In today's gaming world, there is a current debate on whether the use of in-game automation or macros should be allowed in Online Multiplayer RPG gaming. Granted that automating several actions within a game with the press of a single key or key combination could make things a lot easier and quicker for the player, as well as reducing the effort to perform repetitive steps, the global gaming community is divided in their views of the option.

Games, unlike professional or specific related applications, are a form of competitive entertainment, whether played multiplayer with others or solo against the game itself. Not everyone holds the same views, as many truly believe that automating a part of (or even the whole) game is one's choice and prerogative, but then as a whole, and with other players participating in the same arena, the playing field should be level for evryone and automation may be rightly viewed as an unfair advantage.

To this, let's have a quick discussion between the normal and manual way of playing MMORPG as compared to using in-game macro automations to primarily bypass the tedious and repetitive processess built into the gameplay itself with the pros and cons and to why gamers in general may or may not be sold to the idea of automating an already automated application as such as a video game.

Playing Multiplayer RPG in General

When CRPG gaming was introduced via the microcomputer in the late 70s, the gamer had no one to play with but the computer itself. As CRPG games moved into the 80s, the game mechanics of CRPG (and later to evolve into MMORPG) were cemented into a standard way of gameplay which serves as the basis of the games we have today. Back then, CRPG was normally tedious and repetitive in its gameplay as one led one's party adventuring around the colossal cave, defeating monsters, and leveling up and raking in treasures on the way to win the game.

The point is, it's the way CRPG is played, tedious, repetitive, random, challenging, fun, and immersive. That particular and sometimes difficult way of playing the game is actually the essence of CRPG gaming itself, which was passed on to its modern-day multiplayer predecessor, the MMORPG. The point of debate to many is that if you just automate those tedious and repetitive tasks and turn your party or avatar into something like bots, then it would somehow defeat the purpose of playing at all, not to mention gaining an unfair advantage over the other players playing the game as it should be.

The MMORPG experience is about challenge, teamwork, competition, adventure, immersion, and spending long hours of going here and there in the game world while developing camaraderie with the other players in your guild or party and engaging in friendly competition with other players such as in games like Guild Wars 2 which happens to be one of the more active MMORPG gaming platforms today.

The Advantages of Manual Play

Playing MMORPG by hand or manually means the player has to perform every action required to complete and win the game. A single keypress or mouse click would correspond to a single action, which promotes mastery of the game's mechanics. The menus, the options, the movement, and combat actions are all combined into a learning curve experience, which happens to be the basic challenge of the game.

Also, the process of the single-input and single-action game mechanics creates a stronger connection between the player and the game. Likewise, in competitive player vs player situations, manual gameplay is not only fair but also shows the player's skill in playing the game.

Many proponents of macro-based gameplay, however, point out to the disadvantages like repetitive inputs, especially in grinding and other repetitive gaming actions, that could lead to gamer fatigue. They also point out that it would limit the accessibility of the gameplay to gamers with disabilities, as well as slow down the gameplay as compared to simply automating the in-game tasks.

Destiny 2 is one of the more popular MMORPGs today that actually prohibits and bans the use of macro-automation during gameplay. The game has an anti-automation and security system called "BattlEye" in place that will detect the presence of macros used in the game. Destiny 2 is one such game that holds on to the traditional and fair practice of manual MMORPG gameplay.

The Advantages of Game Automation

Macros, on the other hand, automate several in-game actions from a single keyboard or mouse input. Some MMORPGs provide and allow, to an extent, in-game automation tools or macros. Other players use third-party apps or programmable hardware controllers to do the trick. The process of automating in-game actions like spell casting, combat moves, using items, choosing abilities, and interacting with menus does provide a quick and efficient way of executing the gameplay. Regardless, most games have their own gaming policies when it comes to macro-automations, which vary widely across the global gaming scene.

Using macros in gameplay will always be an advantage in terms of efficiency and speed, accessibility to gamers with physical disabilities, as well as optimizing performance and gaming consistency.

The drawback would definitely include issues such as having an unfair advantage over others who are building up their gameplay skills in a fair way, the risk of violating the games automation, cheating, and security policies and most of all the passive and disconnected gameplay that results in turning your game character into a bot that does the actions instead of you.

Regardless, there are top MMORPG platforms like World of Warcraft that allow a limited and controlled amount of in-game automation to help the player out in the midst of an immersive, repetitive, and challenging gameplay. WoW allows the use of macros under the Blizzard Macro User Interface, which is an in-game interface that allows game automation to an extent. Using third-party or external macro applications that automate multiple actions and serve as unfair advantages is liable to be detected by the game's Warden System.

Both Sides Of A Coin

The debate between playing MMORPG the normal and manual way as opposed to playing the game with macro-automations boils down to the principles of fair gameplay. Individually, the way a gamer chooses to play his or her game is a matter of choice and prerogative. However, MMORPG can be likened to a public forum where the rules of common descency and courtesy apply. In terms of gaming, that means "Fair Play". A player can implement automation in a solo play CRPG, as no one else is affected by the action, and as stated, is the player's choice.

With other players around (and unless everyone is using automation), having the advantages of letting the automation do the actions that others are doing themselves is like sticking a magnet to the bottom of a Roulette Wheel. It's cheating, whichever way you look at it.

Image Info:
https://blizzard.gamespress.com/World-of-Warcraft
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1085660/Destiny_2/