Elementality – Fundamentals to Involve Chain/Sequential Elemental Casting; Complexity

[Shurrikhan]

Haha, yeah I probably should have mentioned that I wouldn't copy FFXI either. I wouldn't make any combo that requires another player's action as a dependent factor with an exact difference on your next cast. I'd just make a difference based on the proximity of their landing. You can still achieve things similar to skill-chaining by using a party-loading (mantle) system, but it requires sub-targeting. I.e. I load "ability A" onto you, aimed at X. Your next "ability D" has additional effect Z. His "ability D" could likewise cause something in return for me, but I don't have to wait for it to have my ability gain that additional effect. It's set immediately, to be used at will (within reasonable time limits) by the other. You could say it's still partly time-sequence dependent, but you're not waiting for that variable to come back. You're free to do whatever you like in the meantime. "Combos" won't be cancelled by doing *anything but "ability D"*, etc. You just could potentially do something contradictory to your earlier intentions, but that's possible with or without "combos" anyways.

(I probably should be more careful to use this term loosely, as "combos" usually do mean that each step is directly related to and only possible to an exact ability, rather than the execution of a purpose using whatever ability as a means to do that most precisely.)

To the latter half, I think something distinctly FF could be made without those problems. I honestly think it was done wrongly. I know that sounds arrogant before knowing how exactly I'd do it. I guess it's just a gut feeling where it seems logically ridiculous to believe that there's no better way.

And goddamn I'd love to see Red Mages especially done right...

And yeah, it is hard to beat WoW in terms of balanced intricacy, though I'd love to do exactly that. And it really is a shame the last two expansions (Cata and upcoming) seem so hell-bent on simplification. But, that's irrelevant. Sorry for digressing.