Question for SMNs

Specifically SMNs who play on PS3/4 or PC with a controller. I've spent the last few days trying to organize my crossbars into a way that gives me quick access to most of my skills on the fly but with pet skills on top of all ours i'm finding it difficult to find any set up that im happy with. If any of you guys would like to post your set up i'd really appreciate it

I can't post pics now (at work), but SMN/SCH get pretty cramped.

Basically:

Hotbar 1 has all the main spells you use constantly: Ruin I, II and III, Bio, Bio II, Miasma, Aetherflow, Fester, Bane, Painflare, Raging Strikes, Shadowflare, Tri-Disaster, Contagion (if you frequently use Garuda), Swiftcast

Hotbar 2 has all the spells you use, but less frequently: Miasma II, Rouse, Spur, Enkindle, Sustain, Physick, E4E, Virus, Energy Drain, and I even put my Dreadwyrm Trance and Deathflare on hotbar 2, along with the two main summon spells for Ifrit and Garuda, and the LB button

Hotbar 3 is basically only for pet commands, and I only use Sic, Obey, Place and Heel

Similar to the above post but instead I use extended hotbars for the 3rd crossbar and only need on half of the crossbar to fit my pet abilities (accessed via L2+R2). And of course a couple pet abilities are macro'd to certain abilities on my SMN/SCH based on matching cooldowns.

I feel as thought it mostly comes down to what you're comfortable with, but this is what I have for a Cross-Hotbar:

R2:
http://i1366.photobucket.com/albums/...pswv9jhck7.jpg

L2:
http://i1366.photobucket.com/albums/...psheqypkcc.jpg

R2 + L2:
http://i1366.photobucket.com/albums/...psedd6pqgi.jpg

L2 + R2:
http://i1366.photobucket.com/albums/...pstwxqkbml.jpg

My Summon macros (Titan, Ifrit, Garuda) include Swiftcast and a hotbar swap to change Contagion/Radiant Shield. Titan''s summon macro also puts him on Sic. Other pet abilities I just go to the pet hotbar if needed, but I feel this setup has most of what I need. Ruin I is tossed into that spot as a backup if I'm low on MP but I don't prioritize it.

The "Eye for an Eye" macro is simply for target-of-target to cast on the tank without needing to swap targets.

The 8 hotbar slots to the left of my crossbar I use simply to view cooldowns without needing to be on a specific active bar.

All of my menu, mount, teleport, etc stuff is on an entirely separate bar. My Limit Break and limited healing abilities are also on a separate bar because we don't use ours frequently and it's easy enough to jump over to another bar real quick when needed and then hop back.

Oh, almost forgot.... Shadowflare is macro-bound to R3 so it's just click and aim. I used to have "Obey" macro'd to R3 for easy target swaps.

Hope this helps.

Weapon Sheathed (Home)
http://imgur.com/jsW3vGE.png

Weapon Drawn (Summoner Home)
http://imgur.com/Ktoew08.png

Buff Macro:
/macroicon Raging Strikes
/action "Raging Strikes" <me>
/action "Rouse" <me>
/action "Spur" <me>
/action "Enkindle" <t>

Bane Macro:
/macroicon Bane
/action "Bane" <t>
/petaction "Aerial Slash" <t>
/petaction "Flaming Crush" <t>

AoEs, Buffs/Debuffs, Markers
http://imgur.com/vTs7PW5.png

/macroicon Shadow Flare
/action "Swiftcast" <me>
/action "Shadow Flare" <me> <wait.1>
/action "Shadow Flare" <me>

/macroicon Eye for an Eye
/action "Eye for an Eye" <tt>
/action "Eye for an Eye" <t>

R+L = Pets, Resurrection (Swiftcast macros)
http://imgur.com/nhK3yVM.png

Pet macros that allow me to have my L+R to always have the applicable pet abilities

/macroicon Summon III
/action "Swiftcast" <me>
/action "Summon III" <me> <wait.1>
/action "Summon III" <me>
/crosshotbar copy SMN 7 SMN 3

/macroicon Summon II
/action "Swiftcast" <me>
/action "Summon II" <me> <wait.1>
/action "Summon II" <me>
/crosshotbar copy SMN 5 SMN 3

/macroicon Summon
/action "Swiftcast" <me>
/action "Summon" <me> <wait.1>
/action "Summon" <me>
/crosshotbar copy SMN 4 SMN 3

/macroicon Resurrection
/action "Swiftcast" <me>
/action "Resurrection" <t> <wait.1>
/action "Resurrection" <t>

L+R = Limit Break, Food, Pet commands
http://imgur.com/d3AnFfj.png

Notice L+R has Garuda specific abilities. This will change depending on which pet you summoned using the macros above.

Thanks everyone for your input, i played around with my crossbars and i've finally found a set up i think im happy with. Was useful seeing macros other people had set up and macroing shadowflare to R3 works amazingly

Oh, how did ya'll enable those vertically stacked action icons on the left side of your cross hotbars? That seems like a much better way to keep track of cooldowns than cycling through all my bars in mid combat.

Btw guys you can remove Sprint from your crossbar if you change your R3 or L3 Buttons under system settings. (By default R3 is LOCK-ON, L3 is change camera angle to 1st/3rd person view)

I changed my L3 to assist. (I main healer)
R3 you can change to macro #99.

A simple Sprint macro is just
/ac Sprint

A more complex Sprint macro is

/ac sprint <t>
/mount "Company Chocobo" [Place your main mount here]
/mount "Secondary Mount" [if the company Chocobo is not your main mount place it here. If it is your main mount put your runner up, for when your choco is stabled]
/ac Sprint

What this does is:
It lets you Sprint towards something without attempting to mount if you target anything, even yourself.
It will have you mount if Sprint is on CD or if you're not targeting anything.
It will summon your chocobo companion as a mount instead of your default, so you don't get an error while he is summoned for combat.
It will also summon your backup mount when your chocobo is stabled, if he is your default mount.
Finally, Sprint is repeated at the end so that if you are In a place where your mount is forbidden and you aren't targeting anything, it will have you Sprint.

:) Figuring this out has made my hotbar much more enjoyable. :D

Also, if you're gonna use things like shadowflare or pet skills in a macro, I recommend repeating the lines a few times (or allot in some cases). Helps a bunch with Eos and Selene. It creates a sort of psuedo queue for your pets, while you use your nonmacro skills. :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ragology

Oh, how did ya'll enable those vertically stacked action icons on the left side of your cross hotbars? That seems like a much better way to keep track of cooldowns than cycling through all my bars in mid combat.

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It's only available for PC and PS4, go to HUD layout and make sure they are turned on. Then you can position them however you like

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ViDare

It's only available for PC and PS4, go to HUD layout and make sure they are turned on. Then you can position them however you like

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And then hide the unused slots.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rawrz

Btw guys you can remove Sprint from your crossbar if you change your R3 or L3 Buttons under system settings.

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Personally I prefer my Sprint on the actual crossbar. I don't need to be accidentally hitting R3 and using sprint on a melee job and destroying my TP bar. I use the #99 macro for things that already need to be placed with the right stick such as Shadowflare (SMN/SCH), Shukuchi (NIN), Freeze (BLM), Flaming Arrow (BRD) or quick-response abilities like Elusive Jump (DRG). You can place all of those abilities in one macro (one ability per job) and it will only activate whichever your job is capable of using. Works very well for me.