Hyper Interview! The truth is out there extra long interview!

[jenova_9]

More like the mew is out there. Lots of details!

Gamer Escape » Eorzeapedia » Blog Archive » Gamer Escape Interview With Naoki Yoshida- “The Truth Is Out There!”

[Malacite]

Re: Hyper Interview! The truth is out there extra long interview!

WOOOT! SMN CONFIRMED AS A CLASS!!!! :D

[Taskmage]

Re: Hyper Interview! The truth is out there extra long interview!

Don't get too excited until they implement it better than XI's smn.

[Aeni]

Re: Hyper Interview! The truth is out there extra long interview!

Don't get too excited until they implement it better than XI's smn.

Explain "better". AFAIK, they'll make no attempts to institute a pet class because that would be difficult to balance. Therefore, you'll need to explain in what ways would "better" be.

Edit: What I'm getting at is "pet mechanic as it is in FFXI with BST & SMN". Having a pet that could take on the role of a secondary player with no penalty to the primary player is definitely a slap in the face of game balance. Unless you're willing to experience a 5+ year painful evolution to get to a compromised place (i.e., World of Warcraft Warlock, Hunter and to lesser extent, Mage), I wouldn't bother worrying about whether or not it is the exact same thing as in FFXI.

[Taskmage]

Re: Hyper Interview! The truth is out there extra long interview!

"Better" would be some implementation that lets summoners of the very elemental forces of creation feel as powerful as they should, yet still be limited enough to be balanced against more mundane classes.

[Aeni]

Re: Hyper Interview! The truth is out there extra long interview!

"Better" would be some implementation that lets summoners of the very elemental forces of creation feel as powerful as they should, yet still be limited enough to be balanced against more mundane classes.

Fair enough, but I remember SMN in FFXI being a bit more than just "powerful feeling". Same with BST in some situations. You know, when the game starts to funnel an army of SMN to take on difficult challenges in order to cheese a victory, that's when the class is broken.

[Taskmage]

Re: Hyper Interview! The truth is out there extra long interview!

I would say when the class is rejected from any group that isn't comprised completely of that class, that's when the class is broken. Either way smn was horribly implemented and needs to be done "better" in XIV.

[jenova_9]

Re: Hyper Interview! The truth is out there extra long interview!

now now. Let's have a cup of cocoa over this. *sip* Now then, mew, anyone with experience with FFXIV know the differences between classes like between FFXI MNK and FFXIV Pugilist and like between Archer and Ranger, and Marauder and Warrior and stuff? I would guess the differences are quite dramatic. FFXIV SMN could be quite different and be fun and useful. With developers more open to community, it could be more easier to balance XIV SMN.

[Malacite]

Re: Hyper Interview! The truth is out there extra long interview!

Well, they did say (though this was Tanaka talking not Yoshi P...) that summons would be in the game, and that their power would be much harder to attain than in XI.

So, I imagine that at least based on that (and Yoshi's encouraging performance & words so far) that we can expect something better this time around. What he described was very much the same setup as in XI, in so far as you gain new abilities as you level as a SMN. But let's hope that's where it ends.

One thing they could do this time, in order to offset the extreme power of the Primals, is to severely hamper the SMN itself.

For example, rather than just bleeding MP for shitty effects like in XI (though I do think MP should still be used to at least call them and maybe their more potent powers) let us keep them out; but so long as one is out you enter a sort of focused state where you can not use any other class abilities. So you essentially forfeit your own powers for those of the Gods you call forth.

And really, isn't that the whole damn point of being a SMN anyway? Ifrit is already a million times more bad ass than he was in XI in terms of appearance and the difficulty of the fight. Rather than toning down the pets for the sake of balance, put all or most of the restrictions on the player instead.

This would also serve to further distinguish SMN in XIV by being a class that doesn't require/depend on having multiple abilities of other classes.

Really the only thing that boggles my mind is what the hell would SMN's job be? Will specific primals be restricted to the Job it gets? Or maybe they'll bring back elementals and restrict primals while playing whatever job they use? I really don't know >_>

[Raydeus]

Re: Hyper Interview! The truth is out there extra long interview!

Summoning in general is overpowered by the very concept of it.

So SMN has always been the job in XI that I thought just shouldn't have been there in the first place.


Except for legendary NPCs like Karaha Baruha, that is.



How about not adding SMN at all and making a job that would draw upon the avatar's strength to fight instead? Like instead of actually summoning Titan just tapping in his power and gaining Def and VIT boosts that consumed MP while active.

Something like that.

[Aeni]

Re: Hyper Interview! The truth is out there extra long interview!

now now. Let's have a cup of cocoa over this. *sip* Now then, mew, anyone with experience with FFXIV know the differences between classes like between FFXI MNK and FFXIV Pugilist and like between Archer and Ranger, and Marauder and Warrior and stuff? I would guess the differences are quite dramatic. FFXIV SMN could be quite different and be fun and useful. With developers more open to community, it could be more easier to balance XIV SMN.

