Is the "Point Allotment" system necessary at all?

[Shurrikhan]

I think there should just be a 're-assign' button.. and err, to be honest, this stat system is a bit useless unless the stats become more significant in what they change.

It would be nice if there was a description saying which classes it's more suitable for too~ ^^ I mean I had to look online to see what stats were needed for Dragoon (I assumed STR + DEX).

-- And a big no to perks!

Do we really want to make this game easier + more like WoW?

Don't make the game easier, just tell me where to put my useless stats and a re-assign button in case I mess up.

Kidding, honestly, but two points here:
- While I can't promise this of Cataclysm, truly strategy-capping Wrath especially among certain classes has the most mathematical complexity the MMORPG world has probably seen. It becomes a science, and your body sure as heck better become a very well-running machine. That has little use in post-nerf, but low-manning a heroic raid... that's a different story.
- Be it perks or stats, it's just a system in place to fill a function. Flat, unchanging stats fill two: mild playstyle modification (even less in FFXIV), and, more importantly, gear-tiering and gear-hunting both.

Just as a random example, you really could basically just take the whole of your gear's stats as a single resource... say 'materium', and balance those points however you like in your allotment menu. I think I'll be a speed-accuracy glass cannon this run... And so you become. Problem: gear-hunting is lost, since only the increasing tier-values remain.

My point here is that the mechanics, and the conventions using them, can change at almost any time. It just takes an idea, whether the idea fits the functions, and the likelihood of a positive response.

Perks do not necessarily mean easy. Points do not necessarily mean "hardcore".

[Gramul]

Is anything in this game "necessary"?

[Arkine]

Is anything in this game "necessary"?

Fun.

Fun is necessary.

[Nakiamiie]

Before I start, please take a quick look at this. This is latest table with the stats and their function that I found in the official patch notes.
So, we can assume it is what is going on in the game at the moment. I'll also assume, for the sake of lacking clairvoyance, that they'll use the same stats and effects in ARR. Why? Because I'll make suggestions.

≪Parameters and Their Effects≫

Strength

• Attack Power

Vitality

• Damage taken
• Enhancement Magic Potency
• Maximum HP

Dexterity

• Accuracy
• Block Rate
• Parry

Intelligence

• Attack Magic Potency

Mind

• Healing Magic Potency
• Magic Accuracy

Piety

• Magic Evasion
• Enfeebling Magic Potency
• Maximum MP

≪Auto-attack Damage Bonus≫

Pugilist

• Bonus 1: Intelligence
• Bonus 2: Strength

Gladiator

• Bonus 1: Mind
• Bonus 2: Strength

Marauder

• Bonus 1: Vitality
• Bonus 2: Strength

Archer

• Bonus 1: Dexterity
• Bonus 2: Piety

Lancer

• Bonus 1: Piety
• Bonus 2: Strength

Conjurer

• Bonus 1: Mind
• Bonus 2: Piety

Thaumaturge

• Bonus 1: Mind
• Bonus 2: Piety

The stats by themselves, without the auto-attack bonus damage, kind of make sense. Things are well spread out and less meaningful stats have more effects to reinforce their meaningfulness.

There is one down side to it though, if I'm playing a class of the Discipline of War, why in my right mind would I put points in INT, MND or PIE?
Because I'm using a class, I can freely pick additional abilities in the Discipline of Magic to supplement my arsenal of abilities. However, by doing that, I greatly undermine my primary role in Discipline of War: physical damage/defence.

Why?
Because the stats of INT, MND and PIE are utterly useless for Discipline of War! I have to spread myself over many stats to try to patch my weaknesses.
That would be another story if all stats were meaningful for all Disciplines.

The devs thought about it too! So they decided to add the ≪Auto-attack Damage Bonus≫. Most Discipline of War reach into INT, MND or PIE to add meaningfulness to one of these stats.

Another way of seeing it would to be to realize that they are so useless to Discipline of War, the devs had to artificially force them into base auto-attack damage to draw our attention to them.
Otherwise, a lot of stats would be even more frowned upon and the market would be filled with the same stat items/materia and all Discipline of War would have roughly the same points allotted in the same stats.

