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I can't even imagine doing the Cloud of Darkness fight without a Devout. Those attacks take a nasty chunk out of your HP.
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Jun 11, 2012 16:42
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Mazed posted:Is there somewhere we can go to read about all that this guy specifically did to ruin the FF MMOs as thoroughly as possible? There's a certain appreciation one can find in video game trainwrecks. I don't have a list, but I recall reading a document detailing all of the problems FFXI had at launch. FFXI was also completely terrible at launch, but most people don't realize this as the game came out in the west two years later after it had its first expansion. There were still plenty of things that were hosed for a long time, though: *Really slow grind with overcrowded areas, and you lost exp and could level down when you died (they made it way more reasonable later) *Notorious monsters with super low (like 1-2%) drop rates that spawned once every week or so at random intervals and people would fierce fight over their spawns for hours (they eventually stopped doing poo poo like this, then Tanaka came back and starting doing this poo poo again) *Absolute Virtue was an NM that nobody ever figured out how to beat *Pandemonium Warden was an NM that people fought for 18 hours straight before people started passing out and they said gently caress it. Said incident got the game in the news and got SE to change the insane direction they were taking the game in (they patched this) *Some missions were insanely hard, namely CoP. There were level caps, say a mission was capped at lvl 40, and nobody wanted to help out because they didn't have lvl 40 gear and you had to spend hours shouting for a party only to loose to a really hard boss and have to do it all over again. (Again, they patched this and made it reasonable) *2-3+ hour raids (Dynamis, etc.) with insanely low drop rates for items, and required like 60 people to do, so you would wind up on waiting lists for items in linkshells that were really political and brought out the worst in people (again, they patched this poo poo to make it more reasonable, then Tanaka started putting more dumb poo poo like it in again once he came back) Also, Tanaka would never communicate with the playerbase at all, and they didn't even have official forums until he left for FFXIV. He give a gently caress about what people thought, and did whatever he wanted. Usually what he wanted was really, really abusive to the playerbase. His hatred of the playerbase eventually bit him in the rear end when FFXIV bombed harder than Hiroshima. He may have gotten fired from FFXIV, but it's drat unfortunate that they put him back on FFXI, especially when that game was getting so drat good. I don't think he should be allowed near any game, ever.
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Jun 11, 2012 17:36
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I will never understand the corporate politics that allow consistent fuckups to keep their high-level positions like that.
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Jun 11, 2012 17:44
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Gammatron 64 posted:Horrendous FFXI poo poo To add to this class balance was a joke and in a game where even using the best possible classes could still result in death which meant literal hours of grinding lost at higher levels this was horrible. For instance, for the majority of FFXI's lifespan if you played Dragoon you might as well have had leprosy and you were not getting a group invite, ever. Which meant you weren't leveling ever. The game didn't have enemy levels, no no it was too good for that. You had to look at each enemy and the game would give you a text description of how tough the enemy looked. This was calculated off the difference between its level and your level (not your group level so good luck guessing there, rear end in a top hat), but the problem is even a 2-3 level variation in FFXI was enough to take a monster from beatable to death. On top of that, there was only about a 4 level swing in which you would gain XP. Good luck obsessively scanning each monster to find ones you can actually beat and receive XP from. The game's system of subjobs meant that your primary job received all XP while your active subjob received none. Your subjob's maximum level was half of your main jobs current level. In a game where every absolute bit of strength had to be squeezed from the world you were constantly slingshotting between your main and your subjob so you got to see a lot of the same content over and over and over and over again. God help you if you chose a weak/unpopular class because nobody was going to help you with that poo poo. Want to have subjobs, a main feature of the game? Well the quest unlocks at 18, but you sure as hell aren't getting it without a full group or solo at about 25 from a rare monster who doesn't always drop the item you need. Want to unlock the class you want to play as? Well the quest unlocks at 30 but the mobs are all 40-50. Don't have a group? Hey, go gently caress yourself. Want to ride an airship? That'll be about 1 million gil in a game where 200k could buy really, really nice equipment. Don't have an airship pass? Hope you don't mind visiting the other cities ever. Start in a different city than your friends? Hope you don't mind not seeing them until the mid 30s when everyone relocates to Jueno. Want to teleport somewhere? Better pay the whitemage whatever he's asking for and pray to god he actually takes you where you want to go.
