A Use for Classes.

[Saccharin]

FFXIV raid combat is a lot like WoWs. Heavy on the dodging - something that is heavily latency dependent. No preparation required to raid.

I'd say compared to WoW FF14 has lot more dodging mechanics but WoW is starting to take them up more often. Since you brought up WoW. One of the devs at Blizzard told us at some point that they design encounters around a 350ms latency. Incredible people can play like that but apparently they can. one of the main reasons is that WoW's servers have code that compensates for poor latency so you cast/dodge just like someone with much lower latency.

How about letting Classes bypass the dodging in raids but require them to "prepare"? i.e. a trade of sorts.

After all, Classes are suppose to have "customisation" as their raison d'être. With proper selection of gear and skills, you can let them survive boss attacks the "old way" - i.e. customization; like old school FF.

The downside is of course, you must "grind" for your skills, gear, and consumables - which excludes people tight on time. But as I said, it a trade to not have to dodge - something that excludes people with bad ping.

This would be my first FF game but not my first MMO. (WoW was actually my second; LoTRO, for a short time, my first.) While this suggestion has no chance of being implemented I'll share with you why I think it shouldn't. First of all it would make encounters fairly boring. You would stand still and just attack the boss and use the occasional counter. In ST for example you'd have 24 people not moving a single time. Does that seem exciting. Not to me. Remember an MMO is all about other people not just you. Teamwork.

In an MMO customisation is a fallacy. If there's a best way to do something then that's what you should do to be the best. It's all mathematics. The developers have been very careful when planning the rebirth and have incorporated tried and tested features and learned a little too. Having 50 buttons and a spell of every occasion just isn't good gameplay. There's no choice and by extension no skill in having a counter for everything. Even the mighty Blizzard have reduced the number of buttons, or as they called it, button bloat. This had mixed signals with the player base but seems to have done more good than bad.

Grind just isn't something that the majority of players want now, especially for skills. Players want to be entertained each week not grind 5 hours for one skill increase. A recent case in point is Wildstar. For those of you that don't follow MMO news it is an action combat MMO that promised to bring back the hardcore, which they now deny, element back to MMOs. They are now in significant trouble population wise and company wise. Wildstar listened to the types of posts that complained that it's too easy and made a game for these people but what everyone released is that these people are not your target audience any longer for MMOs. They too had skills to grind and slowly but surely they are easing up on the grind because the majority don't like it.