Yoshi-P on Character Growth

[Kaurie]

And how exactly does this make the game more interesting? I can run a good portion of the content with Mind allocated and DEX gear. You're essentially asking for a complete character development overhaul despite fully acknowledging it is fundamentally pointless because at top tier content, you will be expected to optimize or you won't be taken. Why waste all their resources on something that doesn't actually accomplish anything? If they ever consider a similar direction, I would it to be impactful, not something I could (and likely would) ignore almost instantly.

I don't understand what your MND and DEX gear comment is about?

I did not acknowledge that. I acknowledged that world firsts will go for the 'best', but anything after that doesn't need it. This is the same as, say, group composition. However, once you pass the world firsts, any combination of 4 dps, 2 tanks and 2 heals is really viable in this game.

I do acknowledge that it would take a lot of overhaul to change fundamentals of the game to be the same as WoW. It doesn't need to be the exact same as WoW. I just used WoW as an example of why the "illusion of choice" is an idiotic term.

I think that the game developers could use their current system and provide choice, on-going progression beyond max level and/or horizontal progression without being the exact same as WoW and without having the issues that Yoshi mentioned in the interview and without forcing players to swap gear in combat.

They actually already have some of the systems in place, for example they could expand on both the cross class abilities and class -> jobs. When I first came here, I considered jobs to be "specs" of the classes. Then they abandoned it. They could go back to that, as the system is in place, and provide more jobs from classes. We could get our sword wielding DPS from a gladiator etc. Further, they could open up more abilities that can be cross classed, and actually have them be a decent choice (vs now which fully embraces the illusion of choice).

There is also the added materia which grants some level of horizontal progression, but in the most dull way possible. Perhaps materia could be added to be a bit more interesting and really change how things are played (instead of +crit, you have materia that changes skills, cooldowns or playstyle changes). Obtaining materia also feels rather grindy, more-so than it really needs to be/should be.