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How cheated is a Gaming Mouse with Macro ? - Page 7

Forum Index > SC2 General
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Mellotron
Profile Blog Joined March 2010
United States329 Posts
May 22 2010 18:28 GMT
#121
It absolutely is cheating and anyone wasting time on trying to find gimmicks and tricks in order to gain an advantage like this would do better for themselves just learning to play the game well like everyone else is trying to do.
Starcraft player since 1999
Williowa
Profile Joined April 2010
129 Posts
May 22 2010 18:43 GMT
#122
so instead of moving your hand a bit to control groups on your keyboard you are moving your hand a bit on a mouse?

the person still has to remember to do it, not that it can't be an advantage, but someone doing 100+ actions a minute can already handle the keyboard in a few seconds
It's A Zergling Lester
Freezard
Profile Blog Joined April 2007
Sweden1019 Posts
May 22 2010 19:26 GMT
#123
On May 23 2010 03:16 Nutshell wrote:
Show nested quote +
On May 23 2010 03:12 arb wrote:
On May 23 2010 03:10 Nutshell wrote:
On May 23 2010 02:43 Freezard wrote:
On May 23 2010 01:56 Nutshell wrote:
Could someone please come up with an example of a macro that can do something significantly easier than using a non-macro method? None of the ones provided so far have proved to be abusive or advantageous.

Select idle SCV, build supply depot
1 click

Select idle SCV
B
S
Click
4 clicks

There you go, want any more examples just tell me
What if you have multiple idle SCV's? What if one of those SCV's is not near the position you want the supply depot in? What if you don't have ANY idle SCV's? Did you know that when you select an idle SCV the camera centers on it? What if you don't want to build the supply depot somewhere other than where the SCV is? You can't even use a mouse click in a macro like this because it doesn't let you decide where to place the supply depot on the fly. It's actually easier just to do it the default way. If you get one working and it significantly improves your skill let me know.

Could also be used, to train a shitload of units during a battle by pressing a button while the other has to do it manually.

if thats not cheating then idk what is
Read the entire thread please. You can already train a "shitload of units during battle" by just holding down the hotkey in vanilla SC2 without any special keyboard, mouse or macro.

You are correct but you're still missing the point. Of course you can produce shitloads of units in SC2 without macros, but the point is it takes much more time doing it than pressing a single button. Basically in every battle which requires you to micro (MMM with drops and stim is a very common example of that) how often would you stop controlling your army and start building units from your barracks/starports? Come on man it's not realistic, and holding down hotkeys to build units with Terran is way too imprecise when you got barracks with different add-ons and you don't want to overproduce Medivacs since you want to keep the cost as low as possible.

In the middle of ANY fight, you can just press one button and you'll produce a shitload of units. Not even Idra could do that when dropping and using spells at the same time with overseers/infestors while getting harassed at expansions. He could, but it would take at least one second and that could actually decide the battle.

Oh and btw selecting idle SCV:s never center when I do it, so my macro would in fact work and would place the depot where the mouse is located. It would also just select ONE idle SCV, so it wouldn't matter how many were idle.
Xapti
Profile Joined April 2010
Canada2473 Posts
May 22 2010 19:28 GMT
#124
For Starcraft, macros are pretty useless IMO. The only problem for sc2 is morphing 10+ larvas or corruptor/zergling/overlords, which might be necessary to use a macro for.

Also, it's just a technical detail but FYI, the mouse wouldn't have a hard drive in it, just a small piece of flash memory like the kind in USB storage sticks.
"Then he told me to tell you that he wouldn't piss on you if you were on fire" — "Well, you tell him that I said that I wouldn't piss on him if he was on Jeopardy!"
morimacil
Profile Joined March 2010
France921 Posts
May 22 2010 19:39 GMT
#125
Having access to better hardware makes you more efficient.
If you use a ball mouse, with mouse acceleration turned on, you will be extremely inaccurate, and will probably spend a few more seconds and a few extra clicks performing the exact same action as someone who is using a mouse that allows for good accuracy.
So is having a mouse with good accuracy cheating? It does give you a huge advantage over someone else who uses a shitty mouse.

Are you using something like this?
http://www.theworkingmouse.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/ball-mouse.jpg

If you are using something better than this, then you have an advantage over other players because of your better hardware. Cheaters!

Lets take a look at another sport, since starcraft is supposed to be an "esport"
Do you think that using skis like this:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3406/3547617515_dff736a138_o.jpg
Or those:
http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sctm/v184/247/0/603343578/n603343578_321216_2291.jpg
Are more likely to help you win a competition?
Would the person using the second set be cheating? They would clearly be gaining an advantage due to equipment over the person using the wood ones.
At what point does using better equipment than your opponent stop giving you an advantage, and starts giving you an "unfair advanatage"?
Usually, the line is drawn by what equipment I have access to, and can afford. Anything I have, is fair game, but anything I cant get, is an unfair advantage.
zomgzergrush
Profile Joined August 2008
United States923 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-05-22 19:42:46
May 22 2010 19:41 GMT
#126
On May 23 2010 04:39 morimacil wrote:
Having access to better hardware makes you more efficient.
If you use a ball mouse, with mouse acceleration turned on, you will be extremely inaccurate, and will probably spend a few more seconds and a few extra clicks performing the exact same action as someone who is using a mouse that allows for good accuracy.
So is having a mouse with good accuracy cheating? It does give you a huge advantage over someone else who uses a shitty mouse.

