Feedback on AST's Arcana Gauge

PLEASE make me able to see another ASTs cards again so we can coordinate card usage without having to be in a chat system together.

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Originally Posted by Jaber

I hate not being able to see other AST's cards in the party list. I hate not being able to see my own cards in the party list. I hate having to shift my focus off of everything else to glance at an obtrusive widget every time I draw or shuffle because there's no more floating text. I hate how much space it takes up to display what would otherwise be a handful of icons at the bottom of my screen.

I've gone from having all the information I need in all the places I need it presented in an unobtrusive way, to having to either A) have this widget permanently in the middle of my screen or B) constantly look away from what I'm doing to check it.

I find it incredibly obnoxious and I hate it. I want the status icons back...

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This man has it right. I dispise AST's guage. It is HARDER to tell what cards I have. A guage should make things EASIER, no harder. Absolutely a travesty.

As for Undraw, it is a GODSEND for us controller users.

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Originally Posted by HyperSMB

As for Undraw, it is a GODSEND for us controller users.

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Does undraw have the same effect as cancelling a card with the mouse?

I play on PC but I'm a controller user. I use a macro to discard things. Its nice that they gave us an actual button for it then.

It would be nice if there was a way to cancel royal road and held cards. Since they can no longer be right clicked.

So yay, I was sent to this thread and I am glad I am not alone on this issue. So I like 80% the new Gauge and agree it definitely needs some polishing even on some things I haven't thought of til I saw this thread.

1st and foremost- PLEASE, please bring back the old effect buff icons for the card drawn/held/RR it makes coordinating with another Astro planned or random cuz....like that does happen lol

2nd- The new RR display definitely threw me off when I was burning cards, especially the 150% and 200% my mind went automatically oh 200% potency cool!!! Not realizing oh that's just duration (even though its still technically double potency) legit I had to reread just to make sure this.

3rd- Definitely, definitely add the cool down for draw on the gauge, I like the idea brought up to have a visual circle go around your gauge so you know you can draw. I do have all my draw cards on my left crossbar but I still keep a linear hot bar up to see all my card details cuz well...when people are safe, cards drawn or on c/d I use my LB/RB crossbar to dps so I don't see my cards at all cept in the gauge.

4th- And just for last but nice option a visual for "Eartly Star" aka my heal bomb (apologize if its the wrong skill name) add a visual or timer to the gauge. Like stars filling up on the gauge and get brighter for each stage it passes would be pretty cool actually

(Heck give us the option to turn on these as Optional buffs like everyone's buffs including the SMN/SCH Aether Flow stacks in our character config settings since they have some optional buff/debuff display options there)

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Originally Posted by Roxas_Andrade

Hi, I'm here today to talk about this new Arcana Gauge and how it isn't as good as I thought it would be...

First, The Royal road effect is too smal compared to the whole gauge, but thats not the worst part, actually it's just the beginning...

Secondly, the Arcana Gauge doesn't allow us to see our own cards as status, neither the other ASTs' as well. This is a bad thing, because in a party with two ASTs, we need to see what the other guy have so we won't rush into his plans (like when someone throws an AoE balance and we replace it with an AoE arrow one second later...)

Secondly, we got this skill, Undraw, and some people liked it, because we wouldn't need a macro with the command /statusoff anymore... but let me say something: While I had a macro, the status would be erased anytime, now I have to consume a cast (even if it's instant) to remove it...
Let me detail: If I would draw a spear, and wouldn't use it, I had a macro to use redraw, wait 5 seconds, then remove spear, ewer and spire automatically. I replaced the /statusoff with undraw, but it won't work while I'm casting...
I know I'll probably want to make any unwanted card a Lord/Lady in the future, but this would still bother me in low level content...

Anyone has any thought about it? Any help is welcome :)

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Originally Posted by Kurando

Speaking about the gauge, honestly I think this issue would go for all of the jobs and not just AST. Sure they look pretty or cool, but definitely like you said in some situations you can't not see what your allies status is with them at that moment in time.

The AST is a good example of preparing your cards, especially is another AST is in the group. I've found the Aetherflow for both SCH/SMN to be important to see as well, more the SCH so the group would know if they have instant heals available if things get a bit mad etc. The other jobs maybe not as important, but I like seeing numerals (of stock skills) or icons on the enhancements bar rather than fancy imagery. But having the option to have both showing would be nice.

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Agree with all of this, we need to see the buffs back like we used too

To echo some of the things already brought up here, these two things bother me the most:
1. as said, the lack of communication between ASTs. I don't see why the party as a whole should see my BRD's Straight Shot buff, but not what cards I have at my disposal. This can also change how DPS fight, not just healer communication, because if they see an incoming spear, they might wanna hold off on that cooldown for a tick or two.
2. Being able to click off - 1. your card, 2. your Spread card, 3. your Royal Road effect. Too often I prepare an aoe effect by sacrificing an Ewer or a Spire, only to go into a pull where the tank's getting hit hard. In that case, I do not want the Bole I just drew to be an aoe one. In the past, I could click off the Royal Road effect and use the card as-is. Not anymore.

Thou I have yet to use my AST in a dungeon I had switched to it once to rebuild my cross-hotbar (PS4 player, with controller) & when I decide to see what this new UI does, like I did for my 3-4 other geared classes, the 1st thing that crossed my mind was "o.O okay so cards show here but not in the status effect zone... uh but then... oh god no... welp never using this class unless its with my rl friend as we have PSN chat"

so I like to the OP's post & a possible bump from my reply as the lack of seeing a co-AST's card's seems like one bad move, hope for a job UI-status icon toggle soon

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Originally Posted by Maku

PLEASE make me able to see another ASTs cards again so we can coordinate card usage without having to be in a chat system together.

