This is awesome... Why couldn't we have this?

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I have to ask, have you played WoW past the first 10 seconds, and if so, can you explain how it's so different to WoW? Watched yet another video and my impression remains the same as it was prior. WoW with a must slower combat system. The market does not need a system like that, people simply aren't interested in a system where it takes that long to use one ability. Most modern MMO players dislike FFXIV due to it's long GCD and quit without reaching endgame because putting it simply, the gameplay is a bore until you reach max, or near max level. You have a handful of abilities and a few OGCD.

Whoah, salty. Put the shaker down.

Yes, I played WoW for some time. Got a Warlock up to 80, before saying "meh", and walking away.

It's cute, though, how you mockingly challenge me on how much I've played WoW, but then readily acknowledge that all you know of 1.0 is from YT videos. Your self-awareness could use some leveling up. Just sayin'.

I played FFXIV 1.0 for several months, during its release and then later, from around 1.18 up through its shut-down in 1.23. I capped DRG and worked on some other classes/jobs, combat, crafting and gathering. I can tell you definitively, in my experience, it was quite different from WoW, almost across the board, in ways and for reasons you're not going to see by watching YT videos. Like I said, I would not have used WoW to describe 1.x to anyone, except to point out the differences, of which there were many.

Suffice to say, 2.0's combat is largely derived from 1.x's. Only, 2.0's has moved a bit more to the "streamlined"/mainstream friendly side of things, such as removing the elemental wheel from the equation, for example. So, if one considers 2.0's combat to be different from WoW, then they'd very likely have considered 1.x's to be even moreso.

Now, if you're going to say "why don't you give me specifics?". I'm going to say "No, that's okay". For me to sit here and think back to 3+ years ago to remember specific examples, simply to answer the poor-faith queries of an anonymous person on the internet, would require far more time than I have, or care to invest. If you're going to say "then how can you remember it being different?", I'm going to say for the same reason I know that the car I own now feels different to drive than the last one I owned some years ago - even if I can't remember specific examples of how or why.

To belabor the car analogy a little further, trying to discern key differences between MMO combat systems by watching YT videos is about as feasible as trying to discern key differences in how different cars handle by watching people drive. In each case, to have a proper understanding/appreciation of the experience, beyond the superficial, requires you to be in the driver's seat.

I could go digging around the web and find pages describing/explaining how 1.x's combat worked, with all its nuances, interplay with other roles, etc. But then, you could do the same thing, were you really so curious to find out.

If you strip away all varying/differing factors, combat in all MMOs ultimately boils down to "click button, do action", outside of auto-attacking. So, yes, if you're just sitting there watching a video of other people playing a game whose combat you're not familiar with, without context, chances are that's what it's going to look like to you. "Oh, so, they're just going up to mobs and attacking.. How is that so different?". Null surprise there, and hardly basis for an argument.

I'll summarize it like this.. When I think of games that reminded me a lot of WoW when playing them, for various reasons (different among all of them), I'd list FFXIV 2.0, Warhammer Online, Wildstar, or any MMO modeled after that standard themepark model. FFXIV 1.x was not modeled after that style of gameplay, only borrowing elements which are, frankly, common across all MMOs. This is why I do not liken 1.x in any way to WoW.

If that explanation isn't good enough for you, then I don't know what to tell you. I hope it doesn't disrupt your day fussing over it too much.