Just read the Novacrystallis interview

[Xairos]

They need to let us use EXP as a currency for something endgame so dungeon runs wont be so marginalized.

[Taaku]

The monster vs player(s) thing, reminds me of monstrosity from FFXI.

[Fated]

They'll say anything to rationalize the useless Skill Speed. I liked the questions in this interview a lot.

[Nalien]

Skill Speed, more so on Monk, would be semi-OK if they actually made Army's Paeon as useful as Mage's Ballad. Why on Earth we still can't see party members TP is beyond me. This was an issue in XI, and they've still left it broken all the way into ARR... Is it incompetent to have not fixed an issue for over a decade? I feel we need a stronger word...

[Roris]

So no Musketeer until December, good, saves me even more spare change in a couple of months.

Skill Speed, more so on Monk, would be semi-OK if they actually made Army's Paeon as useful as Mage's Ballad. Why on Earth we still can't see party members TP is beyond me. This was an issue in XI, and they've still left it broken all the way into ARR... Is it incompetent to have not fixed an issue for over a decade? I feel we need a stronger word...

It's funny because they recently added that in XI, it feels like they're slowly adding a lot of the good 1.X features into the game, and even a couple from ARR like a recipe book which is great, item levels and gear invalidation not withstanding. Inb4 a snarky "well why don't you go play it then huh huh huh" used as an insult by silly people.

[SavageWolf]

The interviewer asked a lot of difficult questions. You can really tell Yoshi-P recognizes all issues surrounding each matter, which is very impressive for a developer these days. It really helps you see what a difficult job they have of keeping the game balanced. He sees the game through both the Casual players and the Hardcore player's eyes.

[NyneAlexander]

lol @ yoshi-p wondering if Blue Gartr peeps have jobs

[Almalexia]

I'd like to meet one of these " professional monks" and slap them for making the devs think skill speed is good. Every time I run out of tp between invigorates in long fights I want to strangle the devs already, but reading that there are people who actually are trying to see wether skill speed or crit is the best stat for monks infuriates me.

SS is good. The issue is sustainability: stack SS and you burn through TP, unless you have a BRD to back you up with Paeon. But there is no net DPS gain if you dote on the one melee who stacked SS, so it's more pragmatic to avoid SS.

What I'm trying to say is, why aren't people making parties with 4 SS MNKs and 1 BRD?

[Themis]

I'd like to meet one of these " professional monks" and slap them for making the devs think skill speed is good. Every time I run out of tp between invigorates in long fights I want to strangle the devs already, but reading that there are people who actually are trying to see wether skill speed or crit is the best stat for monks infuriates me.

Wouldn't it be funny if they were right, and we were all wrong /hypotheticalstatement

Going from what Yoshida was saying, it sounds to me like the JP players tend to build different gearsets that have different focus stats and use them depending on what they are currently doing. Skill Speed is not terrible, it's just hard to sustain TP in long fights without coordinating a Bard or two. For dungeons, SS might be better because of the overall lower HP pool on mobs and less time being spent on each mob. For bosses, though, Crit/Det can be better because it allows for longer upkeep of damage and over time it will outperform SS damage.

The problem is that, especially in the West, we tend to build our stat weights around an optimal build. This is often in a situation where the target is a training dummy in ideal conditions, where the chance of losing GS stacks or not hitting the correct position is non-existent. In a real setting, though, different builds can cater for very different strategies.

Personally, I prefer players who are willing to go with what works for them, rather than being sheep and just following a "perfect" guide. Yes, guides help you understand your job more. But they aren't a one-size-fits-all gospel.

[Ramzal]

"Professional Monk"...

Did anyone else imagine Jackie Chan in a business suit when they read that?