FINAL FANTASY XIV Online

FINAL FANTASY XIV Online

This topic has been locked
Giganx (Banned) Jan 17, 2023 @ 6:25am
5
Why the long GCD?
The gameplay in this game is sluggish and boring even compared to other tab target MMO's. At low levels it's borderline hypnotic because you only have a few abilities and the GCD is nearly 3 SECONDS.

I sometimes wonder how anyone, myself included, managed to stick with this game long enough for combat not too feel like you're walking through molasses. Even at max level the gameplay simply goes from mind numbing to slightly below average pace. Things are never happening fast enough for you to feel jacked in and focused.

The GCD should really be in the 1-1.5 second range, and classes need more abilities a lot earlier.
Last edited by Giganx; Jan 17, 2023 @ 6:25am
Originally posted by Eldritch Warden:
I'll say this, I get where you are coming from, I wouldn't go as far as to suggest that we make the standard gcd 1.5 seconds and the reason is simple. The servers work on a 3 second tickrate. This is why slidecasting is a thing, this is why most aoes work on snapshots and some are calculated differently and this is why the gcd is "almost 3 seconds". This is also why dots tick every 3 seconds. I am not sure if the servers can handle 1.5 gcd for everyone and double weaving can already be a pain in the ass for monk and ninja if you are not using 3rd party tools (sometimes even if you do). For reference, a single ogcd can have a basic animation duration of 0.7 seconds, 2 weaves will take up to 1.4 seconds before any lag is added to that. They would have to speed up (and essentially ruin) the animations for abilities or redesign how animation skipping works.

A change like that would not only make the experience more unpleasant for some folks , like some above me, it would also require an investment in the server infrastructure. You are not being selfish for asking something like that, it's just that the game is designed in a manner that is probably the opposite to what you are used to. Remember, don't even think to compare ffxiv servers to wow servers, ffxiv servers are paid for by SE, they are notorious for underfunding projects.
< >
Showing 1-15 of 596 comments
causality Jan 17, 2023 @ 6:43am 
Play Reaper. Your burst phase consists of 1.5 second GCDs.
Because there are not many other mmorpgs out there. We are stuck with the top few. Now with In game cash shops also ruining subscription mmo’s, we are stuck with devs creating lazy content.
Sylph Jan 17, 2023 @ 6:46am 
i can tell this person has never played a jrpg before
Valkyriemeow Jan 17, 2023 @ 6:50am 
Originally posted by Giganx:
The gameplay in this game is sluggish and boring even compared to other tab target MMO's. At low levels it's borderline hypnotic because you only have a few abilities and the GCD is nearly 3 SECONDS.

I sometimes wonder how anyone, myself included, managed to stick with this game long enough for combat not too feel like you're walking through molasses. Even at max level the gameplay simply goes from mind numbing to slightly below average pace. Things are never happening fast enough for you to feel jacked in and focused.

The GCD should really be in the 1-1.5 second range, and classes need more abilities a lot earlier.
has no avatar image and one friend on steam and claims he has been with the game long enough . yep right !
Giganx (Banned) Jan 17, 2023 @ 6:52am 
Originally posted by causality:
Play Reaper. Your burst phase consists of 1.5 second GCDs.
I'm actually leveling a Monk because I've heard it's meta is getting the GCD to around 1.5 and it actually has an involved rotation.

I'm hoping a max level monk feels fast; guess I'll see.
Originally posted by Cutepebble:
has no avatar image and one friend on steam and claims he has been with the game long enough . yep right !
Eh, what's your point? You can see I have over 2000 hours played on my steam profile.
Last edited by Giganx; Jan 17, 2023 @ 6:53am
causality Jan 17, 2023 @ 7:00am 
Originally posted by Giganx:
Originally posted by causality:
Play Reaper. Your burst phase consists of 1.5 second GCDs.
I'm actually leveling a Monk because I've heard it's meta is getting the GCD to around 1.5 and it actually has an involved rotation.

I'm hoping a max level monk feels fast; guess I'll see.
The most you can get outside of wonky Bozjan shenanigans is around a 1.9 gcd on monke. Personally I think ninja is faster but only because it has a lot more oGCDs and involved burst. You can still definitely enjoy monke though even if it doesn't have a 1.5 gcd.
Last edited by causality; Jan 17, 2023 @ 7:00am
Oberon Jan 17, 2023 @ 7:02am 
Once you get to higher levels, and you get more oGCDs to weave in and boss mechanics to deal with, the game at least appears to become much faster.
Giganx (Banned) Jan 17, 2023 @ 7:08am 
Originally posted by causality:
Originally posted by Giganx:
I'm actually leveling a Monk because I've heard it's meta is getting the GCD to around 1.5 and it actually has an involved rotation.