Are you using something like this?
http://www.theworkingmouse.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/ball-mouse.jpg

If you are using something better than this, then you have an advantage over other players because of your better hardware. Cheaters!

Lets take a look at another sport, since starcraft is supposed to be an "esport"
Do you think that using skis like this:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3406/3547617515_dff736a138_o.jpg
Or those:
http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sctm/v184/247/0/603343578/n603343578_321216_2291.jpg
Are more likely to help you win a competition?
Would the person using the second set be cheating? They would clearly be gaining an advantage due to equipment over the person using the wood ones.
At what point does using better equipment than your opponent stop giving you an advantage, and starts giving you an "unfair advanatage"?
Usually, the line is drawn by what equipment I have access to, and can afford. Anything I have, is fair game, but anything I cant get, is an unfair advantage.

There is a fine line between efficiency and outright automatically doing shit for you. Those skis you show don't automatically navigate your course for you while you sleep and don't have hidden missile turrets that shoot down competing skiiers for you.

Macro functionalities have come a long way since their first primitive conceptions in early gaming mice.
Bronze skipping straight to Diamond in 40 games retail release. Bnet 2.0 ladder really takes it's sweet time to think about that league placement.
HCastorp
Profile Blog Joined March 2010
United States388 Posts
May 22 2010 19:44 GMT
#127
A mouse that tracks more accurately is a difference of degree.

A mouse that can utilize macros is a difference in kind.

A keyboard that can register keypresses more accurately is a difference of degree.

A keyboard that can utilize macros . . .


Nutshell
Profile Joined March 2010
United States41 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-05-22 20:03:31
May 22 2010 19:50 GMT
#128
Of course you can produce shitloads of units in SC2 without macros, but the point is it takes much more time doing it than pressing a single button.
No it doesn't, try it.
Freezard
Profile Blog Joined April 2007
Sweden1019 Posts
May 22 2010 20:25 GMT
#129
morimacil that's the worst analogy I've seen lol. What does different mice have to do with this? It's a personal preference, nothing says optical is better than ball mouse, I actually played better with ball mouse until it broke. Also, many people say laser > optical but that's not true for a lot of people...

Anyway this kind of stuff already appeared on keyboards as have been pointed out, you can do all sorts of crazy stuff like letting the keyboard beep on events or using a timer on the inbuilt LED.
Aylear
Profile Blog Joined May 2009
Norway3988 Posts
May 22 2010 20:30 GMT
#130
In after 391 pages of discussion, but the same can be said for my keyboard, the Logitech G5.

[image loading]


The programmable buttons on the left can be macro'd to any sequence of commands, and I have EIGHTEEN of them. It honestly didn't even occur to me that they could be used for doing macro heavy stuff in StarCraft, but obviously it's possible.

Like MasterOfChaos said, 1 to 1 remapping is fine. Setting up longer macros isn't.

It does pose an interesting problem for online ladder, though.
TL+ Member
Equalizer
Profile Joined April 2010
Canada115 Posts
May 22 2010 20:43 GMT
#131
It wouldn't be very difficult to detect that someone is using a macro so long as the macro always does the same thing (i.e. the macro isn't complex enough to include randomness).

An algorithm would have no problem picking up that that the timing on key stroke is too consistant to be human as there would be patterns where the key press timings of a sequence would be exactly the same.

If you are really paranoid about someone that you played against using a macro you could even see such patterns without the aid of a program by looking at the game replay and if you see a build sequence with the exact same time spacing more than 3 times chances are the person used a macro.
The person who says it cannot be done, should not interrupt the person doing it.
rS.Sinatra
Profile Joined May 2010
Canada785 Posts
May 22 2010 20:45 GMT
#132
The poll is ridiculous. This is no worse than mbs(multiple building selection). This is an in game function anticipated by blizzard. Technology is here to make life easier. Technology won't give you better game intuition micro or better macro. Maybe easier but no better. Allowing 60 qpm players who have the brains to play pro level is not the same as giving bronze level players the ability to get into platinum. This isn't a maphack and everyone can get it. Why not label widescreen monitors as cheating too since you can see more field of view?

If you think all it takes to get good is macroing your mouse or that it's some sort of advantage then you have a long way to go to go pro. Trust me. Macroing your mouse is the least of your worries when you get good enough.