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Jun 11, 2012 17:48
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Pesky Splinter posted:The most obnoxious of which was announcing Birth By Sleep's Final Mix a week before the PAL release. I'm actually playing a translated version of the Final Mix right now. I'm stuck at the final boss of Terra's story, but up to this point it's been one of the best action-RPGs I've ever played. It started development as a PS2 game and took nearly 5 years to complete, so it's not just some spin-off like the DS games were. The new magic system gives each spell its own recharge time, which allows me to double up on spells like Curaga so I can use them twice as often. Being able to access other characters' spells and abilities for a short time also gives the combat more variety. There's only one Final Fantasy character in the game, but that's alright since there aren't any Organisation XIII tosspots either. I also like how Terra is being tempted to the darkness, rather than being absolutely perfect like Sora always is.
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Jun 11, 2012 18:00
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Miracon posted:I will never understand the corporate politics that allow consistent fuckups to keep their high-level positions like that. Connections and/or an unwillingless to hurt the company image/pride by admitting they hired a fuckup.
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Jun 11, 2012 18:03
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God FF11 sucked.
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Jun 11, 2012 18:09
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Miracon posted:I will never understand the corporate politics that allow consistent fuckups to keep their high-level positions like that. Basically it's how Japanese culture works. Promote people due to seniority rather than merit, and follow the leader and stay on the same path, even if that path is right off the side of a cliff. It's not just this guy, it happens a lot. Yoshinori Ono with SFxT, basically anything Tomonobu Itagaki does, etc. Basically, mass ineptitude at the top is basically why the Japanese game industry isn't doing so well these days. THE AWESOME GHOST posted:God FF11 sucked. I'm gonna have to disagree with you. Despite its warts, I loved the game. It's definitely not for everybody, but there were just some things in it that were so cool, I couldn't help but love it. The gameplay was lovely, and anybody who says otherwise is either lying or doesn't know what they're talking about. But nobody played that game for its gameplay. The gameplay was lovely, but just about everything else was stellar, namely the world, its lore, and the storyline. I've never played a game before or since that had a fiction setting as cool as Vana'diel. Only Mass Effect comes close. Also had great music, and amazing graphics for the time. WoW is a better game on a technical level, but I just don't have any feelings at all towards that game. To me, it's just another game. FFXI was a very, very flawed game, but there was just something that was special about it. That is kind of a trend in basically every Final Fantasy game after 7: they always manage to gently caress up something really bad, but have enough cool poo poo in it that it balances out. I think FF9 is pretty much the only post-7 game that doesn't have major problems. FFVIII: Stupid, stupid story, some questionable gameplay elements (draw magic), good graphics, great music, still pretty fun FFIX: Lots of old school FF callbacks, great soundtrack and visual style, worst things I can really say about it was that it was a little bland at times and the last boss just sorta came out of nowhere (also gently caress Quina, but Vivi and Steiner ruled) FFX: Terrible, terrible story, awful characters, fantastic visuals, music, best gameplay in the series in my opinion FFXI: Terrible gameplay, great story, visuals, music FFXII: Story is a little bland and boring but not painfully stupid, great visuals, gameplay is pretty good, although the gambit system kinda sucks FFXIII: Absolutely amazing visuals, dumb story, very shallow gameplay... perhaps it's modern Final Fantasy distilled - the ultimate triumph of style over substance FFXIV: Okay, there's basically nothing I could say that was good about this one (at least at launch.) My enjoyment of this game is basically riding on FFXI nostalgia. GET IN THE ROBOT fucked around with this message at 18:55 on Jun 11, 2012 |
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Jun 11, 2012 18:16
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Can't wait for the Four Job Fiesta to begin. Just made another attempt on Neo Exdeath with my Thief/Berserker/Geomancer/Dancer team. I think I'm about as ready for Hard Mode as I can be.
