The New Chat Restriction in The Feast

[Februs]

PvP in this game is generally console-unfriendly and Playstation players have disadvantage unless they master W Cross Hotbar use which is pain to switch every second.

That's somewhat true. I manage pretty well, myself, but I always felt a bit gimped compared to you PC'ers in PvP. Targeting, in particular, is an issue. The idea of healing terrifies me, because target cycling on controller is much slower and clunkier than a simple point and click. I'm honestly not sure I could keep up, even if I was a half decent healer (which I'm not). Hotbars are a bit more manageable, but I already have a full Hotbar dedicated just to PvP actions. Setting up yet another hotbar for auto-chat just seems like a lot of unnecessary trouble, and swapping to it in the heat of battle is going to seem even worse ... At this point, I don't think I'll be doing much of any chat in Feast, assuming I even bother to get back into it.

[Februs]

A living legend that will be universally missed in the primal data center. Until he inevitably comes back for season 4 or the expansion that is. Just like everyone else that quits.

Very true. I only had the privilege to play a handful of games with him, but they were all fun and memorable - even the times I saw him in 8v8. I can understand why he'd leave, though. I have difficulty looking forward to future content, even in 4.0, if they stick with whatever decision making paradigm led to this particular brand of stupidity.

[Dimitrii]

That's somewhat true. I manage pretty well, myself, but I always felt a bit gimped compared to you PC'ers in PvP. Targeting, in particular, is an issue.

Indeed It's not even up for discussion if you aren't playing on PC you are playing with a handicap.

[ThirdChild_ZKI]

I'm on PS4, don't use the WXCB, and really don't have any issues with targeting unless people are tightly stacked. There's really no handicap if you're not on PC because at least in this game, the devs have actually made effort to support controller play. No, aiming/targeting might not be as precise or quick as a PC player, but I've had no issue against anyone, PC or console. So that's not quite right.

I will say though, I have no intention of trying to force fit these macros onto another hotbar. They're as terrible and generic as I'd expected.

[xxczx]

Indeed It's not even up for discussion if you aren't playing on PC you are playing with a handicap.

Targeting between four PCs considered bad on console? Configurable options... Different play styles... Never heard of them...

[Dimitrii]

Targeting between four PCs considered bad on console? Configurable options... Different play styles... Never heard of them...

My bad. I forgot ranked Feast and Wolves den were the only forms of pvp in this game. oh wait...... The targeting is not as bad in Feast but its still inferior to mouse + keyboard as are hotbars because of less room for keybinds. Even if you use different pages for your cross bar its still slower and clunkier flipping them to get to your desired ability than it is for mouse + keyboard users. Not to mention players using third party tools for things like enemy buff and DR callouts. Yeah, console users are totally on a level playing field with their pc counterparts.

[Februs]

I'm on PS4, don't use the WXCB, and really don't have any issues with targeting unless people are tightly stacked. There's really no handicap if you're not on PC because at least in this game, the devs have actually made effort to support controller play. No, aiming/targeting might not be as precise or quick as a PC player, but I've had no issue against anyone, PC or console.

The fact that it's not as precise or quick is a handicap. It's just not a severe or insurmountable one.

It's not as though PC players are running circles around us or anything, but targeting on PC definitely has a distinct advantage. The fact that you even identified the exception of targeting a single player through a cluster of tightly stacked enemies is enough proof of that. No matter what your configurations are, you can only cycle or "fish" for targets on console. That automatically puts you at a disadvantage with how precise or coordinated you can be with your party. We don't even have the option of quick targeting through the enmity table, because there isn't one in PvP. Even if there was, it would be 16-32 names long in Frontlines. Healing only makes that issue more obvious, because console controls do not prioritize party targeting. No matter what your configurations or play style is, you have to cycle targets to get the one you want, whereas on PC you simply have to point and click. No matter how you slice it, PC has a clear speed advantage.

Now, all that said, that advantage is not insurmountable, but an advantage is still an advantage. I know several PC healers who have tried Ps4 healing and said flat-out that they would never use a controller, because it is simply too clunky. I honestly can't blame them, because if there is a quicker, easier, and more efficient way of doing something, then it only makes sense that you would do it. That goes especially in something as fast paced as PvP, because those precious extra seconds spent muddling with an imprecise and slower targeting system can cost a life.

[Nirokun]

I play on PC, but I use a controller in addition to a keyboard. I have and don't use (in-game) my mouse. I started as a healer in FFXI and was recruited to a HNM LS (BG on Bahamut), so I'm fine with healing quickly, the targeting for healing is the same to me. I do remember holding impromptu contests of speed in FFXI, who could remove the status effect the quickest, and definitely remember a contest with more than one WHM removing paralyze from the tank at Hakutaku. I definitely remember winning that.

Targeting and healing in a hectic raid environment (targets both in and out of party) is doable, but you need to be able to shortcut to the person you intend to target. You do this by simultaneously selecting yourself and spinning the camera towards your target, then pressing left or right on the d-pad to select them. You can do this while running or casting another spell, and it is very fast. Targets in your own party are also available to be selected by pressing up or down on the d-pad, again, this is always available, allowing you to pre-select your target.

I know there are certain advantages to keyboard/mouse, being an increased number of available keys/combinations to translate to actions, but there are always limiting factors (cast times, GCDs, etc) that minimize how quickly you can input a command. Another advantage is mouse-over targeting, which (imo) doesn't have a direct translation for controller users. Still, you can abuse the aforementioned limiting factors to give you the time needed to subtarget

I find keyboard/mouse to be limiting in movement. WASD movement is less fluid than analog. Using both keyboard and mouse with camera controls to mimic analog controls, to me, is clunky. Perhaps I just don't know the necessary shortcuts to abuse keyboard/mouse like I do with a controller, I just see so much awkward angular movement (that I interpret as WASD movement [or numpad????]). It just seems like controllers users can abuse the ease of precise movement to allow for more options, whereas keyboard/mouse is requires more inputs.

But it's probably just because I'm left-handed and everything is different.

[SuperZay]

In 72 Frontline you see that NIN running away behind his teammates with 5% HP left? With mouse/keyboard you just click on him and finish him off with ranged skill. On controller, by the time you cycle through 10 people of front of him (because the game prioritizes closest targets first) he's either already healed or killed by other people or run too far away. Happens literally every match, so many missed kills (and in The Feast too) because of these disadvantages.

This is annoying.

That's why any decent shooter has separate servers for console and PC players.

[Chevronone]

In 72 Frontline you see that NIN running away behind his teammates with 5% HP left? With mouse/keyboard you just click on him and finish him off with ranged skill. On controller, by the time you cycle through 10 people of front of him (because the game prioritizes closest targets first) he's either already healed or killed by other people or run too far away.

This. All of this. Quick, just need one hit... (game auto-targets you on Ifrit). Oh fml, SE. Stop making pets targetable as enemies is FL. Your "filters" are crap.