Final Fantasy 14 developers are cracking down on illicit mods

Two streamers used mods in the MMORPG, and developers have taken legal action. Final Fantasy 14 An audience can watch the stream live. The two streamers, Hiroro and Bagel Goose, had their characters put into into an in-game “jail” after streaming the game while using mods that violated the terms of service. The active moderation is the latest development that has sparked a larger conversation and anxiety about the use of mods in Square Enix’s popular online game.

Final Fantasy 14This bustling online realm allows players to take on multi-stage raids of high level as part of teams. Players have created mods to improve the game’s visuals and quality-of-life. Mods that enable players to improve the in-game HUD information, such as battle mechanics and damage per second output, are a popular choice. This information is used often by top-level players to complete difficult raids.

Square Enix took action against Hiroro, Bagel Goose and other streamers for violating the Terms of Service. In a VOD, you can see Bagel Goose being sent to Final Fantasy 14 “jail” which is an area called Mordion Gaol where players are sent to talk to a general moderator. There, the moderator can decide the exact punishment the player will receive, including a ban for a short time, the removal of certain items or removing them altogether. However, Streamer Hiroro received a similar punishment. The VODs have been removed from the site leaving only screen shots.

Third-party tools or mods are not allowed in Final Fantasy 14They are used by many players. Naoki Yoshida (producer and director) published a blog posting on May 9. Final Fantasy 14 website stating that players’ accounts could be suspended or even banned for using mods. The post then goes on to list the HUDs mods specifically, saying the “modification of the UI to display additional information” was prohibited. It should be mentioned that developers have been working to fix this issue, but it could take time.

Yoshida’s blog and the highly visible acts of moderation have sparked a larger conversation about moderation on the platform. Players have often interpreted many of Yoshida’s statements about third party tools as being fine to use so long as players don’t harass people, but now they’re unsure what’s allowed and what isn’t. Additionally, it’s still unclear to many in the community if the developers will start enforcing a stricter ban policy on all mods or just on some. Mods can be used for accessibility, as well as to remove particle effects, which reduces eye strain.

Polygon reached out Square Enix to clarify the matter and will bring you an update as soon we have heard back.