By and large the classes in FFXIV were forked from their counterparts in FFXI (it's a programming term to mean "progressed" or "evolved" from a common family) However, I worry about SMN, and especially if they also implement BST, because of the complexities involved in having an AI complex and powerful enough to not be useless while at the same time not so powerful that the player can go AFK while the computer does the dirty work for him/her. We haven't even mention PUP yet, either...

That said, I don't really care what SE does, but they need to remember that balance is thin as a razor where it concerns pet classes. Look at WoW, where changes made to Warlocks and Hunters swung like a yo-yo from patch to patch, expansion to expansion.

---------- Post added at 05:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:51 PM ----------

How about not adding SMN at all and making a job that would draw upon the avatar's strength to fight instead? Like instead of actually summoning Titan just tapping in his power and gaining Def and VIT boosts that consumed MP while active.

Something like that.

This would be the better option, IMO. Like augmenting the powers of the summon you "tamed". So, we'll have two in this "new category" of classes that are much like BLU in FFXI. BST, absorbing the powers of beasts and SMN, absorbing the powers of "avatars". A step forward would be GEO, absorbing the powers of the elements.

---------- Post added at 06:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:55 PM ----------

Really the only thing that boggles my mind is what the hell would SMN's job be? Will specific primals be restricted to the Job it gets? Or maybe they'll bring back elementals and restrict primals while playing whatever job they use? I really don't know >_>

What if the SMN (with the aforemention of augmentation) could be able to play any role he/she chooses, much like hybrid classes in WoW? Heal effectively, nuke effectively, tank effectively, etc. Make it the "master class" so you'll need to unlock it. Acquiring the various avatars. Changing roles could be on a cooldown for balancing, but allows SMN to be able to fulfill w/e role that the group requires.

[Armando]

Re: Hyper Interview! The truth is out there extra long interview!

I always thought it'd be much more interesting if summoning an avatar in FFXI meant you actually play that avatar, while the Summoner stays rooted in place in a trance until the avatar is dismissed.

[Aeni]

Re: Hyper Interview! The truth is out there extra long interview!

I always thought it'd be much more interesting if summoning an avatar in FFXI meant you actually play that avatar, while the Summoner stays rooted in place in a trance until the avatar is dismissed.

/beastmode

...lol.

[Balfree]

Re: Hyper Interview! The truth is out there extra long interview!

How will summoners control their entity's actions? will there be a set of actions that are common for all avatars? Will you have an action for each avatar? All of these things need to be carefully pondered and it's no easy task with the current action system. One idea would be by equipping a certain action, other actions become available. For example Ifrit's summoning action makes "Hellfire" available.

I would like to see avatars out for longer and they should hamper the SMN indeed. There needs to be a limit on how long the avatar is allowed to be out too, like in all previous FFs. There ought to be something the SMN has to pay to be able to maintain the avatar in battle.

Avatars should have their own MP pool, and when that's over, it is rendered powerless. The SMN could keep the avatar's MP in check and that would be their main concern. Giving their own MP to their avatar through an action, hindering thereto their own abilities. Skills that improved the SMN's ability to keep the avatar out should be their primal feature. At the same time, there's the avatar's set of actions. They would auto-attack and fire off spells and stuff at the SMN's command.

About BST, I feel like it should be almost the same, however a BST needs to find a proper pet, or summon one like in FFXI. A pet should eventually leave you and return to the wild and it could turn aggressive towards you or just flee.

I would like for BST to have their own pets too though. You could have a quest to obtain a pet, and much like a companion you could change it. But that pet would be special, it would aid you in battle as any other pet, but would never leave unless you released him.

You could only have one pet out, and more often than not you'd be using your own pet, but he wouldnt be stronger than wild pets in any way, and if that pet were to die at the hands of the enemy, you would have to wait for him to recover to be able to use him again, and that's when you'd have to rely on wild pets, or call forth familiars with jugs or whatever.

Just my 2 cents.

[Malacite]

Re: Hyper Interview! The truth is out there extra long interview!

I would like to see avatars out for longer and they should hamper the SMN indeed. There needs to be a limit on how long the avatar is allowed to be out too, like in all previous FFs. There ought to be something the SMN has to pay to be able to maintain the avatar in battle.

Here's an idea;

Now that we have a 3000 TP limit, they should have it so once the avatar is out, they have their own TP bar (or use the SMN's idk) that steadily drains as they are out. Each special attack they use should further consume TP, with their signature attacks (in this case Hellfire) consuming all remaining TP as well as gaining a damage boost based on remaining TP.

And of course, the MP cost just to bring them out should be somewhat high so you can't just summon & release them over & over in a single fight.