They're thinking about job identities for 8.0

[FuturePastNow]

From what I've seen, they've actually managed to update SMN in a way that does nothing for both new and old smn players.
I'm almost impressed? Definitely didn't have this on my bingo card.

I like the way Summoner works so I don't have a problem with minimal changes. That said, the new summon seems very uninspired. There are many options I would have chosen ahead of Gundam Bahamut

[Sjol]

I have to wonder if they're trying a larger-scale overhaul not just of the jobs, but of the level-sync system, and maybe even things we haven't thought of. This may be one of those things where stuff doesn't seem like they're working on anything because what they're working on is so huge. That's the hope, at least.

Right now, the potency system where mobs likely have HP scaled to potency where damage is scaled up using increasingly large potencies likely makes it difficult to give us our normal kits down-level. A fundamental rework of when we get abilities would also imply how we get abilities (for the ARR and HW jobs) in terms of job quests. There are a lot of systems that are tied to how jobs work and how abilities are coded up. I'm left to hope that we'll get something more significant that what we're getting in 7.0 and if we're not, many people, myself included might be done.

[Kisshu]

I know that SMN got a full rework with EW, but what I'm seeing added is not a lot.

From the information we have and a bit of speculation.

Searing Light gets a new follow-up attack that seems to be an oGCD.

Fester gets an upgrade, most likely via a trait.

Solar Bahamut being every other demi-summon. But I predict it will behave just like normal Bahamut/Phoenix, so x insta-GCDs (st/aoe) and two oGCDs to deal damage.
It's the first demi summon you get and then appears again at the two min mark. I predict it will be stronger than both Phoenix and Bahamut. This is so that the strongest demi aligns with raidbuffs.

If this is what SMN gets, the difference between lv90 and lv100 playstyles will be a grand total of one (1) oGCD every two minutes.

Really hope I'm wrong, but looking back at something like WAR going from SHB to EW, it was one new GCD every minute triggered by Inner Release (and for DT they seem to just add two more GCDs to this trigger).

[ty_taurus]

well face value isn't a reboot. it was just said 8.0 will work on individualization and some players have taken that has some system overhaul.

Semantics, but regardless, it was a hypothetical about the best case scenario.

[Glenfiddich]

For all we know SE could just end up walking back their statement in the future lmao.

For example:

Letter from the Producer LIVE Part IX Q&A Summary (10/30/2013)

Q: Will there be any maintenance fees or other costs for housing, besides the cost of the land and house?

A: In older MMOs, such as Ultima Online, there was a house maintenance fee you had to pay weekly, but in FFXIV: ARR we decided against this system. Similarly, these older MMOs also had a system where your house would break down if you didn’t log in after a while in order to have you continue your subscription, but this is a thing of the past and we won't have any system like that.

There you have it. https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/...810-30-2013%29

[sindriiisgaming]

This is the first time I have ever gotten the vibe from the not just the community but also the game devs that this is a filler expansion. I have been around since 2.0 for context as to the span of time. I would say your current thinking isn't unwarranted.

i mean it is.. it literally is. they even said if ppl didnt like it theyde discard the story for a new 1. theyre not even invested in it

[MufetMissulena]

i mean it is.. it literally is. they even said if ppl didnt like it theyde discard the story for a new 1. theyre not even invested in it

Makes me wonder, if the devs don’t care about the game, then why should I care either?

[Valence]

Well, if we take what was said at face value and assume 8.0 is absolutely going to reboot job identity, then we have to ask who is that change serving? Let's say the catalyst for this decision is, in fact, the voices of disappointed players that we see here on the forums as well as in a few other places on occasion. If that's the case, and the goal is to create a future where everyone is happy with the state of their jobs, then would it not make sense to be open and transparent with that community to ensure the changes you are making do actually appeal to the people you're trying to satisfy?

But there is also the possibility that they are in fact "lost" with how to proceed with job design anyway. In which case this identity reboot might more be inspired by their own uncertainty with how to maintain the current direction otherwise. Because if we look at the job actions we just saw, what new things have we actually seen? Upgraded animations and finishers all over the place. And that's kind of what Endwalker was as well. They can't do that forever, just add a couple animation upgrades and a new finisher or two. So maybe they're just feeling like the jobs need a reboot so that future changes after 8.0 can actually feel like the jobs are changing and evolving, or that there's actually room to add new things anyway. Because you can't physically fit so many finishers into a rotation. At a certain point, the balloon will pop and it will stop working correctly, which we've already seen a little bit of in Endwalker. Gunbreaker says hi.

When you continuously delete whole facets of your gameplay engine again and again with absolute peeks like when ShB happened, and you're left with so little to play with, then it only makes sense to me that thinking about bringing bigger, actual meaningful changes again is going to be a colossal work for the simple reason that you'd need to rethink a lot of general systems, intricacies between job design, battle system and encounter design, make sure old content is still playable and relatively decent with those new systems, but also code them and implement them, test them and reiterate the process again and again internally until it's workable. Building whole new things is long and arduous, I should know, I've worked in the game industry for a while.

But they only have themselves to blame for it if that's the case, I still maintain that ShB killed their battle system and they painted themselves into a corner with it. The only systematic reaction they seem to have to bring changes or fix things is to delete what they flagged problematic. They've been at it for so long that if they want to start and proceed differently, it's getting harder and harder as we go. But at some point they'll have to do it, and like for climate change in a way, the sooner the easier. Procrastinating isn't gonna do us any good there.

[Kikoten]

For example:

Letter from the Producer LIVE Part IX Q&A Summary (10/30/2013)

Q: Will there be any maintenance fees or other costs for housing, besides the cost of the land and house?

A: In older MMOs, such as Ultima Online, there was a house maintenance fee you had to pay weekly, but in FFXIV: ARR we decided against this system. Similarly, these older MMOs also had a system where your house would break down if you didn’t log in after a while in order to have you continue your subscription, but this is a thing of the past and we won't have any system like that.

There you have it. https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/...810-30-2013%29

Oh damn, they really said that, huh? Yeah, that one REALLY aged well... my FC house's post-collapse fund returns can attest to that. Good going, Square Enix. Thanks for nothing.

[Roda]

I like the way Summoner works so I don't have a problem with minimal changes. That said, the new summon seems very uninspired. There are many options I would have chosen ahead of Gundam Bahamut

Meanwhile I hate how smn works and I am of the same mind about second bahamut.
It's such a puzzling choice...