Was anyone else disappointed in RDM? anyone?

[Vexander]

Would you rather it be described as 90% turret, 5% dashing, 5% lack of originality? Because I can certainly call it that.

In all seriousness, the only thing that the trailer did was make me hate the Red Mage even more. It's a complete waste of an interesting class and concept and I'm boggled people will accept such a generic lackluster design...

How can you say 90% turret when over 50% of its abilities will be instant cast, allowing for a greater range of movement? Stand still for 2 seconds to cast a spell to proc chainspell and you then have a whole GCD to move around until you need to again, weaving in Swiftcast if you -really- need a lot more movement. RDM will be a highly mobile caster. I'm not sure how it, 'Lacks Originality,' either. Can't say I've played MMOs where a class was designed around mechanics that combine in a manner like this.

[Thunda_Cat_SMASH]

Snip.

The majority of its mechanics will revolve around sitting in one space until you actually need to move, IE Being a casting turret. You'll occasionally be able to move a small amount when your mechanics bring you into melee range and then back out as quickly as a jalapeno at taco bell, but beyond that you won't be doing much movement, so you'll just be a turret. Therefore, 90% turret is an accurate assessment, as I define a "turret" as a job wherein mechanics encourage you to stand in one place for extended periods.

Being able to move when you don't need to doesn't make you not a generic caster.

[Vexander]

The majority of its mechanics will revolve around sitting in one space until you actually need to move, IE Being a casting turret. You'll occasionally be able to move a small amount when your mechanics bring you into melee range and then back out as quickly as a jalapeno at taco bell, but beyond that you won't be doing much movement, so you'll just be a turret. Therefore, 90% turret is an accurate assessment, as I define a "turret" as a job wherein mechanics encourage you to stand in one place for extended periods.

Being able to move when you don't need to doesn't make you not a generic caster.

No offense, but your definition means every Job is pretty much a turret... There's no reason for tanks to move when they've got the boss in place except to dodge AOEs, or for melee DPS to move from behind the boss except to dodge AOEs, and no reason for ranged to move unless its to dodge AOEs...

[RaijinSupreme]

snip

But that's the same for every job. You're not going to move as monk unless you need to dodge, or do a positional. Same thing with DRG. You're not going to move as a tank unless you need to pick up more adds, or move the boss into a position.

No one moves during a fight unless they need to.

and with Red mage, since 50%-75% of the casts will be instant casts, it has way more mobility then either BLM or SMN.

If we're going to call these jobs turrets because they don't move unless they need to, then yeah, every job is a turret.

[Thunda_Cat_SMASH]

If we're going to call these jobs turrets because they don't move unless they need to, then yeah, every job is a turret.

Tanks kinda have to turret due to their requirement of keeping the boss still, so it is what it is. Melee mechanics are pretty much constantly revolving around moving around the boss, so they aren't turrets. Neither are ranged for similar reasons. BLM/SMN/RDM? 90% casts, 90% turreting, 90% being an unoriginal caster. Being a turret goes against what an RDM is.

[Jerbob]

I was hoping that RDM would be something revolutionary for XIV. RDM is almost always definined as a "jack of all trades", so I was hopeful that RDM would be a true hybrid. That'd be something remarkable for XIV, and perhaps something to herald in a new era of job design!

I wanted to be on the front lines with a rapier all the while - that's where RDM belongs. I wanted white magic that wasn't a cop-out of "well aero is white magic in XIV" - Cure, Regen, Dia. I wanted elemental black magic too, but something quick and stylish to weave in amongst my melee strikes. Thematically appropriate self-target buffs with the classic names - Haste, Temper, Bravery, Refresh. I wanted to ensorcell my blade. Some RDM staples - Doublecast/Fast Cast/Chainspell. I wanted something special!

