If I could macro getting dressed in the morning...well now that'd be something!
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The whole concept of changing your clothing mid-battle is ridiculous though. Even in other games it's completely out of the question.
If I'm fighting a Rathalos in Monster Hunter I can't just say "Hold on, I need to switch to my status effect + gear to use these throwing knives, then back to my element attack + gear to start fighting you with my sword again!" I plan ahead and use what I think is best for that fight. You can't do everything, go with what you think is most effective.
Even still as far as MMOs as a whole go you don't see other games allowing you to switch gear mid-battle outside of FFXI. Most suffer from the "1 optimal set" problem but that has nothing to do with switching mid-battle.
Allowing people to switch mid-battle and operate all roles in a single battle goes back to the argument that all classes feel the same and even within the same class the roles are barely diversified. If you have to plan out your gear beforehand with no mid-battle swaps then at least you may have different people playing different roles. Isn't that what everyone wanted? More class/role diversification and not allowing everyone to do everything?
If you belive this cichy you never played FFXI.
about 10% of the game required a Hardcore group. That was the World HNMS. To an extent Sea and Sky when they where heavily camped nms.
WoE (8 zones), Assualt (100 of them), Salvage (4 zones with 3 paths each), Dynamis (9 zones), Einherjar (10 zones), Limbus (12 zones), Znms (3 paths with 3 tiers in each ending with a main boss), The many mini games(choco racing, pet fights, ballista, brener), Campaign (defense battles and quest related around 100), Besighed (1 thing here), Bcnms(around 60), KSnms(around 30), Isnms(About 20), Enms (around 30), Vnms(Around 20, tiered as well), Missions(around 100) all of these where without the competition and all of these except city and northland dynamis where casual in time requirement.
I am sorry but atm there is no MMO out there that has the variety that XI had, too many people focus on the smallest part of XIs endgame which was crazy hardcore.
WoW has one of the worst endgames out there, it is just the fact so few people realize it because that is what they where first exposed to and every mmo after WoW has copied it.
WoW's endgame is a few raids, a few dungeons, and PvP.
while I'm against FFXI-like gear swapping during fight, would be nice for long fights to be able to change 1 (one) piece of equipment every x minutes (like 3 or 5). Just to add a lil versatility without the FFXI-like chaos
of course this would exclude equipping a weapon of a different class (aka, switching class)
you can, you just suffer a uncomfortable debuff for awhile. essentially they just didnt want it to be on the level of ffxi 1 second macro gear swaps. you can change your strategies, actions and gear in a fight, but you will have to put away your weapon, and suffer some debuff time.