduct?

It’s a yes or no question

And they’ve said no, they’re not approving anything. If it doesn’t give you any sort of advantage and doesn’t interact with the game’s files – go for it. If it does do either of those, then don’t. It’s not rocket science.

Nihilus.3015:

Gaile Gray.6029:

And yes, we do not review, vet, or approve third-party programs. Each person who wants to know whether something is acceptable needs to read the messaging that is provided and make a decision based on those comments.

Or, you can approve

and then what happens when the creator gives you a teeny tiny update and tells you its still approved but this little update changed a character in the game files and anet detects that and bans you?

Gaile Gray.6029:

And yes, we do not review, vet, or approve third-party programs. Each person who wants to know whether something is acceptable needs to read the messaging that is provided and make a decision based on those comments.

Gaile, it’s nebulous phrasing like this that keeps me from using any third party tools, even things that are probably totally fine. I would love nothing more than to play PvE and actually know my DPS to refine my rotations, but I don’t install the software because I have put way too much effort into my account to risk “Your account has been banned for hacking. This ban is final.” Even if that ban wasn’t final, I wouldn’t want that black mark on my account record.

It’s ANet’s shaky stance on third party software which ultimately leads to third party software support being really bad for GW2 because half the legitimate developers don’t want to create useful tools which could get players banned. Please reconsider your position and actually tell us what is and isn’t allowed, explicitly, and if you can’t, bring Chris Cleary in here so he can.

Rising Dusk.2408:

actually tell us … explicitly

Good luck getting blood out of that turnip.

Rising Dusk.2408:

Gaile Gray.6029:

And yes, we do not review, vet, or approve third-party programs. Each person who wants to know whether something is acceptable needs to read the messaging that is provided and make a decision based on those comments.

Gaile, it’s nebulous phrasing like this that keeps me from using any third party tools, even things that are probably totally fine. I would love nothing more than to play PvE and actually know my DPS to refine my rotations, but I don’t install the software because I have put way too much effort into my account to risk “Your account has been banned for hacking. This ban is final.” Even if that ban wasn’t final, I wouldn’t want that black mark on my account record.

It’s ANet’s shaky stance on third party software which ultimately leads to third party software support being really bad for GW2 because half the legitimate developers don’t want to create useful tools which could get players banned. Please reconsider your position and actually tell us what is and isn’t allowed, explicitly, and if you can’t, bring Chris Cleary in here so he can.

That’s an impossible proposition.

What you’re asking is for Anet to allocate resources to vetting every single mod that is linked to GW2. They would have to look through the code in the file and every patch made to it and give it the go ahead. That’s time-intensive and inefficient.

It’s better to rely on the community to investigate these programs and then compare it to Anet’s blank statement.

This is commonplace in the industry.

Vol.7601:

That’s an impossible proposition.

What you’re asking is for Anet to allocate resources to vetting every single mod that is linked to GW2. They would have to look through the code in the file and every patch made to it and give it the go ahead. That’s time-intensive and inefficient.

It’s better to rely on the community to investigate these programs and then compare it to Anet’s blank statement.

This is commonplace in the industry.

No, what I am asking is for “This type of an application is generally okay so long as it doesn’t mess with X or Y”. I’m not asking anyone to go down some arbitrary list of applications and say Y/N on them all.

How about this question as an example:
“Is it okay to use a third party application that provides PvE combat information that does not in any way affect another player?”

Could they answer questions like that? Sure, I think that’s reasonable. That sort of a generalized answer would help immensely with the community knowing what kind of third party apps they could work on that wouldn’t get people banned or the like.

Rising Dusk.2408:

Vol.7601:

That’s an impossible proposition.

What you’re asking is for Anet to allocate resources to vetting every single mod that is linked to GW2. They would have to look through the code in the file and every patch made to it and give it the go ahead. That’s time-intensive and inefficient.

It’s better to rely on the community to investigate these programs and then compare it to Anet’s blank statement.

This is commonplace in the industry.

No, what I am asking is for “This type of an application is generally okay so long as it doesn’t mess with X or Y”. I’m not asking anyone to go down some arbitrary list of applications and say Y/N on them all.

How about this question as an example:
“Is it okay to use a third party application that provides PvE combat information that does not in any way affect another player?”

Could they answer questions like that? Sure, I think that’s reasonable. That sort of a generalized answer would help immensely with the community knowing what kind of third party apps they could work on that wouldn’t get people banned or the like.

