How to use macros to send pre-recorded messages.

geoffrey.hdt · Feb 27, 2015

Hey commanders!

Not feeling comfortable typing messages during a flight? Usually going for shoot first, ask questions later? Use macros to send pre-recorded text by pressing some keys on your keyboard!

A good free tool could be AutoHotkey (free software, I cannot paste the link on this post), see link and script example below:
$F1::Send Good day gentleman.{Enter}STOP YOUR ENGINE, LET ME SCAN YOU OR DIE...{Enter}
return
$F2::Send Please drop X T of X. Then feel free to go.
return
$F3::Send OK, let's dance.{Enter}
return
$F4::Send Have you changed your mind yet?{Enter}Drop your cargo and I will let you live.{Enter}
return

Cheers, have a safe flight and talk to you in space later!

Eleonore Nali · Feb 27, 2015

Sounds a lot like cheating with 3rd party software. Oh wait, it is.

EddyRockSteady · Feb 27, 2015

J Lee said:
Sounds a lot like cheating with 3rd party software. Oh wait, it is.

ROFL how is this cheating? You'll probably have a heart attack when you hear about voice attack - imagine shooting someone with your voice alone

Yabba Addict · Feb 27, 2015

Lol, macros to type messages is cheating? You should see how I request docking

ShadowWolf Kell · Feb 27, 2015

Been able to do this since the days of the Thrustmaster WCS Mk2. Pretty sure FDEV knew that while they were writing ED.

Eleonore Nali · Feb 27, 2015

EddyRockSteady said:
ROFL how is this cheating? You'll probably have a heart attack when you hear about voice attack - imagine shooting someone with your voice alone

Well, there can't be a grey area. If there were a grey area, where would the line be? What 3rd party software is "still ok" and which is "not ok anymore"? Impossible to determine.

Personally I use the following criteria:
a) Is achieving the same effect possible for someone who is using the game UI alone?
b) Does the achieved effect give you an actual advantage (other than just being 100% fluff)?

If the answers are "no" and "yes" in that order, then I call it cheating. I know most won't agree on this, but then you have to rely on shady logic.
"No, it's not possible for someone using only the game to do that, but everyone does it" -> no, it's not everyone, there are more players than you think who are playing the game in it's "vanilla" version.
"It's okay because the advantage is really minor" -> so it's also okay to use hacked shield strength if you use 101% shield strength instead of 10000%.

And yes, by that definition even tiny things like changing the HUD color become iffy. But you simply can't do it using just ingame methods and you can certainly see green crosshairs better against a sun than orange ones so it's an advantage.

Bacon Sarnie · Feb 27, 2015

J Lee said:
Blah Blah.

If it was cheating, Voice attack would be banned as it does far far more than a macro, a macro isnt using a third party anything
I think you need to go have a look with out friend Google and find out exactly what a macro is, then look at voiceattack (which is allowed to be used with ED) then come back and say "oh yes, you're all right Im wrong"

Tarman · Feb 27, 2015

If macrotexting is 3rd party software cheating, does that make my HOTAS 3rd party hardware cheating? After all, I have a much better control scheme than a player on Ye Olde Mouse and Keys.

If changing the HUD colour is on the cheat list too then I guess nearly everyone should be banned like right now. >____>

SlackR · Feb 27, 2015

I do the same with voice Attack as typing in the rift in bothersome...
"Say hi"
Typing... Hello commander how are you?

Bostlabs · Feb 27, 2015

That's a mighty fine stick you have there, J Lee. A pity it is up your backside.

Sayne · Feb 27, 2015

Logitech G15 keyboard with 18 programmable buttons. Bought her 10 years ago and she's still going strong. Works great for typing macros, power configurations, etc.
Love that thing.

Rikk · Feb 27, 2015

J Lee said:
Sounds a lot like cheating with 3rd party software. Oh wait, it is.

Stating fact

J Lee said:
Well, there can't be a grey area. If there were a grey area, where would the line be? What 3rd party software is "still ok" and which is "not ok anymore"? Impossible to determine.

