Combo Consolidation: How long before we see it in PVE?

[Zigabar]

The current system isn't convoluted or bloated.

Compared to the new PVP system it is. All it's literally doing is freeing up buttons. A NIN is never going to use Gust Slash or Aeolian Edge outside of a combo, so why do they need to be separate keys?

[Shurrikhan]

Hopefully never

Came to post exactly this when I read the topic title.

I could understand this if the abilities were separately usable, but as long as SE insists on making them utter waste unless used in their specific order... why? Just, why? It is the purest definition of bloat.

[Moonlite]

Compared to the new PVP system it is.

This is the same player base that thinks 36 skills is the sweet spot from the other thread. So the idea of less scares them? They have never seen a proc based system? I just don't understand.

[Zigabar]

This is the same player base that thinks 36 skills is the sweet spot from the other thread. So the idea of less scares them? They have never seen a proc based system? I just don't understand.

People who have never played any other MMO outside of the Final Fantasy titles, maybe?

[Aniya_Estlihn]

Having the combos consolidated would open up a lot more room for other abilities and utilities that aren't part of a combo. Right now, combos are just a way to simulate the idea that we have a lot of buttons to press, there's no real substance there other than increasing bloat on our bars.

That implied utility is a pipe dream, for if they simplify the system they will not add more actions to supplement the simpler rotations as that would lead to player complaints that there are too many utilities and that those need to be pruned as well. It is a slippery slope, and after they finally decided to listen to general player complaints for 4.0 I think it is silly for people to even suggest such a foolish idea. Yet, here we are, people now want the system dumbed down to the point where learning anything is made null and void... No. Absolutely not.

Learn to buffer you actions, learn your cooldowns, learn how to double weave and get over it.

People need to stop suggesting it and learn to play their jobs like everyone else, this game isn't even remotely hard and dumbing it down for the convenience of those who are too lazy to learn to play is not a solution and will only add to the problem.

There is no reward from pressing a single button.

[Ferth]

That implied utility is a pipe dream, for if they simplify the system they will not add more actions to supplement the simpler rotations as that would lead to player complaints that there are too many utilities and that those need to be pruned as well. It is a slippery slope, and after they finally decided to listen to general player complaints for 4.0 I think it is silly for people to even suggest such a foolish idea. Yet, here we are, people now want the system dumbed down to the point where learning anything is made null and void... No. Absolutely not.

Learn to buffer you actions, learn your cooldowns, learn how to double weave and get over it.

People need to stop suggesting it and learn to play their jobs like everyone else, this game isn't even remotely hard and dumbing it down for the convenience of those who are too lazy to learn to play is not a solution and will only add to the problem.

There is no reward from pressing a single button.

The quote you are replying to isn't talking about adding new abilities, the point is placing our current buffs in more easily accessible positions because those keys will no longer be necessary for skills that only work in sequence. The difference between pressing three buttons in the same order and pressing one button three times for the same sequence is so negligible as to be ridiculous.

This request is not coming from people who suck at content and are too bad to figure this stuff out. It's coming from people who realize that we don't need 3 buttons to do what one button can, we already are weaving our oGCD cooldowns between spells/weaponskills but just don't see a reason why we need to be using 25-30 hotkeys when it can easily be reduced 15-20.

If your measure of skill and engagement is how many different buttons you can press then maybe this is more your speed.

[Felis]

Monks can set up a consolidation key for flank weapon skills and a consolidation key for rear weapon skills, but it would change both based on stance so that they can still use whichever is most beneficial for the moment. 6 hot keys become 2.

You forgot 1 skill
And how will it work with activated Perfect Balance?

Allows execution of weaponskills which require a certain form, without being in that form.

[Ferth]

You forgot 1 skill
And how will it work with activated Perfect Balance?

Good point, and admittedly monk is one of my least favorite jobs to play so I don't really have a good answer. And really I have no good answer for how this would benefit BLM, SMN, BRD or MCH either. Unless we could also make it work for oGCDs we want to fire off in a specific order to replace the really clunky macro system it might not benefit everyone. But seeing how it worked for DRG in the pvp demo I could see how it would translate into a decent set up for tanks as well. And since the bulk of the coding is clearly already there, adding it to the tool-set should people want to use it seems like an easy implementation.

[Nyarlha]

You forgot 1 skill
And how will it work with activated Perfect Balance?

It would not. Monks just do not use combos, they use stances so it just wouldn't be implemented for them as they are way more flexibles regarding the order of their skills.

For Dragoons though? There is absolutely no reason not to consolidate their two combos to two buttons, there is not even an illusion of choice there, you will ALWAYS hit them in the same order. And no, that has nothing to do with skill whatsoever.

[Neophyte]

Funny how people look obly from one side.

If they consolidate 1-2-3 (BB) and 1-4-5/6 into one button for 1-2-3, one for 1-4-5 and one for 1-4-6 you freed up 3 slots.

But that's not the end. Slots don't stay open, they get filled with other stuff. So in the end you might use 2-2-2 for Maim+SE and 3-3-3 for Maim+SP, but pressing 4, 5, 6 will still be a thing for other (new) skills (or complete combos) which will get added.

It even enables the developers to give you a full combo with one new 'ability' from a job quest.

In the end the overall buttons will stay the same, like with HW->SB. So with 5.0 they will remove/consolidate/replace something anyway.