Interview: Face-to-Face with FFXIV's Naoki Yoshida - Article on MMORPG website

[Awful]

Well, according to the site that shall not be named, the difference in dps at the top on all savage raids is 1-200 dps in WAR's favor over DRK, thats it. We're talking 5%. Seems pretty balanced to me. Utility is about equal for both.

There's a huge disparity in terms of mitigation/raid utility/DPS which in the end bring Drk at the bottom of the 3 tanks, yes it can clear content and be fully playable no ones denying that we're talking that it's the worst out of the 3 tanks and War/Pld can do so much more than Drk. Just because world first UCOB was with a Drk doesn't excuse it's terrible design and what it can bring in a raid vs what the other 2 tanks bring.

[DarkDedede]

Anyone else getting excited for the Glamour Iceberg? Can we have a Glamour Primal? Will 999 stacks be coming in 4.2? Do they use the term "tip of the iceberg" in Japanese? Will I find 4.2 under my tree, next month?

I wish to be enlightened.

[Naunet]

RE: his sentences on glamour... I'm not going to be optimistic, but I am now cautiously not-pessimistic.

That said, they have a long history of implementing features and completely missing the point of what makes them enjoyable, so who knows...

I mean, it's kind of nice to feel safe about denying auction or lottery... but why prevent people from preparing it...?

All it means is that any changes they're going to make to the housing system will NOT actually address the root of the problem: supply. If they were truly fixing housing, supply would cease to be an issue, and thus it would not matter how many people "prepare" for it.

[Bourne_Endeavor]

Players aren't stupid. Those who want to try a new build will try, other will follow a guide, and amongst those who follow a guide, they may modify it a little and find something new.

And if one build is deemed mathematically superior, you'll be called an idiot for attempting to deviate from it in any content that matters. We needs look no further than FFXI where certain jobs were outright blocked from parties due to their builds simply not measuring up comparatively. FFXIV already suffers from this, albeit it less so. There's a reason Ultimate groups have practically locked the melee slots to Ninja and Dragoon. Their respective utility trumps anything Samurai and Monk offer. A greater emphasise on those differences will inevitably results in jobs being alienated more than some already are.

RE: his sentences on glamour... I'm not going to be optimistic, but I am now cautiously not-pessimistic.

I'm not anticipating it will save much if any inventory space, but I do see them implementing something akin to how Squadrons work right now. A separate menu opens and whatever gear you slot there glamours over their armour. I imagine they'll allow us to save "builds" or something to that effect. I also suspect prisms will be reduced to one that can be crafted by any class ala dye.

[Naunet]

I'm not anticipating it will save much if any inventory space, but I do see them implementing something akin to how Squadrons work right now. A separate menu opens and whatever gear you slot there glamours over their armour. I imagine they'll allow us to save "builds" or something to that effect. I also suspect prisms will be reduced to one that can be crafted by any class ala dye.

Bleh. If it doesn't deal with the inventory issue, then there's little point in it, IMO. I am holding out until 4.2 to decide whether or not to officially cancel my sub again, and that will honestly be the determining factor.

[Alien_Gamer]

Glamour changes in 4.2....

Yoshi is such a tease. Also, I'm way more excited for this than I have any right to be.

[Masekase_Hurricane]

Semi related i'm santa in that photo :P

[Shurrikhan]

And if one build is deemed mathematically superior, you'll be called an idiot for attempting to deviate from it in any content that matters. We needs look no further than FFXI where certain jobs were outright blocked from parties due to their builds simply not measuring up comparatively.

For this to occur, the combat in the game has to be disturbingly as it would affect maximal to effective throughput, the other choices significantly underpowered, or that "build" has to be one you swap between on a fight by fight basis.

Mathematically superior builds often underperform due to the contexts of given fights. It is only when a generally strongest option is also given no effective weakness -- you know, that most obvious failure of balancing design -- that this becomes a technical issue, rather than just a product of oversimplification, misassumption, and bait for the officious and under-informed.

[Casanters]

Well I mean is he wrong? You can have all the freedom to customise gear you like, ultimately it's going to boil down to one mathematical superior setup that everyone and their dog will follow. By expanding the amount of options out you just wind up making it harder for players to all keep up. Gear is the great equaliser in this game and it lets individual skill be more of a determining factor

Taking the RPG out of this game is what makes me move on to something else. Not everyone enjoys just copying a guide off some idiot on Reddit. Oversimplified classes and boring customization is a big part of why I dropped WoW and won't ever be going back.

[Vahlnir]

Anyone else getting excited for the Glamour Iceberg? Can we have a Glamour Primal? Will 999 stacks be coming in 4.2? Do they use the term "tip of the iceberg" in Japanese? Will I find 4.2 under my tree, next month?

I wish to be enlightened.

This scares me because they have a history of overcomplicating what should be simple features. Glamour prisms happened to be one of those features, mostly because they weren't really necessary. All one has to do is look to WoW, Rift, or a fair amount of other MMOs to see what a good glamour system looks like. I'm keeping my expectations low, and not just about the "glamour iceberg". Hoping to be impressed eventually.