My Idea For Fixing Blue Mage

[Alexandre_Noireau]

That's not constructive to the argument. I actually really like the idea. As much as people dislike Eureka, the idea that content can have its own progression independent of the rest of the game really opens up the theme park aspect of the game and gives players more options to shoot for. It's one reason I currently dislike ex primals, there isn't much reason to do them if you have BiS outside of pony/bird/doggo farming, which is more reasonably done unsynced. If "limited" jobs had their own progression, it would give players a lot more reason to log in once regular content is done.

People are sick of the standard flow of gear grind - raid - BiS - repeat, and the alternative in the form of relic became equally stale in the way that ARR and heavenward did it.

Content like Eureka (again, that's not saying Eureka was good, just that it's alternate form of progression was good in theory), and BLU give players new options for endgame that don't involve the stale formula, and it's additional content once raid is beaten, which a standard job is not.

What i think people wants, or some of them, but probably what i want. Is that content must remain meaningful by far longer.

People is sick of tomestones, raids divided in 4 tiers that by now are mere trials, the progress of itemization and the lack of customization or divergence. In it's constant persuit for perfect information and perfect balance, the devteam has taken away many of the fun stuff people plays. If were to put these philosophies on a line. FFXIV and WoW would represent the extreme itemization streamlining: It doesn't matter what you achieve, it will be irrelevant in less than 3 or 6 months at best. And then we have Guild Wars 2 for example, where it doesn't matter what you achieve, it will be relevant for all eternity (ok no: game changes actually do force people to move towards new META's and theorybuilding changes and progresses ever further).

I would like... This: Where X is the center. I want O.

FFXIV ---------------------O------------X------------------------------------- GW2.

Content longevity. DevTeam is releasing content basically dead on arrival or that goes into irrelevancy too soon. We have a literal graveyard of dead content. Content is either too grindy for it's reward relevancy to be tackled by most of the community, Either the rewards get better and last longer or the content gets simplier and faster to adquire dominate. Otherwise we have 3 grind months that last in relevancy 1 week.

And onto the BLU. Haven't played it, but i love how it forces the community to have discussions on game design. Though, there is a rule that must be generally followed when doing so: Wait for the content to be out. Unless is absolutely basic and really predictable content (like the bulk of FFXIV patches). I honestly belive the BLU represented a very hard difficulty for the DevTeam: Many wanted the BLU of the franchise, other's wanted a proper MMORPG class, and honestly BLU hardly works as a regular class, they are odd even by FF estandars (Ya loved them but at the same time honestly how many mained BLU mages? Yeah, most of you pervs had Quistis only cause the glasses, i see through yous!) so adding it to the game was gonna be hard, a class that used "relevant enemy attacks". Well, this game has way too many, so which ones, in what order to generate a proper rotation for DPS gameplay? Wait... What role is gonna have? BLU can do everything! Red Mage is simplier, is basically 2 types of magic and swords, got it. But Blue every skill is a diferent type of magic on itself. A tank? Impossible.

From there we can either, try to build it as a DPS, then we pick relevant skills leaving tons of stuff outside, so it starts to not feel so blue mage, feels more like a druid... without pet, is not blue mage anymore.
Or we can take him out of most of the regular content, create a scenario exclusively for it, taking him out of the vertical progression system and adding him to his exclusive, probably more horizontal progression and fully fledge him in it's main trait: Stealing Enemy Attacks and using them.

Any implementation would be divisive. And the "fix" of this topic would just make it's balancing hell, effectively adding 3 classes instead of one. No.

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If anything, i think the game is suffering the limitations of the trinity. And im glad it has finally hit that wall hard enough for people to start realising whats happening.

Our 3 roles do not account for FF diversity of classes and the constant persuit of a perfect information and perfect balance game has became impossible/wasteful. We need either hybrid classes or a fourth role, and i could have seen BLU being the first class of said role. Making it an optional role that replaces 1 DPS or even better: All content gets rebalanced (just up those HP bars or def stats by 25%) arround a 5 light and 10 full party: Support Role. Enfeeblers and Buffer specialists. Which would take several supportish skills from current Tank, Healer and DPS and would replace them in their rotation, with a DPS inferior to tanks and a bit higher than healers, they would be in charge of keeping most party wide buffs and have single target massive buffs or on the contrary debuffs. On this role you could perfectly add dancers, beast masters, oracles, many odd jobs from the series. They would be perfectly playable on regular content. And would free the other 3 roles to get even more fun ways to play, as to real healing combos or tanking combos, giving DPS skill slots for longer more interesting combos that might explore relevant ideas like true elemental affinities, retake the positioning relevancy of targets and whatnot.

But thats just daydreaming for me. And the resources needed, DevTeam probably doesn't have it.

Anyway, BLU is here for better or worse, it was a very difficult implementation -if not impossible- from the start on our game structure. And after 5 years, it's limitations are showing.

[AxlStream]

It did get the armchair designers out of the basement, that's for sure... I'll be glad when those design discusions actually die out.

[Alexandre_Noireau]

It did get the armchair designers out of the basement, that's for sure... I'll be glad when those design discusions actually die out.

