Is AST bad?

[Shurrikhan]

I like most of what you're saying but when it comes to CO, I do mind it not extending buffs.. and I mind it losing the stun (freezing time) component. I do mind TD being removed. Both of these abilities were part of the "time mage" aspects of the AST identity. CO was replaced with a poor man's heal (losing both of its 'flavor' components), TD wasn't really replaced at all. Squeen probably wouldn't have tried to get away with the outright removal of a core ability if it hadn't been an expansion patch which delivered a bunch of new abilities for increased levels...

I said nothing about being okay with losing Time Mage aspects, only CO in particular -- in this case, due to its exact implementation.

I just didn't feel that CO, specifically, added anything to that identity, despite making all other buffs feel far, far more limited by extension -- including ones that would otherwise have complemented the Time Mage feel. Use Syn-CU-AB, or Card, now? A waste. Wait the last 15 seconds for CO unless you can extend it into that range now with TD. Lightspeed, Lucid Dream, or Cleric Stance? Nah, would be a waste until affectable by CO; heck, you'd oom yourself.

Something that synergizes that broadly just makes everything used without it feel lackluster, while only feeling like an extra, empty-yet-obligatory step to reach seemingly normal output when it's optimized. If at least Expand was merely balanced against --instead of greatly outshining-- Extend and Enhance, it'd be an extra reward for affecting the whole team instead of specific targets, but... you would have used only Expand anyways. And even if we had fixed the old card system (which I'm all for), I don't think it'd be that appealing an ability design; it'd still just offer more steps to feel like you're having an impact, rather than seeming to reward foresight. You were shooting yourself in the foot any time you used LS or LD without CO, which just made everything feel very rutted -- no ingenuity, just how much you could stick inside the CO -- zero freedom of use. Thus, for the time being, I was glad it was scrapped, no matter how much I dislike Horoscope and CI as "replacements".

Now, how would I come to like CO? Simply put, it'd take more involved healing and dps, such as a way of placing stronger DoTs or HoTs, or generating personal buffs, via more actions than just my cooldowns, and for these effects to be snapshotted and extended by CO. That way, I would less often be holding onto CDs (because they'd be relatively wasteful until CO is back) than I'd be working towards prepping my next CO. The feeling would shift from "waiting for" to "preparing for", encouraging further use of my toolkit instead of discouraging use of my toolkit. But, that'd take a whole lot of added complexity.

That's complexity I'd want to see regardless, but it'd probably still take me a good 12 hours just to decide on what I really want, let alone compare that to and compromise with what other players want, adjust other toolkits in a similar fashion from "spam A and B in a 11:1 ratio" so that it isn't complained of for having to deal with a modicum of complexity while others have none, and then balance it to past muster when all other toolkits... That's months, probably even for a team as large as XIV's. Though, by that I mean... three people, probably only one of whom would find the work even remotely worthwhile or the design philosophy (available depth of enjoyment over immediacy of performance -- i.e. enjoyment-oriented design rather than pandering) compatible with the game?

Edit: As for the stun... I'd like that back, even if shortened now that CO's CD has been halved.