Job Personalization: Can I Have It?

[Akiza]

Personalization would work if the level cap wasn't going to be raised for a long time.

[Colt47]

The bigger problem is that jobs with branching specs is an entirely different system than the one that they are building off of. Or more specifically, it's different than the system they are building away from. Jobs were originally the specializations of the classes, but because of how stat distribution works this didn't quite work out as intended (they tried with summoner / scholar and we saw how that turned out.) To make different specs, they'd need to allow multiple sets of stat point distributions when using the same base class.

Don't get the wrong idea: I'd love to be able to have a choice in how I can play monk or Dragoon rather than be stuck with just one way to play the job. However, that's basically asking for multiple flavors of the same class, which would add considerable workload to the dev team who are already busy bringing samurai and blue mage to the game.

[LandricFrey]

Don't get the wrong idea: I'd love to be able to have a choice in how I can play monk or Dragoon rather than be stuck with just one way to play the job. However, that's basically asking for multiple flavors of the same class, which would add considerable workload to the dev team who are already busy bringing samurai and blue mage to the game.

See this is exactly why I think bigger things are coming. Samurai is an easy melee dps spot but Blue Mage? (and Yoshi-P has stated his fondness of Red Mage in the past.) Those two jobs are historically melee, caster, healer, support jobs all rolled into one. To implement those jobs they's have to at the very least add a Role Checker system to the duty finder, or a support role. Or at worst, force them into one role. *throws up a little*

[DreadRabbit]

To implement those jobs they's have to at the very least add a Role Checker system to the duty finder, or a support role.

I honestly wish they would just outright do that. Yeah it would make dealing with older content a pain in the neck in figuring out how to factor in potential supports. But just adding that fourth role to the game would open up a lot.

[AlexionSkylark]

Weak arguments against this idea:
1. “Choice is an Illusion.” If I understand correctly, this is one of three player types.
a) Those who are punished by difficult content to the point of needing perfect builds just to get by.
b) Players who want the very best set up so they can perform their best.
c) Those who haven’t the time, interest, or are scared to make their own decisions.

False. All of those players would chose to look up a premade optimal build to enhance their experience, effectively giving them but one choice. Nothing would change for them except the fact that they have made a decision.

WRONG. Let me tell you as a former World of Warcraft player how this would turn out:

• The premade optimal build will be made largely and easily accessible to all players.
• FCs and static groups at large WILL demand you to use the optimal premade.
• The optimal premade will not be a choice, it'll be the DEFAULT. Most people will want to use it for better performance.
• Choosing not to use it will cause everybody around you to label you as a noob/baddie.
• The optimal premade won't be called the optimal premade anymore. It'll be called the "RIGHT" build.
• ANYTHING different from the optimal premade will be considered subpar and useless.

FF14, like WoW and others, is a linear vertical progression MMO, and as such people in general, specially those involved in raiding like Coil/Alex will want to and feel they NEED to be as strong as possible. Min/Maxing characters already happens without such a system (just look at how tanks with STR accessories are treated here), if they introduce this, it'll be compulsory to use the optimal premade. Peer pressure will guarantee it.

[LandricFrey]

WRONG. Let me tell you as a former World of Warcraft player how this would turn out:

You don't think I was there for WoW since vanilla? I already stated that for those players there isn't much choice except to go along with what they have to do for the raid(nothing changes for them since they are stuck with one build, the optimal one), but, and this is a very big but, the rest of the players can do as they like. And you know this game caters more toward the casual crowd. By the way, caving into peer pressure is still a choice one makes. My point stands.

[AlexionSkylark]

You don't think I was there for WoW since vanilla? I already stated that for those players there isn't much choice except to go along with what they have to do for the raid(nothing changes for them since they are stuck with one build, the optimal one), but, and this is a very big but, the rest of the players can do as they like. And you know this game caters more toward the casual crowd. By the way, caving into peer pressure is still a choice one makes. My point stands.

You DO realize that this "rest of the players" you're talking about a very small minority, right? And it's not a question of just "caving into peer pressure". You know what casuals normally do? they don't wanna HASSLE themselves with build specifics. They go into a forum / facebook page or ask to a more veteran friend or in their FCs "hey, what's the best build for my class?", to which they are outright told exactly how to build their specs or directed to a website that tells them how to do so.

Hell, most casuals don't even pick their own CLASSES, I've seen thousands of posts in forums and facebook groups of newbie/casuals that ask "which class is best?"

The number of people who enjoy this hands-on figuring-out-builds-for-themselves is a VERY VERY VERY small minority. Maybe you're included on it and have a biased perception, I don't know, but the truth is... There's a reason why Blizzard revamped talents to try and make each choice as mathematically close as possible.

[ErzaScarlet77]

you think the casuals wont just google to see what people in lucrezia/elysium have as specs and just copy that?
people arent that creative, especially if they know their creative build version is inferior to the bets build used by raiders

[LandricFrey]

you think the casuals wont just google to see what people in lucrezia/elysium have as specs and just copy that?
people arent that creative, especially if they know their creative build version is inferior to the bets build used by raiders

Most casuals are in it to have fun, not hit the highest possible numbers.

[ErzaScarlet77]

Most casuals are in it to have fun, not hit the highest possible numbers.

no. but casuals do want a sense of progress. they cnat progress because theyre stuck behind something, usually dps check.
all those people that are stuck on bismarck ex now would love to look up some "secret build" from elysium/lucrezia to get pass dps check and clear it

and you know if theres a special elysium/lucrezia build, people who dont use that build will be 100% denied from clear parties