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Jun 11, 2012 18:36
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That loving Sned posted:I'm actually playing a translated version of the Final Mix right now. I'm stuck at the final boss of Terra's story, but up to this point it's been one of the best action-RPGs I've ever played. Yeah, the game is great, I'm just annoyed at the Final Mix marlarky. If you want some advice on the boss: Block like a mother fucker. When he melees you, use block/counter-hammer. Dash like crazy when you can, and spam shotlocks - I think it's shadow dash or something like that - for the invincibility frames.
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Jun 11, 2012 18:43
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Mega64 posted:
For White Mage being able to spam Cure every round is actually rather useful.
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Jun 11, 2012 18:48
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The fact that the world, the music and the lore of FF11 were great makes me dislike the gameplay even more for locking out so much of it. There's a good singleplayer game locked somewhere in there. God the music was awesome
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Jun 11, 2012 19:02
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THE AWESOME GHOST posted:The fact that the world, the music and the lore of FF11 were great makes me dislike the gameplay even more for locking out so much of it. Hell, there was a good MMO in there too. It's just a shame that the bullshit made it so hard to find.
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Jun 11, 2012 19:06
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THE AWESOME GHOST posted:The fact that the world, the music and the lore of FF11 were great makes me dislike the gameplay even more for locking out so much of it. I'll be honest: it eventually got to a point where I just ragequit, said gently caress this game forever, and didn't play it for 3 years. Then when Tanaka went to work on 14, they fixed much of the game's major problems (pretty much all the ones I listed.) I came back for a couple years, played the game with a more chill, casual group of friends, and had an absolute blast doing it. They really unfucked the game and made it into something great for a while. Gameplay-wise it's worlds better, but sadly, they should have done it much earlier, so the game never became the mega-hit it could have been. There's a big catch, though: it's an old rear end game. Square Enix decided to get really lazy with the content over the past few years. Rather than add fully realized areas and storylines, they half rear end it these days with pallate swapped zones that are in "an alternate dark universe" or "30 years in the past" and the like. The fixed the gameplay, but they're not doing anything cool content-wise anymore. Most of my friends finished everything cool and just got bored and quit, and without them around, I didn't really have a reason to play. I'd say the game is worth a 2nd try - it's way easier to level up and finish all that awesome old content now. Or at least it was a year or two ago. I'm not sure if anybody is playing it anymore. That game was always extremely newbie-unfriendly, and I can only imagine what it must be like to start it now. I'm sure any newbie could probably get a bored oldbie to mentor them, though. Especially if they're a Mithra.
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Jun 11, 2012 19:15
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For a game with so much potential, they really drove this into the ground. I remember being so excited when I made my character at launch in North America... Don't forget all the "JP-ONLY" parties that were going around. The game tried to bridge the gap with preset phrases, but it just never worked. And on top of all that, I never felt like I was exploring a world (such an important part of any FF game) because any strategy other than "Find a good spot and camp" was certain to lead to death. People like to poke fun at World of Warcraft, but that game was such a breath of fresh air. Instances meant no more squabbling over camping rights. Dungeons were designed with the idea that your party would work your way through them. The starting cities were easily accessible from the others. The PvP was exciting and interesting. I wasn't even a big fan of Warcraft or its world, but I dropped FFXI as soon as I saw the potential of that game.
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Jun 11, 2012 19:17
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Tanaka's game design bullshit aside, there is a lot about FFXI I will genuinely appreciate always, and Vana'diel itself pretty much tops them out. I mean, as settings go, it wasn't too unique, but it had very real charm and personality. Missions were always worth it, because there'd usually be some kind of nice story payoff, and the NPCs were just unpretentious fun. And, of course, the music was incredibly good, a few tracks (namely, Sanctuary of Zi'tah, Aht Urhgan Whitegate, Lufaise Meadows, Ronfaure, Gustaberg, and the Chains of Promathia solo/group battle themes) among the best in the whole series. That, at least, can be enjoyed any time. So yeah, if Final Fantasy XIV 2.0 ends up not being a fuckup, and it captures the essence of the good parts of XI, I'm way into that.  Gammatron 64 posted:Especially if they're a Mithra. 
