So I've been thinking.
How feasible would it be to do a run through of FFVIII with a self-imposed Job system?
- Each playable character would be pre-designated a role before the game starts (ie: Squall as a Knight, Quistis as Mage, etc.)
- Every GF would be assigned to a specific character before the game starts
- The player never removes those GFs at any point (unless forced). Hopefully this ensures that everyone has a use and the player doesn't get to just level GFs for free.
A few wrinkles:
- Are there any parts of the game where characters are unplayable for an extended amount of time? I'm thinking Rinoa beginning in Disc 3, effectively gimping her GFs. I'm thinking Edea takes over for Rinoa when available.
- Irvine doesn't join the team for a while, so any builds need to take this into account.
- How does Drawing magic play into this, if at all? I'm thinking it minimizes spells that have minimal effect on certain stats become less valuable.
The problem with running FF8 as a job system comes from the fact that, unlike pure Job system FFs, the party is revealed slowly and changes throughout the game based on the story. So making unique and quirky builds is a lot more difficult since you have to distribute what you have to who you have, leaving late arrivals with anything earned after their arrivals.
Anyway, has anyone ever tried something like this? If so, how'd it work out and do you have any tips for planning a playthrough like this?