Turn Base vs. ATB

[Sain Cai]

Which do you prefer? I was never a fan of ATB, mainly because something always comes up and I dont always have time to pause, also I like to be able to look for items instead of being pounded while doing so. I liked FFX's battle system: you got to see how long of a recovery time it took for some spells/actions/etc.

Also I heard something about FFXII and Square not using one of the battle systems anymore. Is this true?

[Duncan]

Go look in the FFXII forum, you'll be able to read up on it there.

[raskerino]

I really love both. I probably prefer turnbased but only when it has something extra to it which is allowed by the waiting. FFIV-FFIX had a great ATB system, while FFX had a good wait system, but these all were very similiar. What I like most is SH's battle system type, one that waits but uses the time to do something such as the ring in SH. Or the grandia 2 system where it waits for you so that you can think about things like canceling. Other examples of this type are LOD (which didn't work so well for me), XS2 (not as much but I liked breaking enemies), and FFT.

Mostly they're equal but if they do something special with it I probably prefer turn based. I'm gonna vote don't care because I've also seen turnbased that I thought was worse like Suikoden.

What I find as important is being able to set up characters interestingly out of battle which was done well in FFVII, and FFVIII was pretty good for that too.

Edit: Oops... fixed that now, my bad, not thinking forgot the V.

[Mirage]

Uh, FF1-3 didn't have ATB, what are you talking about? ATB was introduced in FF4. In my opinion, FFX-2 had the best ATB system, followed by FF8, just because it was so smooth and fast in FF8. The other ATB systems aren't very different at all.

[Slothy]

also I like to be able to look for items instead of being pounded while doing so.

That's what the wait mode was for, which although I can't remember if FF4 and 5 had it, I know it was present in FF6 and after. I always preferred ATB since I liked the added pressure of having to think on my feet, although I also liked FFX's system as well since I think it offered more strategy potential than other turn based systems that give you no info on things like recovery time (or just don't have them).

[Dreddz]

atb, gives me a tiny weeny more time to think on what I have to do .....

[Captain Maxx Power]

Turn-Based for the win. It lets me have a break during long battles that are particularly hard, and usually encourages real tactics as oppose to all out "whack-as-hard-and-as-quickly-as-possible-lest-we-die!" frenzy that ATB usually creates.

[rubah]

Hmm. I really liked that you could edit your moves in ff2 by cancelling (beyond just statgaining), and i loved being able to figure out which attacks would give you more chances to fight in ffx, but the inability to pause left me feeling sorta weird if I had to walk away from a battle. I have nephews who are often over, and if they wanted to 'play' with the controller when I was nearly dead, I'm sure I could come back to a game over.

I'll guess I'll throw in a vote for ATB. It always amused me to watch mages in ff5 praying for their magic while ninjas went and attacked five times

[KoShiatar]

I like ATB. It gives me more sense of a realistic battle, and the "frenzy" is what makes me excited.

[ljkkjlcm9]

Honestly, I like either an all out turn based like Fire Emblem(i know not Square-enix) or FF tactics I suppose, though the fight details are better in Fire Emblem. OR the other extreme, something like Tales of Symphonia where it's action based battles with preset commands, and you can go into the menus and it'll pause the action. That may very well be my favorite battle system ever.

THE JACKEL

[RaidenWeb17]

I voted ATB just cause it was the first i played and i like it best. I was recently playing FF1 and 2 DOS and beat them and then went to FFIV and was so happy to have a ATB battle system again. It justs feels right, i think.

[ffxfreak93]

turn-based

[Winter Nights]

Both are good, depending on how they are designed and what they allow.

[Slade]

I had more fun with ATB. Both were good though.

[Yuffie514]

i think i'm more used to turn-based since i act a little slow with ATB (FFX-2/FFXI). i don't hate ATB. i could work on it a little more, but my vote still went for turn-based...