Mazed fucked around with this message at 19:23 on Jun 11, 2012 |
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Jun 11, 2012 19:20
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quote:Hell, there was a good MMO in there too. It's just a shame that the bullshit made it so hard to find. FF11 contained a lot of really obtuse, distinctly Japanese, game design philosophies which made the barrier of entry really difficult to break into. Then even if you managed to break through the initial barrier, it became even more obscure, vague, and masochistic. There was no real rewarding questing mechanic like those found in modern day MMO's. With the exception of one job (Beastmaster), it was made virtually impossible to solo any of the content or levels. Traveling to new locations was a really long, and arduous process the first time around. Not to mention it was one of the few games at the time that promoted the "everyone together" philosophy, so you had North American's playing alongside Japanese players, with a very hit-or-miss auto-translate function to communicate. With that said... FF11 was also the type of game that, if all the stars somehow magically aligned, was absolutely phenomenal. The best way I can possibly describe it is it's a diamond in the rough. I haven't played an MMO before or after it that has come close to giving the same experience. There was nothing quite like defeating the Shadow Lord for the very first time with a group of guildmates I've met in leveling parties along the way to lv.60, who had all gone through similar experiences and hardships.
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Jun 11, 2012 19:33
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Pesky Splinter posted:If you want some advice on the boss: Thanks, it's working really well! Before I could barely do one health bar of damage to him, but on my last attempt I almost beat him. There are some attacks, like the meteorites, that I can't seem to escape at all, but as long as I use my shotlock at the right time, I can stay invincible during most of it. Edit: I'm done with Terra's story now. It was much easier when I found the right timing to block the meteorites. It took 8 hours, but about one of those was on the final boss. Playing this has made me really excited for Versus XIII now, because they've shown that they can make a really good action game that isn't bogged down by terrible camera controls, no direction, endless cutscenes, sluggish combat and gummi ships. I've also been going through Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix on hard mode, but it still isn't as good as BBS. That Fucking Sned fucked around with this message at 23:11 on Jun 11, 2012 |
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Jun 11, 2012 19:43
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Is there any good way to experience the story of FFXI without actually playing? Has anyone done a story-based Let's Play or something?
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Jun 11, 2012 19:45
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jivjov posted:Is there any good way to experience the story of FFXI without actually playing? Has anyone done a story-based Let's Play or something? This would be neat as hell, but it's doubtful that anyone has the patience, as most of the story-based stuff requires a group--and often a really good one, to my recollection, particularly for the level-capped Chains of Promathia stuff. (Omega.  )Chances are, though, you can find the Mission cutscenes (that is, where the stories play out) on YouTube or the like.
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Jun 11, 2012 19:48
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jivjov posted:Is there any good way to experience the story of FFXI without actually playing? Has anyone done a story-based Let's Play or something? I don't think there is anybody crazy enough to sit through and level, record, and edit all of that content into a video or series of pictures. In addition to the main story-line which would with even a dedicated group take hours upon hours upon hours to do, each class has a unique storyline as well as other side-quests and activities. Just take it from us that the Galka are probably one of the most depressing races of creature in FF lore and playing as one was depressing both story wise and mechanically.
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Jun 11, 2012 19:50
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I really wish they had released a single player version of FF11. They could just use FF12's gambit system to manage your group if they didn't want to bother with AI.