This is here to stay regardless of what your antiquated opinions are. This is sc2 in 2010 not 8-bit Starcraft on a commodore 64. If you think macro is cheating. Macro your own keyboard or mouse and see if you get into diamond league instead of silver. Or if you are already diamond. See if you win the next cash prize tournament since it's so "imba". Get real.

Have fun complaining about this and making 20 million polls on why this has no skill (you won't get your way anyway ) but it wasn't skill to select hatch and produce drones to begin with. The real skill lies in meta game and game sense. Yes. Meta game does exist. Not on ladder though and not on your macroed mouse.
www.rsgaming.com
rS.Sinatra
Profile Joined May 2010
Canada785 Posts
May 22 2010 20:52 GMT
#133
Also for all those complaining about everyone should use 2 button mouse and a standard keyboard from 1992, its called get a job and buy a new keyboard and mouse. At this day and age it might not even be expected to have a scroll wheel.

As per my previous post.. is having a bigger monitor cheating? No? Is having a better keyboard cheating then? Whats that? keyboard cheaper than monitor...
www.rsgaming.com
iEchoic
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
United States1776 Posts
May 22 2010 21:02 GMT
#134
Wow, this poster really duped a lot of you tools. Using macros like that is stupid and not even beneficial. I have this mouse and the biggest benefit is just putting each button to a number so you can hotkey more easily without having to go past 4-5 and move your hand.

Putting macros on the buttons is a huge waste of effort and time and doesn't help your macro at all. These poll results are embarassing.
vileEchoic -- clanvile.com
Mr.E
Profile Blog Joined March 2009
United States434 Posts
May 22 2010 21:06 GMT
#135
Well, its an unfair advantage which is pretty much the definition of cheating, and completely unrelated to anything that can be considered game skill/talent/creativity. (don't play word games, you know what I mean )

Yea its cheating, but only slightly if your already good.
Looking for top-tier practice partners, especially Z; PM me
XsebT
Profile Blog Joined June 2009
Denmark2980 Posts
May 22 2010 21:11 GMT
#136
On May 23 2010 05:52 Paramore wrote:
Also for all those complaining about everyone should use 2 button mouse and a standard keyboard from 1992, its called get a job and buy a new keyboard and mouse. At this day and age it might not even be expected to have a scroll wheel.

As per my previous post.. is having a bigger monitor cheating? No? Is having a better keyboard cheating then? Whats that? keyboard cheaper than monitor...

This whole issue arises because hardware components can be equipped with quite alot of software these days. You must realize that there's a difference between hardware and software no matter if your software is on your hard drive or in your mouse/keyboard. If a bot(macro) playing for you from outside the construct of the game, well, then you have an unfair advantage, which we call cheating.

"Is having a better keyboard cheating then?" define "a better keyboard" please...
"is having a bigger monitor cheating?" No, but having a really small/really big monitor can be quite a disadvantage - Just like having a mile long keyboard can be quite a disadvantage. As long as the hardware doesn't have complex software properties I don't see it as cheating.
화이팅
morimacil
Profile Joined March 2010
France921 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-05-22 21:19:33
May 22 2010 21:12 GMT
#137
On May 23 2010 05:25 Freezard wrote:
morimacil that's the worst analogy I've seen lol. What does different mice have to do with this? It's a personal preference, nothing says optical is better than ball mouse, I actually played better with ball mouse until it broke. Also, many people say laser > optical but that's not true for a lot of people...

Some mice are better than others. Just like some keyboards are better than others.
Lower response speed, more accuracy, more buttons, there are lots of things that improve it.


Well, its an unfair advantage which is pretty much the definition of cheating,

Yeah, but whats the definition of unfair?
If it doesnt let you do anything which you otherwise couldnt do, it just lets you do the same thing more efficiently, and everyone can have access to it, how is that cheating?
afirlortwo
Profile Joined April 2010
United States161 Posts
May 22 2010 21:21 GMT
#138
its kind of like saying if you have a faster comp, a larger monitor, or a better internet connection then you'll have an advantage over someone with a slower comp, tiny monitor or slower internet connection; you can't exactly enforce uniformity concerning these kinds of things, it's just an unfortunate inequality that will always be with us
Just a momentary diversion on the road to the grave
LeX-
Profile Joined May 2010
Canada49 Posts
May 22 2010 21:24 GMT
#139
One key to one key is allowed.

One key to press: 5aaaa6ddddd is not allowed.

You can bind any single key to any single letter/# on your keyboard or mouse.
MythicalMage
Profile Joined May 2010
1360 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-05-22 21:28:57
May 22 2010 21:28 GMT
#140
I dunno if this has been said, but Blizzard, in all of their games, has said one mouse click/button press/keystroke = one action. In this you're doing more than one action, thus, as defined by Blizzard, you are cheating. Additionally, this may not be a big thing, but it affects the game. It is far too close to botting/automation of the game for anyone to think fair, in my opinion. I'd be surprised if Blizzard didn't stop this by launch, or shortly thereafter.
Edit: Someone said it right before me. >.>
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