Fourth Role, Support

[Polorbaer]

This may be the wrong forum, but it relates closest to dungeon queues, so I'll put it here.
DPS queues are ridiculous. It takes up to an hour to get into a dungeon unless you're already in a party with a healer or a tank.
If you added a fourth role, Support, and relocated a few classes/jobs from the DPS queue to there, it would shorten the wait big time.
Before anyone gets defensive, which they inevitably will anyway...
You don't need to change any abilities or anything of the like.
Just create another dungeon queue for a few classes/jobs.
Bard, Summoner, Arcanist are three I can think of for Support roles.
Again. Play them the same. Keep all abilities and play styles the same.
Don't change the characters at all.
Simply creating another queue in and of itself will nearly half all currently categorized DPS players' wait times for dungeons.
Support roles will actually have a shorter queue, being that more classes/jobs will still fit into the DPS category.

[Laryndra]

This would actually probably make your que longer, as all it would do is make a DPS(1) and DPS(or support. whatever you wanna call it.. youre still a DPS).. (2) in which all of the popular jobs are DPS2.. Lol

[SecsyMancat]

This is a terrible idea. If your setup goes from 1 tank 1 healer 2 generic dps --> 1 tank 1 healer 1 dps 1 support you have now divided your dps into two most likely uneven categories. If there are more dps they will have longer wait times, if there are more support they will have longer wait times, healer and tank times will remain unchanged. Ex.
You have 100 dps qued, 40 of which are considered support by the above description. before they are qued in numerical order and will get distributed over the next 50 tank/healer pairs. but under the proposed system the 40 support will get distributed over the next 40 tank/healer pairs and the 60 dps will be distributed over the next 60 healer tank pairs. in this case the last 20 dps will que in with healer/tank pairs 41-60 along with 20 "support" that qued after them.
A better solution since the current party system is designed for up to 8 players is to create 5 player dungeons consisting of a 1 healer 1 tank 3 dps setup. this would alleviate problems with current dps surpluses. Alternatively they could create 1 healer 1 tank 2 dps 1 support dungeons, classifying existing classes as well as future classes as support.

In short, reducing the required tank/healerPS ratio would alleviate the problem, redifining dps roles would simply create grouping inefficiencies.

[CrimsonJenn]

IDK rift used the support role and did just fine, however they used 5 man parties, for the current 4 man setup it would not work. =(

[Mang]

Agree with above poster. Resource partitioning won't work with 4 archetypes. Game's encounters are tuned for 2 dps, they'd have to be nerfed somewhat to allow for this and then groups can still bring in the extra DPS and skip entire phases in boss fights, circumventing their mechanics.

[Polorbaer]

3 DPS in a 5-man dungeon would make dungeons too easy and take too much reprogramming. They'd need to nerf DPS output or increase mob HP/DEF. Neither good.

The classes are already uneven.
17 classes/jobs, unless I'm missing one:
Tank- (Glad, Pal), (Mar, War)
Healer- (Cnj, Whm), Sch
DPS- (Lanc, Drag), (Pug, Mnk), (Arch, Brd), (Thm, Blm), (Arcan, Smn)

Group the interchangeable jobs.
Two tank, two healer, five DPS.
22% of queue for tanks and healers each, 56% of queue in one big lineup.

Take your 100 person group and split it into 22 tanks, 22 healers, 56 dps, leaves 34 waiting for another tank-heal duo to drop back.

With my idea, you'd have 22 tanks, 22 healers, 34 dps, 22 "support", you end up with the same dungeons, same classes, same functions, but everyone is grouped right away except 12 people, who will have a 65% shorter wait time than 34 would.

No change except for a shorter wait time.

[Polorbaer]

Put 56 people in two lineups. No matter how uneven the distribution, it will still be shorter than with everyone in one line.

[Polorbaer]

Further thought...

I wasn't accounting for the second dps slot, actually. There won't be that much of a difference. You're right.
Each heal/tank pairing bumps two dps up the list. A fourth category would just leave you waiting on that queue to fill up, which would mean longer waits for everyone.

Alrighty then. Point conceded.
I'll just join a dungeoneering linkshell.
Happy gaming.

[Laryndra]

Further thought...

I wasn't accounting for the second dps slot, actually. There won't be that much of a difference. You're right.
Each heal/tank pairing bumps two dps up the list. A fourth category would just leave you waiting on that queue to fill up, which would mean longer waits for everyone.

Alrighty then. Point conceded.
I'll just join a dungeoneering linkshell.
Happy gaming.

As a DRG I sit in que usually no more than 10 minutes.. Which is acceptable to me. There are ways to shorten your que and i won't post them here because it would defeat the purpose of it.

[Polorbaer]

Would you mind messaging me your secret?
One more player can't ruin the system, surely.
I have to admit it drives me insane, waiting for up to an hour.