Of course, it's hard to see what there is from the limited information that has been provided, but it looks like BLM 2.0. Throwing colourful lights at a thing until it dies. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's not RDM. Even the melee strikes look more like spell effects than sword swipes - a reluctantly-given concession to an unwelcome RDM history? 95% of the time the sword is a staff anyway, which is a fun idea but disappointing, and inappropriate for RDM. And why do I have to "balance" my "white" and "black" magic in order to stab something? It's nonsensical.

I mean, it's what I expected, but...

I'm just frustrated by the whole thing, really. I cannot get over the mindset the XIV developers have regarding jobs. Completely changing classic jobs just to cram them into the needlessly restrictive XIV paradigm. If they want to make things "new" and "different", as they've said in the past in numerous interviews, then they shouldn't be slapping on a classic FF name just for marketting purposes.

[Shurrikhan]

I was hoping that RDM would be something revolutionary for XIV. RDM is almost always definined as a "jack of all trades", so I was hopeful that RDM would be a true hybrid. That'd be something remarkable for XIV, and perhaps something to herald in a new era of job design!

I'm just frustrated by the whole thing, really. I cannot get over the mindset the XIV developers have regarding jobs. Completely changing classic jobs just to cram them into the needlessly restrictive XIV paradigm. If they want to make things "new" and "different", as they've said in the past in numerous interviews, then they shouldn't be slapping on a classic FF name just for marketting purposes.

Hey, if there's one thing SB will likely do well, it's to avoid every challenge and surface issue that could have led to refreshingly new concepts in gameplay upon actually meeting and solving those challenges. What (avoidance) XIV does, it only gets better at!

So, BLU next, right, to ensure that there will never be added concepts in leveling, open world depth, or ability acquisition?

[MomomiMomi]

I wanted white magic that wasn't a cop-out of "well aero is white magic in XIV" - Cure, Regen, Dia.

They seem to have a cure and a raise.

Some RDM staples - Doublecast/Fast Cast/Chainspell. I wanted something special!

They have this too.

And why do I have to "balance" my "white" and "black" magic in order to stab something? It's nonsensical.

You don't have to, but it buffs your attacks.

[Jerbob]

(Things RDM apparently has)

I wasn't aware this had been confirmed, rather than just being speculated upon. That's very encouraging, thank you. Hopefully this and lots of other (supportive) white magic are nicely integrated into the package as a whole, not just tacked on.

You don't have to, but it buffs your attacks.

I dislike that this melee phase appears to be such a minor part of the process. If I am reading things correctly, you build up this balance of magic types to enhance the melee phase, so there's little point in activating that phase before it's appropriately enhanced? Even then, why is a balance of magic necessary to enhance melee strikes? From the video it doesn't look like that stored magic is doing anything - the RDM appears to simply deplete an arbitrary resource from arbitrary bars. It feels very tacked on - almost like it's merely a nod to historical RDM, rather than a fundamental aspect of the design. Perhaps it's more integral, and the videos we've seen just present it this way? I hope so.

I just feel that so much potential has been lost by cramming this RDM iteration into the inflexbile "ranged caster" label. Is there any reason why it couldn't have been developed as a close ranged, hybrid combatant? I genuinely don't know of any historical precedent for RDMs to fight at range, aside from the XI iteration, but that's a whole different can of worms.

[Singularity]

Thematically appropriate self-target buffs with the classic names - Haste, Temper, Bravery, Refresh.

To add to Momomi's response, RDM has a buff called "Embolden" - raises own magic damage dealt by 20% and nearby party members' physical damage dealt by 10% for 20 seconds, effect fades by 20% every 4s (so 20%/10% for 4s, then 16%/8% for 4s and so on) confirmed by translated tooltip from the live letter.

I dislike that this melee phase appears to be such a minor part of the process.

The melee phase seems to be the "payoff" part of your rotation - you spend some time casting spells to charge up and then jump in to execute this combo for your burst phase (kinda like what SMN does with Dreadwyrm Trance). In addition, it's speculated that performing the melee phase correctly is what unlocks the ability to use your two ultimate spells (The "Holy" and "Multiflare" final actions from the job action trailer and the original RDM trailer respectively)