Game Balance and User Frustration

[Mhurron]

Re: Game Balance and User Frustration

Except now I have black mage leveled so there's no point in playing rdm at all.

Yep. It's pretty rare I'm on my RDM at all now, and it makes me sad when I remember that. Kinda odd when you consider I just said one day, 'my BLM is 68, I'm going to finnish it.'

I'm basically only on RDM now low manning missions.

[cidbahamut]

Re: Game Balance and User Frustration

Except now I have black mage leveled so there's no point in playing rdm at all.

This is a fairly large concern I have. We're wandering into the realm of BLM-lite, but there's not a whole lot we bring to the table in today's metagame that isn't covered just as well (if not better) by other jobs.

It seems like the only feather we have left in our hat is soloing, and even that's beginning to fade as evasion heavy jobs are now the toast of the town when it comes to soloing most NMs.

[Taskmage]

Re: Game Balance and User Frustration

Yeah, agree. Any time a rdm could be dealing damage to something now it's almost certainly better done with a tier IV. Except now I have black mage leveled so there's no point in playing rdm at all. You could make a case for Aeolian edge, but tbh I haven't even taken the time to cap my dagger skill.

The group I run with handles NMs more or less the same as Ketaru's. Melee if you're tanking it, landing TH or procing red/blue, preferably with auspice and boost-AGI up, otherwise stay the heck out of AoE range. Special exceptions made for empyrean holders. It's the old TP-feeding argument again, made more valid by more dangerous TP moves. Goblin rash? w/e let it have TP. Fulmination? GTFO.

[cidbahamut]

Re: Game Balance and User Frustration

Almace maybe? Atmas? I dunno, but the whole bit about stuff you wouldn't melee on at 75 rings hollow for me. Sure you wouldn't melee on it at 75, but there's stuff for the new level cap that's the exact same scenario. In fact it's even more pronounced now if anything, given how Ketaru's shell doesn't even have their DDs swinging most of the time.

If there's anything that's shifted it is our ability to kick more ass with our nukes. I'm finding less and less incentive to keep a melee set around these days.
*shrug*

[Taskmage]

Re: Game Balance and User Frustration

What better melee gear are we talking about? Other than some physical WS pieces, Zelus Tiara is the only thing that particularly stands out to me. Getting to haste cap involves almost all pre-75 gear.

[Icemage]

Re: Game Balance and User Frustration

The job roles of all the mage types shifted dramatically after the level cap rose above 80. RDM was impacted probably more than any other job because of Refresh no longer being an exclusive spell, which loosened the deathgrip that RDMs had for the traditional support role. Granted, Refresh II being added makes RDM still an excellent MP-restoration battery, but since anyone with any MP at all can sub RDM for Refresh I or SCH for Sublimation, it's not nearly so important as it used to be.

Expanded nuking spells, better melee gear, and just all around higher level differences means that stuff you wouldn't dare to melee as a RDM at level 75 becomes much more manageable at level 85+. All of which makes RDM much less of a forced support job at higher levels than it used to be.


Icemage

[Ketaru]

Re: Game Balance and User Frustration

Originally Posted by Icemage View Post

RDM isn't a support job any more, not sure where you got that idea. It still "can" do support, but it's greatly expanded on the melee and nuking fronts at least in terms of endgame (75+). Sure, it's not a BLM, but RDM also have access to more MP than all other mage jobs. And no, it's not a front-line DD, but at least the melee damage output from RDM is at least close to/equal to the more hybrid direct damage classes like Paladin. Granted, you can't do all of the above at the same time, but you now have the option of avoiding full-time support if that's not what you want to do.


Icemage

BRB getting my eyes examined.

As much as I get why you'd be surprised Icemage would be saying it, it's not really that surprising to have a shift in mindset...depending on what you're looking at.

Melee- You've got a lot of people in EXP parties not particularly caring about damage dealing these days. People standing around not gear swapping. People standing around not doing anything period. You'd probably be better off with a RDM with TP build and a WS build than a damage dealer who doesn't give a rat's arse.

From an NM perspective, may not have anything on a WAR or NIN, but it still actually has quite a lot of proc WSs at its disposal, given the right subjob: Seraph Strike, Cyclone, Energy Drain, Red Lotus Blade, Seraph Blade, Sidewinder, Blast Arrow, Shadowstitch, Evisceration, Vorpal Blade, Savage Blade, Skull Breaker, True Strike, and Judgment.

