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Curse Voice Debate [Keep in mind when making official stance]

JediofChrist·4/30/2014, 5:28:18 PM·5 votes·2,944 views

Howdy everyone! I just want to give my 2 cents when it comes to Riot making official decisions on the rules about Curse Voice.

I, personally, have no issue with Curse Voice. I like that it has timers built in for jungle creeps and for allies timers. And of course, I like that it automatically pairs you up with other people using voice.

By the sounds of it, Riot is working to make rules about implementing third-party software in the game and seems split about Curse Voice. They haven't made a specific declaration about Curse Voice because they want to make a thoughtful, good decision. I applaud that.

Here's the issue. I have a mac. Curse Voice doesn't work with macs at this time.

Lets assume that Riot gives full approval to Curse Voice. I think it is unfair to allow a third-party application that gives ANY type of advantage to a game if it isn't at least available to the ENTIRE community.

Please Riot! Don't support Curse Voice (or other third-party applications) until they show they are making efforts to include the ENTIRE community. Not just those on a Windows system

TL'DR: I own a mac. Its wrong for Curse Voice (doesn't work on macs at this time) to make an app that gives an advantage without at least giving the opportunity for that advantage to people with macs. Make it possible for all computer types that Riot supports to run the program!

Edit: To clarify. The significance of this post doesn't end at Curse Voice but leads into the meaning behind the policy that Riot is likely to create about ALL third-party applications in the future.

New Information emerges: http://forums.na.leagueoflegends.com/board/showthread.php?t=4491087

82 Comments

Sir ArmaMalum4/30/2014, 6:18:07 PM5 votes

Unfortunately there are two things where I'm disagreeing with you here, but I agree in an overarching sense that, yes, it is unfair for Curse Voice to not be available to everyone.

First off, Curse is releasing this as a product, it's theirs and not Riot's. It would be very unethical for Riot to explicitly deny a product from another organization solely on the fact that they haven't completely reformatted it to another OS that they support themselves. They could deny it for other reasons, but not that one by itself.

Second, I'm in (I think?) the minority when I say it doesn't actually give enough of an advantage to be concerned about. Don't get me wrong, I think Riot's next steps concerning 3rd party applications are very important, but as a case by case I don't think Curse is that big of a deal. My logic: when the few seconds that Curse saves you (the difference in time when you realize a buff, teammate ult or objective is about to be up versus being up already) actually becomes important enough to affect your decision making and play making in a match you are more than likely at a level where basic knowledge (buff timers, etc.) like that is expected. Below that point, where CV is giving you information that isn't expected of you and you don't/couldn't track normally the actual results of knowing that information and the decisions derived from it more than likely wouldn't change.

I agree it is an advantage to have CV, but my thinking is that it isn't enough of an advantage to affect a player's normal behavior and overall skill level. I can see why people think that, however, I just don't personally agree with it.

SirTezla4/30/2014, 5:34:36 PM3 votes

Coming from another Mac user (The Mac life chose me, I didn't choose the Mac life) I'm angry that Curse Voice isn't available for Mac yet, and don't think that Riot should support it until EVERYONE can use it because it can be a big advantage.

Tulare4/30/2014, 5:43:45 PM3 votes

I think that this is a dangerous line of argumentation. I'm of mixed minds regarding Curse Voice but I don't think that the "doesn't work on Macs" argument is valid. By the same argument, I might ask why Riot doesn't throttle connections so that nobody can benefit from having a latency <30ms or high FPS. Oh, you say, I can get a better internet connection or a more powerful video card - but then anybody could argue that you could get a Windows PC.

More generally, I think that Riot's regulations regarding Curse Voice or other third party augments can really be anything they want, as long as they can be enforced consistently. Unlike running shoes or swimming wetsuits, though, Riot's job of identifying violators and effectively punishing them is going to be awfully hard. I don't really know much about the arms race between games companies and cheat programs but I have a hunch that Riot will have to settle for enforcing regulations only at events where they have access or visibility to the players' machines.

CaptainWednesday4/30/2014, 7:21:14 PM2 votes

Riot's actually stated their opinion on this. Sorta. they issued this statement about a week ago, "Programs that give you information you have already earned (such as visible timers) are ok. Programs that give you information you have not earned (such as enemy timers/timers in the fog of war), ones that make decisions for you, or take actions for you, are NOT ok."
Curse Voice is an independent application that simply tells you things that you should already know. It gives no unfair advantage because its giving you tips on what you already know. Like a reminder for an appointment.
"Crs Voice, when's my appointment with my Mr. Nashor?"
"29:54 is when Mr. Nashor will respawned and ready for you Mr. Crownguard."
"Thank you."
I don't think that's how it works exactly, but its something along those lines. As long you know when the buff was slain, Curse Voice can tell you when it'll respawn, just like you should already know. As for your Mac siatuion... Curse Voice is in Beta, meaning they give out keys. Its a lottery sort of thing. I don't have Curse Voice, does that mean no one else should? No, it does not. I'm sure Mac support will come in due time. This is does mean no one should be able to use it. I'm going to have to disagree with you.