Lack of character "skills" customization...?

[Fire-Dragon-DoL]

I feel like I'm missing some tactical choices about my character. Actually I'm so lucky I've chosen the only class with 2 jobs (arcanist), so I have chance to change my gameplay a bit but really, there isn't a difference from me (summoner) and another random summoner.

No choices. Secondary skills are just cooldowns that may be used on correct moment and everyone have access to the same skills (which are indeed 5... so, no choice at all, just level farming).

The character doesn't involve any tactical choice.
Yes there is the option to actually DON'T use a job (loosing a lot of dps anyway), but you'll get a lot of skills, which are just cooldowns, nothing that changes your character a bit.

And I'm so lucky I can switch job.

When they said you can take skills from classes I imagined you can also take PRIMARY skills, no they just give you illusion of it: you can take thunder as an arcanist, but that won't work on any of your spells, basically being just an additional dot.

The only game-changing spell is getting a heal with thaumature, changing your gameplay a bit since you can heal.

[Fire-Dragon-DoL]

...Not to mention the fact that stat distribution actually is completely useless, I don't even know why it's there.

[Koga_Edge]

chances are when the hard cap comes, they will release something akin to merit points

[BubblyBoar]

The difference between you and a random SMN is how well you play, not how you allocated and choice between skills/stats. You may not agree with that, but that was the choice by the dev team.

[Noata]

The difference between you and a random SMN is how well you play, not how you allocated and choice between skills/stats. You may not agree with that, but that was the choice by the dev team.

I agree with this, There is a large variance in skill across the player base, we all have the same tools, some just know how to use them better. This also means that a spec wont just make you good. fights involve mechanics more then anything with reaction. the skill difference between players can be very wide.

[Fire-Dragon-DoL]

The difference between you and a random SMN is how well you play, not how you allocated and choice between skills/stats. You may not agree with that, but that was the choice by the dev team.

This statement is valid only the exact moment specs are not balanced.
If you have balanced specs, this issue is not there: two players specced in the same will still perform differently based on their skill, I don't see the point here. Allocating skill/stats doesn't change the influence of your skill. OF COURSE you will do less damage if you have a bad build, but this mean you are BAD at strategy, which is still a player skill, definitely.

You are confusing "testing player reflexes" with "testing player skill", they are not the same.
Actually the game is just really poor from this point of view. And being an MMORPG this is quite sad. Is more an action mmo (not really good on action-side, because of all lag issues and no monster collision), with some rpg elements.

For example, why can't I take another sub-skill that buff my pet more, improving my damage pet-wise, while another guy can take an additional debuff, to focus more on debuffs damages. It's perfectly ok, we will perform differently on different bosses (but this is already the same with different dps classes).

[v_jones]

This statement is valid only the exact moment specs are not balanced.

So... you're saying the statement would be valid from the point where this kind of system would be implemented to forever?

[OrangeCoffee]

I agree. One of the greatest parts about successful games like Ragnarok Online is that your stat/skill build was unique, and every job had about 2-3 different ways to be built. For example Assassin could be critical-type, or double dagger... and each of these different builds for this one job focused on different skill paths.

[Tupsi]

For example, why can't I take another sub-skill that buff my pet more, improving my damage pet-wise, while another guy can take an additional debuff, to focus more on debuffs damages. It's perfectly ok, we will perform differently on different bosses (but this is already the same with different dps classes).

Because in a FF game a Summoner is a Summoner through and through - Throughout the series they either had access to White Magic or Black Magic but the main thing they always had in common is that they summon pets. As much as certain people hate to hear this, like Kiria, but having iconic jobs like this completely customizable throws out the whole purpose of them making this a FF game, they should drop the Final Fantasy title.

For example a summoner that focuses on their pet while another that focuses on debuffing more doesn't fully make sense - It should be more Summoner A focuses on using x summon(s) while Summoner B focuses more on y summon(s). The problem is unlike XI they went with a limit choice in skills since even though you "outgrew" skills in XI you had many more options. You simply will want to wait for more jobs to release that specializes in X.

[Daragust]

This statement is valid only the exact moment specs are not balanced.

I have played a lot of MMO's that gave you a "choice" in how you spec'ed your character. Truth of the matter is, they are never balanced. One may be close to another, but through number crunching there is always a superior build. Casual players will build however they like, but people at end game will find that perfect build and everyone in their group will have the exact same build. Choice becomes an illusion because the more options you give, the more impossible balance becomes and the less likely all that choice is going to matter.

I'm not saying that those differences aren't fun. Nor am I saying that when they are there you HAVE to play like everyone else. I'm just stating that those choices simply get ignored by a very large percent of the population and that makes the time spent on them by developers far less rewarding than the time spent on content or the world.