Personally I use the following criteria:
a) Is achieving the same effect possible for someone who is using the game UI alone?
b) Does the achieved effect give you an actual advantage (other than just being 100% fluff)?

If the answers are "no" and "yes" in that order, then I call it cheating. I know most won't agree on this, but then you have to rely on shady logic.
"No, it's not possible for someone using only the game to do that, but everyone does it" -> no, it's not everyone, there are more players than you think who are playing the game in it's "vanilla" version.
"It's okay because the advantage is really minor" -> so it's also okay to use hacked shield strength if you use 101% shield strength instead of 10000%.

And yes, by that definition even tiny things like changing the HUD color become iffy. But you simply can't do it using just ingame methods and you can certainly see green crosshairs better against a sun than orange ones so it's an advantage.

Reversing your original statement of fact to mere opinion.

Well played.

Btw, it isn't cheating. It's just an alternative input method.

AstroZak · Feb 27, 2015

J Lee said:
Sounds a lot like cheating with 3rd party software. Oh wait, it is.

Take a look at the Logitech G15, G19, and G13 keyboards, G600 gaming mouse, G930 headset.
All of those have programmable keys. Each key can be programmed with a full macro. These profiles can be loaded into the device directly.
Now add voice attack. Oh and whilst you are at it, go take a look at the Saitek software. Everything can had macros.

CMDR Holycow · Feb 27, 2015

J Lee said:
Well, there can't be a grey area. If there were a grey area, where would the line be? What 3rd party software is "still ok" and which is "not ok anymore"? Impossible to determine.

Personally I use the following criteria:
a) Is achieving the same effect possible for someone who is using the game UI alone?
b) Does the achieved effect give you an actual advantage (other than just being 100% fluff)?

If the answers are "no" and "yes" in that order, then I call it cheating. I know most won't agree on this, but then you have to rely on shady logic.
"No, it's not possible for someone using only the game to do that, but everyone does it" -> no, it's not everyone, there are more players than you think who are playing the game in it's "vanilla" version.
"It's okay because the advantage is really minor" -> so it's also okay to use hacked shield strength if you use 101% shield strength instead of 10000%.

And yes, by that definition even tiny things like changing the HUD color become iffy. But you simply can't do it using just ingame methods and you can certainly see green crosshairs better against a sun than orange ones so it's an advantage.

Every once in a while you encounter a post that leaves you SOOO speechless... that... uhm

ShadowWolf Kell · Feb 27, 2015

Cpt.America said:
Every once in a while you encounter a post that leaves you SOOO speechless... that... uhm

Doing my best Sigmund Freud impersonation.....

"Neurosis is the inability to tolerate ambiguity."

Danube · Feb 27, 2015

J Lee said:
Sounds a lot like cheating with 3rd party software. Oh wait, it is.

You utterly and absolutely have no idea what you're talking about. None at all. Sending a chat message via third party software is 100% not cheating. Text macros have been around for ever!

Speaking to my ship and telling it to do things like activate weapons, target hostile ship, request docking permission, max power to engines and engage hyperdrive, etc., using Voice Attack isn't cheating either.

EDIT: I see you've changed your tune to "impossible to decide" all of a sudden, so maybe the penny has dropped eh?

Zenith · Feb 27, 2015

J Lee said:
Sounds a lot like cheating with 3rd party software. Oh wait, it is.

I was using automated text macros with Quakeworld back in 1997. No-one considered it cheating, they considered it smack talking and "playing the game".
They've been around longer than that, and if you think it's cheating then you will find your opinion is in a small minority.

You could type the messages out yourself, but using a macro means your message gets to the intended recipient faster.

CMDR Holycow · Feb 27, 2015

Zenith said:
I was using automated text macros with Quakeworld back in 1997. No-one considered it cheating, they considered it smack talking and "playing the game".
They've been around longer than that, and if you think it's cheating then you will find your opinion is in a small minority.

You could type the messages out yourself, but using a macro means your message gets to the intended recipient faster.

That's why he thinks it's cheating. By a similar logic, if you HAD to type everything out manually, this guy would consider it cheating to have an ergonomic keyboard.. or to take typing lessons.