[Dev1235] Job Adjustments

[Afania]

I guess what I can't personally understand is how you can take a video game so effing seriously. You liken it to working a job or "providing good service to a client," but... it's a video game. It's made to be used as a form of entertainment, a way to relax after work, an escape from reality -- not a place to re-live all the RL bullsh*t and pressures many of us are trying try escape. Honestly, and don't take this personally, but the mindset that you seem to be advocating here and explaining as the "facts of FFXI" just make me want to give up on the game. There are so many cool things about the FFXI universe, and I'd like to experience everything, but the more I read about how seemingly terrible things get in end-game and how strict and uptight people seem to get about doing everything in just a few cookie-cutter ways (going by your testimony here) the less I'm inclined to continue logging in. I'd have to agree with Dale that that kind of attitude is likely a big part of the reason that these "job adjustment" arguments are even raised to begin with, seeing as how the min/max players you refer to in your posts have such a narrow-minded view of how the game should be played, which jobs are considered "worthless," which play-styles are "effective, etc. You say these are just facts on how the game works, but if it's actually possible to complete the same content with varying "worthless" jobs and different play-styles (as Dale has attested), then how is it a "fact?" Is it slower to progress that way? No doubt. But ultimately, in the end, what does it really matter? I'd much rather have something take an extra 20 minutes and be fun, rather than having it go quicker with a class/job that I hate. I would think I'm not alone in that sentiment.

I'm not saying you're wrong here -- as I'm sure you wouldn't be making these arguments if they weren't your actual experiences in-game with PUGs and such -- but I will say that it's a depressing thing to read. I just wish these games were about fun again and not about being some pseudo-second job, with spreadsheets, and maximizing numbers, and status reports, and meters to make sure that the peons are all running optimally in their hamster wheels at all times, etc. Ugh. I just want to relax, play, and have fun on a class/job I enjoy but it seems that's practically viewed as a crime these days depending on the job, or consequently, the way that job is played. I feel that the importance some people put on efficiency is honestly to a fault. I mean, when you're lying on your death bed in the twilight years of your life, who's going to care how many extra incremental dps points your managed to squeeze out of a random rotation during a run in a game? It's just sweating the small stuff, in my eyes.

Anyway, I don't want to spur on another argument, so I'll let this be my last post on the subject. It all comes down to what people consider to be fun, and we all have our own definitions and opinions of it. I just wanted to share mine.

Although you said it's your last post, I'm still kinda curious....

Most of the ppl I've met in FFXI doesn't view playing optimal playstyle this negatively, they just do it cuz it helps their friends/ls to get things done and that makes them happy. If everyone is happy, they're happy as well.

Some ppl do hate playing mage jobs, which is fact. But when it comes to playstyle, almost everyone I've ever pt with picked the same playstyle as what community thought to be the best, and all the players I've ever pt with are happy to do so....I've seen a WAR complained for being asked to play WHM, but I've never seen a WAR complaining about not be able to use a shield in an event in my life, ever. Most of the players are actually grateful to hear suggestions and opinion to play better so they can be more helpful to the team.

So yeah, I really don't understand what's reason to view different playstyle THIS negatively. I can understand the frustration if you can't play the job you want, but when it comes to playstyle, it's really hard to understand......when you help your team grind more stuff per hour and make everyone happy, don't you feel satisfied with them?

FYI, when I just started playing FFXI, my goal was to be a melee RDM and I did the same thing....I questioned the community "Why can't I play a playstyle I enjoy?" since I also enjoyed role playing. And that started 10 pages of debate toward playstyle in FFXI.

Now that I've done enough endgame, I have a drastically different POV regarding this matter. It's nowhere as negative as how you describe, and I still look for opportunity to play different playstyle and have fun all the time.FFXI certainly has grey area and room for different playstyle, you just have to find them and create opportunity to use them, instead of forcing everyone else to accommodate one individual's playstyle.