RDM: You only have yourself to blame, if you expected something else

[Duelle]

Continually repeating the mantra of "turn-based". FF14 basically IS turn based combat because it has a GCD of 2.5 seconds. Your "turn" comes up every 2.5 seconds, it functions essentially exactly like the old ATB systems of the majority of numbered FF games.

I find it interesting that the crux if your claim has been the ATB => GCD comparison when my main point of comparison is mechanics. Simply put, I've yet to see a turn-based FF game with hybrid mechanics (if you want, I'll paste some examples later). I've also tried looking into how that could even work without making the player waste turns, and my search has come up with little beyond allowing the player an offensive and defensive/support action per turn (as seen in The Stick of Truth), but that's also been called a system a bit too skewed in favor of the player, and I'm incline to agree with that assessment.