Are Monks Really This Easy? Macro Question

[McStagger]

So I just made this macro for my Pug and I wondered if it is really as easy as this to play this class.

/macroicon "Snap Punch"
/ac "Internal Release" <me>
/ac "Featherfoot" <me>
/ac "Snap Punch" <t>
/ac "Snap Punch" <tt>
/ac "Twin Snakes" <t>
/ac "Twin Snakes" <tt>
/ac "Bootshine" <t>
/ac "Bootshine" <tt>

At the moment I am only level 18 and will be swapping out some skills as I unlock others, but is it really as easy as this or am I missing something?

[Kevee]

Using macros loses you DPS every GCD because they don't queue the abilities.

So you can't send a signal to the server to use the next ability until the GCD is already up. You lose very tiny amounts of time(if you're mashing) every GCD, but it still adds up.

Macros are only good for oGCD abilities.

Technically, you can play a MNK just like that, same with BRD. Is it optimal, though? No, not nearly.

[McStagger]

Using macros loses you DPS every GCD because they don't queue the abilities.

So you can't send a signal to the server to use the next ability until the GCD is already up. You lose very tiny amounts of time(if you're mashing) every GCD, but it still adds up.

Macros are only good for oGCD abilities.

Technically, you can play a MNK just like that, same with BRD. Is it optimal, though? No, not nearly.

Using target dummies and the timer for Greased Lightening as a test to see how long the rotation take for both the macro and manual button presses, they both came out at seemingly the exact same time with 6 seconds left on GL.

[Kevee]

Using target dummies and the timer for Greased Lightening as a test to see how long the rotation take for both the macro and manual button presses, they both came out at seemingly the exact same time with 6 seconds left on GL.

Again, it's fractions of a second each time.

This is VERY easy to test.

Have one ability macroed as itself.

Have the same ability next to it non-macro'ed.

Press the macro, and ~.5s before the GCD is up press it again.

Notice, you don't use the skill.

Press the macro, and ~.5s before the GCD is up press the normal skill.

Notice how you use the skill.

[McStagger]

Are there any detailed posts on that? It would seem that since you are sending the command to use an ability, it would still hit the server and queue it up.

[Kevee]

Is there any detailed posts on that? It would seem that since you are sending the command to use an ability, it would still hit the server and queue it up.

You're still sending the signal, but it doesn't queue.

You can test it on any class/job. Just make a macro for any ability, and try to queue it before the GCD is up. I first noticed this when I played SCH, because I have <tt> macros set up for all my offensive skills.

[EasymodeX]

Try using your macro against 10 mobs in a row, then use separate non-macro'd attacks against 10 mobs in a row. You should notice an immediate difference.

SE's engine is not smart enough to queue an ability in a macro. Note: it's not as simple as it sounds, although I don't know why. RIFT had the same issue with macros for the first 4 months. In RIFT it was 100x more critical to get macros working because the game relied on them to a significant degree, unlike FF14.

[Leiron]

RIFT had the same issue with macros for the first 4 months. In RIFT it was 100x more critical to get macros working because the game relied on them to a significant degree, unlike FF14.

Yeah, reactive based macros tend to lag because it needs to check if the ability can be used.
Generally you don't macro those abilities, the rest work fine now tough.

[Grogin]

Try using your macro against 10 mobs in a row, then use separate non-macro'd attacks against 10 mobs in a row. You should notice an immediate difference.

SE's engine is not smart enough to queue an ability in a macro. Note: it's not as simple as it sounds, although I don't know why. RIFT had the same issue with macros for the first 4 months. In RIFT it was 100x more critical to get macros working because the game relied on them to a significant degree, unlike FF14.

It might be the engine was actually designed this way to provide a more "interactive" game experience. I am not saying it is wrong or right, but the trend in many newer MMOs has been to try and make the combat more action oriented. Case in point, I don't think I ever dodged as much in FFXI, WoW, or Guild Wars.

[Lemon8or]

Uhm no. It is not that easy. You never ever want to blow your CD when you don't need to. Putting Internal Release on the same macro as your main combo will only leave you without it for when the CD matters like Titan HM heart phase. Later on, you get a lot more skills and some are only situational useful. Also, any server lag will make you skip the abilities in the right form and make you lose Greased Lightning. Just go manual.