My requests for the new Job System

[Cairdeas]

I do not care the how, why or when of the Job System get implemented. I just have two requests for it.

1. Do not have it replace or change anything with the Armoury System. Sure rebalance the armoury system where its needed to fit with the job system but don't remove the "Any weapon can equip any skill" core from the Armoury System.

2. Do not limit what Jobs can be equipped to which Weapon Classes.

If I want to play as a Axe Wielding White Mage, let me. Sure it might not be the best choice, but let me make the decision myself.


My ultimate hope is that the new Job System meshing with the Armoury system is like an new reflection on the Subjob/Subskill system from Final Fantasy XI and Tactics.


IE you can make any mesh of 1 Job and 1 Weapon Class and depending on how you mesh them you have your role and how you perform it. I don't want to be limited.

If I pick Paladin as my Job I do not want to be forced to play Gladiator as my Weapon Class. I want to be able to pick Lancer, Thaumaturge, Conjurer, or what ever I chose. This give a bit of a multi pathing system for a single Role.

In the example of Paladin

Paladin/Gladiator with shield = High Defense, shield to reflect damage

Paladin/Conjurer(or Thaumaturge) with shield = High Healing capacity to counter damage taken.

Paladin/Lancer - High Damage Dealing to force monster enmity to stay constant.

Paladin/Marauder - Aoe Weapon Striking to tank multiple mobs at once.

etc. etc. etc.


Limitations are what make things boring.


Edit:

Refined my request a bit.

Physical Level - Remove It, Get rid of Point Allotments. Give each skill a Stat and Element it enhances if you have it equipped.

Armoury- Keep It As It Is. Rebalance the skills that are causing problems with people cross classing at high levels.

Job System- Implement it as a bit of a Title System. Each Job Title has 10 Levels. Each Odd Level (1,3,5,7,9) Grants a new Job Specific Skill. Each Even Level (2, 4, 6, 8, 10) Grants a Job Trait. Job Levels are granted by a Point System determined by using your Job in Party Based Events like Behest, Dungeons, Etc. A bit like Faction Points from Leve Quests.

Any Weapon, Any Job A bit like the Subjob system from FFXI, No Weapon Class is restricted from a Job. The Weapon instead alters how the player performs the skills of the Job. the Job Defines the Role, the Weapon Defines how its performed. A Paladin/Gladiator uses a sword and shield to bolster defense. A Paladin/Lancer uses damage dealt to maintain hate. A Paladin/Marauder can maintain the hate of multiple targets all at once. etc. Yes some options will be obviously inferior choices but this should be up to the player to decide not the game. Just like we did in XI with the subjobs.


Bonuses From Stats on Skills based on Jobs- Every Skill is granted a "Familiar" Job. "Cure is Familiar to White Mage, Red Mage, Paladin"'. When you have a skill equipped that is Familiar to your Job, you get double the stats and elemental alignment from the skills you have equipped. Some Skills have a Counter Job. Equipping Skills counter to your current Job remove or lower the stat bonuses from that skill. "Cure is countered by Black Mage, Dark Knight."
Some Jobs are Neutral and do not grant or remove bonuses from skills. "Cure is Neutral to Dragoon, Monk, Thief."

Area of Effect Modifier One of the skills learned by most mage jobs is using a Spell it is Familiar with in a AOE Capacity. Even if your Equipped Class is not a Magic User. "White Mage gets Brilliance. Casts Cure as an AOE from target." "Black Mage Gets Corruption. Casts fire as an AOE from Target."

[Alyssasidhe]

The only problem I have with the above statement is that it assumes that there will be both jobs AND the armoury system. If this actually happens then I would be completely happy with a change to the job system, though I would like to make a caveat to what you said... If you choose a weapon that would keep you from using a jobs skills, you shouldn't be able to use those skills. For example, a monk with a Marauder's axe should have no access to his/her hand to hand skills.

[Cairdeas]

The only problem I have with the above statement is that it assumes that there will be both jobs AND the armoury system. If this actually happens then I would be completely happy with a change to the job system, though I would like to make a caveat to what you said... If you choose a weapon that would keep you from using a jobs skills, you shouldn't be able to use those skills. For example, a monk with a Marauder's axe should have no access to his/her hand to hand skills.

The last Producer Letter they mention both systems and that they are independent.

[BlaiseLallaise]

I agree, these two things at a minimum are necessary if the Job system is to succeed.

[Micronowski]

What if they made it so your subjob is determined by what abilities from other classes you equip? For example, if I equip 4 abilities from marauder, then I would be Gladiator/marauder. But if I only equip 3 from marauder and 1 from conj, then I won't have a subjob, just a mixture.

You would still be able to equip skills from every class but specializing in a skill set would give you a bonus to those skills.

[Punxsutawney]

They serious need to remove the melee classes ability to cast magic. It makes CON and THM not needed for anything other than the hard NMs. As for the OP, if you want to be an axe-weilding White mage, and want the battle system fixed, it'll never happen with your restrictions. The battle system is broken because of people just like you. Give the melee classes some abilities that lets them get HP back (like bloodbath) but being able to be an axe weilding White mage is why this battle system is broke. EVERYONE in this game solos as an XCLASS / THM / CON, and that my friend is the very essense of boring, Cliched battle system.

[Cairdeas]

They serious need to remove the melee classes ability to cast magic. It makes CON and THM not needed for anything other than the hard NMs. As for the OP, if you want to be an axe-weilding White mage, and want the battle system fixed, it'll never happen with your restrictions. The battle system is broken because of people just like you. Give the melee classes some abilities that lets them get HP back (like bloodbath) but being able to be an axe weilding White mage is why this battle system is broke. EVERYONE in this game solos as an XCLASS / THM / CON, and that my friend is the very essense of boring, Cliched battle system.

If its the only game that lets you do it how is it Cliched?

[Roaran]

I am about 99.99% sure they would not do this. As this is the exact opposite reason they want to implement the Job system.

They want to make the jobs unique. By implementing your idea, they just become even more obscure.

Edit: I just want to add, that I'm just pointing this out, I actually love the armoury system because we can all be whatever we want.

[Dreamer]

People need to realize that your character is not defined by his or her class in this game. You are defined by your skills, abilities, and traits. It would be closer to the truth to say that you are defined by your Discipline rather than this fixation on classes/jobs that people seem to have.

It takes more than a sword to make a gladiator. If I equip a shield, and few sword skills, and a bunch of healing spells, I'm a paladin, even if it doesn't say so on my character sheet.

[Augury]

Precisely! I don't get why we want jobs to be archetypal characters for us to build-around, because I'd much rather have them work like a toolbox of possibilities to exploit for my own gaming joys. It's fun to play Cecil the Paladin in FFIV, but when I play a SOCIAL, ONLINE, game, I want to be MY OWN CHARACTER. With all of the quirks and obscurities I find suitably fun.