auto-attack death and decay

[Chumeia]

-COMBAT-

The new auto attach has gimped my Marauder, and other Melee jobs.

First Example:
When engaging a level 19 enemy with my level 23 Marauder you might think the winner was obvious. But no as the auto attack is so slow to repeat if I were to use it alone death is the outcome. If I start using any TP or Magic now new TP is generated due to the time delay and the battle basically becomes magic based. Winning is nearly impossible.

Second Example:
Take the same fight but with a level 19 Thurmage. If I pour my efforts into maintaining HP, and MP then the fight is winnable only very slowly. Spirit dart alone is not enough but unlike Marauder who can ONLY attack with a Blunt object or a throwing weapon, Thurmage has a host of spells and a pool of magic.

Here's the problem:

When you took away the stamina bar and removed the default attack button in favor of the Auto attack only. Marauder can only attack with TP based attacks or throwing weapons. Delay in auto attack and Throwing weapons is very great. I was far happier with the default stamina bar that let us slash several times, then recharge.

The auto attack in FFXI even worked better. But I have to say I was actually hoping there would be a very basic auto attack that would be switch able much the same as there is a button for AOE spells in mages. I also like being able to command a strike when I need it without the computer telling me it's impossible. because the ONLY accessory strikes available are on cool down.

One last example.

I like to join the players who team up for the battle Warden fights. However, I increasingly feel useless in those fights. My axe might get one hit per NPC. That's if I can get the target set and get the lock on before the NPC is defeated by the others. If I don't get it just right my Marauder stands there like a Dumb Ox just holding his axe like he's going to swing but nothing happens. Now I just look like some jerk who came along to looks useful and collect the reward.

I don't dare even think what Pugilist looks like right now. That attack button was pretty much the Pugilist life blood just like Marauder. Now with it removed and all attacks on a clock... No more quick advances. No more self buffing. Hello perpetual death and decay. All in favor of making a long winded game that never ends. Did any one ever to tell you guys some of us solo because we don't have the time to spend in all night raids just to get a level? No, I suppose not.

EDIT: 20110727

My alternate, Thurmage seems to have retained his spirit dart icon, and although I have no direct control over the spirit dart attack, as long as the timer is full I can attack a few second earlier and if the gauge is not full I can use a direct physical attack. Nice blunt force trauma gets the job done.
However, the Marauder does not have the ability to see its primary attack gauge, has trouble locking on, and unlike the mages, has no secondary blunt force type swing, given there is no button to mash.

-TARGETING-

I have no idea what this ABC stuff is and it doesn't provide any descriptions. Hmm not in the manual either... Seems to be a way of determining which targets get priority. A seems to be players or non combat, those you might want to heal and B seems to NPC priority.

Target lock. I've been asking for way to get the target system to scroll over to the next target attacking or attacking the party. However that hasn't really happened. It kinda works but very poorly. Don't know what you did in FFXI but it work there.

Target lock will refuse to give up target:
When an NPC is dead the target lock should auto break and target next NPC attacking but it does not often this system will remain locked on the corpse while I am getting pounding on by the enemy.

-BUTTONS-

It's more difficult to tell when a button has been highlighted now in the combat controls. The larger buttons are nice along with the timers that make stacking more effective. But the highlight is hard to see. Plus if the mouse is on the screen the highlight dissolves making things more complicated during combat. With the older smaller icons, the bar took up less space on a small screen and the highlight was easier to see.

-ICONS-

Many of the new icons (all not just combat) look like they were drawn in 4th grade art class. The new icons are something I'd expect in a beta game or a low quality 2D hand held.

Guardian favor is a scroll, really? It's easy to see but its stands out like a sore thumb as an icon that simply shouldn't be there. Honestly I still don't even known what that effect does.

-DEATH-

With the new changes I am dying allot more. I'd say about 3X as often. Each death seems to loose about 10% on all gear no matter what and Combat itself losses 2-4% seems to as I haven't actually looked very closely. Ok just looked and it was 7% on 100% item.

Having my gear literally rot off is extremely irritating.

Not being able to repair it the standard way is also very irritating. I cannot just gather the materials and fix it. No I have to find some guy in town who sells the dark material. Or pay some one high fees. Before there was enough competition and urge to advance in crafting that a moderate offering would result in someone fixing your gear without to much waiting. Having less gill to offer to get a repair is even more frustrating.

Gear I have never had trouble with decay is now falling apart. Everything I have is rotting. This is a new problem that didn't exist before 1.18

-GILL-

Because some one thought it a great Idea to limit the gill being collected too. This further enforces the idea that the gear is rotting off my body. I cannot afford to offer a nice fee to other players and I certainly cannot afford to pay the NPC the outrageous fees they ask for. There is simply no gill. By the time I earn it, the gear is totally rotted.