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The Official Final Fantasy 12 (NA) Thread
- Thread starter Red Scarlet
- Start date
Clever Pun
Member
Ikse said:
the difference between each person's MP isn't so important as the number of quickenings they have - at least in my experience.
I have Vaan as the primary healer, mainly because he got 3 quickenings the fastest.
DarknessTear
Banned
Ikse said:
I had Fran with Bow + Healage. She was pretty far away from enemies so I didn't really worry about her getting hurt much.
BuckRobotron
Member
I've kept Fran moving along as a bow user, sometimes switching her to staffs for magic. She momentarily swung ahead of everyone by a few levels when I was using her and Belias together for a bit.
Fran hit enemies with oil and then uses fire arrows while Belias does his fire thing. Enemies that were otherwise annoying went down fast and the Esper-controlling character gets all the experience rather than split up.
I like to use Espers for entertainment value (one of the things I love about FF is the crazy summons/espers/GFs) mostly. But they have also proven helpful against some bosses, doing as much or more damage with one summon bar cost as multiple quickenings.
Fran hit enemies with oil and then uses fire arrows while Belias does his fire thing. Enemies that were otherwise annoying went down fast and the Esper-controlling character gets all the experience rather than split up.
I like to use Espers for entertainment value (one of the things I love about FF is the crazy summons/espers/GFs) mostly. But they have also proven helpful against some bosses, doing as much or more damage with one summon bar cost as multiple quickenings.
True dat. If its a boss I'm having a particularly hard time with I typically drop a summon, then quickening, then swap those three out, summon, and quickening again. Not much survives after that and the loss of one MP bar hasn't really hurt my chain results (still 6-10 chain quickenings).BuckRobotron said:
Clever Pun
Member
Tokubetsu said:
yeah, it takes a little while before you have access to any decent guns. and I still haven't found any good ammo, but I don't really care for guns, so I haven't been looking very hard, either.
BuckRobotron
Member
I actually have Balthier and Penello sharing gun duties. Guns become extra useful when you get status effects like
and
, especially the former since guns are so accurate.
Penello uses both guns and crossbows partly bacause I like her animation with them. She can hardly carry them it seems and always has kickback, but there she is plugging away like a trooper.
silence ammo
aqua
Penello uses both guns and crossbows partly bacause I like her animation with them. She can hardly carry them it seems and always has kickback, but there she is plugging away like a trooper.
I sure hope to be breaking out of the
1) go through area A
2) be told to go dungeon B to get item C
3) come out of dungeon to see airships flying over your head (did I dream this, or were there actually 3 cutscenes like this already?)
4) decide to go through A again to go through areas D,E,F
5) repeat
loop eventually. Feels like I'm close though, entering enemy territory!
1) go through area A
2) be told to go dungeon B to get item C
3) come out of dungeon to see airships flying over your head (did I dream this, or were there actually 3 cutscenes like this already?)
4) decide to go through A again to go through areas D,E,F
5) repeat
loop eventually. Feels like I'm close though, entering enemy territory!
My Arms Your Hearse
Banned
Guns are TERRIBLE. I have the most powerful one and it does terrible damage unless it crits. Using a store bought greatsword + telekineses does more damage, so what is the point?
Shouta
Member
My Arms Your Hearse said:
Zuh? Guns do great and consistent damage and is one of the best weapons in the game IMO. The only downside is that they're kind of slow but not slow enough to make it useless. I personally found no use for Bows when guns did more damage and was only marginally slower.
brandonh83
Banned
Okay. Time for me to lay down my opinions about this game so far--mainly the plot aspects. I feel that I'm far enough into it to have a proper opinion, so here goes.
I like this game. I mean, I really like it. So far, it's an excellent RPG. The visuals are amazing, the soundtrack is fitting, all of the characters are really cool, the battle system is a lot more fun than in other FF games, I enjoy the license board as I did the sphere grid, and the boss fights are very well done.
