I Was Looking Forward To Playing Pictomancer

I'm the exact opposite. My expectations for Pictomancer before the job trailer were low. Really disliked the way the job looked to the point I thought I would even dislike it more than Summoner.

Now, I'm actually excited to try it out. Like, to the point where I could see myself going through Dawntrail as a Pictomancer. A lion lady painting pictures. A complete 180 on the job because I thought it just really looked terrible from the job reveal.

It looks just as "complicated" as how Monk works- certain actions will result in x,y, or z skill execution
I intended to main Picto when it was revealed, and still do

Pictomancer just looks like NIN without mudras and just drawings in place. Honestly, it looks fun lol. I'm looking forward to both jobs.

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Originally Posted by Elkanah

Pictomancer just looks like NIN without mudras and just drawings in place. Honestly, it looks fun lol. I'm looking forward to both jobs.

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It seems complicated when they go into all the details of the animal motif rotation and such, but since you have no control over said rotation it has zero gameplay value. And it's nothing like mudras, the three canvas are independent. You don't get to cast different effects by combining different motifs. Anyway only the first canvas has more than one motif, and it's on a preset rotation, so it's purely cosmetic.

its a lvl 100 job with skills you've never seen before and designed to have squeezed as many skills into as little buttons as possible. with skills over skills over skills in the same slot... of course its gonna look very complicated on the first view.
i'm wondering how many of the people who wanted all skills squeezed into less buttons are happy with that or if a lot of them are too lazy or simply not able to keep an overview over such a merged skillview.

i have to say though i had no positiv expectatuons at all for this job, i've been skeptical of the whole theme of it.
and now i'm actually looking forward to it. to both new jobs actually. (this is the first time i cant wait to try the new jobs out, since i started to play ff14 in HW)
or i might just grasping at straws because i slowly lose the point for playing this game... i dont know

The apparent complexity is just superficial, and more a symptom of how poorly its mechanics are being communicated during its presentation.

Realistically, both Viper and Pictomancer will just be two more jobs that press the exact same sequence of inputs every pull, and the rotations will be solved for you by someone else by the time you reach endgame.

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Originally Posted by LittleImp

Realistically, both Viper and Pictomancer will just be two more jobs that press the exact same sequence of inputs every pull, and the rotations will be solved for you by someone else by the time you reach endgame.

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Just like (most) every other job in this game? That's more an indictment of encounters that follow a strict, fixed and predictable script.

Any challenge seems to be derived mostly from maintaining cooldown alignment within your motif phases and burst, while having a little resource management mini-mechanic during your non-burst phases in the way of your color spells and palette shifting. Holy seems to be situational ammos you use for either mobility or weaving ogcds from your creature motifs? (something like SHB SMN egi assaults/ruin IV & other abilities, which I'm super down for seeing the return of that gameplay flow) While meteor seems to just be a finisher of sorts?

Here's a little infographic i slapped together from my analysis of the VOD(I'll probably spreadsheet out a mockup maybe rotation later~)

I feel like the real problem is elsewhere. With this "new jobs are max extension lvl minus 20" philosophy, you begin with a toolkit that's either far to big to play correctly without spending a fair amount of time on a dummy (which most players won't), either so streamlined it becomes painfully incomplete on lower lvl. With the new jobs beginning a lvl 80 that feeling is only gonna grow, Because at 80, most job already have a nearly complete toolkits. Older jobs teach you how to play your class progressively (and the game does not always do a good job at that), but for new job, you just get the bomb dropped at you. I think this has to somehow change. I can understand that people want play the new extension with the new job, but at the same time, do we want having a lvl 90 job with a toolkit worth of a 60 class with next expansion (it's too late for DT)?

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Originally Posted by AmiableApkallu

Just like (most) every other job in this game? That's more an indictment of encounters that follow a strict, fixed and predictable script.

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Yeah, and that's PvE in every mmorpg. For some reason, this is a game genre that cannot conceive of enemies reacting to what you do and trying to actively counter it. So instead of favoring a gameplay where you have to think on your feet and improvise with the tools you're given, you end up following a script just like the computer opponents are.

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Originally Posted by Asari5

i'm wondering how many of the people who wanted all skills squeezed into less buttons are happy with that or if a lot of them are too lazy or simply not able to keep an overview over such a merged skillview.

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This has nothing to do with reducing the number of buttons. For example you could design a caster class with hundred of different spells with just 5 buttons, where you'd dial in which spell you want by pressing those 5 buttons in a specific order (which incidentally is exactly what NIN's mudra system is)