This is yet another example of powder thrown at the players' eyes.
I do not blame the devs, it is quite difficult to balance things and create new original systems that are working.

As a good player criticizing, I'll try my best to make it constructive criticism and propose an alternative. I expect other players to do so too, please.

First, the main idea is to have all stats useful and meaningful to all classes.
Otherwise point allotment is cumbersome and a weakness to the game, not an asset.

Second, in my example I will try to abolish ≪Auto-attack Damage Bonus≫ per class.

Here goes:

Strength

• Base auto-attack damage [*include archer shots and thrown weapons]
• Enfeebling Magic Potency

Vitality

• Reduce physical damage taken
• Max HP
• Enhancement Magic Potency

Dexterity

• Physical attack accuracy
• Physical block/parry/evasion rate
• Healing Magic Potency

Intelligence

• TP consumption rate [less TP required for weaponskills]
• Base spell damage

Mind

• Weaponskill damage (physical)
• Combo effect power [damage, % chance, duration -- depending on the effect, both for weaponskills and spells]
• Attack magic Accuracy

Piety

• Critical strike rate (physical & magical)
• Magic evasion
• Max MP

Now, for example, a class from the Discipline of War.

1. Strength is useful to me because it enhances my base auto-attack damage.
2. Vitality is useful to me because it reduces my damages taken and increases my max HP.
3. Dexterity is useful to me because it allows me to hit more often (steady damages closer to my base damage too) and avoid being hit.
4. Intelligence is useful to me because it allows me to use weaponskills more often.
5. Mind is useful to me because it increases the power of weaponskills and combo.
6. Piety is useful to me because I can do critical strikes noticeably more often.

Because we have limited points to be allotted and stats are meaningful (let's assume that), I can specialize my classes the way I want them.
Do I want an accurate lancer dealing a lot of critical hits, but with low HP, defence and weaponskill power?
Do I prefer a lancer specializing in weaponskills and accuracy, but totally useless when it reaches 0 TP?
Do I prefer a jack-of-all-trades lancer that can adapt to any situation?


Same for Discipline of Magic, but in my distribution above, it's kind of unbalanced.


It's something similar to this that we need to have a purposeful point allotment system and not a torn in the foot of character progression.
Mistakes must be lessened and allow place for creativity in customization of your class.
Of course, cookie-cutters will always exist, but it might allow for more than one set of cookie-cutting builds.


Thank you for reading all this way, please help me improve this idea and the point allotment system. We want ARR to be successful and an epic win, for the well-being of our entertainment and possibly help reform the crappy MMO trend out there.

[Majidah]

Its kind of pointless and will always be unless they make the stats work differently.
In ragnarok online you had luck based assassins or dex based ones.

Both were viable builds.

In XIV you shove everything into your main mods or you suck balls. No options of branching out because of how stats work. Its designed to specialize.

[Nakiamiie]

Its kind of pointless and will always be unless they make the stats work differently.
In ragnarok online you had luck based assassins or dex based ones.

Both were viable builds.

In XIV you shove everything into your main mods or you suck balls. No options of branching out because of how stats work. Its designed to specialize.

Exactly an example of what I would like FFXIV point allotment to become. I tried to explain that above... You did it with fewer words though. xD

[Rokien]

I liked the physical level where you could only spec once and it carried throughout every class whatever you picked. It was great because people can't see you're stats sooo even if you are lacking in the mage department, people can't single you out, because they can't see.


But, it's onces again a system that they dumbed down for everyone.

[Mujen]

Talent/Skill Tree.. Nuff Said.

[Orophin]

If point allotment is useless where you gonna get those 23?? and 22?? from? how you expect to cap stats for max dmg on your weapon

I dunno...have the game auto-allocate those extra points into your main stats as you level up perhaps? In FFXI, whatever job you were playing had higher stats that were relevant to the job than the other stats. I can't see why that wouldn't apply here.

[Reika]

I dont think its neccicary. People are just going to chose the same stats anyways. . . .

Like, why would you put INT on a Gld or WAR, or DEX on a WHM....