I'm One Of The Filthiests Of Casuals And Even I Can See How Dumbdown FF14 Has Become!

[Renathras]

are they really different in a practical sense,

Yes.

Setting aside one is abjectly false while the other is abjectly true...

...the former notes that there is a possibility for it to be used. This is the first iteration, and we don't know what they'll do going forward yet, meaning we cannot use it t draw that trend line. I very much suspect they will use the flexibility of this design going forward since it makes for easy additions. It's super modular, and that makes it very easy to make some VFX swaps or minor variations on the theme using what other types of cast spells exist in the game (short stacking buffs like BLU's Ravana, long casts, short casts, instant casts, oGCDs, GCDs...), and as certain people are fond of pointing out, no Job remains unchanged in expansions as they get at the least some potency upgrades and VFX changes for spells.

Now, whether what they do will satisfy you personal or not is another question entirely. I suspect it will not. But that's not what potential or possibilities is defined by.

I think this is more a case of what you don't like vs what word you're using to describe it. I absolutely suspect they won't do things you like with it...but that's not what possibilities or potential means. There are a lot of things they could do that you personally may not enjoy, but those are all valid topics under the header of possibility.

Is not that conflated, though? You may as well call being overpowered an "identity".

Without having other jobs of similar theme/gameplay and/or relative output-per-effort within that same role, we have little way of knowing whether people play the given job because for its overpowered-ness/advantages or for its theme/gameplay.

SMN isn't overpowered by any definition of the term, though.

Here's the thing, as much as people who dislike SMN want to come up with any reason for it to be popular other than it being simple to play...the reality is it had the same basic aesthetics (summoning magical entities to fight with you) before as it does now, similar utility (combat raise, party buff, and rotation dependent party healing; it had Phoenix in ShB) before. It also did MORE damage than then it does now - in several of the ShB patches, SMN did comparable damage to BLM, and I think in one patch (or maybe two) it actually did more. The only thing that changed is that it's far easier to play now, and its damage reduced to around RDM levels. And 5.5 SMN also shared a Job with SCH, meaning the "people only play it so much because it levels with SCH" argument is clearly incorrect.

So we can compare 5.5 SMN to EW SMN and see that the former, despite having similar aesthetic, similar utility (raise, party buff, healing), also sharing leveling with SCH, and actually doing more damage...was less played than current SMN.

So what is the explanation for this that isn't "because it's straightforward to play now, and people like that"? If people are only rushing to it now for its utility, why weren't they in ShB when it had the same utility? If people like more complex Jobs, why wasn't it one of the most played in ShB? If it's only because it levels with SCH, why wasn't it leveled with SCH in ShB?

All the arguments for SMN numbers being higher now other than people enjoy/prize simpler things don't hold up when you realize ShB SMN had those things (and even better damage), yet it was played less then. The most logical answer seems to be: People do, indeed, prefer simpler things.