Obviously we need to get the 'Minimize Downtime' thread unlocked and point out that they need to minimize downtime so people will be playing, not arguing on the forum.
^ this, its not hard to learn a job in XI, it can be hard to learn how to do an event a specific way, but all there is, is abyssea as far as i know so its not like you need to learn a bunch of different events. Playing your class can be easily learned, following the steps set above.
It's an undeniable fact, if you swap in evasion/Haste hybrid between Ichi casts you'd be evading less attacks, making your soloing more easy.
You're doing a great disservice to the people who made this game, there's a massive mathematical and complicated element to this game that the developers tried to use. There's formula's for everything. The game is so much more complex than you're letting on, and I'm glad. On top of that, the game is so much better for it, I have more goals, I want to attain gear that is best in x situation and also attain the gear that may be better in Y situation. It adds a new paradigm to the game and makes my goals much wider than they'd otherwise be.
You were using as your anti-gear swap example that you are capable of killing some unnamed monsters without gear swaps, just as people with gearswaps are able to kill this same monster. By implication, you are suggesting that gearswapping provides no actual benefit because the end result is the same - victory.
I am using as my anti... ... well, anti-your example that I am capable of killing something without being level 90, just as people at level 90 are able to kill the same monster. I state that this shows that levelling up provides no actual benefit because the end result is the same - victory.
Obviously, my example is thoroughly absurd and is constructed to be ridiculous. I feel it is also ridiculous to claim that not gear swapping - playing as a hybrid - is as effective as gearswapping. Simple logic suggests that specialisation > hybridisation when there is no opportunity cost involved in specialisation.
You're either lucky or a liar. I'm leaning towards the latter.
Good luck making a party without a brd, a healer, and if there's more efficient DDs looking then I'm sorry but you'll be seeking for a while.
You're basing this idea that people will be looking for parties so much more if Abyssea leeching dies. They won't. I won't be leveling any new jobs if it reverts back to the old days, because I'd much rather be working on the level 90 content.