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Jun 11, 2012 20:01
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Mazed posted:This would be neat as hell, but it's doubtful that anyone has the patience, as most of the story-based stuff requires a group--and often a really good one, to my recollection, particularly for the level-capped Chains of Promathia stuff. (Omega. I don't think anyone ever has, but a story based FFXI Let's Play would actually be feasible these days as they removed the dumbass level caps for bosses \ dungeons and increased the maximum level to 99. Chains of Promathia used to be insanely hard (namely the airship fight with Omega and Ultima Weapon.) Now you can do it solo or in small groups. Just grind till you're a high enough level and murder the poo poo out of everything. The Let's Play would have to be limited to main story quests, though. All the other quests would be absolutely nuts. You would obviously edit out all the boring stuff like grinding and the like. The idea actually crossed my mind, but such a thing still wouldn't be feasible for me as I don't have nearly as much free time as I used to back in college. Plus, I beat all the Windy, Zilart and CoP missions already. Although me or anybody else with a level 90+ character would be able to help with such an undertaking. Although I'm on the obscure Slyph server, and I won't have any time to play the game at all for at least a few months. I have a crappy work schedule and I work over 40 hours a week, plus I'm working on getting my A+ certification, so I don't have any time to play it at all right now, let alone do an LP of it. Although if somebody ever wants to do that, that would be really awesome. I might take my character out of retirement to show up in it. However, there is a crazy bastard from New Zealand crazy enough to do a Let's Play of Final Fantasy XIV: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL63493F34E0F2140B&feature=plcp This guy actually doesn't edit out boring stuff it seems, and he has videos explaining how fishing works and poo poo. It's kind of mind boggling. But his voice is kind of hypnotic. He's also doing LPs of WoW, SWTOR, and Diablo 3. Must have a lot of free time downunda. GET IN THE ROBOT fucked around with this message at 20:33 on Jun 11, 2012 |
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Jun 11, 2012 20:02
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jivjov posted:Is there any good way to experience the story of FFXI without actually playing? Has anyone done a story-based Let's Play or something? I could lead this if anyone wants to give it a go. Don't have crap for video recording, but I have a high-level character on Bahamut and the patience for this sort of thing.
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Jun 11, 2012 20:11
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jivjov posted:Is there any good way to experience the story of FFXI without actually playing? Has anyone done a story-based Let's Play or something? Someone seems to be doing a screen shot let's play of XI here: http://www.gamespite.net/talkingtime/showthread.php?t=12331
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Jun 11, 2012 20:33
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I finished off most of the story line stuff, but I quit right before the levelcap was raised from 75. The story was actually really well done, and I enjoyed those parts, but I played as a summoner. Probably some of the most painful times I've spent leveling.
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Jun 11, 2012 20:56
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I feel it's worth pointing out that at least part of the appeal of the story of FFXI is that it consists of events that surround your avatar player, the one you spend hours controlling, exploring with, and leveling up. If you don't have that pre-existing connection to the world, it loses some of its impact, I think.
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Jun 11, 2012 21:18
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fount of knowledge posted:I feel it's worth pointing out that at least part of the appeal of the story of FFXI is that it consists of events that surround your avatar player, the one you spend hours controlling, exploring with, and leveling up. If you don't have that pre-existing connection to the world, it loses some of its impact, I think. That's probably true. It may seem weird that I mention Mass Effect a lot when talking about FFXI, given that they're both entirely different genres of games and all, but there's a certain something that they both share that I almost never see in any other games. It's especially odd given that ME's gimmick is that your choices matter, whereas in FFXI, you are kind of a passive participant to a linear story like any other JRPG. I think what they both have in common is an incredible amount of immersion, the likes of which are very rarely ever seen. I think that's why both games had very passionate fanbases. When talking to FFXI, the common link seems to be that it feels like Vana'diel feels like a real, living breathing world, and playing the game is almost like experiencing a whole alternate lifetime as someone else on an alien world. So if you ever wonder how some people could get so addicted to such a brutal game with a very boring grind, that's probably how. Players would always complain about the dev's idiotic design decisions, but nobody can deny how well done Vana'diel itself was. Perhaps it was done a little too well... the dangerous thing about FFXI is that I think a lot of players subconsciously forgot they were playing a game. If you ever got really into it, I guess you know what it's like to be in the Matrix. I don't regret playing it, though. In the early days when I was getting frustrated and the game was giving me a lot of misery, and things started getting unhealthy, I probably should have ragequit earlier than I did, but when I came back after the game had been improved, I legitimately enjoyed myself and played it in a more casual, less demanding manner. At least now I can look back on the game fondly instead of loathing it. I dunno if I'll ever have the time or motivation to visit Vana'diel again, but it was definitely a unique experience. That's a lotta words about some fantasy video game, but I did spend a lot of time on it. (Plus I'm kinda bored at work.)
