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[Red Scarlet]

<1 hr.

 

[Diablos]

I don't get the Vaan hate, hes a real good character in my opinion and the anchor of the story that ties everything together.

Think of Vaan as your guide trough the world of Ivalice, as he bears witness to the events of the story.

He was kind of like that at first, and then I felt like I was controlling some random dude who was along for the ride.

 

[Chris R]

Is there a piece of software like freeloader for the PS3? If not, I guess I might just start playing my old save and forget about the international edition

 

[Diablos]

Unlike FFX International, I'm really not that pissed that we didn't get XII International. My main beef with the game from a purely gameplay perspective is the gambit system itself. The License Board in the US version is a distant second; they could improve it all they want, and while the improvement itself is nice, you're still using the gambit system.

Also, I totally agree that Basch should have been the main character. Even Ashe would have been better.

I doubt there's anything like freeloader for PS3, would be nice though. At least your PS3 plays PS2 games, though

 

[Die Squirrel Die]

I really don't get how people can have a problem with the Gambit system. The license boards? Yes. The interchangeability of party members? Yes. But the Gambits? How much the factored into gameplay was up to the player.

 

[Diablos]

Not really. Try commanding all three characters manually, on active, all the time. The battle system was designed to be most efficient with gambits on. You are put at a disadvantage if you turn them off, IMO. If you like gambits, great. If not, FFXII isn't your cup of tea.

 

[Kandrick]

If you can get into the Lhusu Mine, that's probably your best spot to get money by killing skeletons on the 2nd bridge.

Heh i went there, but i keep getting owned by the skels there, they pop 2-3 at once and just kill a character in 3sec tops

Oh well, guess im just getting old, dont have the patience anymore.

 

[Red Scarlet]

Magic works pretty good on them..what you can do is kill them, then go up a screen and kill the handful that are there, then just run to the edge of the screen and get MP back, then go kill some more skeletons or something.

Do you still have Ramon in your group? He has infinite potions, so you could set him to be your primary healer which may help out. Pick up the Protect spell in Bhujerba too; at least I think that's where you can first buy it.

 

[Red Scarlet]

:lol I know, it's just in some games, like this one, throwing out a time isn't a very good indicator of amount of progress.

 

[KyanMehwulfe]

BEAT FLOWER DRAGON ON MY SECOND TRY. Owned.

I used Mist Quickenings at the beginning of the fight. Mistaaaaake. It didn't even take that much damage off. I didn't have MP the whole battle. No ethers or elixirs here! So I basically just had Balthier stay clear the entire battle and snipe. I had Basch and Fran be tanks and do the heavy damage, and Larsa was backup with his healing ability. Balthier revived someone with phoenix downs whenever they died. Whenever the dragon used his lol status effects rock attack I juse used an antidote and eye drops to get rid of poison and blind and left everything else on.

Kept going and it was a matter of survival.

Pure tactical finesse. Awesome boss fight.

Right on.

That's what I was refering to yesterday when I described a few methods to try force challenge into the game. It's a risk for the player to just rely on the natural progression of the game for challenge because it's very poorly balanced. A player can just as easily [and naturally] experience the game at 'too hard' of a difficult as another player can have it feel 'too easy'. I've seen this to a great extent with general feedback on the game. Some player do not do Hunts and do not discover certain abilities; other players do Hunts and do set up great Gambits; others end up at varying points in between. This results is massive 'power' variances, much greater than most RPGs imo, and thus the great gap in experienced difficulty [or lack thereof].

By all means, it's a flaw. A major flaw, really. It's poor game design and even poorer QA testing. But it's still possible to make the best of it, should you care to, and there's a real fun and often challenging and intense game below that if you do. Do you remember that mine wyrm which you never enjoyed last night? On my lastest playthrough, I had an incredible fight against it. Active mode; I was jamming through menus to try get items off, rare items that I'd normally conserve, in a chaotic attempt to survive. Your description of your earth dragon fights makes me think that you can relate. In my case, it was somewhat forced through chosen 'challenge' paremeters, but I didn't mind--the entertainment was well worth it.

Which all comes back to how in general the game requires effort. More effort to pay attention to the subtle storytelling (a lot folks seem to miss [all or parts] of the development parralel between Vaan and Ashe's internal struggle with vengeance because of how it uses subtle facial expressions so heavily); more effort to make up for the poor game balance (and in turn enjoy a number of fun boss fights); more effort into tailoring your Gambits (and reap the benefits of a greater library of interesting abilities, instead of the few dominant spells); and so forth. It's a flaw, and I'd never argue that they're not worth criticizing--massively, at that. But nonetheless, it's how and why I enjoy the game myself. I'm the same way with Final Fantasy Tactics' gameplay. The more I put into it, the more enjoyment I feel I get out of it.

