20 sets of gear is not enough

[geekgirl101]

/equipset Haste
/ma "Mage's Ballad III" <stpc>
/equipset SongBuff /wait 1
/equip legs "Aodios' Rhingrave +2" /wait 2
/equipset Recast /wait 1
/equipset IdlePDT

Interesting, had no idea they changed the /wait commands, it's worth giving it a try. The issue with needing to equip 2 or more pieces of armour without having to create a new equipset still stands though, but maybe when SE add more for us to play with it won't be so bad on those who play more than 3 or 4 jobs.

[Dale]

I hate to be that guy, but I seriously don't know how you guys don't find swapping gear for every little thing a total chore. I just came back to the game (now that I finally have time to get something done) and the thought of needing to deal with this later on is a huge deterrent. I know you don't technically have to do it, but I wouldn't want to be dead weight in groups so I'd end up doing it in the end. If nothing else, isn't it annoying seeing your character phase in and phase out repeatedly while fighting? I'm not sure I could ever get used to that.

I don't either to be honest. So you aren't the only one who feels that way.

They are right when they say it brings more substance to the battle system. It also gives more relevance to many gear pieces. Those are good things. But the problem is the way its implemented is so clunky it's just a chore to use. Hit this macro to change clothes to use this move. Then hit that macro get back into your regular clothes. Now hit another macro to put on some different clothes before you have to hit that macro again to put your regular clothes back on. It's just horribly designed and many of my friends left the game because they felt the same way you did and just couldn't deal with it. And to make matters worse, it's so effective you really have to do it if you want to excel at your character.

What they need to do is re-design how the system works. And to be fair they seem to be in the process of doing that. The way I would do it is create something like a skill tree - only instead of putting passive points into an ability to make it stronger you select different gear pieces from your inventory. I think that could work.

[Afania]

I don't either to be honest. So you aren't the only one who feels that way.

They are right when they say it brings more substance to the battle system. It also gives more relevance to many gear pieces. Those are good things. But the problem is the way its implemented is so clunky it's just a chore to use. Hit this macro to change clothes to use this move. Then hit that macro get back into your regular clothes. Now hit another macro to put on some different clothes before you have to hit that macro again to put your regular clothes back on. It's just horribly designed and many of my friends left the game because they felt the same way you did and just couldn't deal with it. And to make matters worse, it's so effective you really have to do it if you want to excel at your character.

What they need to do is re-design how the system works. And to be fair they seem to be in the process of doing that. The way I would do it is create something like a skill tree - only instead of putting passive points into an ability to make it stronger you select different gear pieces from your inventory. I think that could work.

Needing to hit the macro often isn't that bad, since there aren't enough buttons to click in this game. In most MMO you're hitting buttons even more often than FFXI. If I can't gear swap in FFXI there won't be enough stuff to do in combat.

If they need to remove gear swap, then the entire battle system needs a redesign so players have more things to do during the combat. IMO redesigning a 12 year old MMO is just a waste of resource.

[Bebekeke]

Interesting, had no idea they changed the /wait commands, it's worth giving it a try. The issue with needing to equip 2 or more pieces of armour without having to create a new equipset still stands though, but maybe when SE add more for us to play with it won't be so bad on those who play more than 3 or 4 jobs.

I believe that a wait command at the end of a line has to be <wait 1> not /wait 1.

<wait 1> certainly works, anyway.

[Dale]

Needing to hit the macro often isn't that bad, since there aren't enough buttons to click in this game. In most MMO you're hitting buttons even more often than FFXI. If I can't gear swap in FFXI there won't be enough stuff to do in combat.

If they need to remove gear swap, then the entire battle system needs a redesign so players have more things to do during the combat. IMO redesigning a 12 year old MMO is just a waste of resource.

This probably depends on what job you play. Certain jobs are a lot more busy than others. For example - when I play my Red Mage I have the opposite problem and can't find enough time do all of the things I want to do.

So I don't think that's an issue with this game's battle system. It's more of an issue with certain jobs on this game are just designed too slow with not enough to do. And usually I would agree with you about a waste of resources on such an old product. But the truth is the newer MMORPGs are such crap these days (especially when it comes to their battle systems) that this game not only still competes well with them, but surpasses them. So I would like to see the resources put in place to refine the system.