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Jun 11, 2012 22:26
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Minrad posted:Still, I'd love to do a four job fiesta of FF3 if it gets an NA release. I can't stand playing on that small NDS screen anymore and don't really want a 3DS. I'm not sure this would even be possible. I know Dark Cloud isn't as stupid to fight as the NES version, but I can't see how you'd do enough damage with certain party setups if you end up with little to no healing classes in your fiesta.
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Jun 11, 2012 22:35
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Gammatron 64 posted:I think what they both have in common is an incredible amount of immersion, the likes of which are very rarely ever seen. I think that's why both games had very passionate fanbases. When talking to FFXI, the common link seems to be that it feels like Vana'diel feels like a real, living breathing world, and playing the game is almost like experiencing a whole alternate lifetime as someone else on an alien world. So if you ever wonder how some people could get so addicted to such a brutal game with a very boring grind, that's probably how. Players would always complain about the dev's idiotic design decisions, but nobody can deny how well done Vana'diel itself was. Perhaps it was done a little too well... the dangerous thing about FFXI is that I think a lot of players subconsciously forgot they were playing a game. If you ever got really into it, I guess you know what it's like to be in the Matrix. I don't doubt your conviction, but in my mind "boring grind" and "immersion" do not tend to go together. I couldn't help but be very aware that I was playing a game the entire time I played FFXI, and this very fact cut deep into any notion of immersion for me. There were so many things that ran against immersion - cost of airship tickets, grind for second class, grind for extra class, constant tells for groups, constant tells for revival, etc. - that I'm genuinely surprised people describe the game as immersive.
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Jun 11, 2012 23:01
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Barudak posted:Want to ride an airship? That'll be about 1 million gil in a game where 200k could buy really, really nice equipment. Why would you pay that much when you could just get some friends together and blast through the Rank 4 mission for your nation and get a free airship pass?
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Jun 11, 2012 23:32
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That loving Sned posted:I'm done with Terra's story now. It was much easier when I found the right timing to block the meteorites. It took 8 hours, but about one of those was on the final boss. The only downside to BBS is the terrible lock-on which randomly disappears sometimes. If you want some general playstyle tips for Aqua and Ven: Ven: He hits fast and can dodge roll with invincibility frames - he plays the most like Sora and is sort of a jack-of-all-trades, but has low defence and health than Terra. Just take advantage of his speed and remember to spam dodge roll. Aqua: Starts off piss poor weak, but is the most rewarding to play as IMO. Can cartwheel with invincibility frames. Stick to magic based moves for her, and blocking and cartwheeling, because the enemies will tear her apart. If you need any help or anything, just ask
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Jun 11, 2012 23:45
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Spuzzz posted:I really wish they had released a single player version of FF11. They could just use FF12's gambit system to manage your group if they didn't want to bother with AI. I don't. Half of the fun is playing with other people. For me, FFXI was less of a game and more of a glorified chat room. Without the social aspect, I'm bored to tears. I quit FFXI and WoW both for the same reason - my linkshell \ guild pretty much dried up and died in both games and they pretty much turned into single player games. I couldn't ever beat FF12 because it was like playing FFXI, but with nobody to talk to. Hell, FFXIV is honestly not a very good game and there are better MMOs out there, but I'm having more fun with the goon shell than I did playing WoW, even though WoW is an immensely better designed game. In WoW, I really only had one friend who I knew irl. The rest of the time I was playing by myself or with random people I would see once and then never again. These games are only as good as the people you play them with. For me, the whole social aspect is a huge part of it. If anything, SE should have seen WoW's success and modernized the game way earlier rather than sticking to the old school insane Everquest \ Korean insane grind model. They really should have reacted way earlier than they did, and the only reason they did is because Tanaka went off to work on FFXIV so actual competent people took over FFXI. The only reason I think they should make a single player FFXI is so that all the people that went 'EWWW an MMO, no way I'm playing a game with a monthly fee, hurf durf!' or didn't make it past the first 30 levels before quitting in frustration could see the storyline. PhilippAchtel posted:I don't doubt your conviction, but in my mind "boring grind" and "immersion" do not tend to go together. I couldn't help but be very aware that I was playing a game the entire time I played FFXI, and this very fact cut deep into any notion of immersion for me. I'm genuinely surprised people describe the game as immersive. You're mileage may vary. You said earlier that you never felt like you were exploring a world, and I feel the exact opposite way - I felt like exploring Vana'diel was a huge part of the appeal, and I would often wonder what lies beyond the areas too deep and filled with mobs that would murder me in an instant. It's kinda funny you say that, because to me, WoW felt like less of a living breathing world, and more of a place where I just went from place to place killing things, and going into random Dungeon Finder parties. Which is strange, because WoW has large continuous zones, whereas FFXI has a jarring load screen in-between them. Vana'diel's zones are extremely varied and they have so many little subtle details and easter eggs and stuff in them, i.e. the cliff from the intro movie in Tavnazia, dolphins that swim around the boat, a hidden waterfall in the jungle, etc. One of the most disappointing things about FFXIV (and there were many) was how lovely the world of Eorza is, especially compared to Vana'diel. There's only about 3 zones, and much of them are made up of copy-pasted hallways.