That will happen when the game dies. And that's very unlikely as there are many of us who will probably be here for another good 5 years. Wonder how the game will be when it reaches it's 15th birthday.

So i care about it, i want the game to grow into a decent one, as you would a person. So when i see him/it not doing the best choices, i care enough to tell him and remind him that there is always other ways, outside the box, on how to solve problems, and that communication is paramount. I might be a armchair designer, but i'm also a midschool teacher. I believe in the power of discussion of things you are passionate about, be it maths, philosophy (my area) or game design, or music, or absolutely anything. If something people that do discuss this has in common, is legit care.

Now, the motivations are sometimes different.
That aside, it's a very interesting thing, that you are in a DISCUSSION BOARD wanting people to stop DISCUSSING.


May be also that my english is not the best and sometimes think i'm being too "severe" or "unfair" towards their positions. I believe in discipline, so i talk a bit like that when being serious, love with severity.

[AxlStream]

So let me get this straight. You didnt touch the job, you have no job as an actual dev or designer (to my knowlege) and you come out of nowhere saying you know what is best? You're just a basement dev thinking they can revolutionise gaming.

Meanwhile SE has a team, feedback from internal testing, experience, marketing data and more to ensure they make the content they want that we would enjoy and you say they are wrong?

Yeah, I'll trust SE over any of the forum posters any day.

[Adrestia]

So let me get this straight. You didnt touch the job, you have no job as an actual dev or designer (to my knowlege) and you come out of nowhere saying you know what is best? You're just a basement dev thinking they can revolutionise gaming.

Meanwhile SE has a team, feedback from internal testing, experience, marketing data and more to ensure they make the content they want that we would enjoy and you say they are wrong?

Yeah, I'll trust SE over any of the forum posters any day.

For what it’s worth, trying to design by a formula for what the marketing team, shareholders, and focus groups tell you also has a real reputation for producing lukewarm “games” that may sell well because a lot of people don’t want a game, they want a clicker, but then those people who actually wanted a game are left out in the cold. At the end of the day games need to be fun, and you can’t calculate that with some magical equation.

[DamianFatale]

So let me get this straight. You didnt touch the job, you have no job as an actual dev or designer (to my knowlege) and you come out of nowhere saying you know what is best? You're just a basement dev thinking they can revolutionise gaming.

Meanwhile SE has a team, feedback from internal testing, experience, marketing data and more to ensure they make the content they want that we would enjoy and you say they are wrong?

Yeah, I'll trust SE over any of the forum posters any day.

I actually have worked in the game industry, and I do know basic coding. Try again.

[Vahlnir]

I was skeptical at first, but after playing it for a few hours earlier and learning some spells I have to admit it's a blast...quite literally with Self Destruct and Bomb Toss. No complaints from me, I just hope that they increase the level cap in a timely fashion. And maybe consider adding some sick weapon glamours eventually.

PS: All you people with chocobos in attack mode, stop it. Either set them to heals or put them away please. Just had to get that off my chest.

[Adrestia]

I just hope that they increase the level cap in a timely fashion.

They’ve already stated in an interview there are no plans for BLU to “catch up” so if by “timely fashion” you mean you’ll be able to play it with your friends in endgame content, then no. If you just mean that you’ll get to get back to leveling and learning spells . . . Well, I guess that depends on how fast you’re okay with it being, because you’ll have 20 levels max to gain for the next year or so.

Game watch: Will BLUs catch up to level 80 during 5.x?

Yoshida: If we keep raising the level cap with that pace, us developers and players will all faint (bitter smile).

[Videra]

Fix is the wrong word for something that's working as intended.

Blue Mage, at present implementation, is thus far just fine. Whilst the limited aspects may be disappointing to some, the vast majority do seem to be enjoying themselves. Regarding the state of Blue Mage's power, I would argue that a few things need to be addressed to enter the normal game properly. Putting all of that aside, though, I'm incredibly optimistic that SE will eventually allow for use of blue mage as a standard class. Now - I will say that they should nix the 'LImited Job' moniker, and find something more appropriate and less demeaning. Overall, the future is bright. The reception of Blue Mage seems to be overwhelmingly positive, and one hopes that will sway SE's development patterns in future.

FFXIV stands to gain a lot of cool and unique stuff from the implementation of classes like this, let's give the devs a chance, yeah?

[Vahlnir]

They’ve already stated in an interview there are no plans for BLU to “catch up” so if by “timely fashion” you mean you’ll be able to play it with your friends in endgame content, then no. If you just mean that you’ll get to get back to leveling and learning spells . . . Well, I guess that depends on how fast you’re okay with it being, because you’ll have 20 levels max to gain for the next year or so.

Game watch: Will BLUs catch up to level 80 during 5.x?

Yoshida: If we keep raising the level cap with that pace, us developers and players will all faint (bitter smile).

I mentioned nothing about endgame content. I know that's out of the question. I meant an increase in the level cap to keep doing what we're doing. I'm guessing BLU will always be an expansion behind. 70 is certainly a possibility sometime in 5.x.