Discussion - Do you think parsing matters?

[RobRenfro]

I've never thought parsing mattered much in group or raid play when most combos are going to kill mobs in a few seconds regardless of the parse.

 

[Sic]

I've never thought parsing mattered much in group or raid play when most combos are going to kill mobs in a few seconds regardless of the parse.

if you are trying to make adjustments - or trying to "figure something out" then yes of course.

if you're not using the data but you like seeing numbers - yep that too

if you don't care about anything and aren't going to be using the data, and you dont like seeing the numbers then no it doesn't matter

 

[fohpo]

Like a lot of things in life, it depends and the mileage will vary. It’s certainly not for everyone and isn’t the end all, be all. I think in general, gaming has slid more towards data driven metrics and instrumental play in the last decade or so.

 

[Kenchi]

I still check myself just see the gear improvements, and use it with others that grp with me, cause when i see someone hurting at 250k dps i help them either gear better or improve their playing.
Something i dont do anymore is help them with full set of Type 5 augs or even talk of it, years ago i set myself up for more work and nagging from some them.

 

[Prazzamancer]

In my experience, watching the parse gets me more engaged with optimizing my gear and rotation. I also find it rewarding to read other parses to see what I can be doing better. Otherwise it just feels like mindless button mashing.

 

[dewey2461]

If you are playing the group game and performance is 'good' enough to do group stuff, meh ...

If you are in a raiding guild and your performance impacts the other 20-50 people, then yes you should be striving to do the best you can and that includes looking at the parse data , the casting counts, talking with your group to coordinate casting, etc.

Parsing just to post the top 10 doesn't accomplish much of anything.

 

[Granditos]

For me it’s all about identifying issues with my team.

For example- Why is my mage not on the parse UI…. Hmm, oh he is stuck in some mod rod loop or has crashed.

Just an easier way to keep track of all the moving parts when boxing versus switching back and forth between windows constantly.

 

[Redmonkey]

I don't bother, as you well know lol. Could care less what I parse. So long as the mob is dead. I have had, in the past, grouped with players who are avid parsers and keep asking, "do you know what you parsed on that one?" of "try this to get your parse better" on and on and on. Kinda like politics. Don't talk about it cause others might not care.

 

[allshow]

looking at the parse you will find spells others are using, or even yourself that are outdated, or something is broken that you can fix. it def helps to look at it every month or so just incase.

 

[Scroterly]

Parsing for my MQ team is really just for fun.
I parse when I use merc's to help me appreciate MQ, CWTN/Sic plugins, and RGmercs. Like, *really* appreciate them. (thank you guys!)
I parse when others are in group to know who to not group with again. Like the ones who's dps is half of a merc's, which is 1/3 of a f2p rgmerc, which means the player is doing...../math/..... 1/6 (17%) of a f2p rgmerc.

 

[Canddyman]

I think its very important. Its like a call out when playing with people who are lazy or uninformed. Obviously when using plug-ins it means a lot less but when your playing with others it works great. Or when using a new class you can parse and see what others use to improve your skills.

 

[TinyBubbles]

I've tried to care about parsing over the decades. And I've bitten into it enough to get a general idea. But the last years I could care less. I'm on test, so while I dont have raid gear, I usually end up with chase loot in all my slots at some point. I've never been a great AA/Disc person. So I'm not going to be the top of anything, except maybe the Gimp pile. So, its all turned out that I like to hang out with the folks I play with, and we have a good time and kill each other, and beat stuff, and get beat by stuff. Its about the journey and company for me, not my DPS. That said, at times, I use the MQ2 Plugins, which out dps anything I do on my own anways. So, for me, a wash again.

 

[SirMSDC]

The ONLY reason i use parse... is to figure out why the hell something is not dying right... and then i back track to INIS lol

 

[edsarto]

For Raids it can be worth looking at. You can look at spells/Disc being used and see if someone might need upgrades or If one toon in a class is way low vs the rest you might be able to find a reason and help them adjust. Even trying to help someone would mean they have to be receptive to the help offer. I expect the most from myself and am self critical so, I am a numbers person.

For group it can have benefits but if mobs are roasting in 10-20 seconds there might not be much need for it other then "I like to see the numbers".

 

[boxbuddy]

Parsing is just reading logs with a fancy UI. If you care about improving darn near anything with or related to software, then you'll know the importance of logging and being able to accurately read those logs without scrolling through layers of junk.

There have been so many bugs in EQ that were only ever discovered due to someone parsing the data themselves and reporting back to the devs.

