Job Personalization: Can I Have It?

[Vickii]

The truth is.. that someone will find an optimal build and 95% of players will use that build. Regardless of their end game aspirations. Also people will get called out and 'bullied' if they don't perform amazing while not using the optimal build. The fights will be arranged around said build and then people will complain that their talent is useless etc. It's a lot more work for the developers for little profit.

I like the idea, love it. But in practise it really doesn't work, almost all MMO's with talent choices have that problem.

[Risvertasashi]

The truth is.. that someone will find an optimal build and 95% of players will use that build. Regardless of their end game aspirations. Also people will get called out and 'bullied' if they don't perform amazing while not using the optimal build. The fights will be arranged around said build and then people will complain that their talent is useless etc. It's a lot more work for the developers for little profit.

I like the idea, love it. But in practise it really doesn't work, almost all MMO's with talent choices have that problem.

Easy fix to at least one of those: Don't let others see how you have spec'd.

If they're effectively as potent as the off-stat system, it won't really matter how people build anyways.

[LandricFrey]

The truth is.. that someone will find an optimal build and 95% of players will use that build. Regardless of their end game aspirations. Also people will get called out and 'bullied' if they don't perform amazing while not using the optimal build. The fights will be arranged around said build and then people will complain that their talent is useless etc. It's a lot more work for the developers for little profit.

I like the idea, love it. But in practise it really doesn't work, almost all MMO's with talent choices have that problem.

This counts as argument number 1:“Choice is an Illusion.” Which my counter argument is:All of those players would chose to look up a premade optimal build to enhance their experience, effectively giving them but one choice. Nothing would change for them except the fact that they have made a decision. This is more of a hardcore player issue, but already we have no choice. What this does is let people who aren't hardcore have a choice. And it does work in every MMO that uses it. yes people bully, they will be bullies if you don't have the right gear, so they will be bullies for having the "wrong" setup. Play with friends, or just ignore these people. If you get kicked, that's harassment. Bullying is going to happen either way.

[Risvertasashi]

Bullying is going to happen either way.

Sort of true, but if SE puts in a build system, there's no reason they have to let other players see how you have built.

Us raiders will do our thing and if we're having problems, yeah, raid leaders might suggest people go with a certain build. For any content that's in the DF, though, it just won't matter.

[Duelle]

This counts as argument number 1:“Choice is an Illusion.” Which my counter argument is:All of those players would chose to look up a premade optimal build to enhance their experience, effectively giving them but one choice. Nothing would change for them except the fact that they have made a decision. This is more of a hardcore player issue, but already we have no choice. What this does is let people who aren't hardcore have a choice.

Giving people the choice to be mediocre is no choice at all. We'd go back to the scenario of Souleater Recast merits vs Arcane Circle Recast merits. One is actually useful, the other one is a waste of code. All you'd be doing is inviting the type of problems that are known to work with "specs" (people getting ridiculed for not going the optimal route). This is why I'd push customization in the direction of aesthetics rather than gameplay. There's plenty of ways to do it without creating even bigger problems among the playerbase.

I would be happy to have a Spell Speed Mage with the Ability to have enough Movement or a Heavy Damage Dealing Mage with slowed Movement. *Does look at Nexus System from FFXIII*

Except the one that deals most damage will rule over the other.

I wish I could be either a Ice Mage or a Fire Mage....hell or even Lightning or something.
I honestly like the ice element better than fire. :/ I wish they could give us a choice but both be equal.

I'd go for somehow swapping particle effects and spell names around over changing BLM at the baseline. Granted, the job is built around it using all its elements.

XI tried what you're asking with elemental affinity merits, but that quickly became "spec into lightning or ice or GTFO".

[Sandpark]

Giving people the choice to be mediocre is no choice at all. We'd go back to the scenario of Souleater Recast merits vs Arcane Circle Recast merits. One is actually useful, the other one is a waste of code. All you'd be doing is inviting the type of problems that are known to work with "specs" (people getting ridiculed for not going the optimal route).

In tight group based content, it would be a waste of code because SE cannot make a dungeon make every jobs skill matter.

Except the one that deals most damage will rule over the other.

In groups as they get larger. Of course if a party takes a DPS, they will want the higher DPS. In low man or solo open world content. That DPS wouldn't be as much required, especially if you couldn't heal yourself much at all or have a survivable build for things that don't die fast.

I'd go for somehow swapping particle effects and spell names around over changing BLM at the baseline. Granted, the job is built around it using all its elements.

XI tried what you're asking with elemental affinity merits, but that quickly became "spec into lightning or ice or GTFO".

In FFXI and FFXIV. You were stuck into one type of gameplay, repeating the same spells. In FFXI it was because even though you could spec into a fire build, most things were weak to lightning and ice.

In FFXIV you are still casting the same spell over and over. But here it isn't because monster identity is trended one way. It's because there is no monster identity in terms of weaknesses. At least in the former, there was some variation.

I still don't think job personalization would work with jobs and how they are designed for focused group content. But they could create open world low man content or public events filling a need for customization that could be done in classes.

[Vickii]

And it does work in every MMO that uses it.

I kinda disagree on this. I only really see customisation working in way of specs (which is basically just another class and all specs have little customisation within them) or with really basic choices. which boil down to the same thing.

For example 'drop feather on ground which gives player run speed' vs 'cast x spell on player which gives them run speed'. That's the only time when people have a choice that doesn't imbalance the game or 'nerf' the player for choosing it. Even then people still tend to flock to the same thing.

Honestly, i don't believe it works in most MMO's.

[Nadirah]

The truth is.. that someone will find an optimal build and 95% of players will use that build. Regardless of their end game aspirations. Also people will get called out and 'bullied' if they don't perform amazing while not using the optimal build. The fights will be arranged around said build and then people will complain that their talent is useless etc. It's a lot more work for the developers for little profit.

I like the idea, love it. But in practise it really doesn't work, almost all MMO's with talent choices have that problem.

This.

False.The challenge would be greater, though I still wouldn't argue this when we have the some of the most talented devs in the world working on this game. There are other games out there with a balanced custom class system in place. There’s no reason SE couldn't do it and do it better!

Balance is already a bitch and you want to make it even harder?