Am i the only one who thought FFXII battle system sucked???

[reinward]

idk what everyone saw in it. i beat the whole game around level 50 with the exact same gambits the whole time something like:

haste: self
protect: self
shell: self
raise: ally
remedy: ally
curaja: ally
attack: enemy

i actually liked the game, but i dont understand why everyone liked the battle system :confused:

[the AJman]

What did I like about it?.....

I liked the fact that just about everything was happening in real time instead of characters just taking turns wacking each other. In my opinion this game had the fastest paced and most exciting battle system in the series (still haven't played XIII yet).

I liked the fact that my characters moved in the battle; I also liked that there weren't any random battles and that there weren't any transition screens.

I like that gambits gave me complete control of all three characters on the screen and it also gave me control over how much the AI handled and how much I handled. I also liked that I was able to swap out characters in the middle of battle; heck, it was nice to be able to make adjustments period in the middle of battle, whether it be gambits, abilities, equipment, whatever.

I like this system because it's exciting, fun, and incredibly flexible.

[seiferalmasy2]

I used Attack Cure for most of the game....

[Clo]

I -loved- the battle system, and I really did not care for the game. I can't remember what gambits I used (it was three or so years ago!) but they were a winning combination, and occasionally I switched them up depending on who I was fighting and the location and the characters I was using. Strategy!

I also liked the movement of the characters, and how I could switch to other "leaders". I liked how fast the battles were, and how they were still fun.

[Shin Gouken]

What did I like about it?.....

I liked the fact that just about everything was happening in real time instead of characters just taking turns wacking each other. In my opinion this game had the fastest paced and most exciting battle system in the series (still haven't played XIII yet).

I liked the fact that my characters moved in the battle; I also liked that there weren't any random battles and that there weren't any transition screens.

I like that gambits gave me complete control of all three characters on the screen and it also gave me control over how much the AI handled and how much I handled. I also liked that I was able to swap out characters in the middle of battle; heck, it was nice to be able to make adjustments period in the middle of battle, whether it be gambits, abilities, equipment, whatever.

I like this system because it's exciting, fun, and incredibly flexible.

This.

Removing battle screens in favour of fighting enemies on the field screen was a great step in making the world itself feel more alive because enemies behave as they would in their natural habitat. But also, trying to navigate dungeons in previous FF's and being thrusted into a battle that changes the screen was just an incredable annoyance i didn't care for.

Again i liked the control. Having a few basic gambits distributed between my active party, having gambits set up to do everything or even using gambits at all - it was the players choice.

Moving in battle was great too. Positioning your party could in some cases change the outcome of a battle. And when you run from enemies, they chase you - i always loved that.

[LunarWeaver]

XII only made it blatantly clear that RPGs can play themselves. Someone poisoned? Antidote or esuna. Someone hurt? Use Cure/Cura/Curaga. Fire weak? Hit them with a fire spell. There is the occasional RPG that requires actual strategy, but most are nothing but "This happens so do this." Honestly, Gambits are there to make you play around if you really really want, but most will simply do what works best and leave it. All in all, XII could have an auto-button just like XIII and be perfectly fine. The developers could have done it for you if they wanted.

It's a genre that requires little input once programmed appropriately. I interfered now and then, but I didn't need to much.

Anyway, I still enjoyed it. The concept of rewards for work remained in the form of levels, items, and License Points. There is also the plot, and no matter your feelings, it did still exist, so most will want to see it through.

That's how I felt, at least. Merely my opinion, etc.

[YTDN]

I enjoyed it. It felt faster, fresher and easier than other games. Also, the fact that if a character started doing something stupid then it was entirely your fault meant I couldn't yell at the game for being retarded.

What I would have liked would be to be able to alter the gambits of guests. The amount of times Vossler or Reddas did something stupid and screwed up my strategy was riduculous. Same for Espers as well. I would have also like to have all six party members on the screen at one time, since that was one of the things that ruined the immersion for me. If FFIV could have five party members, then FFXII can have six.

[Hot Shot]

The battle-system, imo, is very gimmicky. It's still turnbased battling. The fact that you can move around in battle doesn't actually change much. enemies will still chase you. And the gambit system was ok but it can get annoying at times. The summons and quickenings are terrible if you compare it to previous FF titles.

[Clo]

Egh, yeah, my comment about loving the battle system does not extend to the summons. They were pointless in the game, and I never had any inspiration to seek them out.

[Quindiana Jones]

I would seek out the summons because they were fun battles, but they were rarely useful. Only the last three really could actually do anything worthwhile by endgame, but the cost to summon them was just too much. xD

[Roogle]

Final Fantasy XII felt like a different version of Final Fantasy XI to me. I thought that they could have done better with all of the resources that they have with them to come up with something more unique that would have made gameplay more exciting.

[Lexy]

I loved XII's battle system because I just really liked the gambit system. I had fun constantly fiddling with the gambits, sometimes trying to come up with the "perfect gambit" that could handle any situation, and sometimes trying to make them as lean as possible.
It was very different from the previous FF's, but I don't think it was gimmicky at all. The gambit system perfectly accomplished the goal of being able to have total control over your characters without having to actually constantly control them. (This is in contrast to XIII's paradigm system, which feels like an arbitrary framework slapped onto the battle system, that doesn't even allow you decent control over two of your characters.)
Also, the lack of transitions into battles, being able to move and run away and be chased, and the fact that battles felt fast and fun! Everything was completely customizable, and you could change anything even in the midst of battle.
And to the original poster, the game must have been a pain in the butt if you only used those gambits! No wonder you didn't like it that much. ;)

[Jessweeee♪]

Nah, the others will rush in here soon enough. I loved it, though!

[ryanraze]

I feel ya guy and I see what you're saying. FFXII gave you the ability to remove yourself from actively doing things in the game. Once you hit a certain level, you could program your characters to handle the majority of the tasks. This made it almost like an RPG Sim.

I loved this system because I enjoyed managing my characters that way. Now, it's not my favorite of all combat systems (I really enjoyed FFXIII), but I do find great joy and value in crafting the perfect setup for my teams. I found value in determining how I wanted the characters to behave (Since they're all similarly stat'd).

I can't say much more other then I can totally see where you're coming from; and I can only retort that I enjoyed the management aspect of it.

How did you feel about FFXIII's battle system?

[Quindiana Jones]

To be honest, if you're using a bullshit version of the mechanic that you hate, then it's your own fault for not liking it anyway. xD

[Raistlin]

THREAD ZOMBIE AAHHH KILL IT WITH FIRE


To be honest, if you're using a bullshit version of the mechanic that you hate, then it's your own fault for not liking it anyway. xD

Seriously, it boggles my mind when people complain that FFXII's battles were boring. Well, then change it! The game gave the player the ability to basically design the AI; if things were too automated, then that's the player's fault.

[Jiro]

Do it all manually and see how long it takes you to lose your mind.

[Quindiana Jones]

Bugger me, I remember my other post in this thread like it was last month.