Which is what I try to get across. I never intend to defend the poor decisions or flaws of the game as they're justified complaints, most of which I, as someone who has spent a lot of time on the game, agree with and has garnered much frustration from. But if I can help players who genuinely wants to enjoy the game as much as I did (and some seem like they do not care about that respect, which makes it a challenge to balance as a forum user), then I'm all for illustrating what works and doesn't work for me. It doesn't always help, but when I see someone make a post like the one which I quoted of yours, where they enjoy a great moment with the game, that makes it worth it. So I'm always open to helping make that happen with a game that I enjoy.

 

[Red Scarlet]

They're fun to run past and then get smacked from behind and killed. Or going the wrong way and killed. :lol

 

[Red Scarlet]

Is anyone in your party using swords? If so, what sword do you have right now?

 

[Red Scarlet]

You can get a stronger sword in there via a drop if you want, although you can buy it shortly afterward. Just DO NOT dispose of a non-elemental sword. If you want it,

Spoiler

just go chain some ghouls in the big mazey room at Miriam and they can drop Icebrands.

They make Panther farming super easy and vegetable farming very easy in a little bit.

 

[monkeylite]

This thread is making me wish to replay FF XII yet again even more now. And the fact that Himuro of all people is enjoying it. :lol But I am currently replaying Persona 2. Maybe next week's bank holiday weekend would be the perfect time.

 

[RpgN]

So the game's difficulty is starting to ramp up. A couple of dragons in the shrine where the Sword of kings...they raped me bad.

This, my friends, is a good thing.

I'm glad you're starting to like it a little bit more. I suggest you expirement with your weapons a lot too. They are really different and some monsters get lots of damage by a certain weapon. For instance, I have Bashe use a hammer all the time. A hammer lies on luck, it can hurt 700, but can easly hurt 50 too :lol Fun if you feel lucky. And even though guns power are weak, they are really one of the most handy weapons in the game. Let Balthier stick with it.

And my, you are further than me while I played more hours than you! 56 hours vs 40 But I like to take my time and enjoy a game everything has to offer.

 

[Red Scarlet]

Himu refuses to buy status-curing items.

 

[RpgN]

This thread is making me wish to replay FF XII yet again even more now. And the fact that Himuro of all people is enjoying it. :lol But I am currently replaying Persona 2. Maybe next week's bank holiday weekend would be the perfect time.

It all lies in how you're feeling. If you want an old-school Final Fantasy only you will be disappointed yet again. If you start with the game without any expectations and accept its difference, you will enjoy it and even love it.

Before the game got released, I wasn't really looking forward to it. I didn't like it's style and didn't follow the media. I didn't buy it when it was released. Then a platinium version was released (I was lucky enough to get the the original case) and played with it without expecting much. Playing with it the first time was weird and annoying. Some games you just need to get used to first. Now I love it

 

[rotaryspirit]

By all means, it's a flaw. A major flaw, really. It's poor game design and even poorer QA testing. But it's still possible to make the best of it, should you care to, and there's a real fun and often challenging and intense game below that if you do. Do you remember that mine wyrm which you never enjoyed last night? On my lastest playthrough, I had an incredible fight against it. Active mode; I was jamming through menus to try get items off, rare items that I'd normally conserve, in a chaotic attempt to survive. Your description of your earth dragon fights makes me think that you can relate. In my case, it was somewhat forced through chosen 'challenge' paremeters, but I didn't mind--the entertainment was well worth it.

What about the openness of the game's difficulty makes it poor game design though? I don't get it - it seems like Square giving players the option of making it easier by grinding or harder by breezing through the game a bad one, where I think the freedom is great.

 

[Red Scarlet]

Having a good amount (30 should be good for awhile) of items that cure status ailments that immobilize party members (sleep/confuse/stop) are really handy. Having combinations of 2 characters that can use them should get you out of most ruts, since items get used instantly.

Any ally->Alarm Clock/Smelling Salts/Chronos Tear/Phoenix Down will have you set.

 

[monkeylite]

It all lies in how you're feeling. If you want an old-school Final Fantasy only you will be disappointed yet again. If you start with the game without any expectations and accept its difference, you will enjoy it and even love it.

I love it, with two playthroughs already under my belt.