Those are the major positives. But to talk about the story, well, it's far from a negative, and I actually like it for the reasons I'm about to list. First of all, when I originally heard that Matsuno was directing, I expected a story that was more in-tone and with the same depth as Final Fantasy Tactics and Vagrant Story. And that's what the game has. But let me rewind a bit--I don't think Tactics or Vagrant Story either had a very deep or amazing plot. But, their stories are very likeable and well-executed. Same here. Halfway through Vagrant Story, I had pretty much forgotten what was going on plotwise because of how much gameplay it had. And that's fine--more of a fault on my part for not being able to keep up.
At the same time though, of course, by the end of the game I knew what was going on. Once the story pieces started to fall into place, it was more like I was being refreshed on what was going on. Same with Tactics. One thing is clear: these games have very good stories. Are they as deep or complex as previous FF installments? Eh, in some ways I guess, but in many ways not. I just don't think that's a problem though. I expected Matsuno to make a game that had very good gameplay as well as an enjoyable enough story, and I think that's what FFXII is. So I'm not disappointed. In many ways, I consider FFXII to be the next "Matsuno" game, rather than the next FF game. This is why I totally understand why people had issue with it and the storyline. But to me, Matsuno has always been about a good gameplay<---->storytelling ratio. In Tactics, the battles would last a long time. In Vagrant Story, the dungeons would last a good while before the next story segment.
So, I've always thought of FFXII as the next Matsuno game, and it just so happened to be the next FF game. In a lot of ways, I think the marriage was great. It certainly helped out the gameplay, but the storytelling aspects were taken down a few notches. But, you have people who absolutely hate the other FF stories for whatever reason, and with FFXII having a less complicated story, I feel that they were able to execute it far better than in the other games. I know some have problems with the last couple of hours or whatever, but everything I've seen so far is pretty masterful. I hope it keeps it up too, as I still have a ways to go.
All in all, it's been a great game. It may not live up to what people consider plot standards for an FF game, but I think the story it does have is a classic one, a simple good vs. evil, and it's told so well that I welcome it with open arms.
I like this game. I mean, I really like it. So far, it's an excellent RPG. The visuals are amazing, the soundtrack is fitting, all of the characters are really cool, the battle system is a lot more fun than in other FF games, I enjoy the license board as I did the sphere grid, and the boss fights are very well done.
Those are the major positives. But to talk about the story, well, it's far from a negative, and I actually like it for the reasons I'm about to list. First of all, when I originally heard that Matsuno was directing, I expected a story that was more in-tone and with the same depth as Final Fantasy Tactics and Vagrant Story. And that's what the game has. But let me rewind a bit--I don't think Tactics or Vagrant Story either had a very deep or amazing plot. But, their stories are very likeable and well-executed. Same here. Halfway through Vagrant Story, I had pretty much forgotten what was going on plotwise because of how much gameplay it had. And that's fine--more of a fault on my part for not being able to keep up.
At the same time though, of course, by the end of the game I knew what was going on. Once the story pieces started to fall into place, it was more like I was being refreshed on what was going on. Same with Tactics. One thing is clear: these games have very good stories. Are they as deep or complex as previous FF installments? Eh, in some ways I guess, but in many ways not. I just don't think that's a problem though. I expected Matsuno to make a game that had very good gameplay as well as an enjoyable enough story, and I think that's what FFXII is. So I'm not disappointed. In many ways, I consider FFXII to be the next "Matsuno" game, rather than the next FF game. This is why I totally understand why people had issue with it and the storyline. But to me, Matsuno has always been about a good gameplay<---->storytelling ratio. In Tactics, the battles would last a long time. In Vagrant Story, the dungeons would last a good while before the next story segment.
So, I've always thought of FFXII as the next Matsuno game, and it just so happened to be the next FF game. In a lot of ways, I think the marriage was great. It certainly helped out the gameplay, but the storytelling aspects were taken down a few notches. But, you have people who absolutely hate the other FF stories for whatever reason, and with FFXII having a less complicated story, I feel that they were able to execute it far better than in the other games. I know some have problems with the last couple of hours or whatever, but everything I've seen so far is pretty masterful. I hope it keeps it up too, as I still have a ways to go.
