Button Bloat: Data for discussion

[Shurrikhan]

If by hyper optimisation you’re referring to gcd based frame rate locking, role distance from you and whatever else was in the 5.3 game’s haunted monk guide then it’s more silliness than practicality.

Given the present tense in that sentence... wouldn't one normally just assume that's referring to ("Optimal Drift") Monk in Endwalker?

Yes, it was a side topic. I use 32 as a marker, but as I noted originally (wrongly, as it turns out), 30 could also be used. We could also use 24. As the MNK example shows, a high number does not necessarily equate to a high complexity or skill, so there's no magic "X number needed to be good". How much is too much will be subjective, though. I only use 32 specifically because there is a reasonable argument to be made for (some) controller players and that in general, 30 IS a lot of buttons.

For me, it's just because of the number of intercepting common multiples at 32 (the next being 36). And, yeah, 32 is generally quite a few buttons... if our buttons were actually densely versatile.

Physic isn't a problem itself, it's like Shield Bash where the use case is too narrow. They should give it the Vercure treatment. It's now a distinct ability from the SCH one, so there's legitimately no reason for it to be linked to MND.

Agreed. So long as SMN is to share roots with SCH, it makes no sense to deny it use of Physick by pruning it from an upgrade to said roots, nor does it make sense to continue to effectively deny SMN use of Physick after level 41 by leaving it tied solely to MND.

2:2:3 resonance

Mostly, but it's actually because it's not perfectly in ratio that Perfect Balance, even pre-Blitz / in itself, leaves room for optimization.

Even on MNK, Riddle of Air and Fire could be combined (Air is literally just white auto-attack damage increase)

Ultimately, that just comes down to 1 thing above all: Do at least half of Monks enjoy having an off-rhythm button to press that slightly separates (default) full burst from mini-burst windows without relying just on raid-buffs to do so?

Because they're not the same CDs. Pretty uniquely (Bloodfest and Salted Earth are the only others filling that function) and, if that relative uniqueness is any indicator, intentionally.

SMN is pretty good and feels finished to me.

...Annnd you lost me.

:: I'll agree that SMN is unnecessarily button-bloated given that few of its available 'levers' are ever given use cases, but consolidating it further seems a far worse path to take than giving it additional available decisions by adding some available nuance to those currently barebone actions / unnecessary buttons.