Skill trees and Alternate Advancement

[Kyra]

What you're describing will do nothing but foster animosity and frustration throughout the entire player base and cause a balancing nightmare for the developers. This isn't a fresh idea, many MMOs have (unsuccessfully) tried to balance around these types of conventions and it just doesn't work. Players are left on the bench or forced to play specs/classes they don't enjoy. Developers have to balance the game around 3x as many character choices. It just becomes a mess and I'd rather they devote that time to giving us new classes.

I'm not saying that there is no place for skill customization, I just don't think skill trees belong here. Instead, I'd like to see a resurrection of the merit system that isn't just tied into grinding mindlessly.

The game isnt balanced and it never will be, I can make my character stronger with gear making me unbalanced compared to someone in lesser gear than me. Why cant I do this with skill growth to. So its ok for an unbalance between characters if its gear related because you have worked on getting that gear, but its not ok to be unbalanced with upgraded skills because you have worked on getting those skills?

If you guys want a gear orientated game then you have it, there is no real customisation with skills once you have all classes to 50 which doesnt take long. All my class and jobs action bars are set with the skills i need, maybe one or two i would swap out depending on the situation but thats it.

Basicaly I feel like i completed the game 6 months ago in terms of my character growth. All it has been since then is about getting new gear, adding materia to gear, or other game content for gear or achievments. I just dont get excited when they add new gear each patch, im quite happy with my sets i have for this level cap. I want to grow my character another way. Anything... something, stop adding more stupid gear lol.

[Krausus]

Actually I've been in many parties with him and HE was the one who helped me become a better healer when I wasn't able to play as ofter as I could I go to him for advise on jobs and classes because he knows how to play them and he is good with them. As with a lot of our other Ls members. I value his advise a lot. Thanks Kraus for helping me and teaching me one of the best ways to play as a Conjurer when I was still going wtf.

awww thanks Rannie, no worries though Firon already proved his knowledge or lack there of in Reinhearts thread concerning CC's and black mages.

[Shurrikhan]

Throwing some of these out here to flesh it out possibilities a little more. Some of these modifications may already be in the game under some of the items or patch notes beyond 1.20. (whether these end up as traits from items, materia, level cap increase, or an alternate advancement system)

[HIDE]Examples/Sample (not full listing):

***See previous page. It'll be worth your time.***

Great list. It's fun even just imagining the bonuses in use. Being the nit-pick I am I'd like slightly more unique effects like the AoE resistance for PGL being based on number of recent attacks and current TP remaining (less so), or increased when next to someone else (Fleeting Dance), while the one for Lancer protected himself and others in a conical area facing away from the target he's attacking (Strike Leader). Something of that sort that gives identical effects not so identical applications and feel like their classes.

[Elexia]

Skill tree type systems just simply doesn't work in MMOs like XI/XIV because they're not designed to allow specialized progression on the one and only single class you can be on your character, you can be multiple classes with jobs adding some more specialization to the base. Merit type system can work depending, but XIV still has a flawed attribute system ontop of a flawed dlvl calculation to even think of stat/ability specialization.

[Jokerz]

Love this concept but as such with this community the strongest/most useful abilities would be the only ones to be used. I seriously doubt SE could fairly balance something that will allow everyone to be "unique"

[Mirage]

It would be nice if we had a system where you could buy/choose between X number os skills.
And once you choose the one you want, you cannot undo that action.
You'll have to stick with those skills until the end.

That way it would make each player more unique in its on way.

But in the end, the mathcraft will reveal an optimal combination of skills for the least amount of grinding, and people will use this or be considered gimp.

[Shurrikhan]

But in the end, the mathcraft will reveal an optimal combination of skills for the least amount of grinding, and people will use this or be considered gimp.

The mathcraft won't be released until people have gone through all content, or else the mathcraft will be basically useless. Every situation will have difference. Theorycrafting that doesn't keep that in mind will fail utterly. It just requires fight complexity, something MMOs haven't always done well, but certainly can do.