How exactly did game creators envision "Draw" usage in battles?

[unfinished fantasy]

AFAIK player gets only vague instructions from Quistis: "Use the command 'Draw' during battles and stock magic from your enemies. Be sure to have some stocked!" The game doesn't give you any hint how ridiculous it would be to draw magic until you get all 99 (or was it 100?) of it.

[McLovin']

it was fine, it was your own problem if you tried to get 100 of each magic.

[Rantz]

Before I knew the game well, I just drew sporadically. Got maybe 10 or so of most magic.

[Vivisteiner]

I didnt get the tutorials first time, so I would just summon GFs every single battle. Which wasted sooooo much time.


Second time through I just got magic from cards, which made the game piss easy. (But its really funny slashing through them anyway)

[unfinished fantasy]

it was fine, it was your own problem if you tried to get 100 of each magic.My question is about how game designers wanted players to utilize "Draw" command in battles, not if it was intrinsically flawed.

#edit: my question is somewhat stupid in that sense that probable answer is "every now and then", but I did decide to ask it anyway because there might be someone who knows how exactly Final Fantasy VIII battle designers envisioned the usage of command 'Draw'.

[Bolivar]

^ I sometimes wonder that.

Hiroyuki Ito's battle systems always rely on comparative advantage, having each character do what they do best maximizes efficiency.

Honestly, I think it was intentionally left open-ended, the player can really do anything in that game. Because you can allocate menu commands, a player might not even give the draw function at all to a character, just refine it/transfer.

[cloud21zidane16]

I didnt get the tutorials first time, so I would just summon GFs every single battle. Which wasted sooooo much time.


Second time through I just got magic from cards, which made the game piss easy. (But its really funny slashing through them anyway)

Same here, i really used to hate the battle system on this when i was younger:)

[Mirage]

Who draws a hundred of each spell anyway? Item refinement was much more time efficient.

[FFIX Choco Boy]

I always drew 100 I almost never item refined. I never refined any of the special cards either, even if I was at the part where I could get another again.

[sillybuttons™]

I really loved the Battle system on VIII. Draw was a must on at least one party member if not for stocking magics at least for casting them without depleting your junctioned magic. Loads of bosses have benificial magic such as cure/ra/aga and status effect magics like protect and shell. It was a handy way to keep your party going through some of the more protracted battles. Also a lot of monsters carry magics that the other monsters in the same area are weak against such as in the fire cave some monsters carry blizzard. Another example is the Tomb of the Unknown King where a lot of monsters carry float, an essential magic for defeating the GF Brothers. Another benefit of draw is later in the game when you can flit between ICTH's with encounter none activated and stock up on the games most powerful and best junctioning magics. I reckon these ideas (and probably a whole lot more) are what Hiroyuki Ito had in mind when he designed the junction system.:mog:

[Mirage]

I always drew 100 I almost never item refined. I never refined any of the special cards either, even if I was at the part where I could get another again.

Why? Many of the items have absolutely no use other than for refinement.

[Roogle]

I did not understand the battle system when I was younger and neglected to junction any magic. Instead, I casted magic offensively and summoned guardian forces like many other posters here.

I wonder if the developers considered putting a limit on the amount of magic you could draw to prevent an unbalanced playthrough like the way that we play the game now — like how we get 100 of most magic right outside of Balamb Garden.