What happened to the "Readying Skill" mechanic?

Prior to this patch, when you were doing a weaponskill or spell, before it was about to finish, you could hit the next skilll and it would say "Readying [skill/spell]" and would start it up right when your first one would finishe.

Now it seems that I have to wait a good second or two the moment the first skill/spell finishes before I can start the next. A lot of times I hit the button too early, causing nothing to happen.

This reminds me when the "click spell, then click name on party list to start casting on them" disappeared for a patch.

I noticed the change, as well. Your best bet is to spam the button and it'll fire when it's ready.

This is incredibly annoying as a caster, too. Before, I could queue up my spells, but not anymore... :/

they took out the queuing of abilities if that is what you are talking about, a lot of people say it was better before

Yup, was noted in patch notes before it went live. Lame change in my opinion, but it was probably for the best overall game mechanics. Many times had my spells been queued, and due to lag cancel out.. Hasn't happened yet in 1.19.

An example of the ever waring sides on these forums.

Before 1.19 it was "WTF SE what is with the latency and the "Readying action" bs..."

After 1.19 it's "WTF SE why can't I stack actions anymore..."

And somewhere a dev is balled up in their cubical weeping softly.

I preferred pre 1.19 casting to post 1.19.

It just feels VERY unresponsive now and there is no real way to tell when you can start casting again.

I have cast fire then cast cure >after the animation< of fire had stopped only to have to cast it again because for some reason it did not pick up that I cast cure the first time, nothing to say that I can not cast it yet, just does not cast it.

I have died a few times because of this new casting system and although after a while I could probably get used to it, the pre 1.19 casting felt like it flowed a lot more and FELT better when using it.

I can see how queuing abilities would cause issues when the situation changes and you want to change your action but you've already queued something.

Yep. I find it pretty annoying. Not only does it slow the pace of battle down, but there's no clear indication of when you can perform the next action.

Sometimes you'll click a series (for example, Raging Strike --> Hawk's Eye-->Foeseeker) and won't realize that one of the presses was a fraction of a second too soon, so it didn't take effect.

It's especially annoying on spells. The action bar for spells seems to have no relationship to what's actually happening. The action bar will fill up -- which should indicate that the spell has been cast -- but the casting animation has another few seconds before it's complete, and then you've still got to wait for the "spell effects" animation to complete before you can click on your next action.

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Originally Posted by Sephrick

An example of the ever waring sides on these forums.

Before 1.19 it was "WTF SE what is with the latency and the "Readying action" bs..."

After 1.19 it's "WTF SE why can't I stack actions anymore..."

And somewhere a dev is balled up in their cubical weeping softly.

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This is so true. I can only say that I never had any complaints about the supposed "lag" caused by completing an animation before performing your next action. I prefer the old system.

Basically what the previous poster said summarizes what I was trying to say. :P

I made this topic hastily while recovering from a death during a leve.

I said this another post too, but I definitely preferred it the previous way as a Conjurer who plays with a gamepad. Now we don't know when we can exactly begin casting except for watching the pop-ups as an indicator but that's not gonna be very efficient in critical situations...

Hmm yes i miss it, but spamming on the action is not going to help either, is best bet to get used to it and click when animation is done. lol. Quick and precise, not spammageddon.

STupid change. Now I have to press the same button thrice just to be sure I actually hit it by the time the next skill is ready. Good luck doing that while switching targets with a gamepad.

I was about to throw my controller at the screen and had to log out. I am done, I can't take any more. The patch is great but you are actually able to screw up the battle system again.

THE ONE %#$% THING THAT IS MOST IMPORTANT.

As a caster, it is impossible to play now much less have fun. I am not going to watch animations to finish while at the same time trying to target and keeping an eye on party members for healing.

Shitty targeting, lag infested action bar and now no indicator when you can cast a spell, just try and error. Watching an animation finish, you got to be kidding me!

This is the last straw. I am done.

Good bye.
Sky

SE pls check it , it doesnt work good :)

thank you

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Originally Posted by Skyrant_Kangaroomouse

I was about to throw my controller at the screen and had to log out. I am done, I can't take any more. The patch is great but you are actually able to screw up the battle system again.

THE ONE %#$% THING THAT IS MOST IMPORTANT.

As a caster, it is impossible to play now much less have fun. I am not going to watch animations to finish while at the same time trying to target and keeping an eye on party members for healing.

Shitty targeting, lag infested action bar and now no indicator when you can cast a spell, just try and error. Watching an animation finish, you got to be kidding me!

This is the last straw. I am done.