All in all, it's been a great game. It may not live up to what people consider plot standards for an FF game, but I think the story it does have is a classic one, a simple good vs. evil, and it's told so well that I welcome it with open arms.
I quickly shifted Balthier off of guns as he's too strong to waste on a weapon that doesn't see those benfits. I handed them off to Penelo now though, where she is doing a great job. About 45 hours in and she's doing more damage than most chars.Tokubetsu said:
Ammo seems to primarily come through the bazaar, like arrows and bolts, and is pretty much always bundled with a gun.
I'm hoping to get telekinesis soon, when I do I'm going to have Balthier use it with his spear long range and equip Fran with Ninja swords full time as his front line replacement.
My Arms Your Hearse
Banned
Shouta said:
I really wonder how long you played and to what level. At 70+, my friend, guns are WORTHLESS. I can buy shitty store weapons, get telekinesis, and do more damage than the best gun in the game. They're pointless.
Ikse said:
As of now I have her primarily on Bows and healing, with mystic armor and a battle harness to boost her strength. She's got heavy armor licenses too, so sometimes I switch her to poles and heavy armor so that she can get down and dirty, cause that's just the way that she is.
My Arms Your Hearse
Banned
I always have Fran as my leader and she is a total melee... currently toting the Zodiac Spear. I really love her spear animations and it just looks right on her.
Actually, all my characters are melee, in heavy armor, though they can also cast about every spell imaginable. I do need to buy an extra set of high level mystic armor, though, just to see how much I could be doing with spells. Though Fran's curaja already fully heals the entire group...
Actually, all my characters are melee, in heavy armor, though they can also cast about every spell imaginable. I do need to buy an extra set of high level mystic armor, though, just to see how much I could be doing with spells. Though Fran's curaja already fully heals the entire group...
gamergirly
Member
keanerie said:As of now I have her primarily on Bows and healing, with mystic armor and a battle harness to boost her strength. She's got heavy armor licenses too, so sometimes I switch her to poles and heavy armor so that she can get down and dirty, cause that's just the way that she is.
Bows and healing for me, too. Of course she takes alot of damage since she doesnt have a shield but oh well. Usually, have her in a Vaan + Balthier combo A(Penelo, Ashe, and Basch combo B)
Junpei Heat
Junior Member
Why no sticky no more?
gamergirly
Member
Junpei Heat said:
1 week privelege
Doom_Bringer
Banned
17 hours in and the story just got a lot more interesting 
I love the snow area! very nice atmosphere
I love the snow area! very nice atmosphere
Kazenone
Member
Ikse said:
It is, not recommended however. I did it at level 22/23. My stratergy was to get as high as possible Quickening combo, and have 2 damage-dealers and a decent curer out after that. Keep at it, he's not meant to be beaten but it is possible. (
You'll uncover a secret area afterwards, accessible if Ashe has the Dawn Shard equipped. All that's in there, sometimes, is the Demonsbane
Clever Pun
Member
Ikse said:
I found Berserk to be a HUGE help. Basically, I did as big of a Quickening combo as I could, then did a quick "Charge" to regain some MP, and then bersked everyone I could. I was able to beat it that way with at ~22/23 I think.
Vaandaviii
Member
Woa, I've set all the gambits of the party to keep Basch with Haste, Bravery, Regen and Berserk. He is wearing Save the queen, a brutal helmet I've found somewhere and a maximilian. Of course also the bubble ring. Level 50.
The red crazy bastard is dealing massive amounts of damage. About 8000 each hit, depending on the defense of the massacrated being :lol The best part is when you find one of those ultrapowerful mobs or enemies and he pulls off a combo dealing about 30,000
I LOVE THIS GAME
PS: This thread is an sticky-no-more? Man, It's been a week since it became oficially playable. Oblivion's thread was up there for a millenium or so.
