The idea that not providing an API or csv files for community tools somehow makes the game more fair for the less technically inclined seems backwards to me.  In fact, the technically inclined (aka "spreadsheet users") currently have a bigger advantage because the tools that are available are more difficult to use and create than they would be if an API or data files were provided.  More tools that are easier to use and more reliable would make them more accessible to the less technically inclined users.

If I had to use the crippled recruit search as my only way of doing recruiting, I'd have quit this game a long time ago. I got better things to do than cull through a clunky web page that can't sort recruits the way I want or show me all the pertinent info without clicking on each recruit to gather information to make decisions.  The fun of the game is making decisions, not gathering information.  

The concern about cheating is also confusing... how does having the same information as we have now available in a convenient user interface enable cheating?  Anyone that wants to cheat at this game can easily do it, and its not because of the hurdle of how to share information.  They can exchange information collusively (email, etc) or can have multiple ids in the same world, etc.  Its not WIS's fault either, just an acceptable limitation of this type of game.

Posted by powerballz on 11/10/2010 10:15:00 PM (view original):
The idea that not providing an API or csv files for community tools somehow makes the game more fair for the less technically inclined seems backwards to me.  In fact, the technically inclined (aka "spreadsheet users") currently have a bigger advantage because the tools that are available are more difficult to use and create than they would be if an API or data files were provided.  More tools that are easier to use and more reliable would make them more accessible to the less technically inclined users.

If I had to use the crippled recruit search as my only way of doing recruiting, I'd have quit this game a long time ago. I got better things to do than cull through a clunky web page that can't sort recruits the way I want or show me all the pertinent info without clicking on each recruit to gather information to make decisions.  The fun of the game is making decisions, not gathering information.  

This is exactly what I was thinking.  I felt like I had a huge advantage using my tools for almost a year before sharing them.  I also would've quit awhile ago (or just not started back up from my hiatus) if I was stuck with the default recruit search.  It eats up so much time, I'd have no chance of being competitive and would've just quit.

Posted by yatzr on 11/15/2010 9:39:00 PM (view original):

Posted by powerballz on 11/10/2010 10:15:00 PM (view original):
The idea that not providing an API or csv files for community tools somehow makes the game more fair for the less technically inclined seems backwards to me.  In fact, the technically inclined (aka "spreadsheet users") currently have a bigger advantage because the tools that are available are more difficult to use and create than they would be if an API or data files were provided.  More tools that are easier to use and more reliable would make them more accessible to the less technically inclined users.

If I had to use the crippled recruit search as my only way of doing recruiting, I'd have quit this game a long time ago. I got better things to do than cull through a clunky web page that can't sort recruits the way I want or show me all the pertinent info without clicking on each recruit to gather information to make decisions.  The fun of the game is making decisions, not gathering information.  

This is exactly what I was thinking.  I felt like I had a huge advantage using my tools for almost a year before sharing them.  I also would've quit awhile ago (or just not started back up from my hiatus) if I was stuck with the default recruit search.  It eats up so much time, I'd have no chance of being competitive and would've just quit.

  If not for yatzr's recruiting program I would have quit.  Now I'm not sure the ease of recruiting will offset the frustration of the new engine.

bump in hopes that norbert sees this

Awesome.

Posted by govolswoo on 1/25/2012 9:39:00 AM (view original):
Awesome.

+1