Dear Akihiko Matsui

[Rydin]

Hello adventurers of FFXIV! This is battle lead Akihiko Matsui.

Dear Akihiko-Sama,
You are, perhaps, one of my favorite developers. You directed my favorite game of all time (Chrono Trigger) and you were the battle designer in the game that introduced the ATB (Attack time battle) system and served as the archetype for modern RPG's (Final Fantasy IV).

In a previous post (as truncated in the above quote), you talked about adding auto-attack. The information given was revealing and exciting. I was hoping you could share more about the upcoming battle system changes, as they will be the cornerstone of the games overhaul.

I have spent extensive time experimenting with the Battle system. I have a capped Gladiator/Shield, Lancer and an rank 49 thaumaturge so I am familiar with multiple aspects of combat. I've bested every NM in the game (all 28) and have the achievement for 50,000 enemies slain.
I must add, I actually enjoy the current battle system, but I am not averse to changes if they help the flow of battle, are intuitive, promote party strategy and increase the overall level of fun.

With that being said, I just have a couple questions that I was hoping you'd address.

1. With auto-attack being implemented, what does that mean for stamina?

2. With Gladiator, as an example, there are 4 different "basic" attacks: Light Slash, Light Stab, Heavy Slash and Heavy Stab. How do they factor in to the auto-attack system, if at all?

3. Will active and passive mode remain unchanged under the new system?

4 Will weaponskills still function as regular attacks that do more damage and consume TP?

5. Will incapacitation play a greater role in battle?

Finally 6. Will the Battle Regimen system still function in the same way, will it be changed, or removed outright?

I understand you are in the midst of a huge undertaking. I understand if you can't respond or if any of the answers haven't been finalized. But any information you can share would be greatly appreciated.

I'm not sure how the process works exactly, in terms of translations or threads being forwarded to the dev team, but I'd ask that anyone who can, please take this thread into consideration.
thank you

(Like this to get the Dev's attention)
edit: 100 likes at 1:54pm EDT on 4-22-11... YAY