Job Personalization: Can I Have It?

[DreadRabbit]

PS: If I want to play such a game, I would just go back to playing WoW.

I woul too. Yet I'm never going back. To me FFXIV feels very different from WoW or I wouldn't have stayed after making the switch. Just because you think it's a WoW clone because of the game's progression structure doesn't mean the rest us of do.

You don't have to stay inside your box. You can literally switch whatever box you're standing in by equipping a different weapon type without any disadvantages to you whatsoever. We both agreed on that or I thought. I guess I misunderstood.

Games centered around raiding didn't start with WoW. WoW just took the idea and ran with it. That's like calling any creature-collecting game Pokemon without looking into the finer details as to what makes said game unique. This game is built on progression, and that core idea is not going to change. You have to progress through the storyline to open all the areas and see what happens next. As you level you need new gear. And every class/job is designed with a role in mind for those who enjoy playing in a group. But pretty much all of them can solo a lot of content past a certain level for those that don't want to. And FF14 is not centered around raiding. Trust me, the raiding crowd of this game would be much happier if it was. This game is centered around storytelling and casual play. The reason for fast leveling is because of general playermindset overall: "leveling is boring and I want to get to end-game NOW." You can't blame devs for giving people what they wanted. How fast you level is a player choice.

Even though I already know you're probably going to hate the graphics and F2P-ness aspect of it, but seriously: go try Mabinogi. It was brought to NA in 2008 and is still up and running strong. I'm not telling you to leave FF14 or anything like that. I'm trying to tell you that your general ideas do work, go see them in action. If a game is designed from the very beginning to surround itself in those ideas. You'll notice almost instantly just how differently the game runs at its core.

But once you have a progression game there is no changing it from being a progression game. Even gatherers and crafters have to deal with progression. That is one thing that no matter what idea is implemented will not change about this game.

[Bishop81]

You don't have to stay inside your box. You can literally switch whatever box you're standing in by equipping a different weapon type without any disadvantages to you whatsoever. We both agreed on that or I thought. I guess I misunderstood.

From one box into another. By grinding FATEs no less. /smh

[DreadRabbit]

From one box into another. By grind FATEs no less. /smh

And having a roaming world bosses or grinding mobs to use those skill books you talked about is different...how?

[Bishop81]

And having a roaming world bosses or grinding mobs to use those skill books you talked about is different...how?

I get something new reward each time. Different mobs with different skill sets that you have to overcome. Although some can be from plain grinding if SE runs out of time.

You are also confusing the issue of end game content vs levelling.

Skill books are for when you are level capped - you can do it sooner if you like though.

End-game will always be a grind. Right now it's a gear grind - the most boring version of gear grind at that where new gear are carbon copies of the gear before it with bigger numbers.

Grinding for new skills and different types of gear (both of which I can choose which I want) that can allow you to change your playstyle and let you experiment with, is much preferable to the current gear grind.

[DreadRabbit]

snip

But if the skills are end-game grind, where are you using them after you get them? So now I've won these cool unique skills...with nowhere to use them because they're locked out of anything but 4-man content I've already done? (because 8-man and above is considered raid or raid-ish in this game by the devs, and you've said these skills aren't for that). So skills replace the gear grind...so in other words, it's still a grind. Replacing a grind with another similar grind doesn't change gameplay.

There are fates with different mobs with different skill sets. Quite a few of them have open-world specific bosses. They could give more rewards, I'll admit that. And some level-cap end-game fates would be a nice change from hunts. What you described is exactly what you're supposed to do in a Fate. Especially boss fates. We have treasure maps with unique prizes that are needed in other areas of the game like crafts, often expecting you to fight a hoard of monsters you don't normally fight to get them.

I guess we just agree to disagree then. This skill book idea of yours with fine tuning has potential, but everything else you keep mentioning we already have.

[Bishop81]

But if the skills are end-game grind, where are you using them after you get them? So now I've won these cool unique skills...with nowhere to use them because they're locked out of anything but 4-man content I've already done? (because 8-man and above is considered raid or raid-ish in this game by the devs, and you've said these skills aren't for that). So skills replace the gear grind...so in other words, it's still a grind. Replacing a grind with another similar grind doesn't change gameplay.

You use them to kill monsters to get more skills and gear.

That's kind of what you do now with gear now too anyway. You get gear to do raids to get more gear.

I never said it wasn't a grind, just a less boring one since you get to mix and match the new skills and gear you get and try out different "builds".

There are fates with different mobs with different skill sets. Quite a few of them have open-world specific bosses. They could give more rewards, I'll admit that. What you described is exactly what you're supposed to do in a Fate. Especially boss fates. We have treasure maps with unique prizes that are needed in other areas of the game like crafts, often expecting you to fight a hoard of monsters you don't normally fight to get them.

I guess we just agree to disagree then. This skill book idea of yours with fine tuning has potential, but everything else you keep mentioning we already have.

Most FATE mechanics are very forgiving. You can ignore a good number of them. Those that you can't ignore, you just have to deal with with what abilities you have - one-shotting AOE->sprint, casted nuke->silence (if you have it, else just ready your cursor over the soon-to-be-appearing release button).

You can't "equip" different skills or gear to work around them which in IMHO much more interesting. There should be more than one way to skin a cat, more options are always welcomed.