My feedback on Crystal Conflicts

[Momo_Kozuki]

I'm not super into pvp, but still still do basic pvp for cosmetic rewards. About Crystal Conflicts:


Pros:
+Quick match that typical last for less than 5 minutes. Whether you lose or win, the run is already over before you feel bitter about it

+Showing off instant picture of your own design and look at other people's is fun
+Limit break is fun when pulled off properly



Cons:
+Overtime feels largely a waste of time. It is counter-productive against CC's design for being quick run, as it can be dragged out infinitely if both teams know what to do. If it is for a mode with spectators, it can be fun. For quick casual match, however, it is not, as the time you spend in overtime can just net your another win/lose with a new CC match, thus more rewards.
+I don't know about other classes, but I play as a WHM and doesn't generally feel good as my heal kit is gutted so much that I don't feel my heal have any impacts at once as people just vastly out damage whatever pitiful amount heal I offer.

+NSFW instant pictures pre-match can be a problem for some people. Also not everyone likes their character being seen in up-close range.
+Kinda miss Additional Skills. I only used default skills back then, but I enjoyed seeing other healers using Rescue.



Suggestions:
*Overtime should not be in Casual Match. Ranked Match or Custom Match may have more fun with Overtime since one has ranking to consider, while another can have Spectators. I generally don't think a chance to turn the table is more important than just end the match already so that I can start another match in a rank-less environment.
*Perhaps pvp skill re-balance in 6.2? I don't think the creative LBs is very balanced now.

*An option to turn off the display of pre-match instance picture, as well as an option to not show your character's instant picture to other people.

[LalafellDown]

The pictures are a time waster, but it’s good to know that I just played the same players 3 times in a row and will loose again.

[CaptainLagbeard]

*Overtime should not be in Casual Match. Ranked Match or Custom Match may have more fun with Overtime since one has ranking to consider, while another can have Spectators. I generally don't think a chance to turn the table is more important than just end the match already so that I can start another match in a rank-less environment.

I don't think it should be entirely removed, but maybe have a somewhat limited length it in Casual Matches.


Also, I think the ranking system could use some mild reworking on losing stars, since it's rather annoying to lose stars and your progress to the next rank because you got a bad team and couldn't carry them. Or if someone leaves making you fight a rather impossible 4v5.

[LalafellDown]

I don't think it should be entirely removed, but maybe have a somewhat limited length it in Casual Matches.


Also, I think the ranking system could use some mild reworking on losing stars, since it's rather annoying to lose stars and your progress to the next rank because you got a bad team and couldn't carry them. Or if someone leaves making you fight a rather impossible 4v5.

Skill base reward would be nice. You may have a bad team but kills you contributed would shield or boost you in the ranks.

[LittleImp]

I've given it a few runs and I'm not a fan.

My main issues are:

> Forced solo queue: I play MMOs to meet and play with friends. Being unable to do a major multiplayer activity with my friends is extremely lame.

> Rampant afking: I did 5-6 matches and had someone AFK in around half of them. I find people will just go AFK after losing the first teamfight and simply wait to lose the match.

> FFXIV netcode: The 'feel' of the game still just isn't good. Everything is too floaty and delayed. It's particularly noticeable with CC, where you throw a stun and someone manages to travel 20 more feet before it actually takes effect.

[MrJadeOfStars]

My feedback is that it's really lame we have to win to get the mounts, I won 11/46 of my matchs, I thought I could just ride it out and farm the L's but apparently not. its just a roll of the dice if you get good people or not.

[Minarisweet]

I'm not super into pvp, but still still do basic pvp for cosmetic rewards. About Crystal Conflicts:


Pros:
+Quick match that typical last for less than 5 minutes. Whether you lose or win, the run is already over before you feel bitter about it

+Showing off instant picture of your own design and look at other people's is fun
+Limit break is fun when pulled off properly



Cons:
+Overtime feels largely a waste of time. It is counter-productive against CC's design for being quick run, as it can be dragged out infinitely if both teams know what to do. If it is for a mode with spectators, it can be fun. For quick casual match, however, it is not, as the time you spend in overtime can just net your another win/lose with a new CC match, thus more rewards.
+I don't know about other classes, but I play as a WHM and doesn't generally feel good as my heal kit is gutted so much that I don't feel my heal have any impacts at once as people just vastly out damage whatever pitiful amount heal I offer.

+NSFW instant pictures pre-match can be a problem for some people. Also not everyone likes their character being seen in up-close range.
+Kinda miss Additional Skills. I only used default skills back then, but I enjoyed seeing other healers using Rescue.



Suggestions:
*Overtime should not be in Casual Match. Ranked Match or Custom Match may have more fun with Overtime since one has ranking to consider, while another can have Spectators. I generally don't think a chance to turn the table is more important than just end the match already so that I can start another match in a rank-less environment.
*Perhaps pvp skill re-balance in 6.2? I don't think the creative LBs is very balanced now.

*An option to turn off the display of pre-match instance picture, as well as an option to not show your character's instant picture to other people.

