AOE Spells - Can they be renamed? "Thunderga" rater then II and IV?

[Felis]

Also, it seems important to note that Fire, Fira and Firaga in some games were both a single-target spell AND an AoE spell, based on what the player wanted, with the AoE dealing less damage per target as a trade-off. That would actually be a fun mechanic here too...Have an AoE stance that you can turn on and your elemental spells become AoE at the cost of damage...Would solve naming issues for one.

We had it during 1.0, the AoE toggle. Sadly it got removed after the classes got changed for the job system.



It feeled like playing the classic FF games, where you moved the target cursor to max. left to activate AoE.

[Delmontyb]

We had it during 1.0, the AoE toggle. Sadly it got removed after the classes got changed for the job system.



It feeled like playing the classic FF games, where you moved the target cursor to max. left to activate AoE.

Oh man... that's been a while... I think that got removed with the 1.21 changes (some patch) becuase Fire (all fire) was AOE... and thunder was single target... it's been a while though.

[Cabalabob]

I agree, they should take the ffxi approach now that the system has changed. Thunder 1 > thunder 2 = single target, thundaga > thundaga 2 = AoE.

it has always seemed really off to me that the AoE nukes are considered to be in the same line as the single target ones. Fire 3 should be fire 2, fire 4 should be fire 3, while fire 2 should be firaga and the same with the blizzard and aero lines.

[SpiritMuse]

I feel that the numbers are much more confusing than the suffixes would be. Because the numbers imply that they are all just stronger versions of the same spell, which isn't always the case. While things like the Stone series of spells are exactly the same except in power, in the case of the Fire spells, for example, each Fire has its own unique properties and function within the BLM rotation. But you'd never guess that from the name alone.

This is why we get BLMs spamming nothing but Fire 3/Blizzard 3. They're the highest numbered spells, after all, so they must be the best to use and the others are obsolete and can be shunted off the hot bars entirely.

Same for Cure. I and II are mostly the same, but Cure III is a very different beast and certainly not the best universally in every situation, despite it having the highest number.

[MomomiMomi]

They addressed this years ago. It's I, II, III because it's easier to understand and they're not going to change it.

Didn't make much sense then, makes even less sense now.

Thunder 1 and 3 are single target while 2 and 4 is AoE? This is not easier to understand. This is nonsense. There's no hierarchy here, they're completely different types of spells.

If they want to keep a hierarchy, they should probably go with FFXI style naming, where -ga is AoE.

Thunder, Thunder II.
Thundaga, Thundaga II.

[Vhailor]

Just emulate FFXI already.

AoE vs. ST versions of a spell should have different (but related) names; something like Fire and Firaga, a la FFXI, accomplishes this.

Within a category of spell (AoE or ST), if multiple versions exist, they should have some mechanism to indicate their relative strength, a la I, II, III, IV, etc. Again, FFXI's system accomplishes this.

Why change a system that already worked fine?

[SendohJin]

They addressed this years ago. It's I, II, III because it's easier to understand and they're not going to change it.

This was not easy to understand at all.

Bio and Bio II do not stack, both are single target Bio II is instant cast.
Miasma and Miasma II do not stack, Miasma II is AOE and instant cast.
Ruin, Ruin II, Ruin III are all single target and Ruin II is the only instant cast.

Miasma II shoud've had a different name.
Ruin III also should have a different name like Broil.

[Ghastly]

It just feels more FF to go with the cura curaga than these numbers which make every new number feel like a lazy new spell.
If it was without the numbers they would actually feel like unique spells, to me anyway.

So basically the english version is the only one that doesn't want things feel to FF enough.
It didn't make FFX sell less so it's ok to change it back to cura, curaga, etc

[Jonnycbad]

The JP version of FFXIV already uses suffixes to denote strength.

English: Thunder, Thunder II, Thunder III, Thunder IV
Japanese: Thunder, Thundera, Thundaga, Thunderja

This is evident if you watch the Live Letter again and hear Yoshi talk about the new changes to spells and he says "Sunda, Sundara, Sundaga, Sundaja", referring to Thunder 1-4.

[SpiritMuse]

The JP version of FFXIV already uses suffixes to denote strength.

English: Thunder, Thunder II, Thunder III, Thunder IV
Japanese: Thunder, Thundera, Thundaga, Thunderja

This is evident if you watch the Live Letter again and hear Yoshi talk about the new changes to spells and he says "Sunda, Sundara, Sundaga, Sundaja", referring to Thunder 1-4.

The German version does it this way as well. The French uses prefixes instead. Only the English version uses the confusing tier numbers that imply every spell is exactly the same.