I think it would be time well spent. And might would attract players who left over this.

[Dale]

Interesting, had no idea they changed the /wait commands, it's worth giving it a try. The issue with needing to equip 2 or more pieces of armour without having to create a new equipset still stands though, but maybe when SE add more for us to play with it won't be so bad on those who play more than 3 or 4 jobs.

It does work. But not well in my opinion. Long macros with <wait> commands will cancel if you have to move or are knock backed during them. So you are likely to get stuck mid-action with God knows what equipment on.

[Afania]

But the truth is the newer MMORPGs are such crap these days (especially when it comes to their battle systems) that this game not only still competes well with them, but surpasses them.

So, newer MMO with ability to use every 0.5 sec has crap battle system, while FFXI without gear swap has better battle system? >.>

Sounds like it's your personal preference. The fact is, majority of the player would rather click 100 buttons while playing MMO or else it's considered "no skill involved", that's why we see so many abilities in WoW!

[Dale]

So, newer MMO with ability to use every 0.5 sec has crap battle system, while FFXI without gear swap has better battle system? >.>

Sounds like it's your personal preference. The fact is, majority of the player would rather click 100 buttons while playing MMO or else it's considered "no skill involved", that's why we see so many abilities in WoW!

Just mindlessly hitting a bunch of buttons over and over though isn't my idea of fun, no matter how quickly or fast it is done. Final Fantasy XI has a strategic element to its combat that makes it more interesting than newer MMORPGs. WoW for example may have a lot of abilities. But considering I can easily dispatch monsters my own level on that game while I'm afk with the auto attack button (while being nude and with a fishing pole) it cheapened the need for abilities at all. Though WoW really isn't what I would consider a newer MMORPG. A more recent one would be this game's sequel, where the majority of my combat technique when soloing on my White Mage consist of pushing Stone 2 over and over until monster is dead. Not exactly mentally stimulating. And the combat quickly starts to feel like a mindless chore rather an actual engagement I am involved in.

But anyway, I'm not against the gear swapping in theory. I just think the way players use different gear to enhance their abilities should be made into a more user friendly and less annoying process. Constantly having to change your clothes during battle just feels clunky and unwieldy to me. Not to mention it's just a silly concept anyway. So I think there are better ways to design a system were players use different pieces of gear to get the most out of their abilities while still maintaining the strategic element players find appealing. I made a suggestion as to this in an earlier post.

[Malithar]

I believe that a wait command at the end of a line has to be <wait 1> not /wait 1.

<wait 1> certainly works, anyway.

This. However multiple <wait #>s within the same macro does work it looks like.

[Seillan]

Just mindlessly hitting a bunch of buttons over and over though isn't my idea of fun, no matter how quickly or fast it is done. Final Fantasy XI has a strategic element to its combat that makes it more interesting than newer MMORPGs. WoW for example may have a lot of abilities. But considering I can easily dispatch monsters my own level on that game while I'm afk with the auto attack button (while being nude and with a fishing pole) it cheapened the need for abilities at all. Though WoW really isn't what I would consider a newer MMORPG. A more recent one would be this game's sequel, where the majority of my combat technique when soloing on my White Mage consist of pushing Stone 2 over and over until monster is dead. Not exactly mentally stimulating. And the combat quickly starts to feel like a mindless chore rather an actual engagement I am involved in.

But anyway, I'm not against the gear swapping in theory. I just think the way players use different gear to enhance their abilities should be made into a more user friendly and less annoying process. Constantly having to change your clothes during battle just feels clunky and unwieldy to me. Not to mention it's just a silly concept anyway. So I think there are better ways to design a system were players use different pieces of gear to get the most out of their abilities while still maintaining the strategic element players find appealing. I made a suggestion as to this in an earlier post.

Amen. I'll never understand how some equate hitting an endless array of buttons every second to "fun" or "challenging." It's just monotonous busy work in my opinion. It's one of the reason I miss turn based systems in old jrpgs. I want to actually think while I'm fighting; not just faceroll my memorized rotation (*shiver* ugh, I hate that word...) in the correct sequence every fight. In fairness, FFXI doesn't seem nearly that bad, but I'd still prefer a combat system where I can stop and smell the roses once in awhile instead of having to make sure I'm pressing something every half a second.

I'm with you on your suggestions too, by the way.