Its ffxiv combat really so slow and boring?

[MomomiMomi]

Because you said there was no option/choice.

No I didn't.

and there's very little choice in using a song. As it is the only real choice is which to use first, and which to cut short

Here it is, see?

I hope you're joking. That is referring to deciding which song to use next. There is no decision on which song to use next, because once you've set your order of play, it can't be changed unless if you let yourself go without a song active for 40 seconds.

The post I was referring to ("not sure why you brought that up then") happened before I even said what you quoted. This one:

You have options. Your problem is there's an optimal order decided by the playerbase, which would happen no matter what.

But that's clearly not the problem I have with the songs, as I had mentioned that was actually one of the choices you actually do have. Which is why my next post thought they were referring to which song comes next, not which order to play them in, because I had already mentioned order is a choice.

[JohnSpawnVFX]

But if you're talking about songs, no, there isn't an option, unless if you consider going without a song for 40 seconds to be an option.

Here it is, see?

You have 6 song orders you can choose from, plus which ones to cut short and which ones to take to term.

Optimal playstyle is a whole different matter.

[Mizunoko]

I mean if you want to overly simplify things then you could say it's slow, but that doesn't speak for what the game's battle system does well on. Theres more to it than just how many skills you have and how fast your cooldowns and stuff is. In my opinion SE tossed that speedy actiony stuff out the window and made up their own style and i think it was a success. With ffxiv its not simply spam all or cooldowns. It's more how you use them and in what order while also dodging and doing original and creative mechanics/strategies to fights. That's what i liked about all ff games is that they take strategy and make it their own. I wont say all other mmo's but i will say alot of other mmo's (i have played many) arent as intricate as ffxiv is in terms of creativity and strategy of battles. Most mmo's ive ever played were simple in the sense that you just needed to make sure your stats were high enough for a battle and then you just go in and spam click skills until the mobs die, maybe dodge an aoe here and there but there was no actual creativity or mechanics put into it. That is why i love ffxiv and chose it as my #1, aside from the glamours and relics which i also love alot. Alot of mmo's ive always played were also very linear too just grind to cap and keep geared up. In FFXIV i feel like im getting my moneys worth when i sub because there is A LOT of content in this game. People who argue saying their isn't are people who do not do the side content. That doesn't mean it's non existent. This game has a LOT of things to offer. Regardless how biased this may sound it IS just my opinion so take it as that, just that i myself think that the speed of combat isn't everything and shouldn't be the only thing that determines a game's worth.
'

[Mizunoko]

Quicken the GCD and it makes each individual GCD feel less impactful. When you're casting Flare/Deathflare or whatever [insert huge damge GCD] much faster than you are currently, they feel less important than "ive been building up to this huge attack for 30 seconds, time to unleash it!" vs "i can do this move every 10 seconds, no biggie".

lmfao i just leveled my black mage to 70 finally and i completely agree with what you said. Every time i build up to get foul and cast it and it crits i look around at my party members and i think to myself "omg did you guys just see that!!!! i just pounded that mob in the ground with a single hit!!!!" lol. It's fun. I don't think anything is wrong with the combat. In ffxiv it's not the same old same old mmo crap where you just stand in one spot and spam buttons. It actually takes thought and practice to maximize your dps and rotations. Alot of people keep saying negative things about it when i feel like it's the exact opposite. It's unique and original and not overly simplified like most mmo's out there.

[Dualgunner]

How would they be able to build a system where both could coincide?

[MomomiMomi]

How would they be able to build a system where both could coincide?

And now we're back at the beginning. They leave all the abilities alone, but give us a "Combo" button we could also add to our hotbar.

Want to put your abilities on your hotbar as you have them now? Go for it. Want to add the combo button instead? Then do it.

Want to do both at the same time? You can.

[Shurrikhan]

How would they be able to build a system where both could coincide?

Hoping I haven't missed your antecedent here...

You could provide a greater-than-mere-sum compromise of a sense of obligatory rotation and choice through flexibility to Bard songs (and therefore mechanics-augmentation) by reintroducing Mana outside of the content of Foe Requiem alone, likely using BV as the stand-in for FR in order to remove the Refresh advantage felt by Bard in dual-ranged comps (more on this at end).

Give activation and drain costs to each Song. This drain cost increases over time, in fluid but notable stages. Once you've stopped singing the particular song, that progressive drain-cost-increase reverses itself. Bard MP maximum reduced greatly. The result of this is that one must rotate songs roughly every 30 seconds in order to maintain their mana indefinitely, but now have the choice to dip into that reserve at varying lengths in order to really milk an opportunity which disproportionately advantages a particular song, warranting burst and lull over sustain. These stages should be made quite clear within the gauge graphic, and upon introduction to each new Song.

Suggested Battle Voice change: In a manner similar to Hypercharge and Troubadour, allow BV simply to generate Song-specific benefits raid-wide for the following 20 seconds. This allows for a DHit, Crit, and Haste buff, where the DHit benefit amounts to the highest average dps throughput increase, as it does not affect heals or procs. Foe Requiem removed. Still provides no benefit to the Bard him- or herself.

Edit: Naturally, you'd also have to remove the oGCD damage upon Song activation unless using decently steep activation costs. Personally, I'd rather see drains occur only with each hit or tick scored, otherwise acting as if out of combat and beginning to revert unused songs' drain costs (including the one still running but doing nothing), and for the oGCD damage to be removed, meaning that they could again be cast without a target, rather than requiring an oGCD slot during the opener.

[ko_]

Are people seriously defending One llm punch? Like legit seriously? I didn't even know that move still existed. No monk EVER not even trolls who go into content in fist of wind only trying to be sonic the hedgehog screaming monk buffs from Mr. Happy use that move. That move is .... no just no. WHO DEFENDS ONE LLP PUNCH? - misspelled on purpose cause thats how much respect it needs.. NONE. D: D: D: D: D:

[Shurrikhan]

Are people seriously defending One llm punch? Like legit seriously? I didn't even know that move still existed. No monk EVER not even trolls who go into content in fist of wind only trying to be sonic the hedgehog screaming monk buffs from Mr. Happy use that move. That move is .... no just no. WHO DEFENDS ONE LLP PUNCH? - misspelled on purpose cause thats how much respect it needs.. NONE. D: D: D: D: D:

I'll use it once in a blue moon in order to prevent a wide 35k AoE from going off where it would have restricted myself, the tank, and the other melee from AoEing casting mobs within the AoE's radius.

...I think that's it, though, apart from the same uses its old version had (save that I can also deal with the few damage-absorption buff casts which were previously immune to removal), but even rarer in that it's less likely that I'll be able to align the stun by chance than be able to align the buff removal before it's not worth the damage cost.