FFXIII - Paradigm System: Love it or Hate it?

[Pumpkin]

Were you a fan of the Paradigm system in FFXIII? I liked it! I disliked a lot of the gameplay, but I enjoyed having different roles in battle to switch between for different strategies and stuff. The issues I have with it are more because of the type of gameplay, and if it had been different, I think the Paradigm system would have been even better

[Carl the Llama]

I loved it, one of my favourite things about the game actually.

[Noire]

It was better in XIII-2, since they removed the godawful, potentially game-ending lag that came with switching Paradigms in battle. The number of times I got cheap-shotted by bosses because I had to watch my party members twirl their weapons...

...that aside, I didn't mind the Paradigm system, but it was a definite step backwards from the Gambit system FFXII utilized. The AI in XIII was diabolical, and when you consider the multitude of options the Gambit system had, being limited to six very basic roles was very...restricting. It worked well enough in the game, but it was still pathetically simplistic.

[Psychotic]

I liked it in and of itself, but I wasn't a fan of the combat/staggering system if that makes sense. If you put a Paradigm system in VII or X or whatever, I'd have liked it more. Although that being said it probably wouldn't work in those games. The whole point of XIII's battles wasn't battling or choosing attacks, it was choosing your Paradigm layout.

[Loony BoB]

I found myself doing more in battles than I have done in other Final Fantasy games (bar the online ones). I couldn't rely on overpowering my characters and simply holding down X like you can in pretty much every other FF.

[Shauna]

I found myself doing more in battles than I have done in other Final Fantasy games (bar the online ones). I couldn't rely on overpowering my characters and simply holding down X like you can in pretty much every other FF.

If there's one thing that BoB and I agree on, it's this.

Not that we disagree about too many things.

[Laddy]

Great premise, weak execution.

If each character had their own classes unique to them with more complexity than "hits stuff" or "heals" than it offers up a lot of strategy.

[Formalhaut]

Great premise, weak execution.

If each character had their own classes unique to them with more complexity than "hits stuff" or "heals" than it offers up a lot of strategy.

Each character had different specialisms within each class though. For example, Sazh learns all the single-target versions of the Saboteur spells, while Hope learns all the multi-target versions. Snow as a Ravager knows all the Ice and Water spells, while Sazh knows all the Fire and Lightning spells. Not to mention all the character has a unique full ATB skill.

Ultimately, the classes are slightly simple, but there's more depth to them than people give them credit for, in my opinion.

[Laddy]

Well there's definitely an observable and finite difference, I don't think there is enough to make each role feel different enough in the hands of a certain character. The roles still serve more or less the same purpose with the primary difference being the spell list and not much else.

[Loony BoB]

Well there's definitely an observable and finite difference, I don't think there is enough to make each role feel different enough in the hands of a certain character. The roles still serve more or less the same purpose with the primary difference being the spell list and not much else.

I definitely felt the roles were different for each character. Try comparing Snow and Hope's variations of their jobs and you'll see a massive difference. If you get the official guide you can really see just how different each character is when using particular jobs. Obviously, they also have special spells unique to each character that can only be opened up on certain jobs, too. Death ftw.

[Mirage]

I liked it, but it didn't become real good until 13-2

[Dat Matt]

13-2 was about the same, but offered the choice to switch characters. I think people would have hated on 13 less had the put that in the first game.

I like the 13 battle system. Sitting in Commando / Ravenger / Ravenger is good, but will get you killed against tough enemies. Just means no one is stuck to "This is your class, have fun" like traditional installments like 9.

[arenzi]

I liked it. I wasn't sure about it at first but after playing it I didn't mind it.

[Mirage]

13-2 was about the same, but offered the choice to switch characters. I think people would have hated on 13 less had the put that in the first game.

I like the 13 battle system. Sitting in Commando / Ravenger / Ravenger is good, but will get you killed against tough enemies. Just means no one is stuck to "This is your class, have fun" like traditional installments like 9.

Ravager.

Anyway, it had more than that. It also had wide/narrow focus options for each class in each paradigm, and the monster companions added a lot of diversity as well. Furthermore, you no longer instantly lose if the character you control dies. You simply had a lot more control over both your AI companion's behavior, and what you did yourself.

[Bolivar]

I felt it worked pretty well although I couldn't help but wish I had more control over the AI logic a la FFXII gambits.