Gamepad user on combat consolidation. Why/why not.

[Daniolaut]

Hello community,

About me:

I am a gamepad user.
I do not use the expanded hotbar system. I use the original 2.0 hotbar system

On the job "Dark Knight" which I feel potentially uses the most slots of any job....

I have 12 empty slots of the hotbars in use. Of which are only 3 total hotbars in use for combat.
This means, for Dark Knight, I have room for up to 3 new actions each expansion to level 99
(if thats 3 actions for 4.0-level 70, 5.0-level 80, 6.0-level 90, 7.0-level 99.)

I also use what I call a "hidden hotbar." On this hotbar, which will become of much better use to me in 4.0, I have 11 empty slots.

I also repeat the same action 3 times for convenience, and yet I still have 12 empty slots. (I have Unmend 2 times on hotbar 1, once normally, once macroed with "Mark Target 1." As well as Unmend on hotbar 2, for convenience, then reprisal is on hotbars 1 and 2. For convenience.)

Why/Why Not

Pressing the button "forward" or "w" for keyboard users, you are not expected to press "w" over and over to continue walking.
Why?
Because its one continuous action.

You are however expected to press one separate button for moving left instead of right.

The reason? Because left and right are two *separate* actions, that result in *separate* outcomes.

Pressing one button over and over for an attack or different attacks, was a 1.0 system mechanic. This was removed, and replaced with auto-attacks in version 1.18. By Yoshida and team.


In battle:

If you are meant to move right, and instead move left, this results in damage done to you, or improper execution of battle mechanics. This is fun and exciting, as this encourages you to perform button execution to your success.
The same is for combat, especially melee classes, which I much more prefer.
Continuing the example of the Dark Knight job, Hard Slash is a different action (your character moves one specific way) and results in a different outcome to using Syphon Strike.
Improper use of these actions results in lower damage, and or lower benefits of the player (not gaining additional MP for example) and or less mitigation, etc.


Or in other words, improper execution of actions results in a penalty. The same way improper movement results in a penalty.


Result:

Turning actions, especially for melee classes, into one single button, yes, does reduce "bloat' (which i personally feel is not an issue yet at all whatsoever) but significantly simplifies combat.


In so much, it simplifies combat into a system more akin to the 1.0 combat of pressing "attack" over and over, until you gain enough TP to perform an action. This system was not received by the community at all.

Players are actually asking for the 1.0 combat system? Not even the 1.23 combat, but the 1.0 combat system?


Conclusion:

While it may be more "popular" to reduce combat into a very simplistic "press 1 button over and over for combat"

similar to how popular and simplistic Angry Birds is/was,

it does not have the potential for *longevity* where which a Role Playing Game, more specifically a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game, with a subscription based model, relies heavily on, will not succeed. Just look at version 1.0.

Thank you.

[Daniolaut]

Moreover....

many players quit/complain about combat at lower levels because it is far too boring/repetitive.


As an example:
"Pressing only heavy thrust, then Impulse Drive over and over until heavy thrust is used again is far too boring"
Another Example:
"Paladin is far too boring, because all you press is 1>2>3 over and over"
(This being the supposed reason why there are far too few tanks, look at the threads about dps queue's come 4.0)


Reducing combat to pressing 1 button repeatedly would not be received well, in the same vein that low level combat is not appreciated, and more specifically the 1.0 combat system was not received well.

[Shurrikhan]

"Paladin is far too boring, because all you press is 1>2>3 over and over"

Try "because it only only had one weaponskill output". The buttons themselves were irrelevant. At no point could 2.0 PLD sacrifice enmity for further damage or utility (save by using Shield Swipe, then an enmity loss compared to RoH spam for minimal DPS and TP gain), and its only means of not accidentally pulling from the MT through DPS was to spend GCDs putting up a weak stoneskin. That's what was so dull. Apart from stun-locking, there were no weaponskill decisions to be made, because you only had the one. That it took up 3 buttons compared to Warrior's 6-7 actually makes it look better, in ratio, than it was.

Also, no one has asked for the 1.23 or 1.0 combat systems.

On topic: (unless the UI consideration is merely side-note to your overarching opinion)
Though on M&KB, my UI is pretty similar to yours. I keep everything I don't absolutely need to see on hidden bars.