If we're talking strictly about playing the game, however, then if you care about optimizing your DPS and getting the most out of your abilities, then yes, obviously parsing matters.

There have been many mechanics that I've died to that I wouldn't have known about if it hadn't been for a parser. For a long time, I stopped monitoring the DPS parse, and started monitoring the tank parse instead... Wow, did that uncover a lot of flaws in how my team and I handled taking damage. Changing disc rotations, figuring out the points where non-tank classes should hit their defensive abilities, etc. All super important things that most people "just eat the death" on. If you care about staying alive, then yes, obviously parsing matters.

Healing rotations also matter. Running OOM and still not performing as well as the other healers that are sitting at full mana? Time to look at the parser and seeing where you're F-ing up. Healer mana is the lifeblood of any group. If they run OOM, the rest of the group has to sit and think about how they can help their healer stop running OOM. If you care about healer uptime, obviously parsing matters.

You can also monitor loot using your parser. Kronos almost out but you don't have enough plat? Well, if your logs have been on, you can go through and check out how much plat/gear you've earned while killing in different camps. Then use that data to optimize your krono gains. If you care about optimizing your farming, then obviously a parser matters.

IMHO, the only time parsing doesn't matter is whenever you have everything optimized... But at that point, the pretty UI will be so pretty that you'll always want it on screen.

 

[Medicman]

I use parsing to see which of my toons are getting the most bang for the buck. For example, I thought for sure that my Mage would out DPS my SK, but she does not. I am sure it has a lot to do with the SK having better gear, better augs, better weapons, and the SK is maxed out in AA's and the Mage has close to 3/4 of all her AA's. I try to always buy the most useful AA's for all classes but sometimes that doesn't seem to matter when I parse the group. I am an analytical type guy and I think that analyzing what things effect specific classes also teaches you how to play those classes to their optimal output or putdown ....however you would like to look at it. Peace Out and I hope launcher is up soon.

 

[Medicman]

Parsing for my MQ team is really just for fun.
I parse when I use merc's to help me appreciate MQ, CWTN/Sic plugins, and RGmercs. Like, *really* appreciate them. (thank you guys!)
I parse when others are in group to know who to not group with again. Like the ones who's dps is half of a merc's, which is 1/3 of a f2p rgmerc, which means the player is doing...../math/..... 1/6 (17%) of a f2p rgmerc.

I second that sentiment. These guys are quality coders and we are lucky to have them around.

 

[boxbuddy]

For example, I thought for sure that my Mage would out DPS my SK, but she does not.

Tanks are just DPS with aggro & defensive tools. Tanks (paladins included) are the best individually parsed DPS in the game BY FAR. With that said, their ADPS utility is lacking.

If you attribute 15% of each pet's DPS back to the mage (mage aura) + 40% of group members' mana-based fire spells of group (mage synergy), you'd see the utility of the mage.

(Then again, you can also attribute DPS not dying / being able to hit the mob from the back to the tank, so.... lol)

Proper ADPS attribution is something that IMO is lacking in parsers. With that said, adding that kind of feature would basically require a complete overhaul of the parsing software (+ require reading more than just the logs, which would make the software a lot more dangerous to run), so I understand why it isn't a feature.

 

[delfnec]

I use parser every time after raid and compare with other classmates.
spellcount/spelllines/dps/adps etc.
and I learned a lot and help me understand my class better and deeper. so that I can do better performance in later raids.

 

[98bcobra]

I use a parses to see how I compare to similar classes in my raid. If Im not performing well then I dig and see why. Is my burn not correct? Am I clicking it at the wrong time? If my healers are not doing well I look to see what spells others are using and even ask why they prefer that over another. Basically its more than the numbers it a learning tool.

 

[reedreddington]

Does parsing matter? Depends on what you are wanting out of the game. If you are looking for Max DPS then absolutely you need to parse. But parsing is only a single part of the equation, as others have stated. ADPS and synergy of group composition is also important. This is why raid leaders have spent so much time learning what works and what doesn't. Also, situational parsing can show that specific DPS methodologies do not work all the time.

If you are just messing around and doing group content and dabbling in raid stuff it probably doesn't matter as much.

Do I parse? Nope - B/C I just do not care enough about this game to Max my DPS.

 

[RYN227]

I like the dps/tanking overlay in EQLogParser that shows me whats going on in the current fight. I never go back and analyze the numbers after that, I just like seeing the overlay tell me whats going on in the moment. This is enough information for me to guide me when tweaking setups and such.

