I Was Looking Forward To Playing Pictomancer

[CidHeiral]

It is relevant.

It isn't, at all. Things don't have to be popular to be positive additions to a game. Niche options bring in players who otherwise wouldn't be interested at all, like Hrothgar.

I don't feel it is a sound decision to make one of the showcased jobs of a new expansion overly complicated just because CBU3 simultaneously decided to dumb down every other job even further.

I doubt the two are related, and something being "overly complicated" is subjective. You may find it to be that way and someone else may find it to be just right. That's why having a mix of everything is important for the health of the game. Everybody can find something that they like.

I mean, what's the point? If CBU3 wanted a range of complexities, they could have easily tweaked the other jobs to achieve that goal.

If you have twenty jobs where ten are complex and the other ten are simple, it doesn't matter whether some are new and some are old. It's the same difference. The job you thought looked neat ended up potentially being a complex one. If that actually ends up being the case you can either rise to the occasion or accept that it isn't your cup of tea. Complaining about changes to an existing job is one thing, but complaining that a wholly new job wasn't designed for your personal preferences is pretty egotistical.

I was pretty excited for Viper but it looks like it's just melee Dancer. I hate Dancer, so that sucks, but it is what it is. It may turn out that job just isn't for me and that's fine.

[Hanayumi]

Uhh folks thought it looked complex? Lordy... Seemed pretty straightforward to me, "draw" picture, "play" picture. Got a basic 1, 2, 3 + finisher, spend 50 points to switch basic combo to an enhanced combo + finisher. Playing 2 monster pics, unlocks smn button(mog), play 2 more monster pics unlocks smn again(slyph thing). Use weapon when have 2 skill stacks, which unlocks a finisher(instant cast/on the move combo.) Got a party buff, unlocks nuke, can also use basic combo during it to make a skill instant cast. About it really...

[VictorSpoils]

Too early to tell. Just have to assess it during the job quests.

I'd be more concerned about all those buffs if the buff cap remains a looming problem.

[Pip_Chick]

I can bonk people with the hammer. This is the best job!
I love the effects as well, they are so cute!

Also, I was asking and praying for something with more complexity. Pictomancer seems to have hit the target!

[Arkdra]

From the description I'd be doing things related to three different colors, adding things with white, subtracting things with black, keeping track of beasts, weapons, landscapes, buffs, and a gauge. Meanwhile, I'm also having to be mindful of boss mechanics. That sounds easy to you?

Yes. Unironically yes. You aren't adding or subtracting anything. You have a 123 combo that condenses to 1 button that cycles through the elements, gives you 1 holy pip and 25 rainbow gauge. The holy pip can be converted into an instant cast. With 50 rainbow gauge you can go subtractive. During subtractive you... cycle a 123 combo that condenses to 1 button but this time the cast times are longer and the abilities hit harder and it ends with a dark pip that... converts into an instant cast nuke.

The portraits are broken up into 3 sections that all function independently of each other. Monster section is literally just draw > render > draw > render > bonus nuke, repeat. It is rotationally 1212312123. Each render takes a use of the 3 stack cd, 40 second for a charge.

Hammer is even easier. Draw hammer > render hammer > do 3 hammer attacks that are all on 1 button. 2 charges, 1 minute to recharge.

Landscape also not particularly complex. Draw landscape > render landscape and you drop a thing on the ground that's a group buff. Cast any 5 gcd abilities while it's up and you get a finisher.

So then, to extrapolate this out into an actual rotation, I'd stick the elemental combo on 1 because it's the basic filler. I'd stick draw monster on 2, render monster on 3, and extra monster nuke on 4. I'd put holy on 5 and dark comet on shift 5. Draw hammer on shift 1, render hammer on shift 2, hammer combo on shift 3. Draw landscape on m5, render landscape on shift m5 since that's where I always put the damage buff on every single job I play. Subtractive on shift m4 for similar reasons. Opener would be

pre-pull 2, s1, m5. 3-2-3-4-2-3-2-3-4-s2-s3-s3-s3. Somewhere in this mess, I'd pop the landscape but don't know where without knowing actual potencies. After this, the rotation becomes 1-1-1-1-1-1-sm4-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1- and you sit on the holy and dark pips to use when you need to move and I just lost any interest because look at all that back to back 1 UGH.

[Asari5]

This has nothing to do with reducing the number of buttons. For example you could design a caster class with hundred of different spells with just 5 buttons, where you'd dial in which spell you want by pressing those 5 buttons in a specific order (which incidentally is exactly what NIN's mudra system is)

yes, like ninja mudras but on a larger scale. and there already are many people who dont play ninja because they dont want to learn how mudras work.

[Taliriah]

yes, like ninja mudras but on a larger scale. and there already are many people who dont play ninja because they dont want to learn how mudras work.

Ah, I misunderstood your point, I thought your were implying that the class simplicity was a consequence of having few buttons.

At the end of the day the only novelty of pictomancer seems to be the separation of casting and usage of abilities. Not exactly groundbreaking.

[Tsurayu]

Most new jobs are going to have that kind of effect on you at first glance. I remember when I first picked up and situated my Red Mage hotbars back in Stormblood, I thought my brain was going to explode. Turns out reading the tooltips and spending ten minutes on a striking dummy and the job was as simplistic as many people have now known the class.

That said, Pictomancer does look like it might be one of the most complex, or at least busiest classes we've had for awhile, and I'm excited for it. I'll probably run through the story on SMN/SCH, but I'm leaning towards picking up and leveling Pictomancer immediately after.

[hunter2]

I was looking forward to Pictomancer before, and now I'm really excited for it. I also really hope that the grass field provides a damage buff to allies standing within it, and that they don't double its size like Asylum/Sacred Soil. Learning how to place that well during a burst window would be fun.

[Tabmow]

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