They already did by linking the Terms that deal with such things. I am sure their policy prevents them from saying such things outright, thats why they refer you to the ToS. They will either provide the link, or quote what it says. Other then those things they are not allowed to speak on the matter.

pdavis.8031:

They already did by linking the Terms that deal with such things. I am sure their policy prevents them from saying such things outright, thats why they refer you to the ToS. They will either provide the link, or quote what it says. Other then those things they are not allowed to speak on the matter.

Unfortunately, the terms are just as nebulous as their official statements. Essentially it boils down to “anything that gives you an unfair advantage over other players” is against the ToS, except that essentially any third party software does that otherwise it wouldn’t be worth using. If we’re to get stuck on the definition of the keyword ‘unfair’ then that puts us back in our original situation of having no idea at all of what’s allowed and what isn’t.

The reason they might not say yes might be lawyers. If they say yes and then someone (or lots of someones) get banned then there could be lawsuits. If their legal department says don’t give approvals then that’s what they are going to do.

Rising Dusk.2408:

pdavis.8031:

They already did by linking the Terms that deal with such things. I am sure their policy prevents them from saying such things outright, thats why they refer you to the ToS. They will either provide the link, or quote what it says. Other then those things they are not allowed to speak on the matter.

Unfortunately, the terms are just as nebulous as their official statements. Essentially it boils down to “anything that gives you an unfair advantage over other players” is against the ToS, except that essentially any third party software does that otherwise it wouldn’t be worth using. If we’re to get stuck on the definition of the keyword ‘unfair’ then that puts us back in our original situation of having no idea at all of what’s allowed and what isn’t.

So you have to make a decision. Is it worth getting my account banned vs the advantages of the mod? You can always try to make an appeal if you do get banned for using it, POLITELY explaining the situation. Most times for first offences its a suspension, and they also tend to be very forgiving.

Keep in mind that the ToS also says that any automation of gameplay is forbidden, yet instrument macros are ok. Why? Because there is no gameplay advantage.

Similarly, would a DPS meter that only displays information be disallowed? Displaying the data available in the combat in a more easy-to-grok form, like a graph or statistical summary, offers no gameplay advantage. It would just be an aid to theorycrafters and min/max’rs.

Things like this could use some clarification.

pdavis.8031:

So you have to make a decision. Is it worth getting my account banned vs the advantages of the mod?

Do you honestly believe that that is a good system?

dlonie.6547:

pdavis.8031:

So you have to make a decision. Is it worth getting my account banned vs the advantages of the mod?

Do you honestly believe that that is a good system?

I honestly do. It puts the burden of responsibility on the individual and off of Anet. If a dev came on and said “This software is good” and so you use it, but it turns out that that dev was wrong (yes it happens) and it is in fact not ok to use, who is at fault? Now Anet has a big problem on their hands. Do they ban all those who used the program due to incorrect information? Or do they still allow players to use it, which causes problems with the integrity of the game? At what point do you draw the line?

No it’s better to say “Here are the guide lines” and let the payers decide, then to make a definitive statement that can be a major problem in the future.

pdavis.8031:

dlonie.6547:

pdavis.8031:

So you have to make a decision. Is it worth getting my account banned vs the advantages of the mod?

Do you honestly believe that that is a good system?

I honestly do. It puts the burden of responsibility on the individual and off of Anet.

So we’re given an inconsistent rule set, and told to abide by it. If it turns out that some grey area is differently interpreted by them vs. us, we should just expect to be banned.

A bit more certainty would be nice, IMHO.

If a dev came on and said “This software is good” and so you use it, but it turns out that that dev was wrong (yes it happens) and it is in fact not ok to use, who is at fault? Now Anet has a big problem on their hands. Do they ban all those who used the program due to incorrect information? Or do they still allow players to use it, which causes problems with the integrity of the game? At what point do you draw the line?

No it’s better to say “Here are the guide lines” and let the payers decide, then to make a definitive statement that can be a major problem in the future.

You’ll notice that in the recent discussion, no one is asking for specific mods to get a thumbs up or down. They’re asking for clarification on rules. E.g., What sorts of behaviors are allowed, which are not?

This is a much easier position for ArenaNet to comment on. They don’t have to worry about future versions of a whitelisted app changing — as long as it doesn’t perform any illegal operations, it’s good.

We just want to be able to have questions answered when we ask for clarification on the rules. I believe that is a more than reasonable request.

Unfortunately, no matter how reasonable the request, we’re still talking about a turnip here.

Ok here are your guide lines (quoted Gaile Gray in the link provided above.)

“This is a very interesting question, and I appreciate hearing your thoughts.

As you are aware, we cannot approve or review or “vet” any third-party program; that is a given. However, our position is somewhat different than the one expressed in the GM response, so I’ve already contacted the team to be sure that everyone is on the same page.

