Idea to simplify combo action skills

[Garvey]

Not sure if this idea has been suggested already, but I'll just go with it anyway.

Instead of requiring 5 different buttons/hotkeys for each ability in a combo sequence, just have 1 button, and have it change its icon to the next ability in the sequence when you use it.

For example, with dragoon, the chain impulse drive -> disembowel -> chaos thrust -> fang and claw, there are 4 different buttons.

Instead, when you use impulse drive, the icon would become "disembowel" for the period when the combo is still active (i think its like 15 seconds).

So there would just be 1 button you would press 4 times in sequence, instead of 4 different buttons and 4 different hotkeys to keep track of.

Reason I want this is because my action bars are getting pretty heavy duty, and I am running out of convenient hotkey combinations near AWSD

That's all, hopefully it was clear.

[XiXiQ]

I don't know if that particular idea will work, but seriously something needs to be done about the button overload. Playing with a controller is becoming practically impossible. I managed to do something with BLM (a lvl 50 hotbar and another with a few buttons changed for lvl60 stuff), but when looking at stuff like whm and drg, there's just nothing you can set aside, and nowhere to put it all. Maybe someone has some whiz-bang ideas for squeezing it all in.

[Garvey]

Why wouldn't it work? I can't see any situation where you would still want to use "disembowel" when the next combo action is "chaos thrust", etc.

[Morbid]

I don't know if that particular idea will work, but seriously something needs to be done about the button overload. Playing with a controller is becoming practically impossible. I managed to do something with BLM (a lvl 50 hotbar and another with a few buttons changed for lvl60 stuff), but when looking at stuff like whm and drg, there's just nothing you can set aside, and nowhere to put it all. Maybe someone has some whiz-bang ideas for squeezing it all in.

Are you using the cross hotbar option? If you are flipping pages you are doing extra work..

Cross hotbar gives you quick access to 32 skills.

[Darkstride]

So what about Ninja who has:

Spinning Edge > Shadow Fang
Spinning Edge > Gust Slash > Dancing Edge
Spinning Edge > Gust Slash > Aeolian Edge

What is the icon supposed to change to when I have multiple options?

Unless I've misunderstood your idea.

[Garvey]

So what about Ninja who has:

Spinning Edge > Shadow Fang
Spinning Edge > Gust Slash > Dancing Edge
Spinning Edge > Gust Slash > Aeolian Edge

What is the icon supposed to change to when I have multiple options?

Unless I've misunderstood your idea.

Good point, after giving it some thought, I'm going to adjust my idea a bit now. You could still simplify it into 2 buttons, one for each option you have at a given moment.

Initially, the first button is Spinning Edge, and the 2nd button is inactive.

Once you use Spinning Edge, the first button morphs into Shadow Fang and the 2nd button morphs into Gust Slash.

If you use Gust Slash, the first button morphs into Dancing Edge, and the 2nd button morphs into Aeolian Edge.

So your 3 sequences would be

1 -> 1
1 -> 2 -> 1
1 -> 2 -> 2

instead of

1 -> 2
1 -> 3 -> 4
1 -> 3 -> 5

And for dragoon it would be the following sequences (starting with either impulse drive or true thrust)

1 -> 1 -> 1 -> 1
2 -> 1 -> 1 -> 1

instead of

1 -> 2 -> 3 -> 4 or 5
6 -> 7 -> 8 -> 4 or 5

The only disadvantage I could see with this is that once you start a sequence, you can't stop it and switch to another one in the middle of it. But I think that could be solved with a simple "reset" hotkey, if that situation ever arose. Honestly though in playing, I've never really wanted to stop a sequence in the middle of it to do a different one, since it seems like a loss to do so.

[Genaxx]

I think would be possible to do this with a macro, I will try it tomorrow and get back to you.

If we could macro macro's to the hotbar then this would be simple, unfortunately we can't but I have another method in mind.

It would actually help with the low standard dps, since they couldn't use the same skill over and over.

[XiXiQ]

Are you using the cross hotbar option? If you are flipping pages you are doing extra work..

Cross hotbar gives you quick access to 32 skills.

yes, I'm using it. swapping is just inefficient, even though I just have the 2 to page as I turned off the rest. There's also the very annoying "quirk" where when you first pick something from the 2nd bar, it will swap back to the first. You also can't see the state of cooldowns on the other bar. If there's a better way, I'd love to know what it is.

This wouldn't be so bad if you could just stick to what's required for lvl60, but the bulk of dailies is still lvl50 roulettes, and there's only 4 dungeons where full lvl60 is used.

[Darkstride]

It think would be possible to do this with a macro, I will try it tomorrow and get back to you.

If we could macro macro's to the hotbar then this would be simple, unfortunately we can't but I have another method in mind.

It would actually help with the low standard dps, since they couldn't use the same skill over and over.

Macros won't queue, though, so it would mess up the flow of chaining your combo abilities. I feel like the result would be less efficient.

[AskaRay]

yes, I'm using it. swapping is just inefficient, even though I just have the 2 to page as I turned off the rest. There's also the very annoying "quirk" where when you first pick something from the 2nd bar, it will swap back to the first. You also can't see the state of cooldowns on the other bar. If there's a better way, I'd love to know what it is.

This wouldn't be so bad if you could just stick to what's required for lvl60, but the bulk of dailies is still lvl50 roulettes, and there's only 4 dungeons where full lvl60 is used.

That's strange since I use the CHbar all the time and never have had that "quirk"..