Modern vs Medieval, what time is it?

[Edax]

I think that the presence of magic REALLY skews things a lot. I suspect it's a lot more pervasive than we might think, which could explain why spears and bows are a match for firearms.

Actually that comes down to metallurgy, if bullets cannot penetrate mythril or other fantasy metals, then melee weapons and heavy armor remain practical. Part of the Armorsmithing quest involves making a set of chainmail bulletproof.

While Garlean technology DOES give them an advantage, the advantage should be OVERWHELMING, but the game presents it as just an edge.

I get the impression that Garlean technology is hugely wasteful of raw resources. Whatever advantages in combat they offer seems to be offset by just how much material went into their production. When I look at their bases they just seem so hugely wasteful in metal. The Garleans build a giant artillery cannon and instead of using it to bombard Eorzea from their side of the wall, they instead use it to blow up their own buildings and shoot at their own men thanks to Zenos.

[Enkidoh]

I get the impression that Garlean technology is hugely wasteful of raw resources. Whatever advantages in combat they offer seems to be offset by just how much material went into their production. When I look at their bases they just seem so hugely wasteful in metal. The Garleans build a giant artillery cannon and instead of using it to bombard Eorzea from their side of the wall, they instead use it to blow up their own buildings and shoot at their own men thanks to Zenos.

That is probably deliberate though, which also explains why, for all the Garlean Empire's vaunted miltary might, the Alliance has consistantly trounced them (or at least been able to hold out and beat them back). It's by design, as it fits

Emet-Selch's

MO - he didn't create empires to steamroll all opposition and then have a long-term pax imperium set in on it's conquered lands , no, he created empires with the expectation that those under the empire's jackboot would rise up in bloody opposition, thus setting up the right conditions for Calamities, and yes, that means giving the opposition a fighting chance. Consuming resources needlessly only works in his favour.

After all, look at the Agrius and it's sister ships. Huge floating fortresses which look impressive, and yet in the Battle of Silvertear Skies (in 1.0's opening movie) it merely attacks Midgardsormr and the Dravanian Horde with small arms fire (not a single cannon is seen being fired from it, only masses of tiny rounds being presumedly fired by it's crew from all along the ship). They're basically bloated paper tigers (and all it took was Middy to blast it once to send it crashing back to Hydaelyn. So yeah, it's clear

Emet

set up Garlemald in such a way as to be powerful initially, but then easily overcome after a certain point where their insatiable consumption of resources becomes unsustainable and their opposition learns how to use their power easily against them (as the Alliance has increasingly learned to do). No wonder they were so quick to use Black Rose (but that's another story entirelly).

[Iscah]

Emet-Selch's

If you're going to spoiler-tag his name, you should be covering up the whole paragraph about his motivations as well. That's more of a spoiler whether you know the name of who's doing it or not.