jpgames.de Gamescom 2015 interview with Naoki Yoshida

[Belhi]

The mentioned 'solution' to housing is not a solution at all, it might slightly ease the situation, but it fails to address the central issue, the number of plots per server is a small fraction of what is needed to give the majority of players any hope of getting a house. As much respect as Yoshida-san deserves, this is an abject failure on his part to address the situation and player concerns. I feel much the same way about his response to the loss of identity for WHM, he seems to thinK more powerful heals somehow fix the identity issue caused by homogonizing and nerfing many of the things specific to WHM. Removing their trait advantages on SS and Protect is a real kick in the nuts for WHM.

I think his point was the things WHM gets after 50 make up for it in Job identity. WHM is a very different healer to either SCH or AST. Its less subtle and more powerful. Homogenization is only an issue when the Jobs start to feel too similar. Granite skin and Protect are poor ways to define WHM.

WHM job identity is in raw powerful healing output. They are the BLM of healing pumping out heals on a scale the other healers cant match. Their major restricting factor is Mana. The post 50 abilities only strengthen this feeling of a healing artillery gun. They are the masters of reactive healing. How does damage mitigation make them less homogenized vs healing Jobs that specialise in mitigation?

[Kosmos992k]

WHM job identity is in raw powerful healing output. They are the BLM of healing pumping out heals on a scale the other healers cant match. Their major restricting factor is Mana. The post 50 abilities only strengthen this feeling of a healing artillery gun. They are the masters of reactive healing. How does damage mitigation make them less homogenized vs healing Jobs that specialise in mitigation?

Perhaps part of the difference between us is that I am not looking at this from an endgame efficiency point of view, and perhaps you are. Yoshi clearly is, hence his comments abot waiting until the interviewer hit 60. I'm sorry, but I don't measure much of this game based on raid or end game utility. The look and feel, personality and how something plays matter more to me.

I never quite saw WHM as just being about the big numbers. The point, and problem, is that specific things that set the WHM apart were removed. Things that set something apart are key aspects of that thing's identity. I mean it's all nice and well to be a healing bazooka, but that narrows the scope of the role WHM filfills compared to how it was before. I understand that the expansion brought 3 new jobs, but look it this way, some (not all) Bards, White Mages and Paladins are upset and feel that many of the changes to the game, their job and the new jobs have removed some of the things that set them apart, some of the aspects to those jobs that made them unique are no longer unique, or no longer work the same way. I don't know, to me alienating players of three original jobs seems to be an issue, especially as two of those three are in roles we are already short of.

[Lyrinn]

Perhaps part of the difference between us is that I am not looking at this from an endgame efficiency point of view, and perhaps you are. Yoshi clearly is, hence his comments abot waiting until the interviewer hit 60. I'm sorry, but I don't measure much of this game based on raid or end game utility. The look and feel, personality and how something plays matter more to me.

Why don't you describe how you think WHM is or should be? Because nothing you said in your post screams "Protect and Stoneskin are essential parts of my identity!" Most people will say WHM's niche is as a powerhouse healer, both single target and (especially) AoE. Protect and SS has nothing to do with either. In fact, I never even noticed the difference between pro-shell and protect until T13, and that's because it's a cast-and-forget spell that's negligible for most fights. Stoneskin you could make an argument for. But I'm pretty sure stuff like giving Indom to SCH is what upset WHMs the most, since that directly detracts from their identity as a strong AoE healer. PLDs have legitimate reason to be upset, as their DPS is clearly inferior to DRK/WAR and some of their new toys are virtually unusable (Casting Cleme--Interrupted).

No one can say dark side Hurts their eyes or anything anymore, You can just make it out if you are in a brightly lit area or even a bright background Environment.

It's still obnoxious in cities. It's not so much the color or glow as it is just how stupidly far out from the character it is. Reduce the radius on it.

[Reynhart]

I never quite saw WHM as just being about the big numbers. The point, and problem, is that specific things that set the WHM apart were removed.

Ok, I'm only lvl 50 WHM and SCH on my alt, but I don't think "Shell" and "Granite skin" are really part of the WHM's identity...
Because, when you play, you still just cast Protect of Stoneskin wether you have the trait or not.

What makes a job unique is how it plays, and for that, WHM still retains all its identity...and I suppose even more at lvl 60.

But, while they're removing traits for WHM, what about this stupid in-battle Raise trait, then other healers don't need ?

WoW has way more Slots aviable in WoD:

128 Inventory Slots
223 bank slots
98 Gathering Bank slots (Only for Materials)
80 Transmog Bank slots (only for Weapons and Armor)

Thats a total of 529 spaces. And that for every Character you play to 100.

Armory : 25*12 slots = 300 (Not counting job crystals)
Character : 100 slot
Free Retainer #1 : 175 slot
Free Retainer #2 : 175 slot

That's 750 slots, without counting the unlimited space of armoire, even though only a few items can go there.

On a single character that you can level 23 times to 60

[Assirra]

Armory : 25*12 slots = 300 (Not counting job crystals)
Character : 100 slot
Free Retainer #1 : 175 slot
Free Retainer #2 : 175 slot


That's 750 slots, without counting the unlimited space of armoire, even though only a few items can go there.

On a single character that you can level 23 times to 60

Armory really shouldn't count as total since they are very specific of what you can place there.

[Reynhart]

Armory really shouldn't count as total since they are very specific of what you can place there.

Yet it still count as memory space and data that need to be transfered.

[Tint]

But, while they're removing traits for WHM, what about this stupid in-battle Raise trait, then other healers don't need ?

the trait IS needed because the whm raise is a crosskill for paladin. without the trait paladin would be able to raise in battle.

[Canadane]

the trait IS needed because the whm raise is a crosskill for paladin. without the trait paladin would be able to raise in battle.

I don't think that's such a bad thing.
A clutch extra raise, not too different than asking your summoner to use Resurrection. The only difference is he can throw up Hallowed Ground to make sure it goes off.

[Reynhart]

the trait IS needed because the whm raise is a crosskill for paladin. without the trait paladin would be able to raise in battle.

Explain why this is a problem ?

BUT, I stand corrected. Only ACN doesn't need a trait, I recently learned that Ascend can't initially be used in combat...

What'd be the big deal of allowing in-battle raise before lvl 20 ?!

[mp-please]

the trait IS needed because the whm raise is a crosskill for paladin. without the trait paladin would be able to raise in battle.

I would rather have paladins adding that sort of utility to the party (just like smn) than seeing them cast the exact same protect and stoneskin as me. Having to slowly cast it due no swiftcast or spellspeed would be a pretty good limitation to paladin raise while removing a huge burden on healer mp when revives aren't really a priority.