 

[RpgN]

I love it, with two playthroughs already under my belt.

Ahahaha! I thought you were one of those FFXII haters. Forgive me.

In that case, don't rush it. Play it whenever you like.

 

[Rahul]

What about the openness of the game's difficulty makes it poor game design though? I don't get it - it seems like Square giving players the option of making it easier by grinding or harder by breezing through the game a bad one, where I think the freedom is great.

Yeah. This is a Matsuno game. Matsuno games are set up to contain all kinds of hidden depths in the gameplay that you need to discover to swing it your way. FFT was like this, Vagrant Story was like this, and FFXII is like this. At least the remaining team kept that standing up while they pissed all over the storyline. (until they, of course, destroyed it in FFXII international)

 

[Raging Spaniard]

Yeah. This is a Matsuno game. Matsuno games are set up to contain all kinds of hidden depths in the gameplay that you need to discover to swing it your way. FFT was like this, Vagrant Story was like this, and FFXII is like this. At least the remaining team kept that standing up while they pissed all over the storyline. (until they, of course, destroyed it in FFXII international)

Hi Rahul, looking forward to the new forum btw

Glad youre having a better time with XII Himuro. Its a game that just needs to be understood really.

 

[Rekki-Maru]

Oh man. I was hoping the story would pick up a little bit because recent events have been pretty cool, but now I'm on the ultimate fetch quest of all. I've got to walk to

Spoiler

Archedes

:lol you think that's bad then wait til you get there, that's when the real fetching starts,..go for the s-wood chop. that part was annoying..i was expecting something a bit better.

 

[SabinFigaro]

Hey Gaf, I'm trying to budget my summer gaming time, so I was wondering if you could tell me approximately how much of this game I have left to beat. I just arrived at

Spoiler

Paramina Rift

with about 24 hours on the clock. I've been pretty good with sidequests and hunts (I think), and my rank is currently at Riskbreaker. Approximately how far am I through the game, and how many more hours if I go to completion? Thanks.

 

[Red Scarlet]

Not doing hunts, about halfway.
Doing them, probably 1/4-1/3.

 

[SabinFigaro]

Thanks for the input. It looks like this will be my first numbered FF title to take around 100 hours to finish to completion.

 

[Zoe]

Thanks for the input. It looks like this will be my first numbered FF title to take around 100 hours to finish to completion.

That's how it was for me. I think I ended around 110, and I never got the very last hunt or summon.

 

[callous]

It has the name Final Fantasy on the cover. It is my duty, no purpose, to appreciate in some way.

Just consider it a mislabeling. Because it is.

 

[luxarific]

Thanks for the input. It looks like this will be my first numbered FF title to take around 100 hours to finish to completion.

Pfff - 201, and I never bothered to finish the last hunt or shop around for ultimate weapons. Did everything else though. At least I think I so....

Great game, but deeply flawed in some aspects.

 

[Y2Kev]

Picked it up yesterday, just finished

Spoiler

Giruvegan!

 

[Rekki-Maru]

And my, you are further than me while I played more hours than you! 56 hours vs 40 But I like to take my time and enjoy a game everything has to offer.

same here, i even revisit areas often to make sure i don't miss alot. That's my strategy for every rpg, but in this game i'll usually run into a rare mark on occasion.

 

[Parks]

Can someone tell me how Potion Lore works?

Does it makes potions stronger for the person using the potion, or does it make the potion stronger for person that the potion is getting used on? (hopefully that made sense)

IE:

Vann has potion lore upgrades, and uses a potion on Fran.

Fran doesn't have potion lore upgrades, uses a potion on Vann, who has potion lore upgrades.


In which situation is potion lore beneficial?

 

[duckroll]

It's been half a month, I think we've failed. Himuro will most likely never beat this game.

 

[Red Scarlet]

Can someone tell me how Potion Lore works?

Does it makes potions stronger for the person using the potion, or does it make the potion stronger for person that the potion is getting used on? (hopefully that made sense)

IE:

Vann has potion lore upgrades, and uses a potion on Fran.

Fran doesn't have potion lore upgrades, uses a potion on Vann, who has potion lore upgrades.


In which situation is potion lore beneficial?

Potion lore allows the person that learned it to heal more HP when that character uses a potion on him/herself or on someone else. So if Vaan learned Potion Lore 1, whenever he uses a potion on himself or someone else, the potion will heal more HP (110 I think) instead of 100.