The red crazy bastard is dealing massive amounts of damage. About 8000 each hit, depending on the defense of the massacrated being :lol The best part is when you find one of those ultrapowerful mobs or enemies and he pulls off a combo dealing about 30,000
I LOVE THIS GAME
PS: This thread is an sticky-no-more? Man, It's been a week since it became oficially playable. Oblivion's thread was up there for a millenium or so.
Guns are really good - I've got Balthier and Penelo (my secondary dps/secondary healers) wielding the best guns I can find and they routinely out damage Vaan/Basch (my tanks with sword/shield and axe/shield respectively).
The misleading thing about guns is that their ATK appears low on the stats, but this is because guns ignore defense. So my guns may only have a 35 atk, but since they ignore the enemy's defense they hit like they are a 70atk weapon. Combine that with Haste and some Silent Shot and things die right quick.
The misleading thing about guns is that their ATK appears low on the stats, but this is because guns ignore defense. So my guns may only have a 35 atk, but since they ignore the enemy's defense they hit like they are a 70atk weapon. Combine that with Haste and some Silent Shot and things die right quick.
Lady Bird
Matsuno's Goebbels
He wasn't evil, he was just the kind of the character where "the ends justify the means". He had his motives for what he was doing (realistic, human motives, not because "he was evil"), but had to do some "sacrifices" to achieve what he wanted.Error2k4 said:
*VS SPOILERS*
"-Not religion, Sydney. Revolution. A fresh wind to blow away the
disease of the land. For our relam is sick. It suppurates with
profiteers! Fawning merchants licking the boots of the nobility! They do
nothing and blame others for their failure; they steal men's dreams and
twist them to nightmares...We must cleanse this corruption. There must
be strong, unwavering justice. And there must be fear to enforce that
justice.
-The world does not want a savior. These wretches leading lives of
misery do not need salvation. The rotting branch must be pruned."
~Guildenstern
disease of the land. For our relam is sick. It suppurates with
profiteers! Fawning merchants licking the boots of the nobility! They do
nothing and blame others for their failure; they steal men's dreams and
twist them to nightmares...We must cleanse this corruption. There must
be strong, unwavering justice. And there must be fear to enforce that
justice.
-The world does not want a savior. These wretches leading lives of
misery do not need salvation. The rotting branch must be pruned."
~Guildenstern
*FFXII SPOILERS*
He wasn't any different than
Vayne
Ashe had decided to destroy the empire with the power of Nethicite, she wouldn't be any different than those two characters, neither
Red Scarlet
Member
Vormav was evil, I thought. Same with the guy that kidnapped Mustadio's dad and took in Rafa and Malek and raped Rafa as a child (or something like that). That guy did not have a Zodiac Stone. You could say Dycedarg was too, before he got a Zodiac Stone, poisoning his dad. Yes, he was ambitious, but to actually be able to do what he did (and killing Lars), I'd say he was not a good person.
But Grivenger will just post over and over to denounce. Jett said you were wrong about the timeline for FF12, too.
But Grivenger will just post over and over to denounce. Jett said you were wrong about the timeline for FF12, too.
Hitler Stole My Potato
Banned
Someone re-sticky this! For great justice!
brandonh83
Banned
I'm seeing an empire selfishly take over cities and leaving people out in the cold with no food and barely any shelter. I think that could be classified in the "evil" section of things.
But clearly we have different definitions on what good and evil means. I know one thing, the empire in this game certainly isn't "good."
nelsonroyale
Member
Im at the ogir yensa...13 hours in....how far ma I through the game...Im doing quite alot of leveling and hunts etc....damn the game seems huge...so great
peace
peace
MickeyKnox
Member
There's still a lot more game for you to play.nelsonroyale said:
gamergirly
Member
nelsonroyale said:
You're probably about 15% done with the game. I have about 24 hours on mine.....
Early/mid game impressions!
Well, I'm at the
on my way to
.
