Commendations are just so broken

[HyoMinPark]

Well, I'm not sure about the english version, but the german one basically asks you to give your commendation to the person you enjoyed playing with - I always took that quite literally and am only handing out commendations if I indeed enjoyed playing with that person.

I believe the English mentions that you should give commendations to someone who “made a lasting impression”. So it can basically be for any reason—glamour, name, humor, etc.. It doesn’t have to tie directly to performance.

[Anselmet]

If you want commendations I have some tips as I have been grinding for them because I am close to breaking 3000. Run trials or normal raids over and over as a healer. I would focus more on trials due to having more bosses that cause bad parties to struggle but if you want a break normal raids are a fine substitute. If you are an adequate healer and you can carry everyone to the finish line, you will receive commendations almost every time. (Of course those quick bosses from ARR will usually equate to 0 comms, but not common to happen)

Also, I play drg as my main and I can literally be the top dps on my team and the other three being a blm, sam, or a smn and not receive a commendation in trials. I will generally walk out with all three in a dungeon, but dungeons take too long imo and you can at most get three. On average I am getting three from trials as a healer. My tank usually gets at least one, but when parties go bad (which is scarily common in trial roulette) a healer who can recover is a healer who is gonna be bathed in commendations. A tank and a dps is not getting those commendations most likely. And if they are its for x reason.

The system isn't bad. You have to remember that not everyone hand out commendations. Some literally just kill the boss and leave. And as others have stated that people will hand them out for a funny name or a glamor. I tend to hand it out to dps that stand out to me because I know that healers and tanks don't need my commendation. They will most likely walk out of a trial with at least one. I honestly think that people should be able to get a commendation for whatever reason but that does not mean there isn't a way to 'manipulate' the system.

[Ramesses]

Commendations are really only there so you can feel good about yourself, outside of the really gaudy rewards for the achievements they are worthless.

I absolutely disagree with you... vehemently.

First lets start with the rewards... the Magitek. I assume you've been playing long enough to remember how excited everyone was just before 2.0 and it was announced we were getting Magitek mounts. The excitement on the forums was palatable and if SE had wanted to charge $20, €20 or £20 for that mount, half the player base would have clamored to queue up and pay, myself included.

Instead, we got them in the MSQ and a gilded gold one for amassing (500?) commendations. The whole premise of the commendation system was to help surge a sense of camaraderie amoung players. Acknowledgement is a key trait of that and yes, it's always up to the individual whether or not to commend but the achievements are subtle ways to encourage players to spend them.

Next is your reasoning that it's "only there make people feel good about oneself".

If you reckon commendations are only available to make people attain self gratification then I'll have to strongly disagree with you on that as well. A few people make the false assumption that its all about who could crank out the highest DPS that gets the commendation... others think they'll only give it to the healer who performs DPS. For me, just off the top of my head, my criteria come in so many different forms... and I wholeheartedly give it because I want the other person to feel good; that I genuinely appreciate their sportsmanship, their generosity, their skill, their patience, their innate ability to be a true WoL.

Here are just a very few examples of why I gave a commendation:

• The tank who shamelessly admits that he's still learning the job and it's his first time tanking the dungeon... then goes on to deliver some excellent tanking. I know he's telling the truth because towards the end, I see the map achievement pop for him.
• That healer X who had the humble courtesy to say "Please excuse me , can you please wait a moment? My baby just woke up, please bear with me, brb!!!". Then she quickly returns and does an emote "X gives a grateful bow and hands everyone a cookie"
• Or the healer who straight up apologizes for focusing too much on healing only her girlfriend in the party and adequately adjusts to make sure she's also focusing the tank.
• The Ninja who makes some mistakes and humbly accepts some word of advice from the team... and because I play the job and have a keen practiced eye for the rotations, I actually see the incredible improvement by the end of the DF.
• The player in that newly released 24-man raid who carefully explains the strategy in the alliance chat... and he happens to be in my party.
• Including that rare player also in my party that just knows how to crack the wittiest jokes and keep spirits high... plus the healer, also in my party, who is always willing to go out of her way to raise the other healers in the alliance (which is an example of the many instances when one would want to give more than one commendation).

These, amoung several, several, several other examples, are the players who get my commendations.

[TaiyoShikasu]

That's all when and good, but you're only giving them because doing so makes you feel good.

Self-gratification is still only feeling good about yourself.

I believe the English mentions that you should give commendations to someone who “made a lasting impression”. So it can basically be for any reason—glamour, name, humor, etc.. It doesn’t have to tie directly to performance.

So I should be commending the player who made me want to tear my hair out the entire run.