Good bye.
Sky

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you dont need to say goodbye ...>.> i m also conjurer and i dont like this change ... the only think that i want is to make SE understand that must change it ...or try it and see how and if it works ... why everyone must leave every time that something changed and SE did it because others players hate the way it was before the change ...1.19...

i hate post like this ...just say what you want to say don't be like a hater ... troll or something else

pls SE change it i cant play the conjurer in that way i cant just wait to see if the animation stops to do the other skill i must have my mind in many things ... party HP bar ,MObs, my skill bar for choosing the other skill ... or do it as you want but fix it ....right now some skills going grey like Sacrifice with out reason ...and i cant execute it ..or some times doesnt start because i choose it early so .... pls DEvs fix it or try it to see how it works

thank you

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Originally Posted by Sephrick

An example of the ever waring sides on these forums.

Before 1.19 it was "WTF SE what is with the latency and the "Readying action" bs..."

After 1.19 it's "WTF SE why can't I stack actions anymore..."

And somewhere a dev is balled up in their cubical weeping softly.

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Yep. Forum stocked with more bitching than usual after patches.

So funny: Every player is a "game developer" pre patch, and a cynical mob cultist post patch.

SE has a direction and we all agreed to those "major revisions".

Just wish the non-legit complainers would stfu and let SE do their job.

I also don't like the change. In my opinion, the problem is that canceling spells is kind of messed up with the lag/latency. Sometimes you would hit a button and nothing would happen, so you would hit it again, but then the animation would start, and so bc you hit it twice the spell would cancel. I feel like the root of the problem is lag/latency bit, but, I don't understand why they deviated from the FFXI casting situation where if you moved while casting it would interrupt your spell. That way they could keep the 'readying' and also have an easy way to cancel your spell. To me, that makes more sense.

I liked the change. Queued actions were pretty bad for retaliation action purposes. Still, the game latency regarding actions is making things very complicated right now.

It was one of the points i asked in a battle feedback long time ago (before stamina removal)...but, just like everything involving battle here, it was poorly implemented and added at the wrong period. The original idea involved 2 possibilities...

a) removal of action queue
b) updating action queue with the newest input, canceling oldest one.

In both cases it was to prevent action lock caused due stamina (also asked that, with queue removal that actions couldn't be used, getting darkened, if there were no stamina for it).

But you can always follow the current FFXIV decision logic: "In FFXI was like this". You couldn't queue actions in FFXI.

i liked the old way, but i'm sure i'll get used to this way. as for the poor devs crying, i'm sure you have to have very thick skin to be a dev, and i think they understand you can please all the ppl all the time.

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Originally Posted by Skyrant_Kangaroomouse

I was about to throw my controller at the screen and had to log out. I am done, I can't take any more. The patch is great but you are actually able to screw up the battle system again.

THE ONE %#$% THING THAT IS MOST IMPORTANT.

As a caster, it is impossible to play now much less have fun. I am not going to watch animations to finish while at the same time trying to target and keeping an eye on party members for healing.

Shitty targeting, lag infested action bar and now no indicator when you can cast a spell, just try and error. Watching an animation finish, you got to be kidding me!

This is the last straw. I am done.

Good bye.
Sky

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Agreed, I've put alot of time into the game and as great as 1.19 is aside from the new gameplay tweaks... I can't stand to log in AT ALL... why couldn't they at least give us a toggle?! The devs NEVER LEARN FROM PAST ISSUES!!! Just gotta say THANK GOD for it being October already, we have soooo many AAA games coming out from now till march next year!

As I said in my own topic of this too, 30 sec or less respawn timers coupled with this issue and a few others like most normal mob specials no longer dodgable, breaking of mob pieces pretty much gone, regimens suspended and other changes this patch makes me feel like I'm playing a bad WoW clone with a controller. Just sit there mashing your skills, it's really.... I went from loving this game and it's potential to not being able to have the stomach to log back on :S

I think a lot of these issues would be resolved before a patch is launched if they had people who actually play the game beta test it before it is released. Then they can get input from the players.

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Originally Posted by Lienn

I liked the change. Queued actions were pretty bad for retaliation action purposes. Still, the game latency regarding actions is making things very complicated right now.

It was one of the points i asked in a battle feedback long time ago (before stamina removal)...but, just like everything involving battle here, it was poorly implemented and added at the wrong period. The original idea involved 2 possibilities...

a) removal of action queue
b) updating action queue with the newest input, canceling oldest one.

In both cases it was to prevent action lock caused due stamina (also asked that, with queue removal that actions couldn't be used, getting darkened, if there were no stamina for it).

But you can always follow the current FFXIV decision logic: "In FFXI was like this". You couldn't queue actions in FFXI.

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I wish they would use the FFXI combat system. This one however does not work for me, it infuriates me and i want to have fun playing not get frustrated.

For me this was the last straw, i gave it another chance with 1.19 but screwing up the most essential part of the game is a slap in the face.

