Situational Gear

[Sparthos]

Maybe I'm wrong in thinking this... but if people took the time to properly learn how to use the "macro book/set" commands they too could use the situational gear.

Yes it may take you a some time to work out the kinks and yes it would require you pushing the same macro button over but it can be done. A great example can be found in the SMN job forum.

Yet at the end of the day there are inventory limitations and the silliness of certain pieces of gear can make even linked (legit SE sanctioned) macro mashers blush.

How about a simple ability to combine certain pieces of gear via an NPC once you get X number of similar pieces? All those stoneskin pieces should be able to be combined into one piece of gear because as it stands it's ridiculous given the 80 cap on inventory.

I can easily cap inventory on BLU, BRD and SCH simply by using skeleton sets of gear (Idle, Cure, Nuke, Debuff, Buff, PDT/MDT) nevermind the extremely situational stuff that I just ignore because it'd be impossible to work in like AGI sets, stoneskin recast, aquaveil and whatever else SE deems worth designing.

I guess SE just wants you to choose what's important or not but some pieces could surely use combination like the Rainbow Staff we've yet to see.

[Jerbob]

I think most people here do. For myself, my White Mage macros span 3 books in blocks of 5 sets (for incremental swapping in of MND gear as MP gear is used up - a relic of level 75 play, I will admit, but it's come in handy), and my Summoner ones are slightly less extensive but similar. The difficulty lies in the fact that there's not space to hold all this stuff at once. I have a full set of gear for Stoneskin, but Aquaveil would be pushing it. People have to prioritise, which if they're anything like me they don't like.

Situational gear would be fine with infinite inventory and with less clunky macros, but unfortunately FFXI has neither of these things. SE must be acutely aware that people have inventory issues and yet the gear keeps getting more situational. I think the point is not that the gear can't theoretically be used (and be useful), but that it's simply not even remotely practical to do so.

[SpankWustler]

Maybe I'm wrong in thinking this... but if people took the time to properly learn how to use the "macro book/set" commands they too could use the situational gear.

Yes it may take you a some time to work out the kinks and yes it would require you pushing the same macro button over but it can be done. A great example can be found in the SMN job forum. I've been using them since then and have not had any mash-up mess ups.

For many pieces, such as weather-specific items, this is true. For less potent or just plain weird situational pieces, not even third party programs that work differently and infinitely better than macro pages can make them worth using even if the program can use them satisfactorily.

This is because using highly situational stuff brings on the inventory part of this issue. Inventory, even including a sack and a satchel, isn't infinite. Plus, not all spell or situation specific stuff is as easy to deal with as avatar-specific or weather-specific pieces and thus can't just be taken in and out of one's sack or satchel. As Yugl put it:

- Inventory limitations will always mean that these situation pieces will be the first to go.

It doesn't help these pieces that some are only slightly better or even worse compared to a far less specific or situational piece.

Maybe many of these pieces are meant to be mediocre, because the Development Bros certainly do enjoy creating mediocre equipment, but this mediocrity seems worth mentioning just in case somebody thinks this stuff is just super-awesome and worth dragging around.

[Ophannus]

I win

http://www.ffxiah.com/item/13248/flagellants-rope

[Sparthos]

http://www.ffxiah.com/item/10962/lavalier-1

lolwut

[Hayward]

I tend to follow the KISS rule for macros and equipment--Keep It Simple Stupid. I very rarely bother with gear that I won't use more than 25% of the time on any job. As I am on a PS2, 3rd party programs are unavailable to me (even if it was, I'd want no part of it), so I do the best with what I have.

In the case of melee jobs, I'm not so egotistical that I waste gil and time trying to outparse someone by .001%. That hyper-competitive junk never appealed to me in any way. As long as I'm doing enough to damage an enemy, I'm fine with the equipment I have.

In the case of mage jobs, I tend towards gear that improves my job's overall performance. As a Summoner, I pass up those pieces of gear that favor only one avatar. That has always been a ridiculous concept, in my view, as I don't use Garuda/Diabolos/Ifrit for the entirety of an event or in every situation. Nor do I really care to switch out my Caller's +2 gear for Summoner's gear when my Magian Staves are enough to reduce BP time. As a Blue Mage, I have enough gear laid out as it is for the multiple spells I have and too many macros in reserve for each and every spell that I may want to use on short notice.

In short, all this situational gear does nothing but confuse people and make people overthink their jobs.

[Daniel_Hatcher]

http://www.ffxiah.com/item/10962/lavalier-1

lolwut

It's not even that situational since you can't gear-swap when charmed, Silly SE.

[Camiie]

Here's another winner:

http://www.ffxiah.com/item/10792/saida-ring

Hold on, WHM! Don't cast Cursna yet till I hit my "I've Been Cursed" macro!
What? You don't have one of those?

No wonder they don't have time to create new expansions, make meaningful adjustments, etc. They're using up dev cycles making crap like this.

[Raksha]

How about a simple ability to combine certain pieces of gear via an NPC once you get X number of similar pieces? All those stoneskin pieces should be able to be combined into one piece of gear because as it stands it's ridiculous given the 80 cap on inventory.

The problem with this is that it wouldn't replace all of that gear, it would just replace what you previously used in that slot.

I can easily cap inventory on BLU, BRD and SCH simply by using skeleton sets of gear (Idle, Cure, Nuke, Debuff, Buff, PDT/MDT) nevermind the extremely situational stuff that I just ignore because it'd be impossible to work in like AGI sets, stoneskin recast, aquaveil and whatever else SE deems worth designing.

amen -_-

[Rohelius]

This game is heavily gear based, thats just how it is..

Reason i love skill base games more then gear base games. That and the fact i have more time to play then to run around the world to get +5 more STR then the other guys..