So... This is the "improved encounter design"?

[Zakuyia]

Did you read the whole post? I'm not criticizing the fights for what they are (like I said, they are good), but the directions they could've had based on expectations of what they show pre-expansion.

And why I made this post even though I don't think the fights themselves are bad? Because their formula, good or not, is getting old for me personally.

When u take a moment of op posting this and realize 21 ppl upvoted the person who said this to op...its no wonder our game in such an awkard part....ppl cant read.... OwO

[BabyYoda]

Changes are not satisfying enough..

Difficulty is good but fights are repetitive and boring

[Raikai]

those kind of mechanics are "wow style" mechanics (look out and adjust)

Not saying the grass is greener there because I quit around BfA, so Idk how WoW is nowadays, but I personally think that those mechanics are more interesting because they encourage thinking on the go and reward good improvisation skills, as opposed to the very cemented way that the usual mechanics are solved.

Puzzle like mechanics also have such a short shelf life, because once solved all that matters is remembering what goes where, and then after a few rounds, it becomes autopilot because there's usually just a few set patterns that stuff can go (many times just 2 patterns tbh)... ln a reclear scope, it gets either stale or annoying (in a PF setting) when somebody else fails repeatedly on stuff they shouldn't.

[Boblawblah]

When u take a moment of op posting this and realize 21 ppl upvoted the person who said this to op...its no wonder our game in such an awkard part....ppl cant read.... OwO

excuse me, 22.

[AmiableApkallu]

Puzzle like mechanics also have such a short shelf life, because once solved all that matters is remembering what goes where, and then after a few rounds, it becomes autopilot because there's usually just a few set patterns that stuff can go (many times just 2 patterns tbh)... ln a reclear scope, it gets either stale or annoying (in a PF setting) when somebody else fails repeatedly on stuff they shouldn't.

And that is what I find least satisfying about FFXIV encounters.

[ClaudeHerel]

I'm having fun

[Valence]

Not saying the grass is greener there because I quit around BfA, so Idk how WoW is nowadays, but I personally think that those mechanics are more interesting because they encourage thinking on the go and reward good improvisation skills, as opposed to the very cemented way that the usual mechanics are solved.

Puzzle like mechanics also have such a short shelf life, because once solved all that matters is remembering what goes where, and then after a few rounds, it becomes autopilot because there's usually just a few set patterns that stuff can go (many times just 2 patterns tbh)... ln a reclear scope, it gets either stale or annoying (in a PF setting) when somebody else fails repeatedly on stuff they shouldn't.

I don't like FF Encounters for this reason as well because it feels more like rehearsing for a dance or playing DDR than actually using my brain and think what tool to use for it on the fly. But I guess that M2S first Beats shows that perhaps there is room for an in between, with some amount of chaos, within the current system.

But that would be asking them to make the game into a whole different game and seriously review how difficulty is weighted on every facet of the game and how every mechanic is actually designed, because solving current mechanics without any kind of "trick" to do them within 5s of reaction would just not work at all.

[Raikai]

I don't like FF Encounters for this reason as well because it feels more like rehearsing for a dance or playing DDR than actually using my brain and think what tool to use for it on the fly. But I guess that M2S first Beats shows that perhaps there is room for an in between, with some amount of chaos, within the current system.

Honestly, hitting a balance like you suggests is like a very good goal if you'd ask me. M2S, imagine if the beats were all like that, but the "not beats" phases were more formulaic, you'd get a good balance between the two of them. I wouldn't even mind if some particular fights would lean more into one aspect than the other, as long as the big picture is balanced.

I don't necessarily think it's making a whole different game, is just taking what they already have and reaching a better harmony between aspects "It's a test of your muscle memory" versus "a test of your wits".

[Valence]

They've also done it with Alert Pheromones (the first one) just after the 1st Beats, and see how controversial this has proven already. Every melee on earth hated that apparently. Too randomly obnoxious they said. Couldn't keep their GCD rolling perfectly and preferred greeding the mechanic than dodging.

[Post]

I find myself unimpressed by the savage fights on the whole after doing normal.

2 and 3 especially felt like there was a lot more dynamic movement that couldn't be planned in normal to maintain uptime, while savage m2 only retains alarm pheromones 1 and none of the random ground targeted actions, and m3 has almost no chasing the boss for uptime, no bomb layout differences and no baited ground AoEs.

I also find myself cynically thinking this is because they thought players wouldn't be able to deal with these more random mechanics without raising a big stink about it as we already see from alarm pheromone complaints. There seems to be a mentality among players that we should all be able to always maintain perfect uptime and not have to measure any opportunity costs to do so, and the devs kept designing fights in this way because it can feel bad for players otherwise, like they've been cheated or something.

It's going to take time for players to change on this because we're so used to living in our perfectly mapped encounter timelines to the point that job design has followed suit with things like 0 damage gap closers, gap closer charge accumulation, no-cost sprint, free healing almost everywhere and almost 100% effective knockback immunity.

But at least, this tier, boss hitboxes are mostly smaller, the final fight isn't absolutely riddled with 'puzzle' mechanics that are only fun to solve but not to play, and alarm pheromones at least exists in Savage. M2s and M4s pace is a little bit faster than what we often have so we're not just whacking a boss doing nothing for 50+ seconds (thanks, Brute Bomber). We're on a more fun trajectory, I think. I just hope they don't stop here because it's not quite enough as it is.