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I want this so bad. I was just in an a simple Leviathan trial, and since I couldn't tell what cards the other AST had, and because of how simple the content is, I mindlessly let that AoE Spear go. It's not the kind of thing you'd choose to take in to the start of a raid or EX content, but hey it's easy stuff so no one really cares, right? Nope. Other AST was salty at the balance overwrite, as we had dropped our cards at the same moment. Never mind that it was nothing to be miffed about there of all places. I could have prevented it just by waiting to see what they did, dropping that card altogether, or you know... seeing the icons. On another note, now that I have minor arcana, I miss not having it in level capped duties. Back to letting cards go unused, right?

I would like the card buff indicator to be easier to see, and I would like others to (at least) know what card I have, especially if I have another Astrologian in the party.

Perhaps the inability to see another ASTs cards is to discourage AST/AST runs?

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Originally Posted by Cyrocco

Perhaps the inability to see another ASTs cards is to discourage AST/AST runs?

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That would be a really dumb reason considering you can't control who you get in pugs and the regens and shields have never stacked.

I really would love the option to get our old UI back. Not being able to see your co-healer's cards is a real pita. There were issues before the change if your fellow Ast wasn't paying attention to what cards were up, but at least we had an idea of what they were going to do by seeing what they had available on their bar. For example, if they had an aoe bole saved up, I would wait until they fired it off before putting up my aoe arrow or balance if the extra damage resistance wasn't needed. This kept them from overwriting my buffs with their inferior buffs and vice versa.

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Originally Posted by Pomo

That would be a really dumb reason considering you can't control who you get in pugs and the regens and shields have never stacked.

I really would love the option to get our old UI back. Not being able to see your co-healer's cards is a real pita. There were issues before the change if your fellow Ast wasn't paying attention to what cards were up, but at least we had an idea of what they were going to do by seeing what they had available on their bar. For example, if they had an aoe bole saved up, I would wait until they fired it off before putting up my aoe arrow or balance if the extra damage resistance wasn't needed. This kept them from overwriting my buffs with their inferior buffs and vice versa.

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I believe the only thing that hasn't stacked has always been Shields. (Unless you're referring to two ASTs being in the same stance, but who does that?) Furthermore, this issue is only really an issue with an AST/AST combo, hence my assumption.

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Originally Posted by Cyrocco

Furthermore, this issue is only really an issue with an AST/AST combo, hence my assumption.

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As said before, that is something that can happen and can't be controlled if you use the DF. The policy is that any and all combination of jobs that follows the role quota for that instance should be able to clear it - including certain handicapped combos like double SCH who, unlike AST, don't even get the option to compliment via sect. This is most likely an oversight rather than an intentional nerf, and one that doesn't do anything for the balance of the game as nerfs usually tend to be in this game (whether or not they serve their purpose is a different debate altogether). This isn't taking an OP AST/AST combo and making it as viable as the other combos, it's just breaking it.

I like the gauge, but I also want to see buff icons like many players have suggested. Being able to remove an unwanted RR or Spread would occasionally be helpful even now, and yes, I would like to see what other ASTs have in the pipeline.

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Originally Posted by BillyKaplan

/snip

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That depends on what you're defining as "OP," a SCH/SCH combo loses much in the way of raw healing power, and its AoE healing. A WHM/WHM combo has no mitigation, just raw healing output and a narrower toolkit. An AST/AST never runs into either issues because of the stance capabilities, so content is of course able to clear, even if SE decided to say "AST/AST combos can't use cards," all content would still be clearable by an AST/AST. So, given that AST/AST can do everything the other heals can and then some, I think it's entirely accurate to say that making the cards a little harder to use brings it a bit more in line with SCH/SCH and WHM/WHM.

AST/AST has never had a drawback before, and with the most recent buffs it certainly needed one. That drawback is harder card management.

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Originally Posted by Cyrocco

That drawback is harder card management.

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SCH/SCH loses because can't stack shields.
WHM/WHM have SO MUCH HOT that they have no need for mitigation.
AST/AST used to have weaker healing ability.

Drawbacks are based on power or ability to do a job. The issue of not being able to see another ASTs cards is just annoying and annoyance is not a drawback. You can try and pull at strings as much as you want but that was not their intended purpose for taking the cards off the status bar. If anything it was so we could no longer cancel RR.

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Originally Posted by Maku

AST/AST used to have weaker healing ability.

You can try and pull at strings as much as you want but that was not their intended purpose for taking the cards off the status bar. If anything it was so we could no longer cancel RR.

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Please don't speak so surely on the intended purpose of a job when you can see how it's very clearly changed now. AST was not intended to be a main healer at 3.0, it was by the end of 3.4, AST has been in such a state of flux since release that if you claim you know the direction AST is heading, you're just being arrogant. Not being able to see another ASTs card has very much to do with the ability to do ones job. Coordination becomes far more difficult. The reward for having two card buffers is "Wow, more buffs." and the drawback is "Wow, I don't know what the other buffer can cast."

However, if you think card management has nothing to do with the "ability to do a job," that's entirely your opinion.

Just wanted to add my support to the OP.

I've been very frustrated by these changes, as well. I've gradually grown used to the gauge (though I don't find it helpful compared to card buffs--just using it out of necessity), but I really don't appreciate my inability to /statusoff cards that I don't want, never mind that my party can't see what I've drawn.

Please give us the option to turn on the old card buffs.

I like it, but as others have stated. I don't like how I can't see other AST's cards. I believe they should have gave thought into that before buffing the job. Because now I'm finding myself grouped with other AST and it turns into a game of let's hope we don't overwrite each other cards a lot.