[QOL IDEA] Multijob Queue

[Laerune]

I like what they did with Diadem, everyone can change their class there. I have had groups where the tank would leave the dungeon without saying a word and as everyone already knows waiting for a new tank might take some time. If we had the option to change our classes in the dungeon, then this would reduce the downtime while the group is waiting for a replacement.

[LineageRazor]

And we're back to the point I've made several times on this thread already. This isn't some insanely innovative idea that's never been heard of before. If FFXIV's systems can't handle the complexity of this, they're sub-optimal and should be improved. The developers should be polishing their resumes if they can't achieve something here that already exists in other games, including some with smaller budgets. I mean, imagine if I was a major company's customer service manager and tried to tell my boss that I couldn't meet customer expectations because updating our process would be too complex--meanwhile, our customers see three of our competitors already doing the thing I'm saying is too complex. It wouldn't fly. I would get fired.

You're making an awful lot of assumptions about the situation here that are pretty unwarranted. I seriously doubt it's an issue of the devs not being able to implement a system like this or the hardware not being up to the task. They undoubtedly knew their competitors had it, and made the decision that while it was a nice feature it wasn't worth the extra effort (particularly given the amazing time crunch they were under to completely rebuild the game from 1.0). The system that is in place may not be great, but it's simple and it works.

Now that the current system is in place, the question is no longer "can the devs do it?", but "is it worth the time and money to completely rebuild the party queuing system, once again?" And, to be honest, as nice as such a system would be, I really don't see players clamoring for it like they do a lot of other features. This one is the only thread I've seen in more than a year on the topic. (It HAS been suggested before, but it's been a while.) Honestly, I foresee an overhaul of the Glamour system coming long before a change like this one. There's like a half dozen threads per month whining about class restrictions, gender restrictions, forced sharing of glamours for tanks, healers, and mages, and so on.

It is good that these threads exist, as they DO show the devs that we're interested in improvements like this, but don't assume too much about how easy it will be, or what kind of extra time the devs have to devote to it. SE DOES want to please their customers - it's the best way to retain customers, and build up a good reputation - but there's limits to what they're willing to shell out for.

[SendohJin]

I mean, imagine if I was a major company's customer service manager and tried to tell my boss that I couldn't meet customer expectations because updating our process would be too complex--meanwhile, our customers see three of our competitors already doing the thing I'm saying is too complex. It wouldn't fly. I would get fired.

If you were a major company's customer service manager you would be some outsourced guy in India, the Philippines, Romania, Costa Rica or some other non-first world country that just barely speaks English.

Most major companies don't actually care about customers' petty grievances.

does like Google even have customer service? you have a problem with one of their "products" they just tell you it's in Beta on some forum post and tell you deal with it until they get around to updating it at some unspecified time in the future.

[sarehptar]

You're making an awful lot of assumptions about the situation here that are pretty unwarranted.

Why take my post out of context? I was literally responding to someone who claimed doing an update like this would be too hard. That's why my post is all about how this issue really shouldn't be too hard for Square's devs...

The system that is in place may not be great, but it's simple and it works.

As has been asked multiple times on this forum, why defend a system you yourself note is "not great"? FFXIV is one of the few remaining major MMOs with both a subscription fee and a cash shop and a (relatively) large consistent subscription base, and yet just because the current system "works," we shouldn't question whether there's some serious back-end issues with the game that are preventing it from adopting a quality of life feature that many other major MMOs already have? :/

I absolutely agree that there should be an overhaul to the glamour system. The fact that it ever came out as cumbersome and limited as it did--when again, other MMOs have handled it far better--is further proof of sub-par infrastructure in this game's design, not less, don't you think?

As for threads on this... I think you are very mistaken? There are so, so, so many threads about irritation with long duty finder queue times (the exact issue this idea was supposed to address) that I can only think it's willful blindness to say you haven't seen players clamoring for something to be done about queueing.

SE DOES want to please their customers - it's the best way to retain customers, and build up a good reputation - but there's limits to what they're willing to shell out for.

SE wants to do what all companies do: make the maximum amount of profit for the minimum amount of investment. That's a basic in business. Not making badly needed changes to their duty finder queueing, taking multiple years to even upgrade the inventory system, the dismal situation with housing--these are all perfect examples of a company who knows that there are customers out there who will support a game that just "works," even if it's "not great." If that's what you're willing to settle for, okay I guess? Have fun? Meanwhile, I'll continue to point out that sub-par systems are sub-par systems and really shouldn't be defended.

