Would you play FFXIV if it had action combat?

[Kosmos992k]

I don't know if you've tried out WildStar, but I've just gotten into it and the game is far more complex than FFXIV, while innovating on the MMO combat in the right way. Every ability is an AOE, yes, but you have to manage resources on several classes (Stalker and Warrior both, those are the ones I've tried), manage buffs, stuns actually have a use in early game, and if you don't utilize them it results in a wipe, etc. It is very twitch based in the way AoEs are handled, but it's twitch based while retaining the depth of a traditional MMO. It does not have an animation lock though, because no one loves those. I do love FFXIV's combat (at times), but it's far from being the most strategic game out there, hell I'd hardly call it strategic, more like a game of memorization.

I haven't tried out Wildstar, however I'm not a fan of twitch mechanics, my 50 year old fingers don't have quite the same sharp reflexes they did when I was younger. I come from the world of turn based JRPGs, and so yes, I agree that FFXIV is hardly the most strategic system of combat around, but then it's not a turn based strategy game, so I can't fault it. It is however about as actiony as I really want in a game these days. If I could have my wishes with regard to the combat system, we'd first require an overhaul of the skills and skill system, and then have a fully turn based combat system implemented on top of that. But that's pie in the sky these days, only niche market games really offer fully turn based systems, which is fine, I'll enjoy them there. But FFXIV provides a kind of halfway house where people that prefer turn based can coexist with people that prefer action because the systems global cooldown helps provide some of that structure and time that turn based players liked and allows more time to consider actions making it more strategic than most action combat systems.

If my previous posts made it sound like I was putting down twitch/action systems, I apologize, because I'm really not. It's a case of horses for courses, people that like twitch/action systems have options, people that prefer the more turn based solutions have (fewer) options.

FFXIV hits a spot that caters to both groups without necessarily being perfect for either, it works.