 

[nitramneb]

I often look at spell damage when a raid target seems to be not going down as it should - see what is landing for most damage on it, and the raid can adjust as a whole to be killing quicker. Useful particularly for newer raids where there really just isn't much info already out and posted about them.

 

[bigdogs175]

In group content, I don't usually look at the DPS numbers. I look at the time it took to kill the mob. In a raid, I'm a parse snob haha

 

[hackzimus]

For group content, i parse not so much for each kill, but to see what my toons average over a grind session. If other people share their parses, i look to try and make adjustments if it seems i have toons falling behind.

In raids, i monitor parses to see if someone in my class is destroying me. if we're both alive and hitting keys I like to think i should be able to keep up. I don't mind losing a parse to someone who min maxed their toon as long as our ability useage and uptime are similar.

Best example of this is I play my berserker, but I'm not min maxxed on him at all. Hes an expac behind on raid gear and only has the new weapon and a few non vis for the current. No evolvers or anything.

We have 2 berserkers that have the evolves done, are in current expac raid gear and finished their hero AAs/AP etc.

I'm usually hot on their tails for overall damage on a fight by fight basis if i don't eat a death. Mostly becuase i looked at what the top zerker was doing and when he was timing certain discs and tried my best to do the same as him. Quite often on a parse we'll have all 3 of us one after the other with me sitting number 3 by a small margin.

 

[pasthiml]

To me, parsing is just a meteric. It allows you to measure you base and how the changes you make affect it. This is how I experimented with swapping out with different classes, weapons and spell/song sets.

If you can not measure the change for good or bad, then it is just hope and change.

 

[reedreddington]

For group content, i parse not so much for each kill, but to see what my toons average over a grind session. If other people share their parses, i look to try and make adjustments if it seems i have toons falling behind.

In raids, i monitor parses to see if someone in my class is destroying me. if we're both alive and hitting keys I like to think i should be able to keep up. I don't mind losing a parse to someone who min maxed their toon as long as our ability useage and uptime are similar.

Best example of this is I play my berserker, but I'm not min maxxed on him at all. Hes an expac behind on raid gear and only has the new weapon and a few non vis for the current. No evolvers or anything.

We have 2 berserkers that have the evolves done, are in current expac raid gear and finished their hero AAs/AP etc.

I'm usually hot on their tails for overall damage on a fight by fight basis if i don't eat a death. Mostly becuase i looked at what the top zerker was doing and when he was timing certain discs and tried my best to do the same as him. Quite often on a parse we'll have all 3 of us one after the other with me sitting number 3 by a small margin.

This. 100% this.

 

[RobRenfro]

I don't bother, as you well know lol. Could care less what I parse. So long as the mob is dead. I have had, in the past, grouped with players who are avid parsers and keep asking, "do you know what you parsed on that one?" of "try this to get your parse better" on and on and on. Kinda like politics. Don't talk about it cause others might not care.

That's my friend

 

[ChatWithThisName]

Parsing is relevant, but so is utility.
My enchanter for example may not parse high, but if they do their job then they do their job.

However, if your characters main goal is DPS, parsing some things for a bit and using a combined parse over a large period of time (larger dataset) will tell you if one change is beneficial. You can then incorporate that change into your routines. Sure, you can just turn on auto attack and spam keys, but the order of things matters in many situations where it could be the difference in getting 100k DPS and 400k DPS (as in a significant boost). I wouldn't say I parse every fight. But parsing when making changing to get a full view of before and after to make the determination on if there is value in something is pretty important in the grand scheme of things. But, even lacking actual parsing you can usually clearly see the difference or the intent behind something by reading spell/ability/aa description, coupled with ensuring non-conflicting timers, and a reasonable use of common sense.

Parsing, for me, serves as a sanity check to ensure that I understand the way things are intended to be used, and helps gather data relevant to spreading things out. For example, you can click all the buttons at the same time on a berserker. But some abilities have mirrored effects, and while you can have all the buffs at once, they don't stack and end up wasting some or all of an effect. Spreading things out allows you to capitalize on the entire benefit of both otherwise conflicting buffs.

Ultimately I would say parsing matters. But so does reading what abilities do, comparing buffs from special abilities with longer than "spam" duration, and ensuring you're using the best ability for a timer based on spell data given a specific situation.

 

[Sellme]

If your not first your last!

I always think those who don't parse just don't want to know how bad they are.