Our general statement is that anything that gives advantage is forbidden. There are many utilities that help the player without taking a hit on others, without, for instance, being a detriment to the other players in a match. TexMod is one example of a program that doesn’t really give anyone an advantage over someone else. I’ve heard about certain programs that help disabled players, and those seem just fine, too. And of course there are others. We can’t say “Sure, use this and that and that other thing” because that’s tantamount to “approval,” but we do recognize the distinction between advantage-giving programs and those that simply make it easier to play the game under specific circumstances."

(http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/10a0qk/official_response_clarifying_the_stance_on_mods/)

So ask yourself, does it create an advantage? Does it modify game files? Does it allow for automated play while you are away? Does it provide certain actions that cannot be done via keyboard/mouse controls? If you can answer “yes” to any of those questions, then you probably shouldn’t be using it.

And as Gaile is quoted “In the end, it’s good to go VERY cautiously with the use of any third-party program, but we appreciate that there are definitely situations when a helpful, non-advantage-giving program is extremely beneficial to players.”

I don’t see how it can be much clearer than that.

Nothing is endorsed. Nothing is vetted. If anything bad happens as a result of you using third-party apps, the consequences will always fall on you alone.

pdavis.8031:

(http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/10a0qk/official_response_clarifying_the_stance_on_mods/)

I don’t see how it can be much clearer than that.

It can’t be much clearer. If you don’t understand, err on the side of caution and don’t use any third-party apps.

If you want any more of an answer than the one provided, consider the following.

That does clear up a lot, and it is a good, commonsense policy.

But the reason this question is still coming up is that we’re trying to understand one thing:

What does ArenaNet consider an advantage?

I’ll share my situation:

I’d really like to use one of those DPS meters, and compare some different weapons / rotations and develop a more quantitative understanding of how the damage I’m putting out varies from build to build.

But these add-ons contain some of the following features in addition to the DPS tracking:

- Knowing an enemy’s exact HP
- Knowing another player’s exact HP
- Having numeric HP indicators above allies heads (shows location)
- Having numeric HP indicators above enemies heads (shows location)

At the end of the day, using a DPS meter with all of the above features while I run a dungeon gives me absolutely 0 in-game advantage. Yet, some of the features did provide information that was not immediately available in game (boss HP, etc). Would ArenaNet consider access to information of such triviality an advantage?

On top of that, there is the reference to “modifying game files.” Clearly, that means the on-disk files are off limits, but does that extend to injecting dynamic libraries at runtime and scraping the game process’s memory, as most mods regularly do? Does the question of advantage enter into this rule, as it does for the functionality rule?

It’s frustrating. While I can guess that using such an add-on would probably not get me banned, I don’t know for sure. And if the risk of being wrong is losing progress in a 2k+ hour endeavor, then I’m not going to take the chance. It’ll take a direct confirmation that such features are ok. My guess or another player’s guess will not be enough for that risk.

And that sucks. Hence why we just want a little clarification on the policy: it is still open to interpretation, and we just want to make sure that we’re interpreting it correctly.

Dlonie:

I suppose things such as auto-clickers, automated skill rotation macros, speed bonuses (outside of in game items/mechanics), information about a boss (signals when X attack is about to happen), a long distance targeting mod, etc. would be considered an advantage.

I would think things like a DPS tracker (that monitors your raw DPS against things like golem targets, and NPC mobs) might be considered ok to use. Or things like SweetFX (a client side graphics filter) or Overwolf (an overlay displaying event timers or WvW info that can be gain from APIs distributed by Anet, etc.).

I can understand the desire for clarity, and wanting to know your interpretation is correct. My guess would be to try it out, and send a message to CS about the software you are using, what it does, and why you want to use it. That way, if they find it doesn’t meet their requirements you could potentially avoid a ban, and instead get a warning and a request to remove it. At the very least they will send a message back, restating their policy. But at least this way you could have some peace of mind about using those things. And CS takes such things into consideration before just bringing down the ban hammer.

I put in a thread in the accounts sub forum asking about contacting CS when using 3rd party software. Waiting on a response. I’ll let you know what they say.

That would work, in the unlikely event that they decide to reply with more than the usual “we won’t answer that — sorry, policy!”.

It’d be infinitely more useful to have such questions answered publicly so that we can refer to them later and everyone could view them — plus it’d be a heck of a lot less work on their end to only have to put the answer out there once.

Edit we cross posted — I’ll be interested in seeing how they respond. I’ve linked that thread here for reference.

dlonie.6547:

That would work, in the unlikely event that they decide to reply with more than the usual “we won’t answer that — sorry, policy!”.