 

[Parks]

Potion lore allows the person that learned it to heal more HP when that character uses a potion on him/herself or on someone else. So if Vaan learned Potion Lore 1, whenever he uses a potion on himself or someone else, the potion will heal more HP.

AWESOME. Exactly what I needed to know. Thanks!

 

[SabinFigaro]

Well, Himuro may be out, but I'm still chugging along. I'm right before the

Spoiler

Bahamut

with 57 hours on the clock. I guess it didn't take me as long as I thought to make it to the end. However, I've still got my hunts to do. I have about 3 left until Yiazmat, but my main party is only about level 72. So, I think I'll grind to 80 before those 3, and then to 90 before Yiazmat. I also have to find and fight the last two espers. I'll probably turn to a FAQ for the Great Crystal, because I really have no desire to spend hours walking in circles.

Other than that, I've yet to finish the Hunt Club, so that might take a while. I don't feel the need to get all the weapons, but I will go for the Tournesol. Also, my original intention was to go for the "Order of Ambrosia" rank, but I have no idea how to chain quickenings into high level concurrences: it just seems completely random. I'm going to have less time in the next month due to school, but hopefully I can finish this one off once and for all.

 

[SabinFigaro]

I'm not out. It's just that the trek to Archades has stifled my playing.

I went to the forests or whatever on the way and it seems I was underleveled and little small pumpkin mandragoras or whatever were kicking my ass.

Yeah, I remember them being assholes with their status ailments. Granted, the Salikawood is pretty short, so you can get out of there rather quickly if you run. Just, for God's sake, don't go northwest (to Nabudis), or you'll find your ass being kicked before you can access the menu.

 

[thestopsign]

I'm not out. It's just that the trek to Archades has stifled my playing.

I went to the forests or whatever on the way and it seems I was underleveled and little small pumpkin mandragoras or whatever were kicking my ass.

I just passed that area. I'm playing through the game for the first time, after putting it down for the greater part of a year. As far as I can tell, I'm severely under leveled. I have all my guys around ~26 and I just got to those Uctick Highlands or whatever they are after the Phon Coast. Definitely struggling.

 

[thestopsign]

My guys are like level 33-34.

:lol

I'm good at going through on low levels. I prefer to figure out better strategies rather than grinding. I think the license board is more important than leveling up anyways.

 

[thestopsign]

Maybe I run away more than you do? No idea. The only boss I've really struggled on at all so far is the Elder Wyrm, but the normal bad guys kick my ass after a while.

How many hunts have you done?

Edit: Wow, none of my guys are anywhere near done with the license board, looks like I need to step it up.

 

[HugBasket]

wait mode? gambits off?

you don't understand this game.

 

[rocK`]

Sorry for the bump...but does anyone know of any license/levelling guides? I am sitting here with Basch just joined my party at he has 597 LP left...Any ideas where I should put them?

 

[DrForester]

Sorry for the bump...but does anyone know of any license/levelling guides? I am sitting here with Basch just joined my party at he has 597 LP left...Any ideas where I should put them?

I found going for the HP+ licenses first were the best (there's a 500+ HP license) , actually, going for all the augment gambits (lower left corner of top board) were my first priority since you don't often have to unlock much for new weapons or armor. Obviously have your mage get their magic

 

[Chris R]

:lol funny that this thread come up. I started playing the game again from an old save. I'm only 15 hours in or so, so I didn't restart, and I think I remember most of the story. Trying to find some tomb right now in a desert.

 

[JayDubya]

I'm frustrated with this game right now.

I chained Tower like 40+ times, and this is after already getting to Chain 3 (big gold coins) and the fucker still wouldn't drop the Grand Helm.

 

[jon bones]

wow, that's amazing.

we stopped playing this game at exactly the same moment.


the only thing is i am not as anxious to jump back in...

 

[jon bones]

Eh?

i got to the henne mines (i think that's what they were called) and stopped playing.

i had actually gotten killed by a bunch of jellies deep in the mines, restarted the mines a few months later and the same thing happened.

then i never went back to the game

 

[Zoe]

i got to the henne mines (i think that's what they were called) and stopped playing.

i had actually gotten killed by a bunch of jellies deep in the mines, restarted the mines a few months later and the same thing happened.

then i never went back to the game

I'm not 100% sure you're supposed to be able to defeat those guys, at least during your first pass through the dungeon.

 

[Red Scarlet]

After I finish eating, I'll post some suggestions, Himu. In the meantime, post your characters and what they are using equipment-wise, and stuff like that. I'll re-edit this post or post a new one after I eat and maybe in the meantime you'll post the above stuff.