Are macro's legal?

[Jedi_Joe]

Re: Are macro's legal?

umm, what are macro's?

[nicej]

Re: Are macro's legal?

umm, what are macro's?

yea im with this guy on this one....^

[Jedi_Joe]

Re: Are macro's legal?

i really don't kno what they are

[Bungalow_Bill]

Re: Are macro's legal?

Are macro's legal?

No. But that doesn't stop people from using to them.

I laugh in the general direction of anyone who uses macros to help them play the game (G15, AHK, ect..). I could never use macros and continue to enjoy the game because part of the joy in the winning comes from knowing that you beat your opponent on equal footing.

[Jedi_Joe]

Re: Are macro's legal?

WTF is a macro???
lol

[O2zi3]

Re: Are macro's legal?

WTF is a macro???
lol

A macro is where, either thru software or hardware, multiple key presses are assigned to 1 key. An example would be you see a medic kit on the floor, with 1 key press, you pick it up, spam down 2 medic packs, then pick up original kit.....so 1 keypress takes the place of G/5/left click/left click/G

[TotalBF2er]

Re: Are macro's legal?

The problem therefore lies in this. Me, a skilled BF2 player without macros, losing constantly in 1 vs 1 battles where a player is macroing strafe->jump->dive->Prone and headshotting me.

Examples of moves that boggle and frustrate me; target running to a top of a rock, jumps high into the air, dives to prone midair, lands on his face and pulls off a Schwarzenneger headshot on me. Or the dive to prone side-strafing mid-air roller, who pulls off the amazing shot. Time and time again, it is proven, diving to prone before firing or while firing seems to win the fight, no matter what you were doing before hand.

Normal players going to prone or any other combo of moves is a bit slower and I can deal with it. Dolphin diving is nonexistent, but a runningjumping dive is still being used, and I'm getting beat by it for some reason. I keep mobile and only crouch and pause to shoot, but the charging prone diver still is more accurate than me and kills me in 1-3 bullets (or so it seems).

Another disadvantage is 1 vs 3, where they are medics who have macroed healthkit->dive->heal macro (you can tell when one medic keeps saying "clear-clear-clear" -Looping?) and you lose.

So if you don't use macros are you at a disadvantage? Normally I'd consider it cheating, but since the majority of players don't think it is, perhaps I should do the same thing, to level the playing field again so it comes back to skill.

[baggygreen]

Re: Are macro's legal?

Look at it this way. You play well without em, you can be happy with yourself. You play well with them n think you're good, haha theres more to life than BF2!

[shadow_alpha12]

Re: Are macro's legal?

Whats a Macro?

[IndianScout]

Re: Are macro's legal?

any 3rd party program that give you an unfair advantage over the regular player

IE... key strokes and more,

are illegal..

[Mad Ad]

Re: Are macro's legal?

this is a hugely controvertial issue and not clear cut as to what an unfair advantage is, nor what a 'core game file' is and neither EA, DI or PB have a definitive workable definition.

Put as simply as possible, we have to look at each individual case. Some macros cross over the line and are without question cheats (no recoil being one that jumps to mind) whereas others are simply an easy way of pressing 2 or 3 keys that you would do anyway.

(cue 15 comments of 'well why dont you just press the buttons then- sorry this is my opinion, not a Q and A)

Part of the problem arises from seemingly 'authorised' macro hardware such as the powerful G15 keyboard, the use of which is wrapped up in a licence deal between Logitech and EA, Vs applications such as AHK, one that EA do not receive an income from and can be used for both benign as well as cheat based macros.

Further adding to the controversy are other 3rd party programs such as teamspeak that could be said to give an advantage, joy2key (mostly benign but we cant have it both ways), localisation files that move text, tidy the screen and add info and highlights, Ive even heard 'opinion' that the program that logitech provides to set deadzones on my joystick is considered an 'illegal 3rd party program' but without it my stick would be useless.


If there was as simple definition that the publisher, the programmers, the hack protectors and the stat police could all agree on, then it would be easier for the players to know where the line is drawn.

However there is no agreement, each persons opinion is derived from their own point of view, as we can see above (respectfully) Mr Scout quotes from the official line but mentions nothing of the real controversy, the people that are happy to cheat will tell you they cant be detected so use them to their fullest, plus theres a huge middle ground of people that might use a few benign ones but play for fun and are not interested in cheating, and a few that have no idea how to use them and are just happy with the default setup.

Noones right.

Lastly, part of the problem lies with the game creators for providing such a poor UI, leaving people feeling that they need a few (benign) macros just to cut some of the fuss out of interacting with the game normally.

I mean a game in 2006 where they didnt even include a way to add 'sorry' or 'need a medic' to a single key of your choice? I rest my case.

[Jedi_Joe]

Re: Are macro's legal?

I mean a game in 2006 where they didnt even include a way to add 'sorry' or 'need a medic' to a single key of your choice? I rest my case.

2005 you mean

[Mad Ad]

Re: Are macro's legal?

hehe, well its ongoing so i said '06, If it was deemed important for them it could have added in a patch at anytime.

[Harmor]

Re: Are macro's legal?

they are not illegal even though they should be. they are a much bigger problem than stat padding or hacking has ever been.

I disagree. Hacking, the manipulation of memory or graphics, to give you information (wall hacks, UAV hacks, etc...), or allow you access to functions you normally can't get to use (commander hack, see beyond the fog), is more of a problem then someone with a bunny hopping macro.

Yes, EA/DICE have giving promotions of the G15, which runs a 3rd party program that gives you an advantage in-game. But no where near what hacks can do. The G15 software, or JoyToKey or AutoHotKey, do not manimupulate memory in the video card, or parse packets, or anything like that.

There are some very useful things that these programs do, like allow you to spot while flying a plane with a joystick. Use your HAT on your joystick to mouselook. Control a T.V. guided missile like how you can in BF2142. Use the cammo rose with a key instead of a mouse. Etc...

If you goto the letter of the EULA, then yes any third-party program is illegal. What about the software that came with my monitor to allow me to adjust the brightness? That's a third-party program. Or Teamspeak and Ventrillo, they allow me to talk to people outside my squad... Its either ALL or nothing.

[IndianScout]

Re: Are macro's legal?

the only ruling I can go by is what EA has told me, I will put the question to them again and see if I can get a def answer on this subject..

thanks guys..

Indian