Balance, Accessibility, Diversity

[Deceptus]

As long as any given role is within 10% of the other roles I consider it balanced. Within 5% is ideal.

So I'd say strive for that, then work on Diversity/accessibility.

[Yorumi]

To m the problem with "accessibility" is that there's a segment of the population that just wants content design to be "push button, win game." Lets face it here even at their absolute most complex the jobs in this game could be played by someone in a coma for normal mode content. So why did anything need to get even more "accessible?" Here's the thing I bet there's a large segment of the population that finds the classes in their current state too complex because they involve more than 2 buttons. The other conundrum with accessibility is that classes only become somewhat complex when it comes to the mechanics of savage raids. Why the heck would we care about making savage raids accessible to anyone but advanced players?

I wouldn't be surprised to find out there are 10 year olds who have cleared savage content. Certainly there are teenagers who have. To me that makes any accessibility argument moot. Anyone claiming a job in this game, even at their absolute most complex, is too complex just doesn't need to be playing the game. I don't want to sound like some arrogant gatekeeper but come on put a modicum of effort into the game.

Moving on to another subject, savage balance. Sure keep tuning keep tweaking, try to get things in balance. However, people focus far too much on this. People get obsessed with numbers and unless you're going for world first who cares what job someone takes to a raid. I'm of the belief that it shouldn't be too hard to find 7 like-minded people who want to do savage raids and are serious about it. You're probably going to get more mileage out of someone who loves playing a lower dps job than getting that same person to play a higher dps job they hate. I think some people just spend too much time scaring themselves about dps numbers.

So that's a long way of saying diversity of job design is where it should be at.

[Renkei]

This is a weak argument considering i've played games that have been out far longer then FFXIV and have far less fights far less Variety and everything just ends up being clones of each-other. gear wise. I don't think the balance is to bad. games that lack Variety end up taking the high risk approach for everything and then servery dulls down healer and tank roles by making tanks meat-shields and healers have no dps skills. Things can't be completely balanced because then things become imbalanced, Sometimes there needs to be a higher reward for risks but don't have the risks rewards outweigh the risks, i think there is enough Diversity, right now at least you can play what you want and not get instantly kicked for it i think the community makes up for this, because i've played other mmo's that if you didn't do what everyone else did in terms of what is considered "Optimal" Then they'd kick you in a heart beat even if the dungeon is a beginner dungeon, Diversity is what keeps people playing jobs, Id rather have people who really like their job, versus someone that just plays something because "its the best"

[Recon1o6]

Diversity and balance I think.

My reasoning is that classes should be fun and unique, and THEN balanced. Accessibility will come as classes diverge, some will naturally end up easier than others.
Balance should be secondary, fun is more important than one being more powerful, and while the raiders do have too much say, the problem is that SE is also doing things from the wrong angle so the raiders get more say not because there is more of them but because the alternatives for more casual players have not come about in any decent capacity

Look at Eureka, a massive brain numbing chore of a grind that could have given more casual players a means of getting their gear. Instead because it was so repetitive, slow, burdened with unneccesary restrictions and required FATES for the last bit of the weapon, it was dead on arrival, got brought back to a coma, then died again once pagos came out

If Eureka had been somewhat more varied and not crippled by poor decisions (As was admittedly many things in SB) then it would have been a viable alternative.

the current homogenisation, dumbing down and stripping of core elements and identity of classes in shadowbringers is why this expansion hasn't dethroned heavensward in terms of best expansion