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[Boss Mog]

So I started playing FFXII Zodiac Age recently... I always imagined the job system in The Zodiac Age was like in FF5 where you character can switch jobs at will, but that's not the case at all. Once you pick a job for a character, that's their job for the whole game, you can apparently assign a second job to each character later in the game though. What I don't understand is how these restrictions are supposed to be an improvement over the completely open and free system in vanilla FFXII where all characters can learn anything and everything.

Also why doesn't this game run at 60fps on PS4 Pro, it's embarrassing.

 

[Myths]

Why are you using “improvement” to even describe something like job restrictions? That’s the problem. There are also changes to IZJS other than job restrictions (those changes being the reason why its base is saying it’s an improvement over the first version).

 

[Exentryk]

If you are on PC, you can change jobs via mods/cheat engine.

 

[DeltaPolarBear]

So I started playing FFXII Zodiac Age recently... I always imagined the job system in The Zodiac Age was like in FF5 where you character can switch jobs at will, but that's not the case at all. Once you pick a job for a character, that's their job for the whole game, you can apparently assign a second job to each character later in the game though. What I don't understand is how these restrictions are supposed to be an improvement over the completely open and free system in vanilla FFXII where all characters can learn anything and everything.

Also why doesn't this game run at 60fps on PS4 Pro, it's embarrassing.

The issue with the old system is that there is no specialization. Each character is basically interchangeable and you really have no reason to make someone do a particular role. It was way too easy to take all the good upgrades and nothing else, so there is no choices on the player's part on what kind of team to make.

Jobs in the new system, allow you for example, to make a character better at bows than the old system. You could make choices that make your team better and more specific to what you told them to be.

On an unrelated note, FFXII is where I gave up on Final Fantasy, once I found out that the archer in the plot had the worst archery and the in-story gunman had the worst marksmanship.

Do you know why that occurred? Because the animators gave these two characters unique animation for using their signature weapons, which lowered their DPS as the default attack animation was actually faster.
That kind of form over function really made me realized that Square had no longer considered FF a game, but just pretty graphics.

I don't know if they fixed that in the re-release. Did they?

 

[Spukc]

it's not it is worse

 

[ULTROS!]

I’ve completed both versions. Vanilla felt aimless when you’re building your character, like there’s no specific build and it can get difficult if you’re looking for a specific build. Zodiac Age shows the correct build for classes and it guides you what to do. Therefore what elevates Zodiac Age from the Vanilla is that it’s more guided... And has fast forward.

 

[shark sandwich]

Like the entire point of a party-based RPG is that you have a set of characters each with strengths and weaknesses and you formulate your strategy around that. And (IMHO) the best RPGs are ones where you make your choices in character advancement and then make it work, instead of having unlimited freedom to totally retool your characters in response to every challenge.

Anyway Zodiac Age’s jobs are not just equivalent to restricting yourself to a subset of the vanilla license board. They are significantly more powerful in exchange for giving up the freedom of the vanilla board (lots more strength/magic lores, no 9999 damage cap, MP is now separate from the summon/mist charges, tweaked weapon stats, etc)

 

[Lady Bird]

Also, if you exclude equipment/ magic licenses (which are useless before you acquire the items), the original board was relatively small. You had a small section dedicated to passive boosts that you could fill in 1/3 of the game. The new zob system offers more unconditional powerups for you to spent on inbetween new equipment/ magic droughts.

Also, with the addition of a second job board for each character, you can effectively make each character very close to their original counterparts. Something like mixing a Red Mage with a melee class allows you to create jacks-of-all-trades that are as powerful if not slightly more than in the original. In fact, most of the best combinations involve mixing a mage job with a melee job so that you have access to at leasty 2 different types of equipment weight, and access to both HP/ STR and MAG licenses and passive boosts.

 

[Animagic]

The biggest change I’ve noticed is the first several hours of the revised version of the game is a cakewalk compared to the original

 

[Nymphae]

This remaster is pretty freaking great. I forgot how fun it was to set up gambits and just run around grinding it out.

I think it looks pretty good too for how old it is. I like Ivalice artwork and the overall aesthetic, but for some reason this game's overall look feels very drab to me. Level/city designs are boring and confusingly structured I think.

The fast forwarding is a fucking godsend and I can't believe I ever played this game without it. I spent several hours just grinding out 2 spots, I'm at the part near the beginning where you have to go rescue Penelo and I'm sitting around level 23, I think I am over leveled? I haven't even spent any LP yet, waiting to get to a master save point.

 

[The Snake]

It's a much more balanced game. The original just ends up with everybody using greatswords and all the same spells. The remaster sets you up with a guidance system, creating a team of generally unique characters for more variety and strategy.