real problem with new SMN design, not difficulty it is actually WORSE class fantasy

[GumshoeJump]

Even if the current SMN is more of what people think of when they think of a Final Fantasy summon (standing around doing nothing while a big flashy thing happens on screen) I've just really-- never understood what could possibly make that appealing in an MMO. That just doesn't even begin to sound like fun to me. It's something that works way better in a more traditional Final Fantasy where it's turn based. But this is a real time action game-- hotbars regardless-- where you're meant to be running around and actively participating in a fight. Thus a more fitting SMN would be one where the summons stick around, and you fight alongside them. Y'know-- a Pet Job! I felt way more like I was summoning things back when my egis were chosen situationally based on if I needed aoe-damage, single-target damage, or mitigation.

Additionally, as it's a real-time team game with focus on positioning: you'd want summons that are non-intrusive visually. Egis were small and visually distinct from their larger counterparts for a reason. Otherwise, you end up in the situation we're in, where people who don't play SMN frequently complain about SMNs because their summons are too visually loud. It's particularly severe with the current visual design habits of fights-- sometimes you'll just miss things since Titan's massive, square butt is blocking your screen (maybe we shouldn't need to manually set summon sizes clientside). Every summon-- especially because they're recycling the original raid-wide vfx from the trials-- just makes things needlessly harder to see for everyone, including the person playing summoner! It's not good, I don't know why the job design team decided that the flashier, bigger summons were a good idea. It's like a steady stream of RDM LB3s-- my eyes hurt so, so bad.

I mained SMN in StB and ShB! I was obsessed and I played daily just to play it. And I swear I tried really hard to like new SMN-- and I did for the first few months! Before it sunk in just how empty the job is. I don't think RNG or a nebulous collection of more summons is going to fix the fact that pressing a button to make lights happen is fundamentally unengaging after the 10,000th time you've pressed the button. The "traditional ideal of a Summoner" just isn't fun.

[Milea]

Even if the current SMN is more of what people think of when they think of a Final Fantasy summon (standing around doing nothing while a big flashy thing happens on screen) I've just really-- never understood what could possibly make that appealing in an MMO. That just doesn't even begin to sound like fun to me. It's something that works way better in a more traditional Final Fantasy where it's turn based. But this is a real time action game-- hotbars regardless-- where you're meant to be running around and actively participating in a fight. Thus a more fitting SMN would be one where the summons stick around, and you fight alongside them. Y'know-- a Pet Job! I felt way more like I was summoning things back when my egis were chosen situationally based on if I needed aoe-damage, single-target damage, or mitigation.

Additionally, as it's a real-time team game with focus on positioning: you'd want summons that are non-intrusive visually. Egis were small and visually distinct from their larger counterparts for a reason. Otherwise, you end up in the situation we're in, where people who don't play SMN frequently complain about SMNs because their summons are too visually loud. It's particularly severe with the current visual design habits of fights-- sometimes you'll just miss things since Titan's massive, square butt is blocking your screen (maybe we shouldn't need to manually set summon sizes clientside). Every summon-- especially because they're recycling the original raid-wide vfx from the trials-- just makes things needlessly harder to see for everyone, including the person playing summoner! It's not good, I don't know why the job design team decided that the flashier, bigger summons were a good idea. It's like a steady stream of RDM LB3s-- my eyes hurt so, so bad.

I mained SMN in StB and ShB! I was obsessed and I played daily just to play it. And I swear I tried really hard to like new SMN-- and I did for the first few months! Before it sunk in just how empty the job is. I don't think RNG or a nebulous collection of more summons is going to fix the fact that pressing a button to make lights happen is fundamentally unengaging after the 10,000th time you've pressed the button. The "traditional ideal of a Summoner" just isn't fun.

Yep. On paper big summon appear then leave seemed good but in practice not so much. Even worse said things do visually impair.

Egi was much more fun and made summoner feel unique and have good class fantasy. Now it just feels like a regular mage that pretends it summons something. You could have a command to say summons off where the summon models just don't appear and most people wouldn't even notice aside from the mentioned visual impairments. Couldn't do that with egi, it was engaging and requiring you to manage it.