LETTER TO DIRECTOR (Please Read)

[tymora]

FFXI has a flawless battle system. There is very little room for improvement, so why fix what isn’t broken.

Not quite the truth - I did enjoy some fights but some are pretty mundane.
Let's examine Wyrm battles - Leg hugging from start to end.
How about Behemoth fights - Kite it from start to end.

One of the major complaints of FFXI battle system was that it was not engaging enough and here you are stating the opposite?

Lastly, my concerns fall to the issue of implementing a new job system

FFXIV's is more closely based on FFV's where you need to learn the ability using the class before you can use it. While it needs more balancing, the flexibility of combining traits and abilities from all classes is clearly a much superior system than FFXI's sub-job system.

There should not be ANY exception that allows one job to wear another job’s armor.

Not really a problem. Town gear is all and well. Those who insists on wearing the wrong gear to the fight shouldn't be blamed on SE. Is it the car-maker's fault if the driver insists on driving at 150mph and getting into an accident?

Besides, SE is already adding class-exclusive gear so your point is moot.

[Khal_Drogo]

Sorry for the long post guys. I changed it up a little bit, so it's easier to read. I'm starting to think that I posted this in the wrong area. I couldn't figure out where the right place would be to post it. Would it be ok to chop up each section and make a thread for them? or would that be considered spam, or whatever?

[Darrkness]

I think splitting them up into separate threads would work just fine.. i don't think any of us would consider it spamming if you are trying to get multiple points across.. although i'm sure the devs would appreciate it if everything was consolidated like it is now.... in fact you should look at this thread and say something about this issue as well... i'm not that good of a writer and you seem to be better than i am.. =)

[Khal_Drogo]

Not quite the truth - I did enjoy some fights but some are pretty mundane.
Let's examine Wyrm battles - Leg hugging from start to end.
How about Behemoth fights - Kite it from start to end.

One of the major complaints of FFXI battle system was that it was not engaging enough and here you are stating the opposite?

First of all Tymora, I want you to know I wasn't really commending SE on the fighting-strategy they designed for fighting various mobs on FFXI, so none of that stuff really applies here. Although, while we're on the subject...you had levels 1-75 to sit there and spam mobs with w/e you can dish out to them. What's wrong with a little versatility?

I was referring to the battle system itself, in general. Nothing is wrong with the idea of having a more "engaging" battle system (as you put it). However, XIV takes that suggestion to the extreme. Now, it's so engaging, you can barely blink w/o killing your entire party -unless you're fighting the "right level" mobs. In XI, you could fight monsters way above your level just by imploring an effective strategy...and ironically, kiting is a perfect example. That isn't really possible in XIV. You either spam the monster to death as soon as possible, get spammed in cures to prevent yourself from dying, or just don't fight it at all. There is no middle-ground. Why would anyone want to sit there for hours and hours smashing buttons constantly? There should be some sort of balance at least. I think with all the new abilities, the game is engaging enough. You have attack buffs (Ferocity, Still Precision, Blood Bath, Life/Speed Surge, Feint etc.); you have defense and evasion buffs (Featherfoot, Defender, Rampart, Cover, Diversion, Raging Strike, etc.); and so much more.

Should it really be necessary for ppl to sit in front of their screen, every waking moment, just to be "efficient?" Mages in XI also complained about having to only spam cures all the time, and not being able to do anything else other than cure and/or debuff mobs. And yet, here you are, condoning the very same thing that ruined gameplay for them in the past.

FFXIV's is more closely based on FFV's where you need to learn the ability using the class before you can use it. While it needs more balancing, the flexibility of combining traits and abilities from all classes is clearly a much superior system than FFXI's sub-job system.

You're right about this. The FFXIV job system is far more superior to the FFXI sub-job system, in terms of fighting power. But because of the mass combination of class abilities, actions, and traits, no class is very unique. Everyone capitalizes on various aspects of each job, and turns every class into a carbon-copy of the other. In FFXI, there were clear, distinct roles designated to each job. Red mage had magic, and great spells, so it debuffed mobs, and cured and buffed pt members (although, useful attk magic would have been nice, which, luckily THM brings to the table); Thief had high evasion and good hate-control abilities (Trick Attack, Collaborate, etc.), so it pulled monsters, and assisted tanks with maintaining hate, and so on. Because of the current system, every job can play any role in any party. Nothing is unique about them but the "weapon they carry" and the "title they possess" -as I said before.

Not really a problem. Town gear is all and well. Those who insists on wearing the wrong gear to the fight shouldn't be blamed on SE. Is it the car-maker's fault if the driver insists on driving at 150mph and getting into an accident?

Besides, SE is already adding class-exclusive gear so your point is moot.

As for the armor system issues, it will still be a major problem even with the update, I'm sure. Also, my issues were not restricted to the topic of class-specific armor. In fact, the majority of it was concerning the ability to equip gear above your current level, so, it's actually your your point that is moot. As for your analogy with the car, it isn't really valid. SE is not distributing a random product for "the individual." This is an mmorpg, and everything SE allows people to do, effects everyone else's gameplay. When a person is level 40, and he or she see someone, level 20, wearing the same armor he or she waited until level 40 to equip, it's discouraging. Equipping high level gear is exciting; and, no matter how insignificant the joy it brings is, it should be something exclusive to those who worked for it. So, yes, when SE allows players to do something that undermines my hard work, and they have the power to change it.... they are to blame.

[tymora]

Should it really be necessary for ppl to sit in front of their screen, every waking moment, just to be "efficient?"

