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Like I'm really bad. I want to play them because everyone talks about them a lot but I'm so bad at them. I will get a few battles in before game-overing. I'm generally bad at these type of tactics games all around.
Gimme tips because i'm going to try again.
I started with Shining Force. Which is SUPER friendly by comparison to games like FFT and Fire Emblem. If I remember correctly, Vandal Hearts and possibly things like Jean D'arc, Suikoden Tactics, Wild Arms XF are decent midpoints between Shining Force and Tactics Ogre/FFT and FE. Though I've also heard the Advance games aren't quite as brutal
As far as advice? You generally have to multi-task your mind, and take it slow. Try to take into account things like the direction your character is facing, the terrain or elevation they're on. Try to take it slow and only aggro one or two enemies at a time if it's a game with a wide map. Though FFT generally had small maps so that might be harder. It's really not the game you'd want to start off with when going to tactical RPGs, honestly. I never beat it though. I thought there was way too much grinding and stats. So I'm really not the person to be giving really advice for that specific game
FFT is a human game of chess, both literally & figuratively. You not only have to set up your own move, but forsee your opponents move. This matters where you place your character, what direction you face them & what action you take w/ them.
That's probably my problem. I just like to go go go and get trout done. I'm fast when I do anything and everything so that's probably my biggest problem is trying to rush it.
So I should probably start with easier tactics games first so I can really understand them? Isn't disgaea a tactics game?
I wouldn't say Disgaea is easier. La Pucelle is a good beginner tactics game, I found. P. Sure you can get it on the PSNetwork
Disgaea is really dependent on grinding/levels in comparison to FFT being more about smart use of units. So if you have low patience for grinding then Disgaea isn't a game for you. If that doesn't bother you then I would say that it is certainly easier than FFT. (The deciding factor being that I can easily play Disgaea games while watching TV but FFT is much more difficult to multi-task)
For general advice I would recommend:
Mobility is your best friend. At the outset move your units so that you will engage each unit one at a time with your full force. This may mean that you have to hold a few units back at times, but bringing your full force to bear at one target at a time is really important. Don't over-extend yourself. Move +1 (and then Move +2) will serve as your primary movement abilities for most of the game and in most situations.
Always make sure you always have healing backing you up, especially as you get the hang of the game. Often times you will be in a dire situation and outlast it just because you keep your HP just a little bit higher. (Eventualy as you get the ability to deal damage better it becomes much less important.)
Save before/after every battle. If the counter of a KOed unit reaches 0 they are gone forever, and you never want to loose a unit you put a lot of time into. I also recommend that you make sure one person on your team has the ability to resurrect.
I think starting with TA might be a good idea. It's easier, but still really robust and you can have a lot of fun with it. I've managed to beat it as a kid in junior high and I was a pretty dumb kid :exdee: It'll teach ya all you need to know to fall in love with the genre. It's probably my favorite Final Fantasy, actually.
What platforms is it on?
Tactics Advance is GBA, and Tactics Advance 2 is DS. If you have a 3DS, Fire Emblem: Awakening is not extremely punishing if you set the difficulty up right. Turning off permanent death helps. And it's got a great story with great characters. Unlike FFT which has mostly mindless cronies you throw away in battle and just a few actual legitimate characters
I'd almost suggest giving Shining Force 2 a look if you want to just enjoy the story and gameplay and feel accomplished without a huge amount of risk. The game can still kick your butt here and there if you don't pay attention, but in general getting a game over is fairly rare
Shining Force II is a fantastic entry-level game to go with.
After that, I'd agree with Fynn that Final Fantasy Tactics Advance would be another fantastic one to learn with.
I'd avoid Fire Emblem for now. It may be easier with the difficulty settings at minimum, but that game can still kick your butt if you're not comfortable with the genre. Although if you do go for it, don't forget that you can save mid-battle in Casual Mode, which can be huge.
Whatever you do, I recommend doing a Let's Play of it. Set up a thread, and walk us through how you play it, so we can critique your strategies and offer advice more directly. It might help.
That's..... not a bad idea! We have the let's play forum now so I may do that when I get some more time to.
Sounds like I should start with TA then.
I do wan to play disgaea eventually. As well as fire emblem. But I need to expand my FF playing first.
I still say La Pucelle Tactics. I'm not great at Tactics games but I managed that one no problem
What's that one for?
PS2
Good I have that. Man I have such a backlog of games, i need to lose the lifey thing and just vidya. I will have to try that one too, i can "acquire" TA though so I'll probably start with that.
Fantastic! :) Looking forward to that LP!
Might actually be the first one I ever follow.
I have the game and I just got it loaded up! This should be fun! Yay Let's play!
So I'm let's playing it (double post oops)
So far I've learned:
- Keep long range attackers back
- You can target an empty spot to avoid friendly fire.
- Don't use friendly fire, people die
- Make sure to remember the stupid laws so Montblanc doesn't go to prison
Poor Montblanc :( Tell him not to drop the soap!
I see I'm too late to this thread! I was going to try to dissuade you since the side missions and equipment choices spiral out of control and the poor challenge pacing of the main story doesn't help. A lot of people on this forum swear by it, though, so it might not be an issue for you.
My advice as you tackle FFTA and others is these games are all about divide and conquer. Move your units so as many of them as possible can burst down a single target all at once. Likewise, position your units so the enemy have as few entry points as possible to attack yours.
If you ever take the plunge on FFT, know completing the game requires you to exploit it's poor gameplay balance.