[LineageRazor]

As for threads on this... I think you are very mistaken? There are so, so, so many threads about irritation with long duty finder queue times (the exact issue this idea was supposed to address) that I can only think it's willful blindness to say you haven't seen players clamoring for something to be done about queueing.

I apologize if I took your post out of context. It looked to me as though you were suggesting that the SE devs should be fired for creating the system as it exists, and I was trying to point out that they had good reasons for doing so originally (rush job, corners had to be cut), and good reasons for leaving it the way it is now (the benefits of the change do not outweigh the costs). Doing what you're told to do by management doesn't sound like grounds for termination to me!

In regards to "threads like this", I'm NOT including DPS queue threads in that tally because, as is stated in the very first post in this thread, allowing players to queue on multiple roles will NOT affect the queue times. Not to any significant degree, at any rate. There is absolutely nothing stopping a DPS now from getting a fast queue. All they have to do is queue up as tank or healer. Why don't they? Because they want to DPS. If a DPS who wants to DPS is given the option to sign up as tank and healer as well, they won't use it - because if they get pulled in on tank or healer, then they won't be on DPS!

You are correct that "DPS queues are too long!" complaint threads are nigh ubiquitous in the General Forums - but what is being proposed by the OP is not a solution to that problem, and he's very aware of it.

[Paladinleeds]

As for threads on this... I think you are very mistaken? There are so, so, so many threads about irritation with long duty finder queue times (the exact issue this idea was supposed to address) that I can only think it's willful blindness to say you haven't seen players clamoring for something to be done about queueing.

You are correct that "DPS queues are too long!" complaint threads are nigh ubiquitous in the General Forums - but what is being proposed by the OP is not a solution to that problem, and he's very aware of it.

Lineage is correct, most of the people making the DPS queues are too long threads are wanting DPS queues reduced. This won't significantly affect DPS queues as the players that play purely DPS are extremely likely to... keep playing DPS exclusively even with this QoL update. This is only likely to affect the existing tank and healer playerbase as usually if you're tanking and healing, you're far more likely to be willing to fill in a role since these 2 roles are more in demand. Given the huge discrepency in queue times most of the DPS players willing to fill in for other roles will have already swapped to a healer or tank to do just that. Here's proof from the OP:

Those who want to DPS, just queue as DPS anyway and are likely to use this to just queue as different DPS. But for those who are happy to do any role to fill a group, would now have the option.

Now, it's possible the quicker queues from the filler-inners filling in any role will have some positive impact on DPS queues because of this, as a knock-on effect to the filler-inners filling more groups faster, but it won't revolutionise DPS queues and make them as quick as healer and tank (or if this is implemented, also filler-inner) queues

[Lyraele]

This doesn't sound like an inherently bad idea, but due to gear restrictions, you'd probably actually have to queue as a gear-set, not just a job/class.

[TaleraRistain]

In this thread, people who obviously don't program trying to posit when programmers should be fired without knowing any details about the database, programming languages or hardware in use by each development team. Yes, languages. There are multiple. They all have certain capabilities and restrictions. So do the different database systems. The setup that you have has a direct effect on what you can code the logic in to do and you can absolutely be limited by it.

Developers also don't decide the projects that will move the business forward. They can make a case to those who control the purse strings, but even Yoshi-P has shareholders he will be answerable to who want to keep costs low and want deliverables they can market.

[Makeda]

God I would love to be able to queue for more than one role at a time. It can sometimes be really trickly which is faster to queue as. A lot of times I am not fussy which Job I play. I just want to do the content.

I think it would seriously do a lot to help the duty finder if they allowed you to queue for as many options as you can qualify for.

Let people check all the roles, job, or whatever that they are willing to do - and then when it pops, it pops with "you have been selected as [role], choose one of these jobs you have at sufficient level: [a], [b], [c] and click accept."
- you hit the checkbox for one of those classes, the system puts on your highest iLevel saved gear set (or recommended gear if you lack a saved set), and in you go.

People could then just pick one role they want, only check one class they want, or check as many boxes as they desire.

PS to the poster above me: I actually am a software engineer. Something like I describe ought to be of about moderate difficulty to do, many of the pieces of it are already in-game elsewhere.

[DamianFatale]

Noooooooooooooo this would just destroy the ques.