It's me, again! (AST checkup)

[Veis_Alveare]

Time Dialation is best used to extend a single target card which (in 4man content) should be your go-to in terms of cards. Theoretically an AoE card seems to march up at first in terms of people buffed (50% × 4 people = 200% like Extended would) but when you look at it that way you're weighting tank and healer damage being buffed as being the same as a buff on a dps which shouldn't really be the case.

I get that sometimes the dps are really weak, more than once I've found myself Enhanced Balancing a WAR because it was the best option available to me, but in general dps should be doing considerable more damage than you or a tank. For dungeons what I look for as far as performance indicators of a good dps is basically are they properly AoEing and are they tossing out their utility abilities. Most people who do those things are going to be worth single buffing because they probably know their role.

In short - for a dungeon/light party setting you should shoot for Extended cards first (Balance > Spear > Arrow) then Enhanced and Expanded should kind of be a last resort. This is due in part to proper use of time Dialation really increasing the card uptime on DPS.

You shouldn't be afraid to extend regens on a tank (though if you're going to do so might as well load them up with both regens and potentially even the one from CU and maybe even the Largresse'd versions) but it also shouldn't be your primary goal with Time Dialation in terms if efficiency. Saving yourself one GCD reapplying Aspected Benefic is almost always lost potency when compared to what a dps could do with extra time on a Balance.

[Lynesse]

In short - for a dungeon/light party setting you should shoot for Extended cards first (Balance > Spear > Arrow) then Enhanced and Expanded should kind of be a last resort. This is due in part to proper use of time Dialation really increasing the card uptime on DPS.

You're not really wrong, but we need to be more flexible in PUG content. An AoE card is usually the safest bet because you never know who's going to fumble their rotation, stand in something and panic, die, etc.

The difference between an Expanded and an Extended is actually pretty small.

If you know for a fact one DPS is completely outdoing another, it's fine to use the 200% buff.

We also don't want to put Maeka on information overload. That kind of optimization depends entirely on the group. Learning AST is tough enough as it is without having to also pay such close attention to what the DPS are doing.

Edit: The biggest thing that Maeka needs to do is make his/her buttons rote. To know where they are without thinking about them. Muscle memory first, otherwise people become overloaded and burn out.

[Maeka]

Edit: The biggest thing that Maeka needs to do is make his/her buttons rote. To know where they are without thinking about them. Muscle memory first, otherwise people become overloaded and burn out.

I myself will second this, because there are times I just completely forget about buttons, or I end up pausing for a second or two trying to find something, like Synastry (at the end of that boss fight, IIRC it took me nearly 2 seconds to remember where it was, find it on the bar, and then hit the key combo to activate it).

I've gotten Draw/Spread and Undraw working mostly, the main heal buttons down pretty good... starting to use Lightspeed more often without having to think about it, eventually end up adding in Synastry and Dilation too.

[Lynesse]

I myself will second this, because there are times I just completely forget about buttons, or I end up pausing for a second or two trying to find something, like Synastry (at the end of that boss fight, IIRC it took me nearly 2 seconds to remember where it was, find it on the bar, and then hit the key combo to activate it).

I've gotten Draw/Spread and Undraw working mostly, the main heal buttons down pretty good... starting to use Lightspeed more often without having to think about it, eventually end up adding in Synastry and Dilation too.

Right now, you're ignoring buffs that you don't need in order to focus on the more critical parts of your job. This is perfectly normal!

Using Synastry and Time Dilation each time you cast Aspected Benefic will teach you to stop ignoring them by making them rote. Using Time Dilation with your cards right now isn't good for memorization because card draws are inconsistent.

When do you stream? I'd be willing to sit in and watch. All I'm doing right now is leveling SCH.

[Maeka]

Right now, you're ignoring buffs that you don't need in order to focus on the more critical parts of your job. This is perfectly normal!

Using Synastry and Time Dilation each time you cast Aspected Benefic will teach you to stop ignoring them by making them rote. Using Time Dilation with your cards right now isn't good for memorization because card draws are inconsistent.

Yeah, that's how I kinda looked at it! As long as I do my primary job first lol.

But I do want to actually do better too!

When do you stream? I'd be willing to sit in and watch. All I'm doing right now is leveling SCH.

That is... rather inconsistent, depending on my work schedule, and other factors. I will try, though, to do a few dungeon runs around noon-ish EST when I can, though sometimes I just throw in runs other times too! Uh. Hmm. I mean I can try and drop a message in here ahead of time or something but I dunno, it'd require you to actually see it! lol.

EDIT: Unless you were interested in something like a discord or steam or something but the lack of a PM system makes that somewhat difficult without everybody else seeing it!