It’d be infinitely more useful to have such questions answered publicly so that we can refer to them later and everyone could view them — plus it’d be a heck of a lot less work on their end to only have to put the answer out there once.

Edit we cross posted — I’ll be interested in seeing how they respond. I’ve linked that thread here for reference.

I don’t expect them to comment one way or another on each program, but if they can be notified in advance that such programs are going to be in use, it might save the player from being banned if it is a bannable program. At the very least it would show that the player is not intending to “cheat” and is willing to cooperate.

This is why a company should implement the small stuff like, seeing hp in numerical form etc form the get go. I know if I was to make a game, I’ll give my layer every resource available from day 1 so none of us have to play this guessing game. Also btw, controller support.

Yumiko Ishida.3769:

This is why a company should implement the small stuff like, seeing hp in numerical form etc form the get go. I know if I was to make a game, I’ll give my layer every resource available from day 1 so none of us have to play this guessing game. Also btw, controller support.

Actually you can use an Xbox controller for GW2. I set one up for my wife, but it is fairly complicated and she had to have a cheat sheet with all the buttons. In the end it turned out to be much easier to use the keyboard and mouse. :P

Rising Dusk.2408:

pdavis.8031:

They already did by linking the Terms that deal with such things. I am sure their policy prevents them from saying such things outright, thats why they refer you to the ToS. They will either provide the link, or quote what it says. Other then those things they are not allowed to speak on the matter.

Unfortunately, the terms are just as nebulous as their official statements. Essentially it boils down to “anything that gives you an unfair advantage over other players” is against the ToS, except that essentially any third party software does that otherwise it wouldn’t be worth using. If we’re to get stuck on the definition of the keyword ‘unfair’ then that puts us back in our original situation of having no idea at all of what’s allowed and what isn’t.

Hate to say it, but that’s a bullkitten argument, and you’re arguing semantics to make it look like you’re allowed to take it out on Anet and gaile. Teamspeak is a 3rd party program. Am I banned for using it? No, it’s a simple VoIP program. That’s ALL it does. Does it give an advantage? Yes, I’m not typing at people in dungeons and the like. Is it unfair? No, anyone can run teamspeak and connect to the openly listed servers. Overwolf is a 3rd party program. Am I banned for using it? Again, no, I’m not. It’s an overlay program that displays information. Am I banned for using apps on overwolf? Not for the teamspeak app, pandora app, internet browser app, or any of the other apps I use.

See the pattern here? Anet, and it’s staff, repeatedly saying “read the ToS” isnt just because they cannot give a verbatim answer, but because the ToS HAS THE ANSWER.

Here’s point 8 of the ToS:

You may not modify any part of the Guild Wars 2 client or server software. Also, you may not modify any part of the official Guild Wars 2 websites, other than the official Guild Wars 2 Wiki in accordance with its terms and conditions.

And point 20 of the ToS:

You may not use any third-party program (such as a “bot”) in order to automate gameplay functions, including playing, chatting, interacting, or gathering gold or items within Guild Wars 2. You may not assist, relay, or store gold or items for other players who are using these processes.

That’s as black and white as you can get without being a Kentucky old-time racist.

The only gray, is if you’re using something such as a screen reader to log and dissect the combat tab information. It has the potential to be used for the wrong reasons or in the wrong way, so it’s a “even if it appears to do nothing untoward and the community agrees, use at own risk” use. You wont have something like that approved or as a potential argument to being unbanned.

pdavis.8031:

Yumiko Ishida.3769:

This is why a company should implement the small stuff like, seeing hp in numerical form etc form the get go. I know if I was to make a game, I’ll give my layer every resource available from day 1 so none of us have to play this guessing game. Also btw, controller support.

Actually you can use an Xbox controller for GW2. I set one up for my wife, but it is fairly complicated and she had to have a cheat sheet with all the buttons. In the end it turned out to be much easier to use the keyboard and mouse. :P

I’m used to controllers though I never could play properly with keyboard with mouse. If I knew how to do it free of charge I would.

See my post above — as much as I enjoy digs at southern racists, it is still a grey area

If the punishment for using an “advantage-giving” addon is losing one’s account, they should be a little clearer about what they consider an advantage, as some features are subject to interpretation.

Also, “modifying game files” seems black and white, but I’m not so sure they’d be ok with library injection and memory scraping, even though neither of these touches the “game files”.

I know I’m wasting my time pointing these concerns out, but if there’s a chance that they get read, processed, and understood by someone who can improve the situation, it’ll all be worth it.