FREEDOM ISN'T FREE

[Neptune]

This isn't minecraft...

keep guessing

[Rhomagus]

I agree with the OP, but it's too late. There's no way that they're going to implement this new system, which was supposed to fix the old system, just to scrap it for the old system again.

I enjoyed being able to equip any skill which I rightfully learned. I also enjoyed being able to wear any gear that I rightfully earned. Tweaking affinities would have sufficed to make a more strategic character development, but the players and the development team did not want to do that. Being able to do this I feel was a direct result of complaints from XI. The primary ones being that gear took up too much inventory space due to them being job locked, that there were so many dormant abilities from leveling other jobs they would go unused, and a lot of job combinations were situational at best.

They needed to be more clear with how stats effected your character. They needed to be more clear about how having gear that was either beyond your current rank or didn't favor your class was significantly detrimental to your battle/crafting efficiency. Just by not arming us with the proper information they killed what good could have come out of the freedom based Armoury. Unfortunately we are now going to have a significantly more constricted Armoury with a Job system on top of it, which isn't all bad. I actually like the inclusion of the Job system into XIV. I'm just disappointed that the Armoury had to be nerfed because of it, but things are already in motion and the people have spoken, it's water under the bridge and too many people feel otherwise anyways.

[Neptune]

I agree with the OP, but it's too late. There's no way that they're going to implement this new system, which was supposed to fix the old system, just to scrap it for the old system again.

I enjoyed being able to equip any skill which I rightfully learned. I also enjoyed being able to wear any gear that I rightfully earned. Tweaking affinities would have sufficed to make a more strategic character development, but the players and the development team did not want to do that. Being able to do this I feel was a direct result of complaints from XI. The primary ones being that gear took up too much inventory space due to them being job locked, that there were so many dormant abilities from leveling other jobs they would go unused, and a lot of job combinations were situational at best.

They needed to be more clear with how stats effected your character. They needed to be more clear about how having gear that was either beyond your current rank or didn't favor your class was significantly detrimental to your battle/crafting efficiency. Just by not arming us with the proper information they killed what good could have come out of the freedom based Armoury. Unfortunately we are now going to have a significantly more constricted Armoury with a Job system on top of it, which isn't all bad. I actually like the inclusion of the Job system into XIV. I'm just disappointed that the Armoury had to be nerfed because of it, but things are already in motion and the people have spoken, it's water under the bridge and too many people feel otherwise anyways.

Well said. However, things are very much still up the air. If we can make a good enough argument before they get too far along we may be able to save the Armoury from being constricted. I'm aiming for a goal like: the Job system will give you a bonus for limiting yourself, and there won't be any restrictions on the Armoury system.

[Rhomagus]

It's only two to three weeks out. If giving linkshell founders the ability to kick anyone from their shell regardless of distance or online status is "very hard", I really doubt completely revamping the revamp would happen in a month's time.

[Amsai]

Well said. However, things are very much still up the air. If we can make a good enough argument before they get too far along we may be able to save the Armoury from being constricted. I'm aiming for a goal like: the Job system will give you a bonus for limiting yourself, and there won't be any restrictions on the Armoury system.

No offense, but I hope they lock it down nice and tight.

[Val_Rhys]

I'm torn about the armoury system. I really do understand the OP and Rhomagus' post above. But I really did have an issue with the *total* freedom we were given, when it came to the ability mix-and-match. It seems almost inevitable that everyone was going to be required to level CON and THM to 48 for Cure and Sac III. Or that, as a gladiator, I would inevitably feel obligated to rank up MRD for Defender II. While that freedom seemed fun for a while, it got to be daunting and I felt as though I was simply checking boxes on a list of classes I would need to rank to play my class effectively. Before I took a 2 month break, I made a list of abilities I deemed useful to play gladiator, and I had at least every other class being ranked to 42 to acquire them all. Of course, that ability-required cookie cutter hasn't matured and pervaded FFXIV yet, but I think that's largely because there is nothing for us to do and strive for. The result is a community largely apathetic to character and class builds.

I totally agree with the stats and gear situation. Had they actually made documented and significant setbacks for using gear under optimal rank or on an unfavoured class, the sense of character progression and accomplishment could still be garnered in the more open system. But why wear a bronze haubergeon when you can jump to the cavalry? There are so many egregious examples of this. But the bottom line is, they shot themselves in the foot with their own design.

Provided the new system is designed well (gulp), I can live with it and I believe even be more than happy with it. Perhaps a locked down system is simpler to design and balance as compared to the open system we currently have. I mean, I did enjoy the system set out in FFXI. I don't need the same system, but if that's what it takes to make me feel like character development and progression are a part of FFXIV, I'm in favour of some iteration of a locked down system.

At this point, all we can do is hope the system they designed integrates well with the majority of the player base's expectations. I'm still hopeful - but obviously cautious, given the history of FFXIV thus far.

[Neptune]

Well said Val Rhys. You present some good critiques of the Armoury system. Feeling like you're being backed into a corner to level up multiple classes just to get to a conventional tank ability set is lame and something that crossed my mind too. I wondered if things would come to that and if the spastic FFXI community was any indication this would play out in FFXIV too. In XI there was a lot of pressure from the community to level up entire classes just to be the sub job for others. So in that sense nothing would have changed. And because that type of min/maxing is inevitable considering the amount of time on the hands of some people, it makes me not worry about it too much. I have always been more interested in figuring out how to play well within the niche I have, and I think I made some progress by not leveling THM up to cap and focusing on CON. I suppose it would be a good thing if some abilities were shuffled around somehow, but the concept of the Armoury system is to let you equip any ability and freely make your character - and I hope that doesn't change even if the shuffling does occur.

It's only two to three weeks out. If giving linkshell founders the ability to kick anyone from their shell regardless of distance or online status is "very hard", I really doubt completely revamping the revamp would happen in a month's time.

The job system isn't incoming in 2 to 3 weeks. Take a look at the producer's letter. It's not even scheduled to be implemented in current tasks for summer 2011.

[Scherwiz]

"We'll look into Blank."

Indeed...

[Val_Rhys]

I have always been more interested in figuring out how to play well within the niche I have, and I think I made some progress by not leveling THM up to cap and focusing on CON.

I completely agree with your sentiments there. Right now though, I don't feel like that will last long once difficult content is added. The min/maxing you mentioned is inevitable as the dev team either makes content difficult for the "optimal" character builds, or not.

Given how I feel, and talking at length with dedicated/veteran MMO players in my LS, I think the frustration we have now is spread across the few key points I mentioned before. My knee-jerk reaction was to simply scream "lock it down!" at the top of my lungs, but I absolutely agree that more could have been done to save this system. The problem is, the system felt so broken, and the feedback to the development team was likely so harsh, they too must have reacted rashly.

Without trying to beat very badly a dead horse, I still can't believe some of these design principles survived a dev team brainstorm session, let alone brought to full realization. Even a modicum of self-awareness could have brought the aspects of the armoury system you enjoy to a reasonable state. But they fell far short and are now moving to what they 'know' will work.

[Cairdeas]

I blame the English Localization team for the fallout and downfall of the Armoury System.

Call them classes and people think they are classes like in any other game.

Give them flashy names, and people think they are like classes in any other game.

Build the game not like any other game, people complain its not like other games, you buckle and fix it, and the people who understood what you were doing and enjoyed it get alienated and leave.

GG.