You can find me in FFXI on Asura,
SkY

Greetings,

This is my first post here, sorry for my english :)
I prefer previous combat/casting style too, because in current state we have strange combination of no-readying skill system together with bugged casting bar display. In my opinion, skill queueing is not necessary, i prefer FFXI system, with no skill/spell queue, but we need debugged casting/skill bar - it's really bad and annoying, when casting/skill bar doesn't correspond with actual cast speed and we must carefully watch animations, or spam buttons :)

So, please SE, be so kind, and put back pre-1.19 Combat mechanics, until you fix this bug :)

Good Luck, and Twelve be with you :)

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Originally Posted by Murdy_Fearless

we need debugged casting/skill bar

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This will sort it all out in my opinion, ever since I started playing the cast bar has NEVER been accurate, sometimes it casts at the end of the cast bar sometimes with the same spell you got to wait another second or so. the worst thing is when the cast bar takes on the timer of a previous spell i.e casting stoneskin and the bar fills up as though you are casting fire (alot quicker) then you are stood there with a full bar for another 3 seconds waiting for stoneskin (not fire) to cast.

This is why I preferred the readying, because then I could say "right that spell is casting now I think I'm going to need this one next" without having to look at the god awful (sorry but it really is) casting bar.

Just to say, I love the format of the bar, but the bar itself is the most unreliable thing I have happened across so far as a caster.

The changes also borked all of my macros that have multiple spells/abilities built into them.

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Originally Posted by Skyrant_Kangaroomouse

I wish they would use the FFXI combat system. This one however does not work for me, it infuriates me and i want to have fun playing not get frustrated.

For me this was the last straw, i gave it another chance with 1.19 but screwing up the most essential part of the game is a slap in the face.

You can find me in FFXI on Asura,
SkY

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Well, i agree with you. If they wanted FFXI battle system this much they should've just brought it as a whole. It's just pathetic how grotesque this FFXI clone is becoming...it's just like those first dolly clones that born with 2 heads or no legs...

You know..i'd quit this game right now and start over in the origina FFXI if it was to use the original battle system. I never liked FFXI much, but never had any issues playing it either...and here, ALL issues i have are battle system-related...

AA = battle system
Messing classes = battle system
Messing crafts = battle system (it is...because it's all refered to battle system direct of indirectly)
Making players waste 1 year-worth of items = battle system
Screwing with the casual/ solo friendly, stressfree proposal = battle system

I just wish the original FFXIV had a second chance as a spin-off game...i'd quit this FFXI-2 in a heartbeat and move to it...no multiple rank 50 classes, no million gils, no e-peen gear and no bikini or /pose is worth the frustration this dev team is causing to me.

There's already almost 2 weeks my ulcer (which i must thank to FFXI's CoP) is hurting like if i had a rat gnawing my stomach from inside. I really don't know for how long i can endure this continued misfortune that is this battle system...

I like the way it works now for the most part, I just think they need to let you interrupt your previous command with a new one a little sooner and it'll be fine.

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Originally Posted by AlphaDragoon

I like the way it works now for the most part, I just think they need to let you interrupt your previous command with a new one a little sooner and it'll be fine.

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Oh, you like the way, when casting bar is totally broken, and it's speed doesn't correspond with real casting times? Have you tried to play as caster (CON or THM) since 1.19 update? :)

You can start casting again once you see the animation disappear. I guess that's just too hard for some people. It's not hard, trust me. People just don't like change so they think it's worth quitting the game over.

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Originally Posted by Godking

You can start casting again once you see the animation disappear. I guess that's just too hard for some people. It's not hard, trust me. People just don't like change so they think it's worth quitting the game over.

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Maybe, but it was not my point, but i don't understand, why casting bar still doesn't work correctly, it's not about players skill here, it's all about casting bar for me. It's not part of game script, that casting bar acts different every time, once, i cast Stoneskin for example, and bar fills with almost correct speed, when i try it next time, casting bar fills in kinda 0,5 sec., then i wait for spell, several seconds. And i must say it again, it's not something that needs any kind of defense, because it's not script, it's not new mechanism added with 1.19 patch. This is a bug, which was always here, but when queueing/readying skill was removed with 1.19, this bug is more actual again :)

Do you understand my poit now? I really don't understand how someone can say "It's ok for me, keep it in game", when we are talking about BUG :D

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Originally Posted by Godking

You can start casting again once you see the animation disappear. I guess that's just too hard for some people. It's not hard, trust me. People just don't like change so they think it's worth quitting the game over.

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In most cases you can cast before the animation stops. We're just not sure exactly when because all this crap is still server-side and latency is inconsistent. Consistency is paramount. If you wait until the animation stops, you've wasted a second of your time and probably took another hit you could have avoided otherwise.

While I preferred the Readying Skill mechanic for casting, I'm fine with removing it provided the casting bar works, which it doesn't.

Just highlight the next spell that you'd queue anyway during the first animation and spam. What's the big deal?

i have posted in some othe topics about this issue.
i agree, that because of latency problems current battle system makes casting/using skills harder then ever.

my previous posts:
Feedback: Casting Time!!
Made casting system like from before the 1.19!

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Just highlight the next spell that you'd queue anyway during the first animation and spam. What's the big deal?

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That you have to spam a button just to execute a simple action?