[Suggestion] Merge "Hook" and "Gig" into the same command

[RichardButte]

They perform what's essentially the same function, one just does it above water while the other does it below.

No sense in having to map two key bindings for this, eh?

[BillyKaplan]

They perform completely different functions. Fishing and spearfishing are completely different gathering systems, even if to you, as the user, they seem to be doing the same thing. MAYBE also give us a trait that when we're spearfishing, replace Hook with Gig, but then comes all sorts of questions - why not just swap them based on your last gathering method? Do you start with Gig, do you start with Hook? You're spearfishing right now, why constantly swap back to Hook when you're not Spearfishing?

Makes a lot more sense to leave it as two different actions, and programatically makes zero sense to merge two actions that behind the scenes interact with two different systems.

[RichardButte]

They perform completely different functions.

Let me illustrate this for you another way...

What happens when you press the mount button while you're already mounted? Right: The game dismounts you.

In this case, the game handles the command differently based upon the context of the situation: you're already ON a mount, and seeing as how you cannot be on the same mount twice, it understands that you're pushing that button because you want to get off your mount.

As another example, consider any stance that can be toggled: when the player presses the stance button when the stance is already active, the game knows you wish to toggle it off. We don't need a specific button for activating the stance and then an entirely separate button for deactivating it.

When you're spearfishing, it is impossible for you to get a bite on your fishing pole that you need to then reel in, just as you cannot attempt to spear a fish when you are above water.

Once again, there is a definite context in which the game knows what the player wishes to do. "Gig" is very much the underwater analogue of "Hook", as both of these are commands that must be pressed in response to a visual/audio stimulus that informs the player that they can attempt to catch something.

There is zero reason to be mapping two keys for both of these commands, just as it would be a terrible idea to have separate "on" and "off" commands for every stance.

[Wavaryen]

Ya this is a common sense type thing. i agree with you op.

[BillyKaplan]

Snip

Both examples you brought operate within the same programmatic context. Mounts on/off are the same context. Sects on/off are the same context. Gig and Hook are different gameplay contexts because fishing and spearfishing are two different gathering systems.
That is not to say they couldn't do it, nor that they necessarily shouldn't, but from a programmatic point of view (with some assumptions applied) it makes zero sense for them to merge it. I just can't imagine the amount of work required to be cost-effective. Otherwise, they likely would've done it by now, as one of the major design guidelines of this expansion thus far has been to remove redundant buttons from your hotbar by adding traits that replace skills (sometimes for the better like with the Stones, sometimes for the worse, with the Aeroes - but that actually serves as a good example. Why didn't the Thunder spells get fully merged, or the Aeroes? Because one is single target and the other is an aoe. They serve two different purposes, so they remain. Same with Hook and Gig even if to the player, the difference there is less obvious)

[RichardButte]

Why didn't the Thunder spells get fully merged, or the Aeroes? Because one is single target and the other is an aoe. They serve two different purposes, so they remain. Same with Hook and Gig even if to the player, the difference there is less obvious)

I realize that, yes, they programmatically serve different purposes, but that's never been a reason to refrain from making a change. I instinctively go to press the same button whether I'm trying to reel in a fish or trying to stab one.

Beyond that, they might just not have considered it because sometimes things like this just don't get considered by development teams (for games and business apps alike). Sometimes the most "obvious" changes aren't obvious at all, mainly because of being too close to the development process to be able to take a step back and see them.

I've done this myself in both website and iOS app development: I've been hammering out a feature and had someone who had seen my work suggest a simpler approach I could take, one that I myself hadn't considered because I had become too focused on the initial method of accomplishing something I had already decided upon.

Either way, it's a good idea and I feel they should do it. They've gone through great lengths to merge all versions of certain abilities into one button that changes depending upon your level. I feel like "Hook" and "Gig" changing depending upon whether you're above or below water would be perfectly reasonable.

[Vandril]

I just can't imagine the amount of work required to be cost-effective.

About this... Actually, the amount of work required to make this happen is mind-bogglingly tiny. The game can already tell when you're fishing normally or spearfishing, which is how it knows which set of fishing skills to activate. All they'd need to do is use some basic condition logic (in whatever form: if, switch, etc.) that checks which type of fishing you're doing based on that variable they already have somewhere and activate the appropriate fish-catching function. Then, they could tie this to a single button for catching both hooked fish and speared fish.

All in all, this would probably be a minute or two of work for any developer on the FFXIV team.

[StouterTaru]

They've done this with several abilities intentionally (ex warrior defiance and deliverance skills) and unintentionally (elemental wards shared CDs with DoM/DoW skills, yes, you could change to Botanist and have a 60 second cooldown wait for an instant recast skill).

I added Gig to my fishing macro. There's no waits in there, so it does the first one on the list available and all others fail to execute. It's something along the lines of:
/micon Cast
/ac Mooch (I have a 2nd macro without Mooch)
/ac Gig
/ac Hook
/ac Cast

[RichardButte]

They've done this with several abilities intentionally (ex warrior defiance and deliverance skills) and unintentionally (elemental wards shared CDs with DoM/DoW skills, yes, you could change to Botanist and have a 60 second cooldown wait for an instant recast skill).

I added Gig to my fishing macro. There's no waits in there, so it does the first one on the list available and all others fail to execute. It's something along the lines of:
/micon Cast
/ac Mooch (I have a 2nd macro without Mooch)
/ac Gig
/ac Hook
/ac Cast

Good idea.

I think I'll set up a macro like this, though they should still roll these abilities into the same command.