No, you don't want them meleeing NMs. But- you know- the way things are run in my LS, we don't really have many people meleeing tougher NMs to begin with...less annoying people that need healing that way. Probably doesn't sound right to some people. But the truth is, if you're a dedicated damage dealer only, you probably wouldn't have a whole lot of fun in our linkshell unless you're top tier. Like top 3, in which case you get to melee. So yeah, you would't take RDM to melee higher tier NMs. But that's OK cause nobody gets to!

[cidbahamut]

Re: Game Balance and User Frustration

at low lvl RDM is not a solo friendly job.

Did we play the same game? Low level RDM can solo just fine. At 33 specifically it becomes a soloing monster, what with Phalanx coming into the picture.

[Elwynn]

Re: Game Balance and User Frustration

I dont expect everything to be handed to me the moment i logged in, but if you want a chocobo license its easy, its the run around for getting your own chocobo egg

BZZZZZT.

http://ffxi.gamerescape.com/wiki/Chocobo's_Wounds

FYI, you basically can NOT do quests/missions without the wiki to tell you what to do. It's a minor failing of FFXI, and it's only minor because of the wiki.


For what it's worth, part of the game is learning to change YOURSELF to meet the challenge. If you the player doesn't change at least a bit, then you haven't really tried.

It's easier for some than others. I started in mid-2008, and reached 75 in maybe 9 months or so, while someone else in the LS who had been playing 2 years still hadn't reached 75. Perhaps one of the most important things I learned was to be ready on time for group events, because it was hard enough to get everyone together back then (it can be harder now with all the distractions now added) that you had to learn not to waste everyone else's time. You also have to learn to have some dedication to get things done. It's not about the shiny pixels, it's about meeting the challenges and overcoming them. That things are easier these days doesn't mean the challenge is less, it mostly means that you can finish it faster.

[Yellow Mage]

Re: Game Balance and User Frustration

RDM isn't a support job any more, not sure where you got that idea. It still "can" do support, but it's greatly expanded on the melee and nuking fronts at least in terms of endgame (75+). Sure, it's not a BLM, but RDM also have access to more MP than all other mage jobs. And no, it's not a front-line DD, but at least the melee damage output from RDM is at least close to/equal to the more hybrid direct damage classes like Paladin. Granted, you can't do all of the above at the same time, but you now have the option of avoiding full-time support if that's not what you want to do.


Icemage

BRB getting my eyes examined.

[Icemage]

Re: Game Balance and User Frustration

RDM isn't a support job any more, not sure where you got that idea. It still "can" do support, but it's greatly expanded on the melee and nuking fronts at least in terms of endgame (75+). Sure, it's not a BLM, but RDM also have access to more MP than all other mage jobs. And no, it's not a front-line DD, but at least the melee damage output from RDM is at least close to/equal to the more hybrid direct damage classes like Paladin. Granted, you can't do all of the above at the same time, but you now have the option of avoiding full-time support if that's not what you want to do.


Icemage

[Neverslip]

Re: Game Balance and User Frustration

back in the day (damn I sound old) RDM was a support job. Even when I came back from a 4 year break and started back up. I started to work my rdm again. It is still a support job.

*microwaves popcorn

[pxch]

Re: Game Balance and User Frustration

Lol....wait, who said the game was hard?

---------- Post added at 10:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:06 PM ----------



Well, there honestly shouldnt be any need for strategy, if the mob is EP, you should have no problem killing it in the first place, you should be strong enough, if you die to EP its because you were either AFK, not paying attention, or that mob wasnt actually EP

also seems to me you don't understand the job rolls as well. Originally way back in the day (damn I sound old) RDM was a support job. Even when I came back from a 4 year break and started back up. I started to work my rdm again. It is still a support job. at low lvl RDM is not a solo friendly job. It is better now than it ever was to solo things but still not a great job to solo. Your good gear and spells don't start to kick in till about lvl 40 or so for that job. I would say learn your jobs then chose how to solo.

[Murphie]

Re: Game Balance and User Frustration

Regardless, Tamarsamar is maybe not a great benchmark for speed of progress. Unless we're setting minimums. :p

[Yellow Mage]

Re: Game Balance and User Frustration

Well, you're doing that on purpose though.

First of all, was; second, only partially.