I'm hoping a max level monk feels fast; guess I'll see.
The most you can get outside of wonky Bozjan shenanigans is around a 1.9 gcd on monke. Personally I think ninja is faster but only because it has a lot more oGCDs and involved burst. You can still definitely enjoy monke though even if it doesn't have a 1.5 gcd.
I do think at the very least Monk has the most passive GCD buffs of any class. I thought Monks stacked skill speed as well, but maybe that's old information. I've watched some videos of high level Monks and it at least looks kind of fast and active, lol.
Last edited by Giganx; Jan 17, 2023 @ 7:09am
Originally posted by The Mayor of Murder Town:
Once you get to higher levels, and you get more oGCDs to weave in and boss mechanics to deal with, the game at least appears to become much faster.

“Appears” does not reflect actual.
Last edited by Melvin The Narcissistic; Jan 17, 2023 @ 7:13am
The_Hagen Jan 17, 2023 @ 7:36am 
Certain jobs certainly feel a lot slower than others. I know gunbreaker certainly got a lot to do at higher levels. Samurai also get a decent amount of OGCDs plus got something extra to keep track off. I do think it’s a good thing to have some variety in how fast the jobs are as not all are able to keep up with certain jobs rotations
Raansu Jan 17, 2023 @ 7:54am 
I've never really cared for the long GCD's and I definitely see it as a turn off for new players, but it does speed up at the higher levels as this games combat is pretty heavily built on oGCD skills. Openers are pretty hectic for nearly every job.
Oberon Jan 17, 2023 @ 8:06am 
Originally posted by ランス:
I've never really cared for the long GCD's and I definitely see it as a turn off for new players, but it does speed up at the higher levels as this games combat is pretty heavily built on oGCD skills. Openers are pretty hectic for nearly every job.

Don't forget the mechanics. Hitting 1 > 4 5 > 2 > 6 7 > 3 > 8 9 repeat is one thing, but when you have to dodge a bunch of AOEs, especially as a caster.
Last edited by Oberon; Jan 17, 2023 @ 8:06am
☬ Sizzer ☬ Jan 17, 2023 @ 8:14am 
Interesting. It's exactly what I like about this MMO and hate in others like WoW.
Minneyar Jan 17, 2023 @ 8:26am 
Originally posted by Sylph:
i can tell this person has never played a jrpg before
???

Very few JRPGs have MMORPG-like global cooldowns. I mean, to be honest, I can't think of any off the top of my head that aren't actual MMOs. People often say that Xenoblade's combat is MMORPG-like, but there's no global cooldown there, you can use another ability as soon as the animation for one is finished; they only have individual cooldowns. Most JRPGs are either turn-based and let you select commands immediately when it's your turn (Dragon Quest, Persona, etc.) or are action-based and let you just mash buttons as fast as you can (Ys, Tales, Nier). The closest thing I can think of to a JRPG that has a global cooldown would maybe be Atelier Ryza, where there is a wait time every time a character takes an action, but if you're swapping between characters, that game's turns are so fast that you'd never notice.
Oberon Jan 17, 2023 @ 8:32am 
Originally posted by Minneyar:
Originally posted by Sylph:
i can tell this person has never played a jrpg before
???

Very few JRPGs have MMORPG-like global cooldowns. I mean, to be honest, I can't think of any off the top of my head that aren't actual MMOs. People often say that Xenoblade's combat is MMORPG-like, but there's no global cooldown there, you can use another ability as soon as the animation for one is finished; they only have individual cooldowns. Most JRPGs are either turn-based and let you select commands immediately when it's your turn (Dragon Quest, Persona, etc.) or are action-based and let you just mash buttons as fast as you can (Ys, Tales, Nier). The closest thing I can think of to a JRPG that has a global cooldown would maybe be Atelier Ryza, where there is a wait time every time a character takes an action, but if you're swapping between characters, that game's turns are so fast that you'd never notice.

Well ATB in SNES and PS1 era games can be relatively slow, especially in games that stop the bar during attack animations. But I can't even think of an RPG--neither Japanese nor western--where cooldowns are meant to be your main source of damage like this game.
< >
Showing 1-15 of 596 comments
Per page: 1530 50

Date Posted: Jan 17, 2023 @ 6:25am
Posts: 596