Did the game get too complicated, or am I just an idiot?

[HairyRoger]

(>' . ' )>

Agreed. One thing I have noticed with FF is that they seem to focus more on balancing how much effort it takes to do dps vs how much you actually do instead of focusing adding to whatever made a class unique or enjoyable. I might be wrong on this and it is an opinion.

Take a bard for example. They had the highest mobility while doing dps. This was defining along with songs. They might have changed this due to game balance and to justify doing X amount of damage, but in the end if it creates very similar style of play on different jobs even if they have differences in mechanics elsewhere. If the class is good or bad is not the point.

Same with adding more positional requirements across the board to melee. Taking NIN as an example, the mudra system has a lot of potential that could be used rather than adding more ogcd instants and positional requirements. These are the easier to balance options.

[Alahra]

These are the easier to balance options.

Yes, I'm pretty sure that's why we got positionals for Ninja and cast-times for BRD/MCH. On some level, they came to the conclusion that NIN lacking positionals and BRD being so mobile made them too favorable compared to other melee and other ranged classes, respectively (I get the impression MCH was designed with cast times from the get-go, whereas Minuet was added to BRD afterward, which is why it seems to be...clunkier...than MCH).

This is probably why we saw some degree of homogenization among the tanks and healers, too.

[RiisWolf]

The tanks didn't become much more complex either, nor did any of the healers. I'd say the classes that ended up with the most added complexity at this point are BLM and DRG.

Some added complexity is fine (most of the classes probably were a bit too simple in ARR), though I wish they would have gone with the established pattern and given us two new abilities and 3 traits, which would have significantly cut down on bloat. They're going to have a problem on their hands in 4.0, as even on keyboard I'm struggling to find comfortable keybinds for everything. I can't imagine how it feels on gamepad.

I want to stay on topic, but yeah, for all the old tanks and heals, the 3.0 changes only filled in the holes and build on each class, ultimately changing nothing about how they work. But I sure hope whatever the changes in 4.0 are, that they do something about the ability bloat because WARs and PLDs got like 33 abilities. And I don't think most DPS are far behind.

[hallena]

snip.

Warrior's ability bloat could easily be fixed by changing how skills work depending on your stance
For exemple, while under defience, inner beast is inner beast
While under deliverance. Inner beast turn into fel cleave
Same goes for steel cyclone and decimate

[spelley]

DRG and BLM did indeed get the most "added complication." This is because they had extremely simple rotations previously. Now they have to maintain a buff for optimal DPS, which MNK has had to do forever. I can safely say that DRG isn't all that complicated, just have to actually pay attention now, which is a good thing, and introduces a bit of skill mastery to the job.

[hallena]

DRG and BLM did indeed get the most "added complication." This is because they had extremely simple rotations previously. Now they have to maintain a buff for optimal DPS, which MNK has had to do forever. I can safely say that DRG isn't all that complicated, just have to actually pay attention now, which is a good thing, and introduces a bit of skill mastery to the job.

BLM and DRG didnt get more complicated. in blm's case the rotation went from 1-1-1-1-1(2 if firestarter proc) to 3-3-1-3-3. Drg and blm were given skills that punish you for moving out of aoes, doing mechanic or being targeted by random boss mechanic/CC. I can still play blm while watching videos and not paying too much attention. most people complaining about enochian/Botd aren't complaining because its "complicated" they are complaining because the rotation is too strict (spelling) and doing anything other than turret might make you lose your buff that make or break your dps.
Heck, sometime i lose enochian for using apocatastasis(which is a offgcd ability) or miscalculate my mana, go in umbral ice and get a rng 2-3 seconds before the mana tick i needed to swiftcast blizz IV

[Jim_Berry]

Don't feel bad. I was kicked from Dusk Vigil because I kept tanking as a NIN lol...

The AST kept blaming me for not controlling my dps, even after I stayed behind the DRK AND waited for him to pull. After I said, "...breh!", I was kicked.

[Kuroyasha]

Don't feel bad. I was kicked from Dusk Vigil because I kept tanking as a NIN lol...

The AST kept blaming me for not controlling my dps, even after I stayed behind the DRK AND waited for him to pull. After I said, "...breh!", I was kicked.

I hate when stuff like that happens. I had a tank that couldnt hold hate for nothing. Every boss fight of the dungeon Fraactal I would wait about 2 gcds from pull, quelling strikes and do my opener as BLM. We both had i200 weap and he had better gear all around( I switched to blm after gearing up nin so my blm isn't really geared in a lot of 190 etc yet). b4 I could finish the opener every boss is coming on me wacking me in the face and Im just lookng at my timers and dps go down...and sighing in disappointment lol.

DRG and BLM did indeed get the most "added complication." This is because they had extremely simple rotations previously. Now they have to maintain a buff for optimal DPS, which MNK has had to do forever. I can safely say that DRG isn't all that complicated, just have to actually pay attention now, which is a good thing, and introduces a bit of skill mastery to the job.

Eh, maintaining GL3 as a monk was nowhere near as bad as maintaing eno while dealing with mechanics imo.

[Sethra]

The timing of AF is so tight it seems like no one at SE actually played 60 BLM prior to release beyond hitting a dummy.

[Jim_Berry]

I hate when stuff like that happens. I had a tank that couldnt hold hate for nothing. Every boss fight of the dungeon Fraactal I would wait about 2 gcds from pull, quelling strikes and do my opener as BLM. We both had i200 weap and he had better gear all around( I switched to blm after gearing up nin so my blm isn't really geared in a lot of 190 etc yet). b4 I could finish the opener every boss is coming on me wacking me in the face and Im just lookng at my timers and dps go down...and sighing in disappointment lol.

My NIN is only Lv53, though. Still iLv130 in Dreadwyrm/Peotic stuff and Zeta. The tank was Lv58+ with some blue gear and one Lv58 Ring.