Pointless restrictions.

[BreathlessTao]

Over time, I've compiled a quite heavy list of pointless UI restrictions that, in my opinion, make no sense whatsoever and need to disappear.

• Sorting or manually reorganising the inventory while in "crafting stance" (not during actual crafting, but when browsing the recipe list) can't be done.
• Not being able to (un)equip gear or weapon/tool while in a conversation. Eg. where you know you'll have to hand over something that you're wearing, but forgot about it and initiated the conversation with the NPC first.
• Return and teleport can now be used while mounted, even mid-air - but we still can't use those commands while /sitting...
• Hunt mark bills can't be opened while /sitting, even though we can check them, for example, while in a dungeon...
• Zodiac glass also can't be used while /sitting or while mounted...
• No item can be purchased off the MB, or put up for sale or entrusted to retainers if the DF queue pops while interacting with those, having to cancel everything and remember to do it after the duty.
• Not really UI but since it's so restrictive: dropping off platforms that do have ground beneath them - I don't have a list, but there are quite a few such, and it's mind-boggling. Also, random spots in HW zones where we can land vs those where we can't... it's quite insane.

I could add "why???" or "can't see the reason" to basically each and every one of these - so instead I just put that here.

Please do add your own if you have any.

[Souljacker]

• I still want to be able to send /tells while in dungeons.
• I want to be able to adjust the UI to my liking, like changing the shape of the hotbars instead of cheesing the system by stacking 4 hotbars on each other to make a numberpad.
• I would like macros to actually have the name of the macro across it instead of a useless cog wheel icon. Not everyone has the same level of color-awareness and this pink swirly icon looks an awful lot like that pink swirly icon. Between that and the explosions all over the screen in any given battle, it's a wonder we aren't all having epileptic fits.
• I'd expand on your comment about where we can land in flying zones and ask that we be able to fly from zone to zone without needing to go to this one specific place to move to the next location. It seems a bit silly that we can fly, but I have to go yalms and yalms out of my way to go to the "door" to the next zone.

[PirateCat]

I want to be able to accept a party invitation while crafting. Or while playing Triple Triad. Or while interacting with the market board. Or while interacting with my retainer. Or while... Yeah, I'm just going to stop and say that the list of things that keep you from being able to accept an invite is kind of silly.

[Sarnen508]

All of this exactly. This game WANTS to be amazing and certainly is fleshed out, but these "death by a thousand cuts" of tiny annoyances really add up. This is stupid as hell and serves no purpose except to remind players that compared to WoW or even TERA, SE seems stuck in yesterday's MMO, but it is too stubborn to adapt.
Being able to switch gear while buying/selling etc is standard issue, and yet in FF you can't.
the game refuses to accept that a chocobo is not a true party member, and because logic they won't make the changes necessary to level your chocobo with you while grinding fates (or whatever) as you wait in duty queue.
macros continue to work sporadically at best, and seem like a throwback to pre vanilla wow.
NPC's still want you to "hand over" items because no reason. Just take it out of my inventory like every other post 2003 mmo. When turning in huge amounts like the fish for the event, this quickly goes from pointless annoyance to really frusterating annoyance.

[m3eansean]

This is cross platform, please don't forget this in your criticism.

The other MMO's you reference are PC only, thus, not gated by the rather poor memory limitations of our old friend, the PS3.

The UI developer has said a number of times, the restrictions faced when designing the UI, due to the support of the PS3 platform.

Yoshi, on the release of 2.0, said PS3 would stay alive through 3.0, as a sort of promise to concerned players. I imagine, on next expac, PS3 support is going to be dropped or discontinued for the expac content.

[Niwashi]

The UI developer has said a number of times, the restrictions faced when designing the UI, due to the support of the PS3 platform.

Not relevant to the type of issues brought up here. Just because, like every other game in existence, there's a few features they have to design around low-memory clients (which includes low-end PCs as well as PS3) doesn't make every poor design decision a symptom of it. Some players like to joke about saying "PS3 limitations" in regards to just about everything, but you may have failed to notice that that's just a joke.

I imagine, on next expac, PS3 support is going to be dropped or discontinued for the expac content.

Even if that were to happen (which it eventually probably will for some future expac, though expecting it for the next one seems a pretty wild leap), it would only impact the expac specific features. Features that are shared with the base game would still support all the platforms that the base game does. Keep in mind, their other MMO is still supporting PS2 as far as the base game and first few expansions are concerned.

[Zfz]

• Lack of extremely obvious automation. Trying to use chocobo porter with your chocobo out - I've taken the trouble to talk to the NPC, select chocobo porter, and then even selected a destination. There can be no doubt that I seriously, really, actually, want to use the chocobo porter. But I have to cancel the dialogue, dismiss my companion manually, then go through all that dialog again to re-select my destination.
• Hiding the interface and disabling all hotbar keybinds during NPC dialog. Whatever happened to the "opening many windows and all operational at the same time" idea that Yoshi-P had bragged about ever since 2.0? Try to do a custom sort on the retainer.
• Minimal customization options on combat text. I don't care about other people's damage numbers. I want to see my own.
• Forced consolidation of UI elements. Enmity bars compiled into the party list most likely due to low spec systems. Buffs and debuffs in the same frame.
• Lack of obvious customization options. Different party list layouts: e.g. a 4-wide layout with HP/MP/TP stacked vertically, expanding to a 4x2 grid for full parties. Buffs and debuffs in separate locations with separate orientation: e.g. buffs horizontal and debuffs vertical. Hotbar orientation options and layout (e.g. grid layout) for every hotbar.
• Lack of obvious functionalities. Pinning the map/hunt marks/animus books so they don't disappear with ESC? Hiding the quest tracker but showing FATE and dungeon objectives?

I've said it before, and I'm gonna say it again. FFXIV UI is prehistoric. Devs may be proud of its efficiency and it may use really advanced algorithms and programming techniques, but its actual usability is far, far from satisfactory.

[Laraul]

The UI developer has said a number of times, the restrictions faced when designing the UI, due to the support of the PS3 platform.

* The UI director only once mentioned that the PS3's memory was an issue. He stated the PS3's/PS4's memory is somehow responsible in limiting the creation of additional hot bars. That was the only time. This seems rather silly to me. And very much bogus.

* He's an artist, and his official designation is lead UI & web artist. He himself is not a programmer though he does try very much to sound like one, It's uniikely has any experience with any coding himself, as it's not necessary or necessarily helpful to have for him to perform his role. Despite this he is contantly bringing up vague "memory issues" which maybe his whole mindset.

* None of the other developers ever bring up memory as the reason why they can or can not do something. They have added more areas, more classes and jobs, more abilities, more items and craftable recipes. More monsters and bosses. More mini-games, more quests, more everything and never say "hey memory won't let us do that." if they aren't blaming their woes on memory, then why would the UI developers be complaining about it all the time?