Viper would of been better if it had a different name

[Lunaxia]

More frustrated that people are so determined to find any reason to say their dislike is justified, rather simply disliking it and awaiting more info.

It's a new job, it needs a new name, they have to call it something. They are creating what the term "viper" means as a fighting style, just like they created gunbreaker or astrologian or (long ago) dragoon or red mage. Those job names tell you nothing unless you are already familiar with what they do. This one will be no different.

The difference is those names allude to the form of combat they utilise in a way that Viper does not. Gunbreaker implies gun, at least, and gunblade to a FF fan, Astrologian is obviously going to involve astrology/ magic in some form, Dragoon cleverly references both the job's dragon concept and the IRL infantry soldier they're named after, and Red Mage follows FF convention and tells you you'll be wielding magic and what kind. Viper doesn't give away much at all, and it certainly doesn't suggest anything to do with the dual blades into one mechanic that seems to be at the core of the class design.

And even if we presume it's going to borrow heavily from snake imagery to somewhat justify the appellation, it doesn't change the basic issue that truthfully, "Viper" just sounds very bland and uninspired. The others both make clear allusions to their concept and/ or fighting style while still having an original name, instead of just having the name of a tangentially related animal slapped on them and calling it a day. It'd be like if Dragoon were just called "Dragon" or something - it sounds corny and much less polished, like something from a bad translation.

[Iscah]

The difference is those names allude to the form of combat they utilise in a way that Viper does not. Gunbreaker implies gun, at least...

"Gunbreaker" implies fighting *against* someone with a gun, and indeed is the in-game etymology (probably invented to justify the name) provided to you when you take up the job.

You keep saying that these job names clearly indicate what they do because there is precedent for it in older FF titles, but I don't think that counts. There was a point in time where each of those was a fully new job with no history to it.

If red mage was brand new now, people would be complaining about how unimaginative another "colour mage" is and how it makes no sense that black+white magic = red, and they should have called it something that conveys the job better.

[Lunaxia]

snip.

No, I said that GNB's image is clearer from the view of a fan of the franchise, as is the concept of red magic, but you can still gauge the absolute basics of what they and the other classes involve even without being acquainted with the specifics of the lore behind them. It's a given that there's inevitably some vagueness about certain jobs that familiarity with the game and its history helps explain - we're talking about RPGs, for heaven's sake - but they still do a better job of conveying an impression of the class overall than Viper does, and with more finesse and creativity. I don't think time or history is going to make it sound any less underwhelming, nor is it a title I can see working in any other FF game outside of this one.

If red mage...

I don't know if that's actually the case either, considering how excited people are for the prospect of a Green Mage job when we already have a Black, White, Red and Blue Mage in the game, and the scant presence and history it has in the series in comparison to the other jobs of its kind. Though perhaps that should be the limit, lol...