Doing chain 100s on Colibris already put me in front of the screen and active every second as a RDM. If anything, there isn't much difference for us casters. I am sorry you can't just auto-attack, go drink a sip of coffee and come back to hit your TP button. It is all very fair to me.

That also put exp leechers out of business, unless of course the others intentionally tolerate it. And learn to "ask" your group members for a break, if you need it. A regular exp party should be able to handle a few minutes of your absense, incidentally probably because they can equip healing spells, which you appear to be unhappy with as well.

Right now as it is, you get a lot of break time waiting for mobs to re-spawn, not like that is a good thing however.

In FFXI, there were clear, distinct roles designated to each job.

Incidentally, that got rid of pigeon-holing jobs to a specific role. Do you want the "sit in town" forever just because you are a DRG or BST all over again?

Despite the fact that some groups went for all ranged for Ogre, its not harder to go with a full melee team...and make that a more or less random melee team to win the fight.

Nothing is unique about them but the "weapon they carry" and the "title they possess" -as I said before.

Some jobs are still better at some roles than others regardless.

When a person is level 40, and he or she see someone, level 20, wearing the same armor he or she waited until level 40 to equip, it's discouraging.

Actually I would laugh at said person's idiocy of equipping less than optimal gear, but that's just me.
The level scaling of armor will make a lot more sense if level-syncing is introduced, assuming that they will do that. And following your suggestion, even if I have a R50 melee, I can't use it for my R1 melee classes? By your logic, I have already "earned" it, haven't I?

[Darrkness]

Actually I would laugh at said person's idiocy of equipping less than optimal gear, but that's just me.
The level scaling of armor will make a lot more sense if level-syncing is introduced, assuming that they will do that. And following your suggestion, even if I have a R50 melee, I can't use it for my R1 melee classes? By your logic, I have already "earned" it, haven't I?

actually from what I've gathered if you use an item that is way above either your physical lvl or or higher than the recommended rank lvl it seems to degrade allot quicker...

[Khal_Drogo]

Originally posted by Tymora

Doing chain 100s on Colibris already put me in front of the screen and active every second as a RDM. If anything, there isn't much difference for us casters.

You keep talking about "life as a lvl 70+ job" like it applied at every level. Chains never got anywhere near that high at low levels. I just want things to slow down. Why does it have to be one extreme or the other? Can't SE find some kind of middle-ground?

Incidentally, that got rid of pigeon-holing jobs to a specific role. Do you want the "sit in town" forever just because you are a DRG or BST all over again?

lol, I know where you're coming from Tymora, but it doesn't have to be like that. The problem w/ XI wasn't that the jobs were too "restricted." The problem was that the jobs were too unbalanced. WAR, MNK and SAM were the most amazing melee jobs to use, so DRG, BST, PLD, and so many others, got pushed aside. The problem was that SE failed to give those jobs the kind of boosts they needed to make them viable substitutes. If SE would have given DRG (and others like it) it's own, unique abilities that make them just as effective as SAM, MNK, and WAR, then it wouldn't have sat in Aht Urghan or Jueno all day. That's the problem that needs to be addressed -not the idea of removing ability restrictions, so that every melee can use meditate, chi blast, chakra, berserk, and so-on. It seems, to me, like the laziest way to go about doing things. Just off the top of our heads, I'm sure everyone here could think of a handful of ways to make jobs in XI better without doing what XIV did to classes. BST for example, just to throw it out there, could have gotten an ability that allows them to "charm-enfeeble" mobs into using their tp moves on themselves while they are engaged with them, or something. DRG could have been given some kind of cool wyvern-breath enhancement ability that can grants their polearm with w/e affinity works best against the mobs they are engaged with (blunt for skellys, piercing for colibris, etc.). The list goes on.

And following your suggestion, even if I have a R50 melee, I can't use it for my R1 melee classes? By your logic, I have already "earned" it, haven't I?

No, you have not lol If you remember, in my original post, I talked about seeing someone on a certain job, seeing them in that gear, and ppl deciding to "retire" their job and all their hard work on a whim, just from seeing that cool armor on a job they don't have leveled. Just because someone made the "mistake" of leveling the wrong job, doesn't mean they should be allowed to wear "my" armor -regardless of how "idiotic" the choice to do so would be.

[Natabant]

That is a much better read now Khal, so good job there. I just wish you had posted this in a place that gets a little more traffic like the "General Discussion" area. You might try contacting support, and see if you can have it transferred.

[elreed]

I actually say all the time "bring this and that from FFXI" but this time i must say hell no, i dont see any problem with the pace of battle i get bored everytime i tried to play FFXI again, i dont know if you are being sarcastic or something, but what makes you think that bringing back the slow pace of battle will upgrade the game, it is really awesome to have a system where you can go to the bathroom while fighting a mob (im being sarcastic btw) even the Battle regimen was a good way to replace Skillchains.

I remember seeing the video of FFXIV i was excited to see how the mage would enfire the arrow of the archer, in a way its something like that the only thing that in my op. could upgrade the BR's is to make it in a way were you can set the ws you want to use and take that tp from you and let you keep using abbilities and weapon skills, todays game are a lot faster than FFXI is, that doesnt mean you cant do strategy in real time, thats why we have better voice chats now.

[elreed]

Oh and btw i like the cross class system, the subjob system was really tight, at the end everyone had ninja as sub, with cross class you can see different play styles, and a lancer doesnt replace a healer, or an archer doesnt replace a tank just because it has defender on.