Genuine Question about Job Homogeneity

[Shougun]

They're not exactly the same but they feel very transparent, to quickly describe it. Like what if we took a handful of random animals, very distinct animals, and made them all look like they lived in the deep ocean with that neat transparent effect. Are they technically different? Yes... Are they going to blur together, especially over long periods of time? At least to me, absolutely. Like there is a fairly strict structure that has to be followed, and you mostly get different colors appearing at different patterns for the same result. This does provide consistent solid balance, I'll give you that.. but thematically it makes things less relevant.

FFXIV has moved more and more to a transparent texture to their game. I've been calling it roleplay gameplay, because to me that is ultimately the big picture issue FFXIV has as a whole (not just jobs), but to how I see it-- this is the texture that is not only not that strong to begin with (at least post HW) but is actually getting weaker in almost all regards. Like our quests are still quite basic, the interactions in the open world have hardly evolved, you navigate by holding a single key and pointing, its all exceptionally streamlined.... and given the extra variable of time (which forms familarity) it all begins to morph into some sort of transparent and textureless experience that you hope the story will break (so if the story doesn't hit... good luck).

"Please add fur, scales, and colors to the animals!!" and SE goes "we heard you, we made the bone 50% more transparent and everything is the same color". If I'm being honest, yes I can STILL tell that a see through deep sea lion looks different than a see through deep sea otter. I still wont like it though and I still will feel like if you put them in a group family photo that stuff is blurring together way too much.

Textually when I play I usually only notice the huge standouts, like can I battle raise, or effectively support, perhaps if I need to predict vs respond (mobility). Beyond that it's "whatever you want me to play I can play, cause it doesn't really matter". I made a thread on avoiding much gameplay impact, to avoid intentionally talking about balance, but adding roleplay.. so if you wanted examples see that (https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/...-to-Other-MMOs)).

I do feel the PvP kits do better at all this though. Matters more to me what I'm playing, who I'm with, and who I'm against.

But to maybe make some quick dirty gameplay and non-gameplay examples using WoW (woo, everyone's favorite mirror! lol).. Mage has ice block which is a sort of Blue Mage Diamondback, except better. EXCEPT BETTER. Caps for purpose, as I believe if WoW was tasked with making Blue Mage they would have kept it weird but also 'normal' lol. You've Demon Hunter with double jump and glide, both add ABSOLUTELY SUBSTANTIAL mobility and will instantly remind you that you're not playing DH if you switch (also one of the most mobile jobs, with many movement skills just working in air too-- unlike FFXIV's 2d movement if you dash in air as DH you dash.. in air... and then can glide). Druid can instant battle mount and play all roles, breathing underwater and harvesting plants while mounted (notice that pretty quick lol). DK can mount combat.. with Blood and Unholy feeling substantially different (unkillable solo mad lad vs Necromancer). Shifting to races, quests, and items. Like for races, you'll know you're a esuna race when you're in PvP and just say "no thanks to that debuff" and other races can't (and means you need to know the race you're fighting in more intimate combat), or that you are a Dark Dwarf and gain 10 extra portals (I'm not really asking specifically for racials in FFXIV given how this game works (job via character based), but still an example of texture).

I didn't write a lot not because I can't but because I figured I shouldn't.. The list is substantially long and pervades beyond jobs, I would add that the list is so long adds to that texture (few and minor would be essentially smooth, many and some substantial- textured). The game has other issues, so don't let this praise side track from potentially other concerns like uh.. bugs.. or they love nerfing over buffing.

In short, it feels like we started with little texture and as time goes on we lose even more.