Eh, I dunno. The game's story is just awesome so far, perhaps the best since FFVII and VIII, but the gameplay isn't so hot at times. I go from feeling satisfied to disappointed quite often. A lot of the areas are just too big.
for example. I don't give a crap about screen after screen after screen of beaches for crying out loud. Maybe if this was an online game, I would. A world THAT big with SO many enemies that you battle using a semi-scripted battle system just gets annoying.
It doesn't suck, but I'll say this: After waiting for five years -- half a decade -- I expected much, much better. Active Dimensional Battle is acceptable for this game, but it should NOT be the standard for future FF's. I would hope that Square realizes this. ADB is not the answer. Plus, just the fact that you can make the game play itself when you engage in battle is a huge turnoff. What in the hell is the point of playing a game just to not play it? Whose brilliant idea was that? Thankfully, I play with my lead character's gambits off, which does give me more control. But it should have been developed with the idea that hey, maybe not everyone wants to watch a script play their $50 or $60 purchase.
But it wasn't, so controlling your character at all times may not be as efficient as gambits, which is unbalanced. God forbid someone would actually, like, want to control a character during a battle!
Exploration in this game is 50/50. Sometimes it rivals if not exceeds previous FF's, other times, it's overkill. Armor in this game is just silly. I hate it. Overpriced, and regardless of what you buy, you always seem to be getting your ass handed to you by enemies. It doesn't fit in well with the idea of the license board to me. Having universal armor for every character just doesn't seem like a good idea. Weapons, sure. But armor is pretty sloppy. Boss fights for the most part are a joke. Just keep using Quickening chains until you beat them. Not since Final Fantasy VIII has a limit break type of system been so easily abused. You of course don't have to use it, but just hacking away at the boss does not seem very ideal sometimes. You can't survive just hacking away at most bosses, quite honestly.
The story, as I said, is amazing so far. The characters are awesome, too. I think Ashe is the best female character in a Final Fantasy, perhaps. Not since VI or VII has there been a female character like this. But, speaking of characters, Vaan sucks. Which is weird, because I like all the other characters. But Vaan just seems totally bland to me. And he looks like an idiot. He doesn't blend in with the other characters at all.
I also hate the fact that when in "open" environments, you can have whoever you want in your party, but in closed, non-battle locations you just have to be Vaan. A game that puts so much emphasis on depth and exploration should be able to let you control whoever you want at all times.
Bottom line: Square is capable of much better gameplay-wise. They should have saved this story for a PS3 FF with a better battle system, I'm serious.
As of right now, I still feel that Valkyrie Profile 2 has a much better battle system. Square should just start ripping off tri-Ace.
Well, I'm at the
Phon Coast
Archades
Eh, I dunno. The game's story is just awesome so far, perhaps the best since FFVII and VIII, but the gameplay isn't so hot at times. I go from feeling satisfied to disappointed quite often. A lot of the areas are just too big.
Phon Coast
It doesn't suck, but I'll say this: After waiting for five years -- half a decade -- I expected much, much better. Active Dimensional Battle is acceptable for this game, but it should NOT be the standard for future FF's. I would hope that Square realizes this. ADB is not the answer. Plus, just the fact that you can make the game play itself when you engage in battle is a huge turnoff. What in the hell is the point of playing a game just to not play it? Whose brilliant idea was that? Thankfully, I play with my lead character's gambits off, which does give me more control. But it should have been developed with the idea that hey, maybe not everyone wants to watch a script play their $50 or $60 purchase.
But it wasn't, so controlling your character at all times may not be as efficient as gambits, which is unbalanced. God forbid someone would actually, like, want to control a character during a battle!Exploration in this game is 50/50. Sometimes it rivals if not exceeds previous FF's, other times, it's overkill. Armor in this game is just silly. I hate it. Overpriced, and regardless of what you buy, you always seem to be getting your ass handed to you by enemies. It doesn't fit in well with the idea of the license board to me. Having universal armor for every character just doesn't seem like a good idea. Weapons, sure. But armor is pretty sloppy. Boss fights for the most part are a joke. Just keep using Quickening chains until you beat them. Not since Final Fantasy VIII has a limit break type of system been so easily abused. You of course don't have to use it, but just hacking away at the boss does not seem very ideal sometimes. You can't survive just hacking away at most bosses, quite honestly.