[van_arn]

I believe the English mentions that you should give commendations to someone who “made a lasting impression”. So it can basically be for any reason—glamour, name, humor, etc.. It doesn’t have to tie directly to performance.

I go out of my way to give my commendation to the person with the most entertaining avoidable death.

Commendations mean less the longer you play.

[Maeka]

I find that if I kick serious butt, and do everything perfect, I get 0 or 1 comms.

If I go there and halfheartedly do my job, I'll walk away with 3.

Other days, it's the opposite.

I have, however, gotten comms for being DPS, and there were a few times I really don't understand why, I didn't think I did anything special. Other times, I've done things like kited a boss for the last 15% of its health or so and wound up killing it after healer and tank were dead and I got obvious comms for that lol.

I remember one Qarn Normal run where the healer could not understand "Doom = Stand on Shiny Plates" and they died 50% of the way into the boss... tank stayed alive for quite awhile, but eventually bees killed him. Next try, same thing, healer dies on the first Doom, and we got him down to 40% this time... and I'm like "Heck no." I'm a MCH and I dump a limit break and get both bees and the boss with it, and we barely managed to kill the thing just as the tank dies. Easy 2 comms lol.

Some people just can't be bothered to click the little button. Sad, because you get a good chunk of XP for doing that 5 times per week.

[Acelyn]

I didnt know players took comms so seriously, I think the system works fine but at this point most are giving a comm for silly reasons more so than pure skill.

tanks and healers will get the majority and a dps gets it for bringing in some serious burn thats just the way it is, other than that it's simple stuff.

i'm usually the 1st person to pop a "hihi" in when a dungeon starts and dance during that short time before a boss pull, just being the vocal one usually gets me a comm, also as a rdm i've pulled off about 2 dozen 3comm dungeons which im super proud of.

the trick is don't expect one, just roll through, i think others can tell when someone is pushing for one...then they don't give it

[hynaku]

Dps never hardly gets any comms. Like playing in Heaven on High. Where keep raising ones that keep dying and healing them and at the end never get one comm. Comms system really needs fixed. It's not right tanks and healers should get most of them. They need to make it where can give yourself comms and ones that's in pre made party.

[RopeDrink]

It's not right tanks and healers should get most of them.

keep raising ones that keep dying and healing them and at the end never get one comm.

It is a trinity - three roles tackling content, where the most effective/efficient outcome involves all three pulling their weight however they can. No offence, but as nice as it is for a DPS to raise or MP-shift or off-heal, that is no different to a Healer or Tank contributing damage, ie. performing tasks outside of their primary function. I see absolutely no reason why a DPS casting raise or shifting mana or casting a heal would automatically be commendation worthy. I would, however, consider the lack of using these features as more reason NOT to commend them. Furthermore, let's not pretend like DPS have any major pressures outside of their primary function - to do damage, preferably while avoiding mechanics like everyone else should do. If they are performing well, making effort to avoid everything, and going above and beyond their own role, then if I'm going to bother considering a commendation, I'd weigh that up vs the Healers and Tanks. Inconsiderate tanking, AFK healing, no damage contribution etc. But if you really want me to press that commend button, it'll be for someone who put in more work than the rest.

I really don't get people's thinking on this subject. Commendations are of little to no value and are about as reliable as upvotes on a forum. People will use them however they see fit as opposed to using it to fulfil its original intent. Just be glad there actually isn't some sort of value at the end - it is the only situation where I would actually understand people complaining about misuse of commendations, but again, judging by people's posts in this thread AS WELL AS the general use of the system, all of it has to do with individual expectation or preference rather than any show of actual skill or co-operation.

No, I won't commend a Tank or Healer just because of their role.
No, I won't commend a DPS just because they throw out some utility.
No, I won't commend anyone just going through the motions in ANY role.
In fact, I rarely bother using it at all - and I will never feel guilty if three people commend me and I don't even press the button, because it's a relative system where nobody has any control. Nobody is obligated to press it - and 50% of those who do, do so because of the weekly reward (as miniscule as it is).

I WILL commend someone who consistently shows to be making more effort than anyone else. This could be the tank, healer OR a DPS. The irony is that, as a DPS-Heavy Healer main who off-tanks on alts and rarely plays DPS, there are plenty of times I get commended far more as a damage-dealer than I do on the others, because again, as long as it is all relative/sporadic/up to players, it's a basically a partially predictable lottery.

I may get my commendations because I play Healers or Tanks more than damage, or I may get them because my in-game name starts with C and has a 1-3 chance of being at the top of the name-list in non-role sorted party lists. Either way, it is unimportant how many I have or why people gave them to me.