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Jun 12, 2012 00:52
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I want a single player FFXI so I can enjoy the really nice job system and storyline once the game inevitably fades away. 
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Jun 12, 2012 00:57
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Pesky Splinter posted:The only downside to BBS is the terrible lock-on which randomly disappears sometimes.  It was also tricky to change abilities during a fight using the d-pad. This would be solved by playing it on a Vita, but it was never released on the PSN for some reason. The reason I'm playing this now is because I won't get the chance to once I trade my PSP in for a Vita, at least until it gets remade. Pesky Splinter posted:If you need any help or anything, just ask
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Jun 12, 2012 01:22
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Gammatron 64 posted:or didn't make it past the first 30 levels before quitting in frustration could see the storyline. I see this as part of the problem. A game shouldn't take hours of playing to get good. This is the same thing that keeps dragging down FFXIII for me; if the game isn't good from sometime in the first hour or so (barring any necessary tutorial time) then its going to lose a huge segment of audience early in. I shouldn't have to hit level 30 before things start being good and interesting.
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Jun 12, 2012 01:32
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That loving Sned posted:Do you have any advice for the command board? I only used it once for my run through with Terra, but I'm not sure how helpful it would have been. It reminds me a lot of Itadaki Street, although it doesn't share many of the same rules. It basically functions like Monopoly. I never really bothered with it except to get the Ragnarok shotlock (a pretty decent one). It's on the World of Depature board, in the top left hand corner somewhere. The only time you should ever bother with a command board is to get shotlocks, and Ragnarok is the only one worth getting, and the rest can be command melded. It's easier to just level up abilities through regular fighting, than it is dicking around on the board. I wish I could be more help for that, but I hated the command boards.
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Jun 12, 2012 01:32
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jivjov posted:I see this as part of the problem. A game shouldn't take hours of playing to get good. This is the same thing that keeps dragging down FFXIII for me; if the game isn't good from sometime in the first hour or so (barring any necessary tutorial time) then its going to lose a huge segment of audience early in. I shouldn't have to hit level 30 before things start being good and interesting. I'm not sure what weird compulsion about full parties and slightly wider paths leads to the hyperbole that Pulse is like a whole new better game.
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Jun 12, 2012 03:33
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If I remember right you don't even unlock the entire battle system until Pulse. (Chapter 13?)
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Jun 12, 2012 03:46
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Winks posted:If I remember right you don't even unlock the entire battle system until Pulse. You unlock the ability to make everyone every job in Chapter 10 (the chapter before you go to Pulse) and you get the last Eidolons in Chapter 11 on Pulse. I'm not positive, but I think you get the whole "choose your own party" thing along with letting everyone be everything, but it's been a while since I've played 13. Regardless, yeah, it's either at or right before Pulse you have full access to everything in the battle system, though to be honest, once you get everyone's main three roles, you have as much of the battle system as you really need.
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Jun 12, 2012 03:49
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