The story, as I said, is amazing so far. The characters are awesome, too. I think Ashe is the best female character in a Final Fantasy, perhaps. Not since VI or VII has there been a female character like this. But, speaking of characters, Vaan sucks. Which is weird, because I like all the other characters. But Vaan just seems totally bland to me. And he looks like an idiot. He doesn't blend in with the other characters at all.
I also hate the fact that when in "open" environments, you can have whoever you want in your party, but in closed, non-battle locations you just have to be Vaan. A game that puts so much emphasis on depth and exploration should be able to let you control whoever you want at all times.
Bottom line: Square is capable of much better gameplay-wise. They should have saved this story for a PS3 FF with a better battle system, I'm serious.
As of right now, I still feel that Valkyrie Profile 2 has a much better battle system. Square should just start ripping off tri-Ace.
Shouta
Member
My Arms Your Hearse said:
56 hours and to about level 56. Guns ignore defense and with the exception of a few enemies specifically resistant to that, Guns do far better damage on the average enemy than any weapon in the game when the levels are roughly equivalent. Of course they're not gonna be as strong when you're 20 levels over your enemy. =P
If you want useless, I think most of the two-handed weapons are pretty crappy compared to the single-handed iterations. Damage difference between the two isn't significant enough and swing speed makes up for the differences. You can wield a shield with 1H weapons too and shields are godly in FFXII.
Guns are too slow and don't do enough damage. That's what I think about them.
Two-handed weapons during the end-game btw are a must, the really good ones anyway. Weapons with Holy strike are also pretty awesome for the bonus shit. As far as one-handed weapons go axes aren't too bad, but it's too random for me. 1H swords, just like guns, are worthless. Too weak.
Two-handed weapons during the end-game btw are a must, the really good ones anyway. Weapons with Holy strike are also pretty awesome for the bonus shit. As far as one-handed weapons go axes aren't too bad, but it's too random for me. 1H swords, just like guns, are worthless.
Too weak.Tyrone Slothrop
Banned
i'm about 30 hrs in. this is probably my favorite final fantasy, and that's saying a lot
that said, its not a perfect game--the sense of being in a wide open world diminishes after you find out you're more or less in a series of interconnected narrow hallways with scenery that makes you think otherwise (but then again this is a problem as videogames get more immersive. how do you emulate walking about in a real world without losing all sense of linearity?)
the music is great in an atmospheric sense but nothing is memorable
the gambit/license system is great but way too time consuming for the 'modern gamer'
... that's about all the negative things. this is the first one i have no doubt in my mind is my favorite (before i was clear i liked final fantasy but i wasnt clear on which one i liked the most)
that said, its not a perfect game--the sense of being in a wide open world diminishes after you find out you're more or less in a series of interconnected narrow hallways with scenery that makes you think otherwise (but then again this is a problem as videogames get more immersive. how do you emulate walking about in a real world without losing all sense of linearity?)
the music is great in an atmospheric sense but nothing is memorable
the gambit/license system is great but way too time consuming for the 'modern gamer'
... that's about all the negative things. this is the first one i have no doubt in my mind is my favorite (before i was clear i liked final fantasy but i wasnt clear on which one i liked the most)
I don't like guns much, they take too long to fire, and they do a lot less damage than swords, specially two handed ones, or axes. My main party has Basch with a two handed sword
, and Vaan and Ashe with
and
. The Axes and Sword do a ton of damage, specially to low defense enemies.
will take as high as 8000 HP from a low defense enemy, the axes can take 8000 too when they hit right.
ragnarok
Great Axes
Demon Shields
Ragnarok