DoL pace is slow, animations are not the main problem.

[Purplenv]

As a DoL main, I will say thank you for the animation changes, they have helped.
However the main issue that cripples the pace of DoL classes is the amount of server side communication required at every step.

As someone that has varying quality of service from my ISP, I can see clearly how having anything but an ideal connection can be crippling to a DoL player. This is what I see as the main reason people can't get into DoL classes.

[Sigmakan]

Yes, its all latency related. Its sad seeing some other miners (mostly JP) go 50-100% faster than me. Going from the notch screen to the targeting circle to the actual animation each of a large latency delay.

[Cesaru]

The animation speed up was amazing but I think they should add the option of a quick gather that is similar to old styles. You just swing once or twice and hope no menus no commands and no radar thingy.

The current system could stay since it does make getting something you want easier...but I am sure some people just want to quickly mine a spot they pass by sometimes.

[Wolfie]

I notice this as well.

I think a good solution to this is to put more of an emphasis on the visuals of gathering.

When crafting an item or in combat, you can almost completely ignore the chat log because the visuals are enough to tell you what's happening and what's going wrong. But when gathering, you need to pay attention to the chat log to know where to mine/cut/fish.

Here are my proposals:

1. Scrap the oscillating marker on the 2nd step of gathering. Let us manually adjust it similarly to how we adjust the aim/notch/depth.
2. Scrap the need to gather twice in the same spot; no more "You can't make the final cut just yet". If we found the spot where the item is, give it to us the first time.
3a. The flash that is displayed when gathering needs to get progressively bigger as you get closer to the sweet spot. i.e. if the sweet spot is all the way to the bottom, the flash would be tiny when the marker is at the top and fairly large near the bottom.
3b. Alternatively, let the flashes somehow indicate the direction of the sweet spot. That way players can do some quick triangulation or orienteering to find the spot.

[Alexis_Arteme]

Exactly, great points. I like to do gathering but it's so tedious I can't stand it. It needs to have less steps and more results.

[Wolfie]

Also forgive me if this was changed, but the last time I played a botanist (October last year), I would hit gathering fatigue within about 5 hours of play. I would then have to wait one or two FULL DAYS of not even touching botanist to be able to level it again.

Fatigue affecting both sp/exp AND chance of success is not acceptable. The other three disciplines only suffer in the form of reduced sp/exp when they hit fatigue; they can keep fighting or crafting. Gathering classes need to stop what they're doing completely.

[Purplenv]

Nah, they don't have to stop, but because fatigue effects success, you endup with 50% of the SP you would if you walk away and come back later. This is a much larger hit then other classes. It also resets at no more then 24 hours, and you will get some fatigue reset after 12.

I completely disgree however, that the mini-game should be removed. I'm a DoL main simply because the mini-game is awesome, and fun. If you want to harvest without the mini-game, just use your offhand tools. These are the instant one-click harvests, and it provides a great ballance.

Another note in response to above, once you are of high rank, very few items require double hits to harvest, and these are only the rare/valuable items, so needing to hit it twice is reasonable. The double hit is only needed when your rank is not enough to efficiently one hit the specific materials. It is a direct comparison with your rank/stats, and the rank of the item, with some variation with luck.

[Kixi]

I completely disgree however, that the mini-game should be removed. I'm a DoL main simply because the mini-game is awesome, and fun. If you want to harvest without the mini-game, just use your offhand tools. These are the instant one-click harvests, and it provides a great ballance.

I can understand the sentiment behind that, but the offhand gathering does not provide any physical exp, and the SP gains are minimal compared to the mini game.
Now i can see the SP being a fair trade ,more SP for doing the mini game, but the lack of physical exp is kinda a hindrance, especially for me because i'm only doing botany because i want the stuff that comes from the offhand gathering..
The logging mini game doesn't provide me any material items i need, so its easier for me to just harvest.. but i don't get any physical exp for it, just the SP.

[Kolbey]

How about setting up a FFXIIish Gambit system whereby your next chop is determined by the success/failure of the chop before. So you first choose a notch and then initiate a gambit where your character chops according to your gambit until the remainder runs out or you obtian an item.