[byr1001] Uncapping the Merit Point Categories

[Hashmalum]

What are you whining about? This forum is almost entirely meant for feedback, and you're complaining that this guy is giving feedback? Stop making an idiot out of yourself.

I agree. If that guy (Umichi) thinks things are fine as they are, he has the right to say so too; that's just giving feedback, like the original poster. But throwing a hissy fit at other players because they have a different idea of what would make for a better game than you do is out of line.

[Nyerieri]

Good evening, Vana'diel!

As a part of the character growth system, we will be increasing merit caps and adding new categories in the future. However, we will not be removing the cap entirely.

The reason we are not removing this cap is because it would allow players to ultimately max out everything and cause characters to become universal or too versatile.
The whole idea behind merit points is to offer many choices and allow players to choose based on their preferences. This way, even though it’s the same job amongst everyone, their proficiencies and roles are different. With that said, by totally removing the cap from merit points, the fundamental purpose would be lost.

As I said when this thread first started. Thanks for confirming!

[Byrth]

Good evening, Vana'diel!

As a part of the character growth system, we will be increasing merit caps and adding new categories in the future. However, we will not be removing the cap entirely.

The reason we are not removing this cap is because it would allow players to ultimately max out everything and cause characters to become universal or too versatile.
The whole idea behind merit points is to offer many choices and allow players to choose based on their preferences. This way, even though it’s the same job amongst everyone, their proficiencies and roles are different. With that said, by totally removing the cap from merit points, the fundamental purpose would be lost.

... but your point of view doesn't make any sense given the current state of the game. You also failed to address my preemptive logical counterpoints to this argument (A, B2). Still, if you managed to ignore the contents of the OP then I'm sure anything else I can say won't help.

If the topic offended your sensibilities in some way then I'm sorry. I just wanted something to do in game.

[Kari]

The whole idea behind merit points is to offer many choices and allow players to choose based on their preferences.

If that's the idea, it was poorly executed.
Most jobs have really obvious Merit choices. Almost everyone who takes their job seriously at all will have very similar merits. There's not much choice because of how many terrible merits there are.

[SpankWustler]

The reason we are not removing this cap is because it would allow players to ultimately max out everything and cause characters to become universal or too versatile.
The whole idea behind merit points is to offer many choices and allow players to choose based on their preferences. This way, even though it’s the same job amongst everyone, their proficiencies and roles are different. With that said, by totally removing the cap from merit points, the fundamental purpose would be lost.

To further this theme, will many merits ever be made less earth-shatteringly horrible? Job-specific merits are the worst offenders by far.

Aggressive Aim, for example, is so horrible that maxing it out will actually break the universe. The fabric of being itself will open like a mouth and scream "WHY?!" at the offending player until his or her skin is flayed off by the sonic force of the malevolent voice of all time and space.

If the point is "CHOOSE!", then consider making merits into actual choices. Not the series of idiot-checks which most job-specific merits currently are.

[Daniel_Hatcher]

To further this theme, will many merits ever be made less earth-shatteringly horrible? Job-specific merits are the worst offenders by far.

Aggressive Aim, for example, is so horrible that maxing it out will actually break the universe. The fabric of being itself will open like a mouth and scream "WHY?!" at the offending player until his or her skin is flayed off by the sonic force of the malevolent voice of all time and space.

If the point is "CHOOSE!", then consider making merits into actual choices. Not the series of idiot-checks which most job-specific merits currently are.

A limited merit system really only works if the merits were really rather OP. That way limiting them makes sense, with so many rubbish choices it's not a choice anyway.

[Rekin]

Just a reminder:
2) If they are perfectly merited for one job, it presents the biggest balance threat when given more merits because you have to assume that they would be on that job in situations that require high performance, the hardest events.
3) If they are perfectly merited for one job, any future merits that they obtain from having the cap increased will necessarily be less valuable to their job than the ones they already have.
4) Optimally-merited jobs barely benefit from increasing the caps.
Simply raising the cap accomplishes nothing, and adding more merits does just as much.

[Ophannus]

The terrible thing about the merit system is it screws over one job in particular, red mage. How?

BLMs learn new nukes 76+ (Stone V, Fire V, Blizzard V etc) these replace the level 75 merit spells(Burst II, Flare II, Quake II)

RDMs don't learn new enfeebles 76+ besides Addle. Our 75 merit spells remain our strongest enfeebles. BLM on the other hand learns stronger elemental magic than their 75 merit spells but RDM's merit spells remain the best for the class. It would be the same as giving PLD RDM SCH all Cure V and giving WHM Cure 6 but only through merits, because a WHM/RDM can cast Paralyze I and a BLM/RDM can still land Slow I too, RDM has Slow2 and Paralyze 2 but those are merit spells. Since RDM is a enfeebling specialist, RDM shouldn't have to choose.

[Nala]

While we appreciate the response and its great news for the most part please consider: if you truly wanted to limit player's choices and therefore force some sense of unique customization why did you create a job system where 20 (soon to be 22) jobs are able to be leveled by a single character, the pure choice of whether to level or not certain jobs in of itself makes each player/character unique as is.

[Doombringer]

106 likes were apparently not enough <.< this might be the single most popular thread i've seen on this forum. hope is, truly, lost...