Fellow players, do you find your self spamming abilities like in this video?

Check out first 30 seconds on this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBcUmbbo2cI

Do you find it familiar to spam your skills repeatedly, because you are never sure when the "instant" abilities will actually go off?

Do you think this is a problem?

Personally I find this very annoying, because trying to do as much dps as I can (and in this case I went over the top with agro despite using my enmity decrease ability) I find myself always spamming "instant off gcd" abilities because they tend not to go off as expected.

In fact occasionally I find myself spamming abilities that are actually on GCD, because it simply becomes a bad habit.

Maybe it is not like that for every class, but if you find this somewhat familiar and would like this to be addressed, please help me to keep this topic on the first forum pages, so more people notice it and hopefully we have some solution.
Be it fixing the UI to represent what and when you can actually use or something else.

I find this related because imo fundamentally this is the same design flaw as with the abilities "animation cooldowns" a.k.a. things not happening when they should:
http://i.imgur.com/T9XxskI.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/T9XxskI.jpg
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...70#post1269970

The only difference is: you can't argue against this as "intended" or "like it or not, it is a design choice". Those are flaws and they are in the game only because SE can afford to leave it as is, because of so many people simply not understanding the problem and interpreting it as "part of the challenge".
Or because SE is utterly incompetent.

I've definitely noticed I have to spam my off the GCD abilities on my Paladin. All of my tanking CDs work like this, and none of them ever go off if I just hit them once.

This is one of the most annoying thing this game has at the moment, makes the combat system very annoying. Hope they fix it but i dont see it happening.

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Originally Posted by DarkB

This is one of the most annoying thing this game has at the moment, makes the combat system very annoying. Hope they fix it but i dont see it happening.

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I am also modest with my hopes for this, but still it is so bad from so many angles of gameplay.. maybe if I'll just keep bringing it up.. :D

I only used to spam during the first few rounds of beta 2. Then I realized what the system was really about and never had to spam again.

You should learn the animations associated with each of your skills. Some have longer animations, some shorter. When your character is still finishing its animation, you cannot activate a new skill (which will activate a new animation). However, the game already have a built-in skill queuing function that will let you press your skills a little early.

These are not "instant" abilities as in "instantly take effect the moment I push it". These are just "off the GCD". Next time watch the animation, and you will become proficient at knowing when to push what buttons.

Don't chose to spam the buttons because you refuse to learn the system. Let's learn the system and play it the way it's supposed to be played!

As a SCH I do spam AOE heals alot, during those AOE boss fights.

I have to use reactive abilities like 5 times for them to go off. Sentinel, Bulwark, Hallowed Ground, etc.

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Originally Posted by Zfz

I
Don't chose to spam the buttons because you refuse to learn the system. Let's learn the system and play it the way it's supposed to be played!

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That is absurd imo, UI is there for you to see if the skill is available or not, learn all animations really? I don't even see those animations because mostly I am watching my target or my hotbars and all the flashy stuff is turned off for obvious reasons. In you words adapting to this flawed design is playing it "the way it's supposed to be played!". Just no.

Yeah, I tend to be a bit clicky like in that video. What of it? I tend not to use macros so I have to be on top of cooldowns. Now, mind you, I'm not JUST clicking like mad, that'd be crazy. I also watch that little colored icon next to mob names and if it turns orange I back off. No point making the tank's life any worse that it has to be. Though, if I catch heck from adds I run to the tank and take my lumps for as long as I have to before the tank takes them off my hands. Not really sure what the point here is, though? If you're doing your job, and not stepping on toes, what's it matter what you do? Learn the animations? I'd rather people learned to watch their aggro than when their attack finishes it's animation. Besides, the animation means nothing, it's about the cooldown.

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Originally Posted by complexxL9

That is absurd imo, UI is there for you to see if the skill is available or not, learn all animations really? I don't even see those animations because mostly I am watching my target or my hotbars and all the flashy stuff is turned off for obvious reasons. In you words adapting to this flawed design is playing it "the way it's supposed to be played!". Just no.

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Every off-GCD skill I've used so far could be fired off at half-way through GCD timer. You can clearly see that by watching hotbars, no? It's actually very easy to learn when you can use them.

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Originally Posted by complexxL9

That is absurd imo, UI is there for you to see if the skill is available or not, learn all animations really? I don't even see those animations because mostly I am watching my target or my hotbars and all the flashy stuff is turned off for obvious reasons. In you words adapting to this flawed design is playing it "the way it's supposed to be played!". Just no.

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It's really not hard at all. If you choose not to watch the animations, a good bet is halfway through the GCD - so you have time before you use your next skill that sets off the GCD, but you also get the "instant" effect from the desired spell. Learning the animations will optimize how fast you pop off the instant spells, but the difference has been, for me, negligible.

It's not a "flawed" system, just a different one.

