What can the dev team do to satisfy the critics of 1.18?

[Cendres]

The dev team can do nothing right to silence the critics. So they should focus on making the happy people even happier.

People complained that the game was too easy. SE made it harder. Now people are complaining that it's too hard and they want it back the way it was.

Screw everyone who complains without detailed explanation and suggestions.

But those aren't the same people ^_^;;;

As for potions, I don't know I always had the idea that a mage that uses a lot of potions, except in dire emergencies, isn't a very good mage. :S

[Lucinda_Lecore]

Ithink the devs can give everyone a pot of money, that should keep critics silent for a short while. But all honesty, I'm enjoying v1.18 so far. I have high hopes for v1.19 and other future patches

Lucinda x

[Rimmer]

Give us more varied content to sink out teeth into for all ranks 1-50, so we actually have a reason to log into the game instead of bitching on the forums.

[Dubont]

fix the broken stats and mechanics as well as give THM back the ability to heal so that CON, the job with the most dmg spells, can actually do something other than heal in parties...

[NoctisUmbra]

Give us more varied content to sink out teeth into for all ranks 1-50, so we actually have a reason to log into the game instead of bitching on the forums.

Yes.

fix the broken stats and mechanics as well as give THM back the ability to heal so that CON, the job with the most dmg spells, can actually do something other than heal in parties...

No. THM is clearly better at dealing damage than CON. It was originally intended to be this way too, based on initial class descriptions.

THM and CON are clearly separated and unique in their own right now. THMs can heal well, and CONs can damage well. Just each are more effecive in one compared to the other. No need to change this whatsoever.

[Dubont]

No. THM is clearly better at dealing damage than CON. It was originally intended to be this way too, based on initial class descriptions.

THM and CON are clearly separated and unique in their own right now. THMs can heal well, and CONs can damage well. Just each are more effecive in one compared to the other. No need to change this whatsoever.

then THM and CON need to be clearly identified by their class skills as dds or healers. I have NEVER seen a Healer with so many elemental dmg and DoT spells. Also, yes, of course THM is better at doing dmg now. Their dmg spells got a potency boost.

[NoctisUmbra]

then THM and CON need to be clearly identified by their class skills as dds or healers. I have NEVER seen a Healer with so many elemental dmg and DoT spells. Also, yes, of course THM is better at doing dmg now. Their dmg spells got a potency boost.

Because classes are not jobs. A CON is more proficient at it, but it doesn't mean it was made to heal and only heal. Just like a GLA is proficient at tanking, and a PGL is as well but they weren't made to center around tanking.

We as the players have cross classed skills effectively, and selected which class to use them on to take on party roles such as tank, DD, debuffer, healer and such.

No class was designed just to play one specific role in a party. That's why Jobs are being implemented. They are going to lessen the need to cross class, and have players able to chose definitive party roles.

[TonyMontana]

The thing SE can do to silence the critics? Get their userbase back over 200,000(atleast) users and keep it there for a few years. Anything less than that is a total failure. I dont see them getting anywhere close to that number before PS3 release and depending on how good the upcoming content/UI changes/job changes/Auction house addition shape up I dont think they will keep that ammount of subscribers for any signifigant period of time.

[Neptune]

So does that mean, then, when they finish all the changes to the battle system that these "recast timers and ability changes" which you speak of will be ... re-changed/balanced again around whatever future content is added?

No, it means that the dev team will make raids for the forseeable future that mirror Darkhold - they aren't going to change what works for them every time they introduce a new raid.

Actually, before anyone thinks about attempting to ponder that question I have an honest question: What do you mean by this? I mean, respectfully, I'm confused by this, and I'm thinking it's your word usage. What is an "arbitrary fact"? It sounds as if you're contradicting yourself because for something to be arbitrary (e.g., a decision) it is based purely on one's subjective perspective in that no context at all suggests nor guarantees the existence of any factual information.

And it is here that we must, unfortunately, return to the dictionary:

arbitrary: Determined by chance, whim, or impulse, and not by necessity, reason, or principle

http://www.answers.com/topic/arbitrary#ixzz1TIORXzps

Factual information it not excluded by something being arbitrary. Facts inform decisions as always. In this particular case, it's the facts of the Darkhold. This is an arbitrary fact, because the Darkhold is like 1% of the battle gametime in FFXIV. I'm a firm believer that actions affecting other people should fall into the category of "by necessity, reason, or principle" and not "determined by chance, whim, or impulse." Just because they put a dungeon in the game it shouldn't throw off the balance for the many other cases of fighting while soloing, grinding, etc etc etc.

I might be missing something, but was there another survey that was sent out to the entire player [active/inactive] community related to the changes of 1.18 wherein the results provided empirical evidence to suggest that the changes you've mentioned were unpopular overall?

You are missing something, and it's that the majority is irrelevant to this discussion because there is no need for anything about this patch to be unpopular. This patch should have been universally praised.

I'm pretty sure the New Years survey suggested that the majority of players wanted to participate and group/party gameplay whether doing missions or quests or whatever; and I'm equally as sure that the majority of players also wanted more class/role uniqueness and less of a "melting pot". Why, then, should the battle system be geared in such a way to give special accommodations for any class/role to engage in solo battles and yet still be able to perform at the capacity that is required to fill a specific role during group/party battles?

Let me see if I've got this right. You think that because survey respondents (even a majority?) desired party play that now solo play should be difficult and time consuming? First of all, I'm sorry to hear that. Secondly, there is no need for solo play to suffer. Before this patch I would describe both playstyles as fun and engaging in different ways. With good decisions the dev team can ensure that both are lively and exciting.

First off, you can't formulate MP costs in favor of solo-play without unbalancing party-play. It's like wanting to pay less taxes and wanting a bigger social security check - ebb and flow. Also, isn't "Ether" a word to describe "MP restoring mana drinks"? The game has these already. And how do you know future patches won't contain MP-regen food/drinks?

It's not like that at all. In solo play you're using MP on one person, yourself, and in a party you're using MP on 8 people. If you are having issues soloing what does that tell you about party play? Come on man use your head on this one. I wasn't talking about ether - I was talking about drinking something that makes you sit down and your mana refills over a period of 20 or 30 seconds. And with any luck a future patch will contain something like that - because of my suggestion and the suggestions of other players.

Actually, only non-solo, battle situations need to be "tested thoroughly" (which I'm willing to bet they already are) because enmity doesn't even matter when you're in solo-battle.

I have to assume that your desire to appear to have had the insightful view on my statement has taken precedence over a comprehensible reading. There are many cases of party play mentioned, world NMs, grinding, guildleves, and dungeons. Guess which one may have been slightly skewing the results.

[LuxLex]

Also NQ Ethers only restore 50 MP and there is a medicated effect from using them so they are not even remotely useful.