Quote Originally Posted by Kosmos992k View Post
It is what it is. The OP describes a real time (with animation locks) action combat system where all melee attacks are also AoE, has Ranged attackers face their targets (aiming) and homogenizes all jobs with self heal and dodging skills. It sounds a lot like games such as GW2. If that's your thing, have fun, it exists already. FFXIV is combat system is good as it is, it needs no modification to be more reaction time and action based.
I wouldn't consider Guild Wars 2 to be action based, or even remotely close to being action based. It feels like they tried to innovate on the traditional MMO combat but failed miserably and yet somehow managed to turn it into a successful game, I guess that's what happens when you have no subscription fee. ESO for example, it went from being known as one of the worst MMOs and a terrible Elder Scrolls games, to being alright because they removed the sub fee.

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.