Edit (darn daily post limit...):

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Originally Posted by complexxL9

What if it comes to this that you use instant skill not halfway, but 3/4 into the gcd or when off gcd in not in effect, you still end up spamming the normal ability after that, because you see no indication whatsoever when skills actually become available for use.

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If I properly understand what you're saying, my response is that that's part of the challenge. Back on the beta forums, Yoshi specifically discussed how part of the challenge of [higher-level] instanced content is timing your skills right. He even mentioned that a well-timed Limit Break could make or break a run.

The combat system is not "flawed" for the particular design of the game, but it is most certainly different. Whether you enjoy the particular way they engineered the combat or not is entirely up to you, as it comes down to your personal preference - there is no "right" or "wrong". :)

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Originally Posted by Sheer

It's really not hard at all. If you choose not to watch the animations, a good bet is halfway through the GCD - so you have time before you use your next skill that sets off the GCD, but you also get the "instant" effect from the desired spell. Learning the animations will optimize how fast you pop off the instant spells, but the difference has been, for me, negligible.

It's not a "flawed" system, just a different one.

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What if it comes to this that you use instant skill not halfway, but 3/4 into the gcd or when off gcd in not in effect, you still end up spamming the normal ability after that, because you see no indication whatsoever when skills actually become available for use.

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Originally Posted by complexxL9

That is absurd imo, UI is there for you to see if the skill is available or not, learn all animations really? I don't even see those animations because mostly I am watching my target or my hotbars and all the flashy stuff is turned off for obvious reasons. In you words adapting to this flawed design is playing it "the way it's supposed to be played!". Just no.

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If you have taken the time to get used to the animations (say when you're doing the main quest and killing mobs), you will have gotten a feel of everything, and you will find yourself looking at your hotbars less and less (people who click using the mouse are obviously not who I'm talking about).

It is only flawed for those who refuse to understand the system. Instead they demand that the system be changed to cater to their own comfort.

We don't demand every new game we play to be the same good old system we are used to. MMOs don't have to be the exception.

I'm not demanding anything. In honest truth, I don't get where the problem is. Person makes a post complaining about how others play, someone declares it's a problem with the system, another person says, "Learn to play." (though not quite like that)... the problem I see here is that of opinion. Personally, I'm going to keep being clicky and doing what works for me. If you have a problem with that, that's only because it's bothering you that someone is being clicky whereas you're not. We all learn to play how we learn to play and stick with what we see as working. Simple as that.

Why weren't you watching your own personal threat? I get where you are coming from about some of the abilities, but if you're pulling threat, that's on you.

I've never had this problem before, (Black Mage) I've actually noticed I can start casting the next skill while the other one is still going lol.
I have never had a problem knowing when I can and can not cast the next skill. xD

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Originally Posted by Sheer

If I properly understand what you're saying, my response is that that's part of the challenge. Back on the beta forums, Yoshi specifically discussed how part of the challenge of [higher-level] instanced content is timing your skills right. He even mentioned that a well-timed Limit Break could make or break a run.
The combat system is not "flawed" for the particular design of the game, but it is most certainly different.

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It seems you don't understand it. Stand before target, use instant ability, right after that try to use any other ability, the second ability won't go off for 0.5-1 second even though on your hotbar there is no GCD on any skill. This is flawed design and there is no justification.
Now combine this with the fact that skill actually takes effect after another 0.5sec and you have a clumsy combat where abilities
take effect 1s+ after you push the button. Then stuff like in the screenshot happens:
http://i.imgur.com/T9XxskI.jpg

no wai! something we brought up in beta never got fixed!!!!

yeah this was brought up as well as the horrid targeting.....never got fixed

direct link for full sized picture: http://i.imgur.com/T9XxskI.jpg
and a bug report: http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...70#post1269970

I wonder will they put "working as intended" on this one as well, because fundamentally it is the same flaw in design as in the OP.

I noticed a problem with instants pretty bad when I unlocked this Dragoon ability to dodge aoe's with this long backflip move. The game says it's instant but there's always a delay. It's honestly easier and faster for me to just run out of the AoE's range then to use the move. Which just leaves me questioning the point of the ability at all if the "Instant" ability is in fact slower then just basic movement.

Yea i mash everything, habit i got from WoW...was like a 10% increase in DPS :/ shitty netcode FTL.

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Originally Posted by Virtuso

I noticed a problem with instants pretty bad when I unlocked this Dragoon ability to dodge aoe's with this long backflip move. The game says it's instant but there's always a delay. It's honestly easier and faster for me to just run out of the AoE's range then to use the move. Which just leaves me questioning the point of the ability at all if the "Instant" ability is in fact slower then just basic movement.

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your position on the server is based off where you jumped from until you hit the ground and regain control at your new location, cant reliably dodge AOE's by using jumps.