Summoner - What it needs.

[Carighan]

Plus I mean reading a lot of these "I want to control pets!"-posts that otherwise are happy having it have no gameplay impact, I propose:

* Aspected nukes/AoEs are "commands", you press them, they cause a GCD, but the current summon uses the actual attack.
* Same for the major summon nukes, they're now pet attacks, triggered by GCD-inducing command skills on the Summoner.
* Summons stay out until a new one is summoned (pressing shield aborts them, brings out Carbuncle, buff shield to compensate).
* Reduce damage output slightly, give summons an autoattack that perfectly compensates the damage lost (so we got a DoT again, too!).

Done. I mean of course, about nothing has changed, gameplay is 99% identical. But the pet attacks, that visual distiction seems to be the big issue? (I'm not poking fun at it, I would like that change, but I also don't see the big deal)

[HanakoTheGoth]

Plus I mean reading a lot of these "I want to control pets!"-posts that otherwise are happy having it have no gameplay impact, I propose:

* Aspected nukes/AoEs are "commands", you press them, they cause a GCD, but the current summon uses the actual attack.
* Same for the major summon nukes, they're now pet attacks, triggered by GCD-inducing command skills on the Summoner.
* Summons stay out until a new one is summoned (pressing shield aborts them, brings out Carbuncle, buff shield to compensate).
* Reduce damage output slightly, give summons an autoattack that perfectly compensates the damage lost (so we got a DoT again, too!).

Done. I mean of course, about nothing has changed, gameplay is 99% identical. But the pet attacks, that visual distiction seems to be the big issue? (I'm not poking fun at it, I would like that change, but I also don't see the big deal)

we still need more pets not copies of the old ones thou

[Anvaire]

Plus I mean reading a lot of these "I want to control pets!"-posts that otherwise are happy having it have no gameplay impact, I propose:

* Aspected nukes/AoEs are "commands", you press them, they cause a GCD, but the current summon uses the actual attack.
* Same for the major summon nukes, they're now pet attacks, triggered by GCD-inducing command skills on the Summoner.
* Summons stay out until a new one is summoned (pressing shield aborts them, brings out Carbuncle, buff shield to compensate).
* Reduce damage output slightly, give summons an autoattack that perfectly compensates the damage lost (so we got a DoT again, too!).

Done. I mean of course, about nothing has changed, gameplay is 99% identical. But the pet attacks, that visual distiction seems to be the big issue? (I'm not poking fun at it, I would like that change, but I also don't see the big deal)

I dont think this would be terrible, but im not sure it would be good either. IMO it needs a couple of things.

Job mechanics to build up to the bigger burst summons.
Most casted abilities to be either summoning, empowering or preparing to summon.

As an optional extra, i dont know why we have a limited of one summon at a time, personally give me a horde of marauding carbuncles, egis to support the big summon, Could even factor it into a mechanic like the magus sisters delta force. The point is there is something epic about a summoner commanding a horde of summons. I guess they cant let it get too out of hand. Buut if wow a 20 year old game can handle it, im certain FF could.

Whatever they do ill be happy if they move mechanically away from what we have now.