I think I want subjobs more than I want job balance.

[EirolOcarrol]

All those infinite posibilites end the moment the most efficient subjob combinations are discovered and it becomes the new meta. You can play it if you want to, but noone would want you, ever, in their teams.

Please let's not pretend you would get invites to a party in FFXI as a... I dunno, Dark Knight/Puppetmaster. It didnt happen no matter how fun you thought it would be.

Nobody wants to party with you is a bit hyperbolic. I missed out on a few parties due to job combinations or such. But I often spent that time getting silks and such until I found a party that would have me.

Personally, I don't relate to the meta-gaming philosophy at all. And feel like it ruins the fun out of things for me. When there's one right way to do things, and maximizing efficiency at all times, it feels more like a repetitive occupation rather than fun play. I rather think of this exclusion on a positive note. That it works as a filter for not having to spend time among gamers that don't share a playstyle I value. I think it's mutually beneficial that I don't party with metagamers. I am okay with suboptimal skill or job combinations, and thus I know there are others that would be. That was the case in XI.

When someone didn't want to party with me in XI, I just felt that I found the wrong party. Most of the time I found friendly people who wanted to help me. And were interested in pulling through and making friends, rather than rushing through at the most efficient pace. As, at the end, all combinations were valid or useful to some extent. Even if not ideal. One time, a nice Galka helped safely give me passage to unlock Ninja, when I was a lower level Red Mage, just because I thought being a Ninja was cool. For little benefit of their own. Nice gestures and good experiences like that, are those that stuck with me, and I valued.

Since others have brought it up, I really miss cross class skills. Really, I enjoyed the 1.0 combat system, aside from how slow it was. It was too slow. Ideally I would have liked if it evolved into something as fast and action oriented as Tera or Blade & Soul. But they stuck with tab targeting for A Realm Reborn. Thankfully the combat was much faster than 1.0. But the streamlining of every Job to fit a very rigid mold has been the opposite of what I've wanted.

One might say that XIV's path is now set in stone. And that the developer team moved on from what I wanted in 1.0. And that I need to come to terms with the fact that Final Fantasy XIV transformed into something other than I wanted, and not live in the past. But there are still many things I love about XIV. Even if I miss what was or could have been. One may say it best to move on and wait and hope for the next installment of Final Fantasy Online, rather than try to hope for major changes in the current formula. But I'm afraid that seems highly unlikely that they'll move on to a new online role playing game any time particularly soon. They've made it clear that they're going to remain focused on XIV for the foreseeable future.

As unlikely as some dream changes or directions I would like for the game may be. I think it even less likely to hope for yet another MMORPG from them anytime soon. I'd rather focus on what I'd like to see in the game in front of me.

[Ashgarth]

Nobody wants to party with you is a bit hyperbolic.

Is it though?

Let's say you create a party finder to kill whatever. I join in as Blm and say "I roleplay as an ice mage, so I will only use ice spells i know it's not efficient but I'd ike you to respect my choice."
Please, tell me with a straight face you'd answer "Of course, join in!"

People will not accept unefficient builds they moment they spot them. All it will create is frustration once the most efficient combos are found out and little else is accepected, a la WoW with their talent system and class disparity.

[EirolOcarrol]

Is it though?

Perhaps it was just my luck, but I was invited to far more Kazham leveling parties than I was kicked out of.

And that was the case in general. Some people would have me, some people would not. But it was never impossible for me to find a party.