The healing is gutted overall, everyone is a dps. Healers have a bit of healing but nothing to make anyone inmortal like before.

[Necrotica]

They need to fix the respawn issues. Have it on a cycle so of 30 seconds or something so people rez as a group.

And please allow us to talk to each other. At least for non asian servers where we can't read minds.

[Vahlnir]

I don't think it's bad, but it could use some work. There does seem to be a lot of imbalance between the jobs. I'm mainly in it for the Archfiend coffer. Just 9 more levels to go!

[AnotherPerson]

I'm not super into pvp, but still still do basic pvp for cosmetic rewards. About Crystal Conflicts:

Cons:
+I don't know about other classes, but I play as a WHM and doesn't generally feel good as my heal kit is gutted so much that I don't feel my heal have any impacts at once as people just vastly out damage whatever pitiful amount heal I offer.

Please don't take offense when I say this, but chances are: you're either probably playing WHM inefficiently or your team is unsalvageable. I've had matches where WHM either make or break the run and healed upwards to 1 million health in these matches before. The heal kit might seem gutted, but it's highly tuned to be as efficient as possible by cutting out button bloat and synergizing other skills together. If you're feeling the healing kit is gutted, you're most likely underutilizing the healing kit in various ways, because I never had an issue with keeping up with the damage output for any of the healers as long as the party members don't forget to use Recuperation. Believe me, it's not that your role is not having impact. It's most likely your allies' gameplay or your gameplay that makes you think healers don't have as much impact. I've had records of healers who healed over 1 million health in the short time these matches take. That's actually insane and a lot higher than what the previous amounts of crazy healing in 72 man-Frontlines had to offer. In a match between 5 DPS and 4 DPS + 1 healer, assuming the skill levels of the players are relatively the same, a good healer will definitely be able to beat the 5 DPS by supporting their team. Don't underestimate your role as a healer in PvP.

To be honest, the new mode is actually better as a healer because you are quickly made aware how no matter how good you are as a healer, tank, or as a DPS, you can and will still fail if your team cannot coordinate well and make big mistakes. The only difference Crystalline Conflict has compared to the old PvP mode is that it cuts out a lot of the time from that inevitable "delay" of dragging out the fight for the result that would've happen (removing medical kits for Recuperation action). It's really nothing new compared to the Old PvP modes. Old PvP heavily depends on bursting an enemy down with good use of CC to stop them from using potions, as well as stopping the healer from being able to keep up and heal. The new PvP mode also does the same, but also gives you more ways to pre-emptively plan for those incidents (Guard /apply Seraph Strike / mitigate /etc) to take account for faster gameplay decison-making. Healer are still very powerful as long as you can quickly think on your feet to save your allies, while directly influencing the state of the battle with support utility.

However, I will say this. There is a very big difference in casual matches vs Ranked matches. People also do casual matches to practice so they don't have to worry about dropping ranks, but there's also less sense of pressure in case you mess up. Players who play casual matches aren't always playing at their best or giving everything they got. Thus you run into players who just instantly die to good team coordination via good appliance of CC and burst from those who are trying at their best. This happens in the old Feast matches as well. It's nothing new. You are most likely having allies who just make a lot of mistakes in casual matches and haven't realized it yet. The players making mistakes are just a lot more obvious now. Instead of dragging you over 5+ minutes trying to prevent that inevitable wipe, the mode will make it crystal clear that the team was destined to mess up there because of positioning or bad planning.

And believe me, Now that I've played healer in both The Feast and in Crystalline Conflict for casual and ranked settings. Climbing to Silver 1, then dropping back down to Silver 2, then playing another 4 hours going up and down in ranked is a huge bummer. It took me a lot longer than I would've liked to hit gold today, but that's also because it took me a long time to realize where exactly can I improve as a healer in this new mode. If you want to feel your healing kit to feel good, you have to take it to ranked where players are trying their best to survive and win. It's so much more difficult to figure out where the mistakes are in casual matches than it is for ranked matches if you're new to the fast-paced PvP setting. A healer can definitely help recover some mistakes, but some mistakes are simply not recoverable because it's considered [Good play] to be able to completely tie down both the healer and the target being focused. This is something the devs actually got done correctly.

Finally, I cannot stress this enough. Jobs are actually different, unique, and varied. Each job offers something unique to the fight, each having their advantages and weaknesses. Some jobs may feel stronger, but that's because due to a combination of the team's composition being better suited against another team and the map you are on. It's not just roles. However, player skill and party coordination can largely mitigate and remove this factor if players are aware of everyone's toolkit and capabilities. Of course... most players aren't able to comprehend and grasp that fully in a fight, nor do they have the intention to do so... which is why you have ranked series to help, by pitting yourself against other players of similar skill levels.

Knowing what exactly is the limit of your opponent's jobs and what they offer to the table will definitely help you as a healer when you need to figure out how to best optimize your healing and support. This is true for any role in PvP, but this will be especially true for healers.